Billionaire Defiant Wife

Chapter 214: A good Father

The walls of the classroom are painted pink and blue, like a nursery. Drawings of cartoon characters hang from every wall, and colorful mobiles dangle from the ceiling. Several couples are already sitting at tables throughout the room. They look up curiously when Evan and Avery come in with their team of bodyguards.

The lights in the room dim, and a projector flickers to life. A doctor in a white coat explains the way a fetus develops in the uterus. She goes through each stage of development and explains the different effects it might have on the mother: morning sickness, exhaustion, weird cravings. Then she lists the most important nutrients and suggests different meals and supplements for expecting mothers.

Robert stands behind Evan, frantically scribbling notes. Avery turns to look at Evan, and she sees that he's staring at the projection with deep fascination. She's never seen him look so focused.

The doctor begins to explain the ways a couple can prepare for the birth and lists the different birth options available. Then she begins to explain how to care for a newborn. A nurse brings her a model baby, and the doctor raises the doll above her head.

"Crying is a newborn's the only way to communicate," the doctor says. "They will cry when they are hungry and sleepy. They will cry when their diaper is dirty, and they will cry when they're uncomfortable or in pain. After a few days, most parents will learn to recognize the different types of cries. For example, when a baby cries in pain it sounds different than when the baby is tired."

Then the doctor demonstrates the correct way to feed a baby. She provides tips to help the baby latch and explains the different benefits of breastfeeding and bottle feeding. Then she takes the doll and demonstrates the correct way to hold it. 

"There are different ways to hold your infant," she explains. "But you must always protect and support the baby's head and neck. The baby's head is the heaviest part of its body, and its neck muscles are not developed enough to support that weight. If you don't support the baby's neck, it can suffer serious spinal damage."

She looks around the room. "Any questions?" she asks. "No? Okay, now it's your turn to try."

The nurse reenters the room wheeling a cart of model babies and passes one to each couple. Avery takes the baby in embarrassment. The doll feels awkward in her arms, and it makes strange sounds when she holds it. Its eyes blink, and its lips move like a real baby. Avery shuddersthe thing is creepy. Evan gently adjusts her posture, guiding her hands to support the doll's neck and bottom.

"It should be more like this," he says.

The doctor catches his eye and smiles. "You've listened very carefully," she says. "I can see that you'll be a good father." She raises her voice and addresses the entire room, "In fact, the first few months after birth are incredibly difficult for the mother. If a supportive and attentive father can help her, both she and the baby will benefit,"

Avery passes the doll to Evan. "Alright, Daddy, how about you feed the baby?" she asks.

Evan smiles slightly and tenderly takes the doll in his arms. Avery's heart flutters in her chest as he smiles down at the doll. It's so easy to imagine that the plastic and fabric bundle is a real babytheir real baby. He rocks the doll gently, and she realizes she's never found him more attractive. She passes him the fake bottle, and he grabs her wrist, expertly shifting the baby to one large hand.

"If I feed it, will you feed me?" he whispers flirtatiously.

Avery pinches his arm. "Be serious," she says. "You need to know how to take care of our child. What if I'm away?"

"What if you're away?" Evan asks with a frown. "Where would you go?"

"I mean, what if I'm busy with something," Avery says quickly. "There might be times when I need you to take care of our child."

"We'll have a nanny," Evan says.

"But it's our child," Avery says, hearing the panic creep into her voice. "You can't abandon him or her to a nanny."

"I won't be abandoning him," Evan says.

His forehead creases and he looks meaningfully at Avery. She squirms and looks away, unable to meet his searching gaze.

"We'll raise him together," Evan says. He lifts her chin and turned her head towards him. "Promise me," he whispers.

"I promise," Avery says, trying to keep the tears from her eyes.

Evan looks at her questioningly, but the doll in his arms begins to cry. The speaker inside it wails just like a real baby. Evan gently puts the rubber nipple in its mouth, and the crying sound stops. After a few minutes, it begins to cry again.

"What's going on?" Avery asks. "Why is it crying after you've fed it?"

"Maybe it peed," Evan suggests.

He gently pats the diaper and then lifts the baby to show Avery a wet spot on the fabric. Evan lays the doll on the table and expertly unfolds the diaper. He lifts the baby's legs and slides a clean diaper underneath. Avery looks around the room. No other father is handling the situation as calmly as Evan. One man has accidentally put the diaper on backward, and another has dropped the baby.

"Evan," Avery whispers.

"Yes?"

"You really will be a good father," she says, tears slipping out of her eyes and down her cheeks.

"I'd rather be a good husband," Evan says, gently wiping a tear from her cheek. 

"You are," she sobs.

"I can do better," he whispers. "And I promise, I will."

The nurse comes around the room and collects the dolls. Avery tries to stop crying, but she can't stop imagining Evan with her baby. If I die, at least I know that the baby will be cared for, she thinks. Evan will do everything he can to protect and love our child.

The doctor clears her throat. "In the room next door, we have a photo composite technology. Our software can scan images of the mother and father and predict what your baby may look like. If you're interested in trying it out, please head that way now."

Avery wipes her eyes and stands, taking Evan's hand in hers. She knows she should pretend to be cold and uninterested, but seeing him with the doll has completely destroyed her self-control. She looks around the room and sees that several other women are in tears. Good, she thinks. Hopefully, Evan will just think it's the pregnancy hormones. I don't think I could answer any questions right now.

She leads him to the room, and they stand in front of a camera. Instead of taking a picture, it scans their images directly into the computer.

"Oh, you're a beautiful couple," a nurse gushes. "I bet you'll make the most precious baby."

The computer blends its features together and makes two babies: one boy and one girl. Avery squints at them. They look exactly the same to her.

"They're adorable," the nurse says. "Of course, this is only a guess. We'd have to look at your DNA and determine your dominant and recessive genes in order to provide a more accurate image, but in our experience, our technology is usually pretty accurate."

The nurse prints the photos on glossy paper and hands them to Avery. Avery gently traces the baby's chubby cheeks.

"Can you age the baby too?" she asks. "For example, can you show me what he or she will look like when they're three or five or eighteen?"

"Of course," the nurse says. "I'll print the photos and bind them in an album for you."

"Thank you," Avery says, beaming.

"Our system has a mobile phone app, too," the nurse says. "You can download it and compare the photos yourself."

Evan grabs his phone and immediately downloads the app. Avery watches as he scrolls through his photo album. She turns away when a nurse hands her a pink and blue cloth-bound book. She pages through, looking at the photos of their child, watching him or her grow up.

When she looks up, she sees that Evan has selected a photo of Andrew and what appears to be a chimpanzee. He uploads them to the app and smirks at the results.

"Send it to Andrew," Evan says to Robert.

Robert takes the phone and emails the photo to Andrew.

"Wait a minutesend this one too," Evan said, pointing to the photo of the child he's having with Avery. "I want him to compare them."