Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Sebastian
I was sitting at the bar in the Terrence Lounge when I finally decided to listen to Chloe’s message. My heart shattered into a million pieces hearing her say those words to me. I spent my mornings running along the water and my days sitting on a bench in Waterfront Park, thinking and watching couples walk by hand in hand, kissing and smiling. I paid even closer attention to those couples pushing their babies in strollers. I watched a father as he held his crying baby, trying to calm down his son. I spent my nights sitting at the same bar, drinking my worries and problems away. Being away from her was so hard. I missed her touch, the feel of her soft skin, and the way her nose wrinkled every time she laughed. But what I missed most was hearing her say that she loved me. And now I would never hear those words again because of what I’d done. I could tell by the tone in her voice that she hated me. She was hurt that I left, and somehow, she figured out why. Lies always do come back to bite you in the ass.
“Another bourbon, my friend?” the young bartender asked with a smile.
“Sure. Why not.”
“You’ve been in here the past four nights. Are you from around here?”
“Nah. I’m from New York.”
“Ah, I love New York. Bartended there for a couple of years.”
“Oh yeah? Why did you move to Seattle?”
“My girlfriend is from here. We met in New York when she attended NYU. It was love at first sight. She found out she was pregnant right when she took a job here in Seattle. So I moved with her. We’re getting married next month.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “This is my little angel, Christina.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“She’s my pride and joy. She and her mother. Two best things that ever happened to me my whole life.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks, man. How about you? Do you have a family back home?”
“No.” I shook my head. “In fact, my girlfriend just broke up with me over voicemail.”
“Ouch. Sorry to hear that.”
Just as he was about to walk away, his phone rang.
“Hey, baby. I was just talking about you. Okay, I’ll pick some up on the way home. I love you too, baby. Tell my angel that Daddy will be home in a couple of hours.”
Finishing my drink, I returned to the hotel and climbed into bed. As I was scrolling through the pictures of us in Hawaii, I came across one that was more special than any others I had. The picture of Chloe sleeping that first night in London. I took it before I left that morning. She didn’t know I took it, and she still didn’t know to this day. I traced my finger over her picture as if, magically, she’d appear in bed next to me. I looked at that picture every night after London, wondering if I would have stayed if things would have been different. But now, she hated me and threatened to get a restraining order if I came near her. Nonetheless, she was pregnant with my child, and that was the one thing she couldn’t keep from me. I knew what I had to do, and I would return home in a couple of days to claim what was mine.
Chloe
By the time I dragged my sad, sorry ass out of bed, it was one o’clock. The only reason I did was because my parents decided to drop by.
“What’s going on with you?” my mom asked with worry. “We ran into Sienna this morning, and she asked if you had talked to us yet, but she wouldn’t tell us anything else.”
“You okay, pumpkin?” my dad asked.
I sighed as I went to the kitchen to make some tea.
“Sebastian thinks I’m the one who’s pregnant. He found the test in the bathroom and flew out of here as fast as he could. He left town, and I haven’t heard from him since.”
“Oh, sweetheart. Come here.” My mom held out her arms.
I should have broken down and cried in her arms, but the truth was, I had cried so much the past couple of days that I didn’t have any tears left in me.
“Why would he do something like that without talking to you?” my dad asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because he’s an asshole.”
“Now, Chloe. What have I taught you about calling people names?”
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed a couple of tea bags and put them in the teacups.
“Sounds to me like he’s running scared,” my dad spoke as he reached into the fridge for a beer. “I’ll have a talk with him.”
“No, Dad. I broke up with him.”
“But you’re not even pregnant,” my mom said.
“I know that, but he thinks I am, and instead of talking to me, he took the cowardly way out and left. I’m taking that as a sign for the future. The universe is telling me to run away from him as fast as I can.”
“No. I don’t believe that.” My mom shook her head. “The two of you are meant to be together. That’s why you found each other again when you moved back here.”
“Well, he hurt me again, and I’m not playing anymore. This game hurts me, Mom. It hurts so bad that I don’t know how long it’s going to take for me to fully recover because I love him so much.”
“You know what they say. Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” my dad chimed in. “Maybe he’ll come back groveling on his hands and knees, begging you for forgiveness.”
“I doubt it. I told him that if he ever came near me again, I’d file a restraining order against him.”
“Oh, Chloe.” My mom placed her hand on my face.
“Enough talk about Sebastian. It’s over, so get used to it. We have other things to focus on, like my baby brother or sister.” I smiled as I placed my hand on my mom’s belly.
Monday morning had arrived, and it was the start of a new week. I set my alarm earlier than usual so I could meditate before heading to work. It was a new day. A day where I would renew my soul and create a peaceful mind. A mind that was free from any thoughts of him. He would now become a distant memory of a love I once had. A man who made me feel like I was the only woman on the face of the earth but also a man who broke my heart in two. Just as I prepared myself to meditate, my phone rang, and it was Sienna. When I answered it, she was brushing her teeth.
“Oh, good. You’re up. Sam brought up a good point last night.” She paused to spit in the sink.
“It’s a new day, Sienna. I don’t want to hear any points. If you’ll excuse me, I’m getting ready to meditate before work.”
“‘Ello, Chloe.” Sam appeared on the screen.
“Good morning, Sam.” I sighed.
“Okay, so you know how you broke it off with Sebastian?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he isn’t going anywhere because he thinks you’re carrying his child. So, he’s going to be checking on you from time to time to see how you’re doing.”
“And you know this how, Sam?”
“Because I’m a guy, Chloe. We all think alike. You better prepare that pretty little head of yours because you ain’t seen the last of him. The only way that’s going to happen is if you tell him you’re not pregnant.”
So much for my renewed soul and peaceful mind.
“I have to go, Sam. Thanks for the little pep talk.” I gave him a thumbs-up.
“No problem, love. Have a good day.”
“Talk to you later, Chloe.” Sienna waved in the background.
As I was unpacking some new paintings that arrived, I heard a familiar voice say my name.
“Chloe.”
I stood as if I was frozen in time, unable to move. My heart began to beat rapidly, and my palms started to sweat. Staring down at the large wooden carton, I spoke, “Go away, Sebastian. It’s over.”
“We need to talk.”
“And we could have, but your time expired, and now, you don’t get to talk to me.”
“You need to listen to what I have to say, Chloe.”
I spun myself around out of anger and stared into the eyes of a man that I so deeply loved.
“You shouldn’t have left. You should have talked to me that night when you saw the pregnancy test. You should have texted me back or at least called me. I would have explained everything to you. But you didn’t. You shut me out of your life for a week. We were in a relationship. You don’t do that to someone you care about.” Tears filled my eyes.
“I was scared. I panicked, and I needed to clear my head.”
“And what about me? Didn’t you think that I would be scared? That maybe I needed you more than ever? Did you ever once stop to think about someone other than yourself?”
Suddenly, Gregory walked upstairs. “Umm. Can you two keep it down? We have customers in the gallery.”
“Sorry, Gregory.”
I went into my office, and Sebastian followed.
“I thought about you every second of every day. You are a permanent thought in my head. But, Chloe, the thought of having a baby scared the shit out of me. You know me, and you know my past. I had to question whether or not I could even be a good father. I know nothing about kids. Hell, I’ve never even held a baby before, and I’m terrified. I’ve already let you down several times, and the thought of letting my kid down sent me over the edge.”
“Well, guess what? I’m going to put your mind at ease. I’m not pregnant.” I threw my hands out to the side.
“What? What do you mean you’re not pregnant?”
“I’M. NOT. PREGNANT.”
“So you lied to me?” he spoke with seriousness.
“Lied to you? How the fuck could I lie to you when I never told you that I was pregnant!” I shouted.
“But the test was in your garbage.”
“Yes, because my mom is the one who’s having a baby. Not me, you idiot. I couldn’t wait to tell you that night, but you never gave me the chance to. From the minute you walked through the door, it was all about the deal you made, which was fine, but then you saw the test and ran out of my apartment like the coward you are. All of this could have been avoided. But you know what? I’m happy it happened this way because it was a sign. A sign that we shouldn’t have a future together.”
“Chloe, you don’t mean that.”
“Just like you didn’t mean to walk out on me, Sebastian, when you thought I was pregnant? Do you remember that day in the park when you told me that it could never work between us? Well, you were right.”
I grabbed my phone and my purse and stormed out of my office.
“Chloe!” Sebastian shouted. “I love you.”
I stopped briefly, took a deep breath, and walked down the stairs and out of the gallery. Hearing those words finally come from him should have made me happy, but instead, they cut into my heart like a sharp blade. I didn’t care that he said it. I was so blinded by anger and hurt that I couldn’t see or think straight. I was headed to God knows where as I hurried down the street, just wanting to get away from him for the fear if I stayed and listened to him any longer, I’d fall back into his arms.
After about thirty minutes, I headed back to the gallery. Stepping inside, I looked around, and Gregory came walking up to me.
“Is he still here?” I asked.
“No. He left right after you did. What the hell is going on between you two?”
“Long story, and I apologize for what happened. It’ll never happen again.”
Gregory hooked his arm around me and smiled. “No worries, Chloe.”