Shelly did not expect Hayden to be so straightforward and was surprised that he had instantly seen through her.
"Not entirely... | just thought that you're single, and Courtney happens to be single as well. Besides, she really admires you," Shelly
explained with a flushed face. "If you happen to have a positive impression of her as well, you two could give it a go... Of course, if
you don't like Courtney, you can et that | said anything."
Hayden fell into deep self-doubt.
His entire family was trying to bring him and Shelly together, while Shelly was trying to set him up with Courtney.
"If marry another woman, our child will have a stepmother," Hayden reminded her.
"Yeah! I've thought about that, too. If you were with Courtney, that wouldn't be an issue," Shelly said sincerely. "Courtney would
definitely be good to our son."
Hayden remained silent.
In the evening, Hayden returned home, and his family gathered around him, asking about what he thought of the date. After all, it
was the first tHayden had ever been on a date with a woman.
"Shelly doesn't like me, so please stop trying to matchmake us," Hayden said, feeling a bit tired after spending the afternoon
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtstrolling around. "Robert, poura glass of water."
Robert quickly went to pour a glass of water for his brother.
"How is that possible?" Layla could not believe her brother's words. "You're so brilliant, so how could any woman not like you? Why
would you say that? Did you confess? Did she reject you?"
"She wantsto date her best friend." Hayden took the glass of water from his younger brother and drank it all in one gulp. "Now,
can you all just give up?"
"Who is her best friend?" Layla sat beside Hayden and asked.
"... | ot." Hayden truly could not remember Courtney's name.
"Oh, it seems like you're not interested in her best friend!" Layla sighed. "What was Shelly thinking, introducing a friend of hers to
you? Why can't she just date you?"
Avery chimed in after her daughter's words, "Maybe she feels insecure. When | say she remindsof myself when | was young,
it's because she has a strong sense of self-worth. She probably feels that she's not up to par with Hayden, so she's trying to avoid
thinking about it."
After hearing Avery's words, Ivy nodded in agreement. "I understand what Mom is saying. If there's a significant difference in status
between two people, it can indeed make someone feel insecure! It's not just girls who feel insecure; if a guy is in an inferior
position, he would feel insecure as well."
"Exactly," Avery said.
Hayden set the glass aside. "Why are you all so certain that Shelly has feelings for me? What if she genuinely doesn't want to be
with me? You are all forcing her to enter into a relationship with someone she doesn't like."
"Are you feeling insecure, Hayden?" Layla teased. "You're handsome, successful, and loyal. There isn't a woman on earth who
wouldn't like you. et Shelly, a lot of my friends like you! Can't you be a little more confident?"
Avery could not help but smile. "Hayden, if Shelly truly doesn't like you, you would be able to sense it. Although you've never been
in a romantic relationship, you're a sentimental person. Your love for us is the best proof of that. You're capable of falling in love
with a woman and building a happy family with her so long as you stop deceiving yourself."
Hayden was at a loss for words.
"Yeah, Hayden. If you can't figure it out now, you should spend stin your room and think over it." Layla tapped him on the
shoulder. "By the way, where else did you two go, apart from the hair salon?"
"We went to a mall and she bought a hairband," he said.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"And?"
"Nothing else. She only wanted a hairband."
"What did you have for dinner?"
"I placed the order for two dishes and soup for her mother. She was really grateful and took a taxi home."
"Why didn't you send her home, Hayden?"
"She insisted that she did not wantto send her home, so there wasn't much | could do."
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