Chapter 67
NADIA.
My heart was overjoyed the moment Zahra told me that I might be pregnant.
So Laura went out to buy a pregnancy test. She made me try three different ones, and they all came out positive.
‘I’m carrying Riley’s baby.’ I cried in the bathroom while looking at the pregnancy tests, and if they hadn’t forced me to come out, I might have spent the whole night crying there. The moment I told them, the crying turned into joy and smiles. We were all shedding happy tears.
The possibility of having a little Riley around me was enough to brighten up the rest of my day.
Everything seemed perfect until I was left alone on my own. The feeling of being watched came back the moment I stepped inside my apartment.
I locked the door immediately after I went in and then looked at the window. I scanned my eyes over the road below, but nothing was unusual. No one was on the road except for passersby and the usual cars that were parked on the sidewalks.
I closed the curtains and prepared my bath, pushing any negative feelings away and savoring the news of my pregnancy.
But then it dawned on me that I was alone. Instead of sharing this moment with Riley, I was on my own. And the Goddess only knew if Riley would ever find out that we were having a baby. Because I had no idea what I wanted to do at this point.
I felt asleep longing for my mate and when I woke up, I already made up my mind.
I went to see Zahra early and I was invited to join them for breakfast.
“I hope something here is good enough for your taste buds.” She smiled warmly at me.
I apologized again for crashing their breakfast, which she answered with a playful wiggle of her finger and told me I could call or come here in the middle of the night and she wouldn’t be complaining.
I smiled back at her before letting my eyes roam around the table. Everything looks delicious and I couldn’t wait to dig in but I decided to wait for everyone.
Soon, running footsteps echoed in the hallway, followed by giggles. Ellie and Bella appeared in the entryway and were playfully pushing each other to get ahead.
“Awww… Nadia is here! Thank Goddess! Because I’m so tired of El’s face!” Bella blurted out while Ellie rolled her eyes at her.
Ellie went up to me first and kissed my cheek before hugging me tightly. “Mommy told us the good news!”
Another set of arms wrapped around me, hugging both Ellie and me. “I hope it’s a girl! It’ll be fun to play with her hair and spoil her to bits!”
“Am I allowed to make a wish?” Leandro added, chuckling as he poured coffee into Zahra’s mug. “Is it too much to ask for a boy?”
Ellie giggled before sitting down. “Girls are not that bad. You can’t just accept that we rule the world!”
“Seriously?” Bella scoffed at her playfully. “You think you belong to those who rule the world? Perhaps Nadia, Mom, and me? But you? How will you rule the world if you can’t even get out of your bed and your books?”
“Enough, girls. Soon someone will get pissed off again and will ruin everyone’s day.”
“El knows I love her, but she really should have a life.”
“Can we stop talking about me and focus on Nadia?” Ellie complained before turning her gaze on me, a warm smile curled on her lips. “So what’s your plan? Are you moving in with us? You know, it’ll be easier for you when you have us around.”
“I second that,” Leandro added as he munched on his bacon. “Everyone here has a driving license, so if you need to go somewhere, you just need to holler and we can drive you.”
“And maybe you should drop your work at the diner. If you don’t want to stop working, Laura is looking for someone to help her in her boutique. Or I can refer you to my boss. We always need an extra hand in the library. It’s better than you stressing out at your current workplace.”
“Exactly!” Bella added, “We don’t want to stress our little pup in there.” She pointed her fork into my belly.
Everyone was looking at me as I felt tears pooling in my eyes. This was something I always wanted—someone to treat me as family and look after me. And now that it was being offered, I couldn’t help but feel guilty because I couldn’t say yes to them.
“That’s actually the reason I came here early without any notice.” I swallowed hard before I continued, my eyes fixated on Zahra in front of me. “I couldn’t sleep last night, and I think I knew what I wanted to do.”
I couldn’t help it anymore. My shoulders started to shake as soft sobs escaped my lips. Maybe it was my pregnancy that was making me cry so easily, or maybe it was because I was missing someone.
“I want to go home to Riley,” I said in a lower voice, but everyone heard it. I wiped my tears, and I saw Zahra smile warmly at me. It gave me the courage to continue talking.
“I just thought, I don’t want our baby to end up without the other parent, because that was exactly what happened to us. And maybe I can ask Riley to give us another try, or at least live in harmony with each other for the sake of our baby.”
Ellie took my hand and squeezed it. “Are you sure you’re okay with that? I’m not saying it’s wrong or right, because I don’t know anything, but going home to Riley doesn’t mean everything will be okay. And it’s unfair if you stay together just for the sake of the baby.”
“I know. But if we can’t be together, then I need to live somewhere near him so the baby will grow up knowing who his father is.”
“And that means we’ll get no chance to see the baby…” Bella bit her bottom lip, her eyes watering. “And we’ll lose you too.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know about Riley, but I promise you, all of you, that I’ll make sure you get to see this baby grow. And that he will know that he has all of you…”
My eyes were now back on Zahra. She hadn’t said anything and was just looking at me.
We stared at each other for a while before she nodded her head and flashed me a loving smile.
“I know you love my son. So if you want to try it, go for it. But I want you to know that no matter what happens, we are here. Okay? I’ll pick you up wherever you are and take you back home here, even in the middle of the night. Just let me know.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks again as I nodded. “Thank you! I haven’t really decided when I should go or if I were really to do this, but I just want you to know that if I go, it doesn’t mean I didn’t want to be here with you… it’s just…”
“Sssh… You don’t need to explain, sweetheart. We understand.” Zahra said.
“It’s just that we’re not Riley, right? I wonder when I will get to meet that guy so I can understand what makes him so special.” Ellie said, a teasing smile on her lips.
“Can I come with you?” Bella blurted out, and my eyes widened.
“No,” Leandro said. And all eyes shifted to him.
“Not that I don’t want you to meet your brother.
But I don’t think he will appreciate it if you just barge in there without notice, plus we are not even sure what will happen if Nadia returns there.
They need to fix things between them first. And you showing up there and saying ‘Hi, I’m your sister’—won’t help them at all. ”