Chapter Nineteen
ChapterNineteen
Riley
Another two weeks go by, and Elissa has retreated further into herself. She’s burying herself in work and researching stuff for babies. I swear she’s more prepared than I am for this baby. Elissa has really been supportive these last few weeks and I feel so grateful to have her back in my life. We plan on telling my parents about the pregnancy soon, when we go home for a visit. I’m terrified of their reaction. I’m also sweating the paternity test results coming back. I should hear any day now. I know the baby is Rhys’, but it doesn’t make me any less nervous. Nervous because of what his reaction will be. I’m preparing myself for the worst, that he wants nothing to do with me or the baby.
I’m hoping Rhys’ softer demeanour two weeks ago was a changing point. Maybe he’s coming around to the idea, and he’ll be accepting of the situation.… Are you kidding yourself, Riley? I need to prepare myself even more for the possibility of raising this baby by myself. I know Elissa is here for me, and judging by the extensive research she’s done, she wasn’t just telling me that to make me feel better. But I can’t ask her to help raise a kid that’s not hers. I can’t ask her to give up this place for me to raise a kid and have her move somewhere else. It’s just not fair to her.
Elissa comes padding out of her room. Her blush blouse is half-tucked into her black leather pencil skirt, sheer black tights cover her slim, muscular legs, and her coral Coach heels click as she fastens an earring in her right lobe. The golden watch on her wrist sways and clinks as she shakes out the sleeves of her blouse. Her lips are stained red and her copper hair is sleek, the hair at her temples twisted into braids and tucked behind her ears. A shade of olive green is dusted across her lids and her lashes are thick and curled, thanks to black mascara. She looks so gorgeous, but her eyes reveal her soul, and it’s shattered.
“Hun, are you sure you can go to work and face Brandt today? Last week he failed to show up at the board meeting, and he confirmed he’s going to be there today. You don’t have to go. Make up some excuse.” Elissa’s quiet and her lips part to suck in a breath, then blow it out.
“I’m fine, Riles,” she says, clicking over to me. She bends down and talks to my swollen belly. “Good morning little Kiwi.” Her thumb rubs my stomach, and my heart swells. “You’re really starting to show now.”
I groan. “I know…I can’t hide it anymore. I’m going on four-and-a-half months. I’m almost halfway through my pregnancy. I guess it’s time to tell my parents.” Elissa walks over to the cupboard, pulls out the decanter of whiskey, and pours a couple of inches into a tumbler before slamming it back. “Er…you good?”
She beams a false smile. “Never better. Just a little liquid courage.” She opens her mouth and stretches it wide, I assume from the burn of the amber liquid.
“Girl, if you need to take a drink right now, maybe you should just cancel the meeting altogether and wait until you’re better equipped to handle it.” Her copper hair whooshes and her vanilla shampoo clouds around me.
“No can do, Riles. I’m officially the CEO now and chairwoman of the board. Gotta suck it up and grow a pair of ovaries. I’m not going to let a man ruin things for me. The best way forward is to act professional,” she says, packing up her oversized, pale green leather Kate Spade clutch. As she passes me, she presses a kiss to my cheek. “I’ll see you later, Riles. I’ll bring home some dinner. Let me know what you want. And keep me updated when the results come in! Any day now, right?” I groan and bob my head. She offers me a smile and gathers her jacket, slinging it over her arm, and heads out the door, calling Arthur, her driver, to meet her out front.
···
I didn’t feel like going anywhere today, so I asked my therapist if we could have a phone session instead. She was reluctant, but indulged my request.
“I really need you to come in for your sessions unless you’re sick, Riley. It’s good for you to get out of the house, especially since you’re not currently taking on jobs.”
“I know, Dr. Pierce. I’ve just been having a rough few days and needed to veg.” Dr. Pierce clicks her tongue.
“All right, well. How do you feel about telling your parents about your pregnancy this weekend?” I sigh and nibble at my lips.
“A little nervous. Elissa said she’d be there with me when we broke the news.” She hmms.
“And what about Rhys? Where does he fit into this reveal to your parents?”
“Well, the paternity test isn’t back yet, so nowhere. I don’t even know if he’s going to be part of the baby’s life, even if he has the proof he needs,” I snipe. I can hear some faint scribbling on the line. I wait for her to talk again.
“I think it would do you and the baby some good if you get out this afternoon. Go for a walk around the block. It’s only early March, but it’s quite mild today. It might be nice to get some fresh air.”
···
I’m lacing up my shoes to go for a walk when my phone goes off.
Rhys: Any news?
Me: Nope. Not yet.
I stand there, waiting for his response like an idiot, and when those three annoying little dots disappear and nothing comes, I grind my teeth and push my phone into my jacket pocket. I grab my keys and wallet and shove them into my other pocket and leave my place. It’s not until I’m in the elevator when my phone goes off again.
Rhys: You busy? I’m outside, can we talk?
Ha. God has a sense of humour.
Me: I was actually on my way out to go for a walk…I suppose you can join me.
When the elevator doors slide open, I see down the long hallway to the glass doors and window and there’s a tall figure with black hair pacing, looking at his phone. My heart shakes inside my body and I need to catch my breath.
Rhys: Okay. See you in a min.
I smile to myself, biting the corner of my lip as I put my phone away and walk toward the door. When Rhys hears the doors shake, he turns around and his eyes soften and the corners of his mouth curl. I feel a sharp jolt in my chest and a flutter in my stomach. His hands grasp the metal handle and he opens the door for me. I whisper my thanks as I pass him. I breathe in his woodsy, citrusy scent and my panties are drenched. Traitorous hormones. He looks good. His hair is shorn tight around the sides, but the top is a perfect length to tangle my fingers in while he bucks into me. Oh my God, get your head out of the gutter. I start walking and he catches up, shoving his hands deep into his coat pockets.
“So, you wanted to talk?” I turn to face him as we walk, and he’s chewing on the inside of his cheek, bobbing his head. I can almost hear the wheels turning in his head as he thinks of what to say.
“I just want to say…oh fuck, I feel so stupid.” A small giggle bubbles out of my lips and he shoots me a glare, but his face quickly softens, and he chuckles too. His shoulders drop the tension he’s holding. I take a deep breath as we continue walking, letting the March air clear my mind and my lungs as I wait for Rhys to continue. “What I’m trying to say is…if the baby is mine, I want to be there for it. For you.” I stop and an ugly wave of red crashes through my body.
“If it’s yours? God, Rhys. I can’t believe that after all this, you still don’t believe me.” His face burns red as it screws up and twitches.
“Fuck, Riley. It’s not about me believing you. I heard from Dante that you hooked up with him that night I ran into you at the hotel.” I stop dead in my tracks and my mouth gapes open. I’m speechless. He clearly hasn’t been paying attention to anything I’ve been saying.
“You’re a moron,” I say, and Rhys looks like I’ve just slapped him. “I can’t believe you haven’t heard a thing I’ve been saying. I was already about a month pregnant by then, I just didn’t know. I didn’t start getting morning sickness until a week later. Fuck me, Rhys. I thought this whole paternity thing was just a way to hurt me, but it’s more than that. You truly don’t believe it could be yours. That day you ran into me on the street and came over to talk, you fucked me bareback, or did you forget? Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I shout out obscenities, and as people pass us on the busy Toronto sidewalk I get glares and wide-eyed looks of curiosity. Heat rises to my cheeks from my public outburst. I curl my hands into fists, count to ten, and release my breath, clenching my fingers. I hazard a glance at Rhys and his face is white. At that moment, my phone starts ringing. I shake my head at him and walk away a few steps to answer the phone.
“Yes, this is she.” I feel the heat beside me, and I know that Rhys has caught up. “Yes, thank you. I’ll check my email now. Thanks again,” I say, hitting the red button and immediately opening my email app.
After a few clicks, I log into my health account and open the bloodwork that Rhys and I did. I scan the results, then shove my phone in his face. His eyes grow wide, and his face pales and twists with remorse. I rip my phone out of his face and stick it back in my pocket with a huff. I spin on my heel and start stomping away, calling over my shoulder, “Congrats, daddy. It’s real now.”