Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 1221

Leda and Palmer both nodded, thinking about how Christmas was almost here and how a tree just made everything feel so much more festive. But when they heard Audrey call Walter by his full name, both of them couldn’t help but twitch their lips and glance at their son. Ever since he was a kid, he hadn’t let anyone call him that. So why was Audrey allowed? And why did it sound so natural coming from her? More importantly, why wasn’t he stopping her?

Walter noticed their looks but decided to pretend he didn’t. He just said, “If you’re tired, go get some rest. Don’t worry about us.”

But Leda wasn’t tired at all. If anything, she was more awake than ever. It was rare enough to see her son bring any girl home, let alone someone other than Camila Davis. The rumors she’d heard hadn’t prepared her for how excited she felt now. After just a short time with Audrey, Leda already liked her and wanted to know her better.

Ignoring Walter completely, Leda walked right past him and started admiring the Christmas tree. “I’ve got to say, Audrey, you really have great taste. The tree looks amazing.”

Walter just stared at her in silence. They’d only just met, and his mom was already calling her by her first name.

Leda acted like she hadn’t even noticed Walter’s weird look. She smiled at Audrey and said, “Why don’t we help out too? More hands will make things go faster.”

Palmer chimed in, “Where did you get this tree? We should get one for The Williams Estate. It would make the place feel more festive.”

Audrey smiled warmly. “If you want, I can help order one for you. I still have the contact for the delivery people. They’ll even bring it right to your door.”

“That’s perfect!” Leda agreed right away. She grabbed Audrey’s hand, wanting to know all her decorating secrets and insisting on joining in.

Walter had no choice but to let them stay. He couldn’t exactly throw his parents out, so decorating the tree quickly turned into a group project.

Even Audrey was surprised at how easygoing Walter’s parents were. She’d known Palmer was a big deal in the business world, but he turned out to be kind of clumsy with delicate work like this. Leda kept giving him exasperated looks, not even trying to hide her disappointment.

By the end, Walter and his dad were just passing ornaments and watching the women work.

The tree was huge, so there was no way to finish decorating in one night. When it started getting late, Walter offered to drive Audrey home.

Audrey didn’t say no. If they finished everything now, she’d have no excuse to come back. Doing it little by little meant more time together, and more chances to get closer.

Leda finally noticed the time. She’d had so much fun that the whole night had flown by. She couldn’t stop praising Audrey. “You’re so good at this, Audrey! And the ornaments you picked out are adorable.”

Walter’s parents had shown up. Even from a distance, Iris could see how much Leda liked Audrey.

This couldn’t be happening.

If Leda wanted Audrey as her daughter-in-law, where did that leave her? Did she even have a chance anymore?

Her chest tightened with panic, and her dislike for Audrey grew even stronger. She started to wonder if all of this had been part of Audrey’s plan. How else could she have gotten into Walter’s house and met his parents so easily?

She realized she’d seriously underestimated this woman.

While Iris was stuck in her thoughts, trying to figure out what to do next, someone came up to her car and tapped on the window.

Startled, she looked up and saw Abbott—the same guy who had tried to get information from Audrey earlier.