The Substitute Bride: Making Memories Of Us (Lois Stone)

Ayla stood up, her gaze not leaving the middle-aged man before her.She was stunned into speechlessness.
"You're Ayla, aren't you?"
Hayden was excited, surprised, and disbelieving at the same time.
"Yes, I am."
Ayla hadn't expected to meet Hayden on the next day after she returned.
"Hello, Mr.Smith," she said politely.
Hayden hadn't expected to see her again.
It had been more than two years, and he had thought that something bad had happened to Ayla.
"So you are still alive," he said, his voice joyful.
Ayla nodded.She had only met Hayden a few times and they weren't that familiar with each other.But the way Hayden looked at
her confused her to no end.
"Are you free now? Can I buy you a cup of tea?" he asked, looking at her with hopeful eyes.
Ayla looked at her watch before nodding and saying, "Okay."
She couldn't refuse his polite invitation.To her, so far at least, Hayden was a good man.
They got into the car and Hayden mentioned the address of a nearby tea bar to his driver.it wasn't long before they were seated
at a table.
"What kind of tea do you want to drink?" he asked.
"Green tea, please," she said mildly.
Hayden turned to the waiter and said, "Two cups of green tea."
Once the waiter had left, he turned to Ayla, the question shooting out of him.
"Where have you been these past two years? I was very worried when I heard that you had an accident."

"I was in Italy, Mr.Smith.I had a good and peaceful life there," she said honestly.
"That's good."
What could be better than her being alive? Hayden had never thought he would meet Ayla again.
"You look much older,"
Ayla observed as she looked at him.
In just two years, more than half of Hayden's hair had turned white, which made him look older than his actual age.
He nodded, "Yes.I'm getting old and I'm not in good health.So my hair turns white very quickly."
Saying thus, he sighed.
"Mr.Smith, you have a heart problem.You need to rest more," Ayla said, mildly berating the man.
Ayla and her adoptive father, Clayton, didn't get along well and almost never spoke to each other.
However, Ayla could carry a conversation with Hayden, even though they weren't very familiar with each other either.
"I'll call you Lala from now on, okay? Don't call me Mr.Smith.If you don't mind, just call me Uncle Hayden," Hayden said to her
earnestly.
"Uncle Hayden," said Ayla, awkwardly testing out the new title.
Hayden nodded, smiling, "Okay, okay. That's good enough for now."
He was so excited, it was all he could do to control himself from bursting into tears.
Hayden's driver hurried over to them when they didn't emerge for a long time.
"Mr.Smith, the doctor called again and asked when you will be there."
"Let them wait."
Hayden had been making his way out to go to the hospital for a physical examination when he had met Ayla.But now, everything
else seemed trivial and unimportant.

Looking at his pale face, Ayla said, "Mr.Smith."
"What?"
Hayden said, pulling a long face at the reverted name.
"Okay, Uncle Hayden.You'd better go to the hospital.We can talk another day," she said with a slightly amused smile.
Hayden nodded.
"Okay.Will you be staying in Antawood?"
This was a question he was very concerned about the answer for.
"I came back for work, but I may be here for a long time," Ayla said.
"That's good.Where are you going now? Let me drive you there," he said, getting to his feet.
Ayla shook her head.
"No, thanks.I just need to visit the supermarket across the street."
They exited the tea bar together and Ayla didn't make her way across to the supermarket until Hayden's car turned the comer.
When Lucas came home from work at noon, he saw Ayla cooking busily in the kitchen in a pink apron.
"Why did you cook so many dishes, Lala?" he asked, sniffing at the air full of the aroma of delicious food.
"I haven't cooked in a long time.I don't have anything to do today, so I'm thinking I'll prepare more.Especially since I'll be busy
from tomorrow," she said.
She pulled out a pot of soup as she spoke.
Lucas slid a hand around her waist as he said, "I'm so lucky to have you."
He kissed her on the cheek and released her to pick up his chopsticks.
"I smell of oil and smoke.You go sit at the table.I'll freshen up and be out soon," she said, turning her head away from her as he
made to kiss her again.

Later, when they were seated across from each other at the table, Lucas said to her, "Lala, you should eat more.You didn't eat
anything the whole of yesterday."
Thus berating her, he piled up some food for her on a plate.
Ayla remained silent for a minute before asking, "Are you busy this afternoon, Lucas?"
She looked at him intently.
"I'm free.Where do you want to go?" he said.
She shook her head.
"I just want to go out and look around the city."
There was a hint of sorrow in her voice.
"Okay, I'll drive you there.Wherever you want to go, I'll be with you."
Lucas knew that Ayla's feelings towards Antawood were complicated.
It didn't matter if these feelings were good or bad.
She would always harbor them.
He finished eating ail the food, thinking appreciatively of Ayla's cooking skills.His memory of home had been distant.
Only Ayla had been able to make him feel what home was like.He wanted this feeling for the rest of his ie.
After lunch, Ayla did the dishes in the kitchen as Lucas prepared a fruit bowl.
They worked around the kitchen in harmony, like a couple that had lived together for a long time.
As they settled down onto the sofa, he handed her the bowl.
She picked at the fruits before saying, "I want to go see the Woodsen family's house this afternoon."
"Okay.I'll drive you there.But will you be okay if you go there?"

When Clayton had sent Ayla to Brian, the Woodsen family had lost everything, and Clayton had been forced to live on the streets
for several years.
The Woodsen family now had nothing but desolation.
Ayla shook her head.
"I just want to go there to look.You won't understand the feeling of growing up in that place alone."
"Of course I do.How can I not understand? You know that I have been alone since I was a child."
It was the first time Lucas had told her something like that.
She had always thought that Lucas was from a rich family, because he always gave her the best.
"Lucas," she whispered and then fell silent as she watched him.
Long minutes later, she finally asked the question she had been wanting to ask for a long time.
"What's your relationship with Mr.Smith's family?"
"Uncle Hayden is a friend of my father, so we are on good terms."
Lucas knew the relationship that Ayla and Toby shared, as well as the relationship between the Smith family and her.
"I see," she said, nodding.
"Have you always lived with the Smith family? Ever since you were a child?"
"I grew up in Thailand," he said quietly.
Those painful memories were now in the past.
Ayla took his hand but said nothing.
It looked like they were more similar than she had expected.
That was why Lucas was so kind to her.

"I think we should go.Didn't you say you wanted to have a look at the Woodsen family's house? I'll go with you," he said,
standing up abruptly.
Once Ayla had changed into something better, they left the house together.