34. Kate
‘Ican’t believe you were so rude just now,’ Kate said, staring at her dad. She then turned to her mum. ‘And you too. Why would you tell the father of my child you prefer another guy?’
‘Well, you did kind of spring this on us without any warning. We’re still processing,’ April reasoned.
‘Can’t you process like an empathetic human being? How do you think Elias feels right now?’
‘Honestly, we don’t care how Elias feels right now,’ Doug said. ‘All I care about is your wellbeing. Are you actually going through with the pregnancy?’
‘Yes! And if you give Elias a chance, you’ll see he’s a decent guy. Much more decent than Hugo.’
‘Well, we know Hugo, and we don’t know Elias,’ April said. ‘So we have nothing to compare.’
‘You didn’t exactly give him a chance when he was here just now. And for the record, he makes ridiculously good money from his art. Not to mention he’s from a wealthy family. He has a lot more money than you do.’
Kate actually wasn’t sure how much Elias was worth, but she didn’t care. And while she knew the Beckingsales were once one of the city’s richest families, she wasn’t sure how much was left over since they’d been prosecuted. Again, she didn’t care.
‘What do his parents do?’
‘They’re doctors. Like me.’
‘You should have led with that.’
‘Really? You’re that crass you want me to state a guy’s income level and family background the second he walks through the door?’
‘You have to give us something to work with.’
‘Oh my God. I wish you’d just admit you treated him badly.’ She pulled out her phone and scrolled to the night of the gallery opening. She then shoved the photo of the female sculpture in his face. ‘Tell me you aren’t impressed by this.’
Doug studied the image for a moment. ‘It looks like you.’
Kate furrowed her brow. ‘What?’
‘That sculpture. She looks like you.’
‘Um, okay. I’ll take that as your approval?’
‘I suppose it’s okay. But so what? Does anyone actually buy that stuff? I can’t imagine there’s a huge market for it.’
‘Wow. You really want to make him a bad guy, don’t you?’
April came over and laid a hand on Kate’s arm. ‘I’m sorry, honey. We really are just trying to make sure you’re going to be all right. But I suppose the most important question is, do you love him?’
Kate paused. She hadn’t completely decided that yet. Or had she? Was she just hesitant to label it for fear of being heartbroken again if things went awry?
Right now, it seemed like she was the one ruining everything.
‘I do,’ she said. ‘He’s a really, really sweet guy.’ She held out her wrist. ‘He even gave me this.’
April looked at the bracelet. ‘He definitely seems talented.’
‘He is. And I’m going to go find him and apologise for how terribly you both treated him just now.’
Doug huffed. ‘If the guy can’t take a little heat from his girlfriend’s parents, I’m not sure I want him around.’
‘Did you see him react in any way other than polite when he was here?’ she pointed out. ‘Next time I speak to the two of you, I expect you to be nice.’
She turned and hurried to the front door, dialling Elias’ number along the way.
As she held the phone to hear, she stopped. He was there. She could see him through the front window glass.
She watched as he answered the call. ‘Hello?’
‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
‘I… not much.’
She opened the door and walked slowly down the driveway toward him. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’ve been better.’
She came to a stop a few feet away, and he finally noticed her. He smiled softly.
She lowered her phone. ‘I’m so sorry about my parents. They were completely out of line.’
‘I’m used to it,’ he said.
‘But you shouldn’t have to be! They have no idea how amazing you are. I promise I’ll never let them treat you like that again.’
‘Is that so?’ His eyes twinkled.
‘Yes. Have you been here this whole time?’
‘Uh, no. I went to see Levi. And he made me realise something.’
‘What?’
‘You chose me. Is that right?’
She was quiet. She had chosen him. She may not have planned to have a baby with him, but she had chosen to keep it. And despite her lame attempts to push Elias away, she hadn’t really meant it. She wanted him in her life, regardless of whether she was carrying his child or not.
‘That’s right.’
He stepped forward and stroked the side of her face. ‘That’s all that matters.’
She stood on tiptoes to reach his mouth and kissed him. ‘I’m sorry about everything.’
‘There’s nothing to be sorry about.’
He took her hand and led her around to the passenger side. He opened the door and waited for her to climb in before returning to the driver’s side.
He rested his hand on hers as they drove back to her house. ‘Are you hungry?’
‘A little.’
‘How about I leave you at your place, and I’ll go back out to get some groceries?’
‘Sounds good. Could we have spaghetti?’
‘Of course we can have spaghetti.’
She squeezed his hand. ‘I’m so glad I’m having this baby with you.’
‘Me too.’
They reached her house, and Kate waved as Elias drove off. She had wanted to tell him she loved him, but she was still scared. There was a chance he didn’t love her. After all, didn’t it usually take a bit longer to know these things?
She let herself into the house and kicked off her shoes. She’d only just started to put on a little weight, but she was already glad to put her feet up. Thankfully, the morning sickness had mostly disappeared, only rearing its head briefly every few days. And not to the point of throwing up anymore.
The doorbell rang. Kate smiled, assuming Elias had forgotten to ask her something.
She padded down the hall and opened the door.
Hugo was standing there. And he was crying.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.
‘I… I’m sorry.’
‘For what?’
‘For everything. I’ve been such an idiot, and I’ve pushed you away. I know you’re not having my child anymore, but that shouldn’t mean our friendship is over. We’ve known each other for too long for me to not try and make things right.’
Kate didn’t know what to say. They had shared a long and close friendship, but things were different now. Georgia had revealed her feelings about the guy. And she didn’t think Elias would approve of her maintaining any sort of connection.
‘Why did you look through my phone?’ she asked.
He furrowed his brow. ‘What? When?’
‘Georgia said she saw you going through my phone that time we all went out for pizza.’
He continued to look confused. ‘I really don’t remember doing anything like that. Maybe mine had gone flat, and I was checking the time on yours?’
Kate wasn’t sure whether that was true. Would Georgia mistake someone quickly glancing at her phone screen for something more sinister? She wasn’t normally the kind of person to exaggerate.
Kate didn’t want to point out that Hugo had been rude to a waiter and laughed at her when she’d fallen on the stairs. Maybe she and Georgia were misremembering how everything went down.
Hugo reached into his jacket pocket and removed a small velvet box. Kate’s heart started pounding. What was he doing?
‘I got you a gift to apologise for my behaviour after meeting that guy. I was a complete caveman, and I should have reacted more gracefully.’
‘Yes, you should have.’
He opened the box and held it out to her. It was a pair of earrings. They were gold and shaped like leaves.
‘They’re olive leaves. Like the metaphorical olive branch. I know it’s cheesy, but they represent my commitment to our friendship and the hope we can move forward without any drama.’
Kate didn’t reach out to take them, so Hugo removed one from the box and threaded it in her ear. He fastened it in place before doing the other one. Kate could feel his breath on her cheek. It was unsettling, and she felt like she was somehow betraying Elias.
‘Thank you,’ she said robotically. ‘I’m feeling a little tired, so I’m going to go inside. But I appreciate you coming around.’
He gently touched her shoulder. ‘I’ll see you again soon.’
He left, and Kate quickly went inside, closing the door behind her.
She rested her back against the frame and let out a breath.
What was that all about?
Was Hugo really genuine about apologising and being friends?
She walked down the hall and caught a glance of herself in the mirror. The earrings were beautiful, but she couldn’t wear them. She pulled them off her ears and went to the bathroom, opening one of the cupboards. She found a jewellery box where she stored all her old costume jewellery and jammed the earrings in with all the cheap nickel-plated rings and necklaces.
She shoved the box back in the cupboard and closed the door. She then looked down at the bracelet Elias had given her.
His was the only jewellery she ever wanted to wear from now on.
Even if she did manage to resurrect her friendship with Hugo.