Riley’s eyes lit up. "Great, then let’s go shopping again."
Lucy joked with a smile, "Oh, you’re going shopping together now."
Riley blushed and gave Lucy a gentle push, whispering, "Don’t tease me like that, we’re just going to pick out gifts for the baby."
Zachary felt a bit awkward too but maintained his composure, "Let’s go and take a look."
"Hey, Young Master Sutton, Riley, you go ahead. I’m feeling a bit tired, so I won’t accompany you," Lucy wisely decided, knowing her presence would likely make things awkward for the two of them, so she chose not to be the third wheel. Orıginal content can be found at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝔫𝔢𝔱
Riley looked at Lucy with a bit of embarrassment, "Then be careful going back on your own."
Lucy nodded with a smile, "Don’t worry, I’m not a kid. Enjoy your shopping and good luck!" After saying that, Lucy winked at Riley and then turned to leave.
Now only Riley and Zachary were left, making the atmosphere become slightly delicate.
Riley nervously twisted her fingers, unsure of what to say.
Zachary found her nervousness adorable, "Come on, let’s pick out some gifts."
Riley quickly nodded and walked beside Zachary into the jewelry store.
They carefully chose gifts, occasionally exchanging a few words.
During this process, Riley gradually relaxed, and her interaction with Zachary became much more natural.
Together, they chose a pair of amulets for the baby, symbolizing peace and safety for the two little ones.
As Zachary paid, he noticed Riley standing at the counter, admiring a four-leaf clover necklace.
After inquiring about the price, Riley looked at the card in her hand. She had spent all of her allowance on gifts for Vivian Lynch and the two little ones.
Feeling embarrassed to ask Caden, she resisted the urge to buy it.
She bit her lip and put the bank card away, "I’ll come back and buy it next time!"
Zachary seemed to read her mind and walked over, taking out his black card, saying, "Use mine."
Riley quickly waved her hands to refuse, "No, no, how could I! Zach, I can’t use your card. Besides, I don’t think the necklace looks that good anymore."
Zachary chuckled and reassured her, "It’s okay, you’ve been helping me choose all this time, consider it my gift to you."
Riley still shook her head, pushing his card back, "Really, Zach, I don’t need it, I can’t accept your gift."
Zachary slightly frowned, "Why can’t you take it? Don’t you consider me a friend?"
Riley hurried to explain. "It’s not that—I do see you as a friend, but..."
"But what? You don’t want to owe me?" Zachary guessed instinctively, gently patting her shoulder, smiling, "No worries, a brother buying a sister a gift is only natural."
"Isn’t this a bit improper?" Riley bit her lip.
Zachary looked at her earnest expression, feeling a stirring in his heart. "Alright, if you feel embarrassed, you can pay me back when you can afford it."
Riley hesitated and finally nodded, "Alright then, Zach, I’ll pay you back as soon as possible."
Zachary smiled and handed the card to the clerk.
After the card was swiped, the clerk handed the necklace to Zachary.
Zachary took it and said to her, "Let me help you put it on."
At his words, Riley’s heartbeat skipped, and a bright smile spread across her face, "Okay."
Zachary moved behind Riley and gently placed the necklace on her. His fingers brushed against Riley’s skin, making her heartbeat race even faster.
Even though they were now grown up, Riley’s heart couldn’t help but race as it did when she was younger whenever Zachary was around.
After putting the necklace on, Zachary looked at Riley with admiration, "It’s beautiful, it suits you well."
Riley blushed, gently touching the four-leaf clover pendant on the necklace, "Thank you, Zach."
They exchanged a glance, with a subtle tension lingering in the air.
After a moment, Riley broke the silence first, "Zach, let’s go."
"Oh, right." Zachary realized he had lost focus for a moment, looking a bit embarrassed.
Then he proceeded to leave the jewelry store with Riley.
"Riley, let me drive you home!"
Riley was about to say she drove here herself but realized this would give her more time alone with Zachary.
So, she nodded with a smile, "Alright!"
Zachary escorted Riley to the parking lot and opened the car door for her.
Riley sat in Zachary’s passenger seat, feeling both nervous and hopeful.
Zachary started the car, and the atmosphere inside was somewhat quiet.
Riley looked out at the scenery, wanting to find a topic to break the silence.
"Zach, tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, what have you been busy with lately?" Riley asked softly.
Zachary glanced at her, couldn’t help but joke, "Busy preparing for the New Year! My parents are trying to get me to marry soon, forcing me into blind dates; I’m so fed up with it."
"Huh? They still set up blind dates for you?" Riley felt uneasy hearing that.
Zachary chuckled helplessly, "Yeah, they think I’m not getting any younger and should settle down. But I don’t want to go on blind dates; those women aren’t my type at all."
Riley bit her lip, feeling a bit disappointed.
She didn’t know what she meant to Zachary or whether he had any feelings for her.
After all, she vividly remembered being rejected by him previously.
"What kind of girls do you like?" she cautiously asked.
Zachary paused for a moment, seeing Riley’s earnest expression, he felt a pang of guilt.
He turned away, trying to sound indifferent, "Me? I like more mature women, ideally who have a feminine charm, someone who is impressive at social gatherings."
Riley lowered her head, hiding her disappointment, "Oh, I see."
So that’s why he rejected her—he likes mature, charming women, something she was far from being.
The car fell into silence again.
After a while, sensing Riley’s gloom, Zachary regretted his words earlier.
"Um... I don’t mean I have to like that type, every person has their own qualities," Zachary attempted to amend his earlier statement.
As soon as he spoke, Zachary regretted it, why did he feel the need to explain?
Letting Riley misunderstand would be better, preventing her from focusing on him.
They were destined not to be together.
Like his cousin said, if he didn’t like her, he shouldn’t give Riley hope.
Riley forced a smile, "It’s okay, everyone has different tastes."