Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Zander
I haven’t slept a wink in two days. To say I was stunned by what happened the other night is an understatement. I was too stunned to speak or try to defend myself. Part of me was a little angry that after everything I’ve confided in her and the promise I made to keep her heart safe, she still didn’t trust me.
I’m still not happy she didn’t, but I see how it seemed bad. It’s true Vivian came to the bar, but I wasn’t lying when I said I’d not seen her since we broke up until she popped up there. That’s the one and only time I’ve been in the same room as her in years. But she has tried to reach me through text and calls in the last several months.
I just never dreamed she’d have the nerve to show her face after all this time. And I didn’t think I should tell Scarlett about it when I want nothing from Vivian. But a couple days without Scarlett have been lonely.
The power she has over me without even trying is something I never imagined a woman would be able to possess again. I never thought I’d give in to someone else.
Dad knows something is wrong because I canceled dinner, but he hasn’t pressed for more. I know what he’d say if he knew what was happening. He’d tell me to man up and do whatever it takes to win my girl back and bring her home.
I want to…but I’m not sure if I can. I’m not sure she’ll let me. I can only imagine the things Vivian said to her that she didn’t tell me. What she told me was bad enough. What exactly is Vivian getting at anyway? She was more than happy to leave me for Sam back then, and never once looked back with remorse.
I’m unsure what my next move should be. Do I need to make things right with Scarlett immediately or talk to Vivian and put her in her place? I still don’t know what bullshit she’s trying to peddle. She can’t possibly want me back, and if she does, that’s too damn bad.
I take my coffee into my office and sit behind my desk deep in thought. I glance at the only framed photo on my desk. It’s the very first ultrasound of the baby. I close my eyes as I replay Scarlett’s words. “Do you have doubts about this baby being yours? Do you want us?”
I wanted to scream, “Yes! I want you! Both of you! Yes, I know this baby is mine!” But instead, I stood there in silence like a fool, angry that she was questioning me when I’ve done nothing to deserve it. Still, she didn’t deserve my silence. And now, I’ve broken my promise simply by not reassuring her how I feel for her and the baby.
I glance over at the painting on display of her, then my gaze moves to the closed closet door that houses her trashed dress. I told her my office was off-limits because I was hiding my infatuation with her. I knew if she saw the painting I did of her, she would probably think I’m some weirdo. But if falling under her spell makes me weird, I suppose I am.
I wake up my computer and pull up the folder from her “trash the dress” photo shoot. I love them all, but there’s one I can’t stop staring at. She’s looking at me after splashing water in my direction while standing in the lake. Her hair is wild from running her hands through it and her smile is contagious. The sun is beginning to set behind her creating a warm glow.
Even in the moments after one of her worst days, her smile made the sun pale in comparison. I print the picture out. A wallet and a large copy to be framed and hung on my wall. I still have some empty frames from when I was in the photography business.
I get lost in printing, framing, and displaying different pictures of her and our ultrasound pictures throughout my office. When I’m done, I stare at the walls and know I’ve got to find her and beg her to listen.
I’m shutting down my computer when I hear the front door close. My heart speeds up. She came back. Relief instantly washes over me.
“Scarlett?” I say loud enough she can hear me. I’m about to walk out of my office to meet her when the doorway is filled…but it isn’t Scarlett. It’s Vivian.
My anger surfaces again. “What are you doing here?”
She smiles shyly which is absurd because she’s anything but shy. “I came to see you,” she says while batting her long lashes at me.
“How did you get in?” I demand.
She holds up a key. “I never got rid of it. And I’m glad I didn’t. That’s why I’ve been wanting to talk. I made a huge mistake, Zander. I’ve missed you so much. I thought I knew what I was doing and what I wanted, but all I did was mess up the best thing I’ve ever had.”
“Your mistake is thinking I’ve missed you, or that I’ll ever take you back. Give me back the key,” I tell her coldly.
Her shoulders drop. “You don’t mean that. I know I messed up, but we can fix this. We were supposed to end up together. You never moved on, so that must mean it’s because of me.”
I scoff. “We might have ended up together if you hadn’t left me for my best friend. I don’t understand how you think we could ever come back from that. It wasn’t just that you cheated and ran away with someone else…the someone else was my best friend. That can’t be fixed.”
I start to walk past her, but she grabs my arm. “Please, try. I know you still love me.”
“I loved who I thought you were. You killed the idea of that person on the day you chose him,” I tell her.
She starts to reach for me, and I shift away. “Do you see the woman hanging on my walls?” I ask as I point in the direction of the photos.
She glances at the pictures of Scarlett now adorning my office but doesn’t say anything.
“She’s going to have my baby. A son. They are my sole focus. My reason to breathe. Nothing else matters,” I tell her.
A tear drops off her chin. “You never wanted kids. That means you don’t love her; you’re just being the honorable man you’ve always been.”
“Give me back my key,” I reply calmly but sternly.
She shakes her head and holds the key close to her chest.
“That’s fine. Keep it. I’ll have the locks changed. I should have anyway. Now…leave. But this time, don’t come back. Forget you ever knew me. Because I can promise you, I’m doing the same.”
“Zander,” she cries.
“Run back to Sam,” I tell her.
“She can’t make you happy the way I can. Please think about it. Don’t be so quick to dismiss us.”
“Nothing about what you did to me was dismissed quickly. I’ve spent years messed up because of your choices. And you decide when I’ve finally moved on and opened up to someone new to barge in and try to destroy it. I won’t let you and your games take a second more of my life from me,” I tell her.
“I’m not giving up on you…on us. You’ll see. She isn’t the one for you. When you get tired of playing house, I’ll be here. And if you insist on being part of your child’s life, I’ll love them too. We can be a family. I didn’t think you wanted kids, but I can see you’ve changed your mind, for now at least. That’s fine with me. I want what you want,” she says as I’m leading her to the front door to make her leave.
“You’re right. I thought I never wanted kids. But sometimes you end up needing the things you never thought you wanted. And I’d like to think the ‘Keeper of the Stars’—just like that old love song—knew what He was doing. I’m where I’m meant to be, starting a family with Scarlett,” I say matter of fact.
“We’re not over,” she says, refusing to accept what I’m saying.
I’m not sure how much clearer I can be, so I lean closer. “We are. We’re done. Goodbye.”
She stares at me for a few seconds and then walks outside. “I won’t give up. I always get what I want. And I want you back,” she says.
It’s in that moment I notice movement to my left and find a girl standing there, her brown eyes boring into me. She startled me, but she’s familiar. She must’ve pulled up while I was dealing with the chaos that is Vivian. “Uh, can I help you?”
“I’m here to pick up more of Scarlett’s things. I’m Anna, her best friend.”
“Oh, come on in,” I tell her as I glance at Vivian’s taillights.
When the door closes behind us, I face her. She has no hint of a smile. I can tell she doesn’t like me, and I deserve it. I kind of like that she’s here for Scarlett. That’s how a best friend should be. It’s what I thought Sam and I had before. But sometimes the trash takes itself out. Mine certainly did.
“Is Scarlett okay?” I ask.
“Seriously, dude? She came home to the house you asked her to move into, you promised not to hurt her, and then she finds your crazy ex-fiancée naked on your bed waiting for you. She’s also very emotional and pregnant. But sure, if that’s okay, then she’s peachy,” she says with heavy sarcasm.
I let out a sigh and inwardly groan because I still can’t believe Vivian had been waiting naked on my bed. She was pulling out all the stops, but much to her surprise, my very pregnant girlfriend came home first. The whole thing is a mess, and I can only imagine what Scarlett was thinking. “It’s not like that. She’s nothing to me anymore,” I tell her.
Her eyes widen and her brows rise. She points to the closed front door. “I just imagined the woman who walked out your door and was telling you she wasn’t giving up on you. Cool. Where’s Scarlett’s stuff?”
If the situation weren’t so serious, I’d laugh at her snarky comments.
“She showed up uninvited,” I tell her, because it’s the honest truth.
“Hmm. Like the other night. I can’t imagine why Scarlett would want to leave. Naked crazy ex-fiancées are every woman’s dream.”
I can’t help but chuckle even given the circumstances because this girl is a razor blade out for blood, but I don’t blame her. She stares at me coldly, and I clear my throat.
“Sorry, I just think it’s nice you’re so protective of her. She’s lucky to have you.”
“I’ve got her back. Always have and always will. You hurt her. You don’t get my nice side.”
“Understood. Can you please give me a chance to talk to her before getting all her things? I know the other night was all kinds of messed up, and I know I could have—and should’ve—handled it better. But we’re both in unfamiliar territory. The way we’ve been brought together and a baby on the way too…if she decides she won’t forgive me, I’ll bring her stuff to her apartment myself.”
She stares at me hard enough I start to fidget. “I’m giving you one chance. Don’t make my best friend cry again,” she says, pointing a finger in my direction.
“What if they’re tears of joy? I can’t be held responsible for pregnant tears of joy, can I?”
She crosses her arms and I’m not sure if it’s my imagination or real, but I could swear her lips tip up into a smirk. “I’ll be the judge of what kind of tears they are. May the odds be in your favor. I’m sure I’ll see you soon either way,” she says and then leaves.
I let out a breath. Hopefully Scarlett will be back here and in my bed by nightfall and we can put this crazy mess behind us.
What doesn’t break you makes you stronger…right? I’ve never wanted that to be true more than I do right now. I need my sunshine.