He Wouldn't Claim Me — Another Man Did

Chapter 160 - 146: Willing

Morgan Hayes had ordered the cake.

He had also invited all the guests.

He had planned the entire birthday party himself.

Annabelle Leighton thought Morgan Hayes didn’t know her birthday, but he had secretly looked it up long ago. He already knew the date—those few numbers—by heart.

And this surprise, while it seemed simple, had taken Morgan Hayes quite a bit of time to prepare.

Annabelle Leighton was very touched. But she had only exchanged a few words with Isla Prescott and the others when she turned around and Morgan Hayes was gone.

He had gone back into the kitchen.

In the time they had been chatting, Morgan Hayes had cooked a full spread of dishes.

"Oh my god, I’ve worked with Captain Hayes for so long, but this is the first time I’ve ever known he could cook," Levi Quinn said in shock. He even suspected for a moment that Morgan Hayes had just ordered takeout and plated it, but a search of the kitchen turned up no delivery bags.

"I can vouch for him. He really can cook," Annabelle Leighton said. "He cooks for me every day."

The moment the women from her studio heard this, they all let out a collective "Wow!"

Then, after they tasted Morgan Hayes’s cooking, they let out another "Wow!"

This was so delicious!

Although they were all simple, home-style dishes, Morgan Hayes had given each one a special, unique flavor.

"Captain Hayes is the kind of good man you’d be hard-pressed to find. Our Annabelle is so lucky," Kiki Ford said, always the best at hyping people up.

"He really is. Captain Hayes is so thoughtful," Isla Prescott said, pointing to a cold dish in front of her. "Because of my morning sickness, all I’ve been craving is sour, cold dishes. Captain Hayes made this for me specifically, catering to my tastes."

Seeing his wife praising another man, Shane Sterling quickly raised his hand to take credit. "I was the one who told Captain Hayes."

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Of course you had to be the one who told him. Otherwise, if Captain Hayes knew Isla’s cravings on his own, that would be hard to explain!"

Another round of laughter followed.

Everyone ate and drank their fill. The table full of food was quickly demolished. Once everyone was full and satisfied, Morgan Hayes started clearing the dishes to make space on the table, then brought out a platter of fruit.

"Captain Hayes looks so domestic in an apron. It’s such a huge contrast to his tough-guy image," Isla Prescott whispered, leaning close to Annabelle Leighton. "Plus, he’s so proactive and always knows what needs to be done. A real prize among men. No wonder you chased him for so long without giving up. You really struck gold."

"When I was chasing him, I had no idea he could do everything."

"Well, you definitely came out on top then."

Just as the two were engrossed in their whispering, a wave of jealousy wafted over from nearby.

Isla Prescott turned her head to see Shane Sterling looking at them with a wounded expression. "I can hear you."

"My husband is amazing too," Isla Prescott said, quickly linking her arm with Shane Sterling’s and cooing placatingly. "Marrying you was a huge win for me too."

Only then did Shane Sterling raise his eyebrows in satisfaction.

Annabelle Leighton clicked her tongue. "Tsk, tsk. Getting jealous over that? You really are a vinegar jar."

"What’s wrong with being jealous? It’s a standard feature for men in love. Captain Hayes might be even more jealous than me in the future."

Annabelle Leighton glanced at Morgan Hayes. ’A rational person like him probably wouldn’t be as dramatic as Shane Sterling.’

"Annabelle, this is my birthday gift for you," Levi Quinn said, suddenly approaching. He handed Annabelle Leighton a small box. Inside was an exquisite hair clip.

"Oh, it’s beautiful!" Annabelle Leighton immediately took it and clipped it into her hair. "I love it! Thank you, Officer Quinn. You have great taste."

"Hehe."

Just as Levi Quinn was scratching his head with a silly grin, Morgan Hayes came over.

"You little rascal," he said, the scent of jealousy overpowering. "I don’t usually see you being so good at picking out gifts for women."

"To be honest, I have no idea what girls like. I only bought it after asking my sister," Levi Quinn quickly explained.

Morgan Hayes shot him a look. "Go eat some fruit."

"You got it."

Levi Quinn swiftly vacated his spot. Morgan Hayes moved to Annabelle Leighton’s side, took her wrist under the table, and whispered to her, "I have a gift for you too. I’ll give it to you later."

Annabelle Leighton smiled. ’Looks like Officer Hayes can get pretty jealous after all.’

--

After everyone had their fill, they chatted for a while longer before leaving.

Annabelle Leighton and Morgan Hayes saw everyone downstairs. After sending them all off, the two walked back upstairs, hand in hand.

"Were you happy today?" Morgan Hayes asked.

"Happy. Incredibly happy."

This was the warmest and happiest birthday Annabelle Leighton had celebrated in over twenty years. It was also the day she had laughed the most since her grandmother passed away.

"As long as you’re happy. Let’s go up and open your presents."

"Okay."

The gift Morgan Hayes had prepared for Annabelle Leighton was a bracelet from a luxury brand.

The moment Annabelle Leighton opened it, her brow furrowed.

This bracelet was very expensive. On Morgan Hayes’s salary, he probably had to save for a long time.

"Why would you buy such an expensive gift?" Annabelle Leighton didn’t want him to spend so much, especially since she didn’t lack luxury jewelry herself.

"It’s my first time buying you a gift. I didn’t know what to pick, and the sales associate said all the girls like this one."

"Of course the associate would recommend the expensive ones. The more expensive it is, the higher their commission."

"The main thing is, I thought it was beautiful too. I knew it would look perfect on you," Morgan Hayes said as he picked up the bracelet and carefully put it on Annabelle Leighton’s wrist.

The bracelet made Annabelle Leighton’s wrist look even more delicate and slender.

"Cuffed you. From now on, you’re mine," Morgan Hayes said with a smile.

Annabelle Leighton was amused and laughed along, but as she laughed, she still felt it was too expensive. She couldn’t bear the thought of him spending so much money on her.

"Silly, I’m not as poor as you think. Besides, what’s the point of earning money if not to spend it on the person I love?"

Annabelle Leighton froze. "What did you just say?"

Morgan Hayes didn’t immediately register. "What?"

"You said ’the person I love’."

"What about the person I love?" he asked, looking at her. "If I didn’t love you, how could we be boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Annabelle Leighton was deeply moved. She reached out, wrapped her arms around Morgan Hayes’s neck, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

Morgan Hayes wrapped his arms around Annabelle Leighton’s waist in return and smiled.

"What are you smiling for? Open your mouth, use your tongue," Annabelle Leighton prompted.

"Oh."

Morgan Hayes began to clumsily return her kiss.

Neither of them actually had much experience with kissing. But Annabelle Leighton was a quick learner at everything, with a knack for picking things up naturally. Morgan Hayes’s learning abilities, however, were all devoted to combat and police work; he was very unpracticed in this area.

She was almost bitten by him.

"Hiss..."

"Are you okay?" Morgan Hayes quickly lowered his head to check her lips, which he had kissed until they were bright red. "Does it hurt?"

"You didn’t bite me."

Morgan Hayes let out a sigh of relief.

"So... can we try again?" He was getting addicted to kissing.

Before Annabelle Leighton could even finish nodding, Morgan Hayes was already kissing her again.

This time, their kiss was deep and tangled.

Before long, Annabelle Leighton felt breathless. She pushed against Morgan Hayes and inadvertently touched something.

Annabelle Leighton’s eyes widened as she looked down.

Morgan Hayes, blushing, pulled her into a tight hug, trying to block her line of sight.

"I can’t see it like this, but I can feel it."

Annabelle Leighton leaned close to Morgan Hayes’s ear and whispered something else. Upon hearing her words, Morgan Hayes quickly let her go and turned his back.

"Sorry, I..."

Annabelle Leighton wrapped her arms around Morgan Hayes from behind.

"Do you want to?"

Morgan Hayes’s whole body stiffened. He glanced back at her over his shoulder.

"If it’s with you," Annabelle Leighton said, "I’m willing to do anything."