My Darling, My Dearest
Chapter 456 Shoes For Pregnant Women

She flipped the phone so that the screen was facing Rachel and asked, "Isn't this you?"

Rachel looked up and glanced at the screen. "It seems like it."

The colleague raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Who is that man, then? Is he the father of your baby?"

Frowning, Rachel asked, "Why do you have this photo?"

"It's a coincidence!" The colleague swiped at the screen with two fingers and zoomed out the photo to its original size. Only then did Rachel realize that she and Jack were not the main focus of the photo. The colleague chuckled and pointed at the couple who appeared to be arguing in the middle of the photo. She said helplessly, "This is my cousin and her husband. Goodness knows they fight like cats and dogs all the time, even earlier at the hospital. I asked my cousin why he was so late this morning, and then he sent me this photo."

After she finished her story, she propped a hand under her chin and asked in a curious tone, "Rachel, looking from the back, I think that the man must be very handsome. Am I right? Looks like you don't have to worry about what your baby will look like. For sure, it will be a handsome boy or a beautiful girl."

Rachel listened with a smile on her face and did not say a word.

Fortunately, this colleague was not the sort to gossip. After chatting for several moments, she noticed that Rachel was not interested in discussing the subject further, so she smartly led their conversation topic to the baby.

In the shopping mall, two men were walking back and forth in the ladies' shoes section. Several shop assistants looked at them in confusion.

Michael ate up the attention. One of his hands was resting in his pocket, while the other reached up and straightened his tie. Catching sight of the beautiful girls, he quirked an eyebrow and glanced at Jack beside him. However, Jack wasn't sharing his amusement and was looking rather serious. Every time he walked to a shop, he would stop to have a look and then space out, seemingly lost in thought. "What on earth do you want to buy, anyway?" asked Michael, putting his hand on Jack's shoulder.

While Michael thoroughly enjoyed the attention from women, it only further solidified his cynical belief that people rarely looked beyond a person's looks. Now, looking at the two of them, the women might be thinking strange thoughts about them. This bothered Michael.

Jack tapped his chin and said solemnly, "I need to buy shoes for Rachel."

Michael snorted. "Jeez, here I thought that you're planning to expand your business to include women's shoes. I didn't think that we're here because you wanted to buy shoes for Rachel."

He then pushed Jack toward a counter and said, "Since you're buying shoes, you wouldn't be able to see anything if you stood by the door. You have to go in and take a look."

"I don't think these shoes are suitable." Jack frowned and picked up a pair of high-heeled shoes. "Look, the heels on these shoes are so high. How would could she wear them now?" Hearing this, a helpful shop assistant came up to them and asked with a smile, "Sir, are you planning to buy flats or low-heeled shoes? You can definitely replace both kinds in our shop." "I need flat shoes. Those that are suitable for pregnant women."

Hearing his requirements, the shop assistant walked toward one of the display stands, leaned over to take several pairs of shoes from the bottom row, and placed them in front of Jack. "These shoes are very suitable for pregnant women. These feel extremely comfortable when worn." Michael sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs. "You couldn't replace them earlier, and now you have a lot of options before you. So, which of these do you think Rachel will like?"

That morning, Jack alone sat for a while in his car after dropping Rachel off. He took out his mobile phone and searched online for shoes suitable for pregnant women. When he found there were shoes for pregnant women, he put off going to the office, instead pulling Michael from his bed to go shopping with him at the mall.

He thought that pregnant women shoes consisted of just one type of shoes. To his surprise, the shop assistant took out five or six pairs at once, each pair looking distinctly different from the last. Those shoes came in different styles and colors.

Dazed, Jack stared at the pairs. He had no idea what type of shoes Rachel might like. After some thought, he said in a low voice, "Pack all of these shoes for me."

"All of them?" The shop assistant's jaw dropped in surprise. When she came to her senses, she hurriedly brushed dirt from the shoes on the floor, and asked with a smile, "Do you want them in what size?" "9.5 inches," Jack replied.

"Okay. Please wait here a moment while I get new stock from our warehouse. These are only display units." The shop assistant smiled at him and began to calculate in her head how much bonus she could receive this month.

As the assistant disappeared through one of the doors, presumably the entry to their stock room, Michael asked in a low voice, "Don't you think you bought too many?"

"It's not a big deal," Jack replied in a low voice. He raised his hand and glanced at his watch. "You can take a taxi home later. I'll go to the hospital to bring the shoes to Rachel."

"What?" Michael's eyes widened. He stood up and pointed at Jack his face, saying accusingly, "Some friend you are-you really value a woman more than a friend. Had I known this earlier, then I would have drove here. I shouldn't have come with you!"

Jack brushed off the hand and patted him on the shoulder. "If you're not afraid that I would tell your whereabouts to your family, then by all means, keep talking."

"Despicable, shameless, treacherous!" Michael jumped to his feet and said every invective he could think of in a voice filled with mock outrage. Then, he shook his head regretfully and said, "I was really blind at that time. Why did I become friends with you?"

After Rachel finished her work, she stood up and was about to make herself a cup of lemon tea when her phone rang. Seeing Jack's name on the screen, she hesitated for a few seconds and finally answered it. "What's up?" Jack smiled and asked, "I'm at the gate of the hospital now. Will you come out or should I go to your office?"

Frowning, Rachel asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Something important." Jack turned his head to look at the shoe boxes piled up on the back seat.

Rachel thought for a moment and then said, "Okay, wait for me at the gate. I'll come down now."

If he came to the office, Rachel was afraid that her colleagues would ask questions again. She greeted one of her colleagues and stepped into the elevator going down. As soon as she walked past the hospital gate, she saw Jack leaning against a black car, playing with his mobile phone with his head down.

True enough, he changed the Land Rover and was now driving a Porsche with a low chassis.

Rachel walked slowly to him and asked in a low voice, "Couldn't you wait for me to get home after work?"

Jack smiled and said nothing. He just took her hand and said, "Sit here."

She glanced at the open passenger door, thinking that they were about to go on a ride. She was about to walk towards it when Jack gently took her by the shoulders and rearranged her to sit with her feet on the ground outside of the car.

She was baffled. 'What is he trying to do now?' She was about to verbalize the question when Jack place a finger over his lips, with a look saying that he was attempting to seem mysterious. Then, he turned around and opened the door of the back seat. He took out a shoe box from the pile, opened it, and placed the box in front of her. He asked gently, "Do you like this style of shoes?" "You bought them?" Rachel asked, stunned.

Jack nodded. He saw her frown and unmoved expression and thought that she did not like the shoes. He took out another box and asked, "How about this one?"

Her expression remained unchanged so he kept presenting her with pairs. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Rachel asked him, "Jack, how many pairs of shoes did you buy?"

"Not that many, just six pairs." Jack took out all six shoe boxes from the car and placed them on the ground in front of Rachel. "Choose which pair you want to wear today. If you don't like them, I'll go back to the shopping mall later and buy more for you."

'Buy more?'

Afraid that he would actually do it, Rachel shook her head and pointed at one pair of white flats. "That one. Put away the rest." Meanwhile, several people who were going to the hospital stopped and looked at them.

They probably thought that Jack was peddling shoes-from a Porsche, no less-and that Rachel was buying.

She was kind of regretting how she didn't ask for them to meet up in a less-crowded spot. The sight that they provided was a little embarrassing.

Jack half-squatted in front of her, took off her shoes, and then slipped her feet into the brand new pair of flat shoes. Afterwards, he dusted off his palms and looked down at her feet with a relaxed expression on his face. "We can put away your high-heeled shoes for now, and you can wear them after giving birth to the baby."

"Whatever," Rachel said with an eye roll, but the corners of her mouth twitched up. She stood up, wanting to return to her office now.

Jack took hold of her hands and said, "I need to deal with something in the company this afternoon, so I may be late in picking you up. Just wait for me in the office, okay?"

"You don't have to," Rachel said lightly while withdrawing her hands from Jack's clasp. "I can go home by myself."

After saying that, she headed straight for the elevator. Looking down at her shoes, she felt touched, hopeful, and somewhat shy. As soon as stepped into the office, a sharp-eyed colleague noticed the shoes or Rachel's feet and said in surprise, "Rachel, did you just go to a mall and buy this pair of shoes? They look really nice!"

Rachel smiled awkwardly. 'What should I say?

That my child's father was worried when he saw me wearing a pair of low heels, so he specially bought a pair of flat shoes and went to the hospital so I could change into them?'

If she said so, her colleagues might think that they were showing off their love. After all, if she were being honest with herself, she was a little touched by Jack's thoughtfulness.

That afternoon, Rachel lost the desire to work. Sitting alone in the office, she recalled how Jack pulled out each box, one after the other, and presented the shoes to her. She couldn't help the smile that lifted up the corners of her mouth. He looked a little silly and cute, a look which was a marked departure from his usual shrewd and indifferent appearance. It was adorable.

By comparison, she made no progress with what she was doing.

Author's note

^4^. G°°se Mfiiiisn

Translator: Scarlett5555