We Want Mommy Not You Daddy (Cedar) novel Chapter 189

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We Want Mommy, Not You, Daddy!

Chapter 189

Cedar’s POV

The Pierce family estate was located near Lake Michigan, with the

backyard pool connecting to the lake, offering spectacular views of

the water.

It was the perfect location for a birthday celebration.

“Cedar, you finally made it!” Emma rushed over and linked her arm

through mine.

After these past few days, I’d grown accustomed to her enthusiasm. I

offered a small smile. “You’ve done a great job decorating. You didn’t

really need me here.”

“I wanted you to keep me company,” she said, pointing toward the

lake. “Look at all these men–I’m the only woman here. It’s lonely.”

Five or six tall, distinguished–looking men stood by the water. I

recognized one of them–Emma’s brother, Ethan Pierce.

As my gaze swept over the group, Ethan turned and walked toward us.

Chapter 189

“Miss Wright, I’m surprised you’ve become such good friends with my

sister,” he remarked, sounding genuinely impressed. “Emma was

sensitive and tended to keep people at arm’s length if she detected

even the slightest insincerity. Over the years, this had prevented her

from making close friends.”

That explained everything. No wonder she’d asked me to help with

the party instead of turning to other friends. I was also amazed that I

had become Emma’s first real friend.

“Ethan, I’ll tell you why Cedar and I clicked.” Emma pulled her brother

aside and lowered her voice, though I could still hear her. “She

reminds me of Mom, especially when she smiles. Being with Cedar

feels like being with Mom again–that’s why I like her.”

Ethan chuckled. “If Miss Wright knew you were treating her as a

mother figure, I wonder if she’d still want to be your friend.”

“Shh!” Emma shot her brother a panicked look before turning to me

with a sheepish smile. I wasn’t bothered by her confession–quite the

opposite. I offered her a reassuring smile in return.

“Don’t worry,” Ethan said, tousling her hair affectionately.

After their conversation, Ethan approached me.

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“Miss Wright, Emma tells me you came up with the theme for the birthday celebration?”

I nodded, slightly embarrassed. “Emma asked for my input, and I just threw out an idea. I hope it’s not terrible.”

“It was fantastic. Ridley’s always so focused on work, barely comes up

for air. A casual party with friends is exactly the kind of push he

needs to actually let loose.”

Ethan studied me for a moment before continuing, “By the way, I

asked my parents and a jewelry appraiser friend about your necklace.

None of them recognized the design. The appraiser doesn’t think it’s

a significant heirloom piece. Is it possible your adoptive parents were

mistaken about its importance?”

I touched the necklace I wore, examining it with a sense of

disappointment. “Maybe. My relationship with my adoptive parents

isn’t great, so they could have been wrong.”

“Don’t worry,” Ethan reassured me. “There are other ways to search.

Since you’re Emma’s friend, I’d be happy to help you.”

I was taken aback by his generosity. “Thank you, that’s very kind. But I’m not obsessed with finding my birth parents anymore. I’ve built my

own life now.”

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“I’d be happy to help anytime,” Ethan picked up the conversation

smoothly. “I just feel we have a connection, and I’d love to be friends.”

I smiled politely and excused myself to help with the decorations.

Something about the way Ethan looked at me made me slightly

uncomfortable. He seemed nice enough, but there was an intensity to

his interest that felt unwarranted given we weren’t quite close.

The estate was impressive, with sprawling grounds. It took our team

of ten people nearly half the day to transform the already beautiful

space into a magical birthday venue. Silver fairy lights now hung from

the trees, reflecting off the lake’s surface like stars scattered across

dark water.

As we finished the final touches, I checked my watch. “I should

probably head out now.”

Emma immediately latched onto my arm. “No way! You can’t leave me

like this!” Her eyes widened dramatically. “Please stay!”

I laughed despite myself. “Emma, you’re surrounded by people you’ve

known forever. I’m the odd one out here–it’ll be awkward.”

The truth was, I didn’t belong in this world of lakefront mansions and

casual extravagance. I was just a designer who’d accidentally gotten

pulled into the orbit of Chicago’s elite.

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“Cedar,” Ethan approached, a knowing smile playing on his lips,

“you’ve worked so hard on all this. If you leave now, Ridley might

think we deliberately excluded you.” He paused, his voice dropping

slightly. “Besides, don’t you want to wish him happy birthday in

person?”

My cheeks warmed instantly. The memory of Ridley’s embrace from

last night chose this moment to resurface, completely uninvited.

“I” I started, then caught myself. I’d almost blurted out that I’d

already wished Ridley happy birthday in the early hours of the

morning, but that would raise questions I wasn’t ready to answer. The

last thing I needed was explaining why I’d been at the Sterling

mansion until 1 AM.

“Please stay,” Emma pleaded, swinging my arm like we were

schoolgirls instead of grown women. “For me?”

I sighed in defeat. “Fine. But I’m leaving right after I say happy

birthday.”

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