The Baby They Bonded Over

“Why?” Jeremy now looked to her in confusion.

“Because she got you to go through with this whole thing thinking it would be easy for the both of you to just get rid of something you two created, and go to another family. She’s extremely selfish sometimes,” Sylvia explained.

“Wow, don’t hold back. You know she was in a bind and needed our help. She didn’t plan for us to fall in love with the idea of being in a real relationship.”

“That’s the problem, but I’m done lecturing you. You’re both two grown adults who can make your own decisions. I just hope that you two come to your senses and figure out what you’re going to do before either of you gets hurt. I would tell you to be honest with her about how you feel, but don’t expect her to change her mind,” Sylvia stated as she got out of the car.

Sylvia walked inside the house with a smile on her face. Deep down inside, she knew that Jeremy and Nadia wanted the same thing. There was going to be a new baby in the family and she couldn’t wait until they realized it for themselves. When her girlfriend, Amy, saw her beaming from ear to ear she asked her why she was so happy and all Sylvia could get out was, “We’re going to be aunties.”

Jeremy spent the entire car ride over to Nadia’s house contemplating how to tell her what he wanted to do and how he felt about her. He didn’t want to scare her into making any rash decisions, but he did want her to consider keeping the baby and them being together as a family. But first things first, he had to tell her what happened when they met up with Paul.

He rang the doorbell and Nadia answered right away. She was hoping it would be Jeremy. He told her to sit down as he went over every detail from his meeting with Paul. Nadia listened to Jeremy with an overwhelming feeling that a dark cloud had finally been lifted away.  She felt such a wave of relief wash over her. It’d been a long time since she could be so relaxed. While Jeremy was telling her about the events of the evening, Nadia’s phone kept ringing. She ignored it the first time, but the second and third she looked at the caller id. It was a number she wasn’t familiar with. Jeremy told her to answer it.

“Hello?” Nadia picked up the ringing cell phone.

“Please don’t hang up,” Paul pleaded from the other line.

“I thought this whole thing was done,” she said as she put the phone on speaker.

“It is. I promise you it is,” Paul stated solemnly.

“So what do you want?” she questioned looking to Jeremy for an explanation. Jeremy shrugged his shoulders as he thought all that was said had been it.

“I just wanted to call and apologize to you. Can you just be quiet and listen to me while I get this out?” Paul requested. He sounded different. He wasn’t angry. He seemed to be remorseful so Nadia opted to hear him out.

“I’m listening,” she told him.

Paul took a deep breath and began, “There are a lot of things that I need to apologize to you for. But first I just wanted you to know that when we first started dating, I really had the best intentions at heart. It wasn’t until you started going to school and then interning at the shop that I started feeling like I was losing you. I always knew you were too good for me, but you stood by me through everything. You were there for my court cases, when I lost my job, when my folks kicked me out. You helped me get back on my feet too many times to count and I treated you and the love you had for me with such disrespect that I’m disgusted by the way I’ve behaved. Even after you left me for the last time, I didn’t know it was the last time. I took you for granted and even worse was how I acted after that all went down. The truth is; I like the Madilyn girl. She’s been really good for me. But dragging her into our situation wasn’t fair to either one of you.

“I came outside of my character a few times and that was only because it was starting to settle in that we were never going to get back together. I got scared, and I got angry. I was following you everywhere and couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea that you were gone for good. I know that whole relationship thing with Jeremy was a lie; at least I thought it was at first. I mean, I was following you for days and I ain’t never seen ya two together til after I came into the shop that day. But after he showed me the video of you guys at the baby doctor appointment, that was it for me. Wasn’t no faking how happy you were in that video.

“I remembered the days when I used to make you smile like that and it’s been a few years since then. I know I said a lot of crazy things but I hope that you can forgive me. He seems like a good dude for you but don’t let all that money distract you from being you. Stay you, stay beautiful and I wish you guys the best of luck. I hope you have a safe and blessed pregnancy. I’m always gonna love you and if you ever decide you would like to speak to me again this is the number to reach me on. If not, then I get it. Have a nice life, Nadia.”

Paul hung up the phone before she could say anything. He didn’t want her pity and he wasn’t trying to convince her to keep him in her life. He really wanted to just bow out of the situation with the little bit of dignity he had left.

Nadia couldn’t move. All she did was stare at her phone until Jeremy took it from her hand. He pulled her off the couch and gazed into her eyes. Their fight with Paul was over.