The Villainess Needs a Hug (Ivy Windsor) novel Chapter 1036

Katrina finished buckling her seatbelt, the smile fading from her face. She turned to look at him, her expression dead serious. "Do you really want to have a baby right after we get married?"

Naylor lightly gripped the steering wheel and glanced back at her. "Do you not want to?"

Honestly, if Katrina wasn't ready, he completely understood.

She had just started her career, and it made perfect sense that a young woman in her position would want to focus on climbing the corporate ladder first.

If she didn't want to rush into motherhood, Naylor absolutely would not force the issue.

He was a man, his biological clock wasn't ticking aggressively. There was no rush.

His primary motivation was Willa. He thought that if a miracle happened, letting her see her only daughter become a mother might bring her a deeper sense of peace before she passed.

But based on the doctors' brutal assessments, a miracle was highly unlikely. The best they could probably hope for was Willa living long enough to see Katrina heavily pregnant.

Naylor's question plunged Katrina into deep thought.

The wedding plans had materialized so rapidly that she hadn't even had time to process the idea of children.

Who could have predicted that their relationship would move at warp speed? Going from a bitter breakup to planning a wedding, to discussing having a baby—all in the span of a few days.

"I haven't really made up my mind. Let me think about it."

"Take your time. You're the one who has to actually carry the child, so it impacts you the most. Think it over carefully. It was just a suggestion. If you aren't ready to have kids right now, it's completely fine," Naylor reassured her gently.

"Okay. Thank you."

"Idiot. I'm your man. Looking out for your best interests is literally my job. You don't need to thank me for that."

Katrina smiled sweetly. "I still want to thank you. My mom always taught me to be grateful. Outside of your parents, no one in this world is obligated to sacrifice for you. And honestly, even parents often have ulterior motives when they do things for you."

Waller was the perfect example of that.

Naylor knew exactly where her mind had gone and quickly offered reassurance. "Don't worry. The Lester family won't ever dare to harass you again."

"Yeah, I need to thank you for that, too," Katrina said, laying on the praise.

Naylor glanced over, a dangerously seductive glint in his eye. "Fine. If you're so desperate to thank me, I'll give you plenty of opportunities to show your gratitude tonight. Don't let me down."

"..." Katrina glared at him. "You're such a creep!"

————

With the wedding plans officially locked in, Katrina visited Ivy over the weekend. Her best friend immediately started teasing her. "Look at that glowing complexion and that smug little smile. Are you sure you're the same depressed, lifeless ghost I saw a few days ago? I barely recognize you..."

"Ugh, Ivy, stop making fun of me!" Katrina blushed, suddenly radiating the shy energy of a newlywed.

Ivy's curiosity was piqued. "What exactly triggered Naylor? His personality did a complete 180."

Katrina stared at the babies, completely infatuated. Eventually, she carefully took the older twin from the nurse, holding him delicately in her arms, her face filled with wonder.

Noticing her expression, Ivy asked curiously, "I didn't know you liked kids this much?"

"They're alright. It's mostly just because your boys are exceptionally cute."

"With your and Naylor's genetics, your kids are going to be gorgeous."

"That's not a guarantee. The Lester family genes aren't exactly flawless. What if they skip a generation?"

Katrina took after her mother, and while Waller was decent-looking, the kids he had with his second wife were incredibly plain.

Genetics were a total crapshoot.

"Actually, Naylor wants to have a baby right after we get married, but I've been hesitating. It feels too rushed." Holding the baby in her arms, Katrina recalled Naylor's words, and her stance began to soften.

If she could have a baby as breathtakingly adorable as her best friend's, she was actually quite eager for it.

Ivy was stunned. "Naylor is in a rush to be a dad? That's insane! He used to be so aggressively against marriage. Why the sudden obsession with settling down and having kids?"

"It's because of your husband." Katrina gently rocked the baby, looking at Ivy with a conflicted expression. "He feels like he's losing some imaginary competition with Jamison and wants to aggressively catch up."

"..." Ivy stared at her in utter disbelief. After two seconds of stunned silence, she burst out laughing. "That reason is just so... actually, that sounds exactly like something Naylor would do."