Chapter 203

Debra chuckled, then grabbed Lillian and Kevin. "Come on, let's watch them prune the tree!"

The kids, wide-eyed with curiosity, scampered after their grandmother, leaving Stacey and Hayden alone in the kitchen.

Stacey fidgeted. "What can I do? Should I help? I… I could cook something, but it's just regular food."

Hayden smiled gently, handing her some vegetables. "Chop these."

"Sure!" Stacey readily agreed, secretly wondering about Hayden's cooking skills.

He began explaining, "When Jeremy was born, he was affected by an abortion drug. He needed extra care."

"So you learned to cook?" Stacey asked.

Hayden nodded. "Jeremy was insecure, he didn't trust anyone else's food."

Stacey felt a pang of sympathy. Caring for a child like Jeremy must have been exhausting. But Jeremy, aside from his speech impediment, seemed perfectly healthy, a testament to the Hoggard family's love. He's a good father, she thought, adding aloud, "I'll work harder to be a better mother."

"You've done well," Hayden replied, acknowledging her efforts. "What would you like to eat tonight?"

"Anything you're making," Stacey replied, noticing her favorite ingredients. "These are all my favorites!" she exclaimed, then puzzled, "Did your cousin buy these?" Their tastes were remarkably similar.

Hayden nodded. "Catherine picked them out."

Hayden's culinary skills were evident in the exquisitely arranged dishes. Stacey stared, remembering Loretta's words. "Is this… how you always cook?"

Hayden looked confused. Stacey pointed to a plate of vegetables carved into a whimsical forest scene, a deer-shaped meatloaf nestled amongst them. "These aren't regular vegetables, are they?"

Hayden smiled. "Most kids love it."

"You did this for Jeremy?" Stacey breathed, awestruck.

Hayden nodded. "We used to make these to entice him. Now we can do it for Lillian and Kevin, too. Maybe this will prevent them from becoming young fathers!" he joked.

The food was delicious, but time-consuming.

Meanwhile, Lillian, Kevin, and Debra were enthralled by the exotic plants in the garden. Loretta joined them, her descriptions of the flowers captivating the children with excited "Wows!"

Debra, a passionate gardener herself, snapped photos to send to her husband, Patrick, back in Alagua City.

Patrick, examining the pictures, knew he'd better brush up on his botany. He'd face a grilling from Debra upon her return.

Adrian, meanwhile, received a message from a friend about Jenny's case. The information pointed to Jenny's adoptive mother, Dorothy, also being her biological mother – a secret kept hidden from everyone, except a select few. Dorothy had been Edwin's secret lover, becoming his wife after his previous children tragically died in a car accident. Then, Dorothy suggested they adopt, which is how Jenny came into their lives.