44. Evie

forty-four

I was asleep when I woke up in an empty apartment. Dad did say he was going to the shop to continue his work.

I was happy and greatly relieved that he had employees. All he did now was direct… manage. He was even planning to expand his shop.

I couldn”t be more grateful for him… for his support. I didn”t know what I’d do if he decided to leave me in this state.

My hands found my belly. It was slowly becoming an everyday thing when I woke up.

I didn”t know if this was how pregnant women were. Or it was just me.

My stomach was barely there, still, I placed my hands there to try to not only feel a heartbeat but also let my baby know that mommy was here. Mommy would always be there.

I didn”t know what Mom would think about me now. She might not be proud of me, but I hoped she was. I hoped she would be proud of me throughout this journey.

Tears pooled in my eyes when I recalled Dad’s words from two nights ago.

The child needs its father, Evie.

That meant he didn”t mind Ethan being involved in all this. But did I? Did I mind?

Truly the child needed its father, but did I need Ethan? Did I need whatever he was to me?

Perhaps only time could tell. Wait, time?

My eyes flitted to the time when I saw it was a quarter to ten.

Shit.

My interview was scheduled for 10 a.m. How could I have slept in? Why did my fucking alarm not wake me? And dad too?

All I recalled was a feathery kiss on my head. Why didn”t he wake me?

I jumped off the bed, sprinting inside the bathroom. The shower was the quickest I took in my entire life.

I rushed out and shrugged on a black gown. It was a body con long-sleeved with collars around the neck.

After that, I sat in the chair and set to do my makeup. I was a bit relieved when I saw I didn”t need much.

My eyebags were slowly fading, my eyes didn”t seem as empty. But my heart… my heart remained the same, lonely, empty, and yearning…

I dabbed a bit of powder and smothered on a small amount of clear lip gloss.

I hesitated before diving into my drawer to bring out a box of jewelry— the one he’d given me on my birthday.

I tried to keep it locked away. I didn”t want to deal with the emotions it brought, but now… Scratch that. Now I didn”t even know why I brought it out.

I also didn’t know why I picked the silver necklace and stared at the butterfly-shaped pendant.

I’d only opened the box once after he gave it to me. It was a few days after my birthday.

I placed the necklace in my palm, lightly tracing the pendant.

My breath turned shaky as I tried to imagine what he’d felt when he was getting this.

Was this solely a reciprocation because of how I helped Sophie? Or… I quickly shook my head. Like every one of my neckpieces, it was ordinary. I wore it and refocused my attention to my face.

All good things, all good things.

The interview was with an academy. It was nothing compared to Everest, but it would do.

Since I didn”t complete the volunteering experience at Ethan’s mansion, and it wasn”t an academy, I couldn”t transfer. I had to start over.

I barely spent a few months in New York, but this was what I wanted right? A fresh start.

Ignoring the familiar tug in my heart at the thought of Sophie, I grabbed my bag and hurried to the door.

I was almost there when I heard a knock.

Did Dad come back? Why was he knocking anyway? Perhaps he unintentionally jammed the door and forgot his key? I shook my head. That used to be Dad’s bad habit.

“Dad, not aga–” When I opened the door, I froze.

What… was he doing here?

We held our gazes for the longest time before he breathed.

“Evie…” His words sent a jolt down my spine. It brought memories. I shook my head, restraining the tears that threatened to fall.

His expression was broken— sad. His shoulders were slouched, his hair messy and his eyes pleading.

I’d never seen him this worn out.

“What are you doing here?” My voice betrayed me.

He stretched his arms toward me. It was then I realized he held a bouquet, but it wasn”t roses.

Nestled in the dark brown wrapper were stacks of dark chocolates, and in the center was a lone rose flower.

“Please, Evie. I want you to hear me out.”

“Hear you out?” I hardened my voice.

He really didn”t think because he came from New York, he deserved to be heard out. “Why should I?”

He inhaled a sharp breath.

“Please, Evie. I”m begging you for a chance to show that I’m worthy of your love. I”m begging for a chance to show that I love you.”

My breath hitched.

He loved me.

He loved me but wanted to get rid of me. I was an unnecessary burden. He loved me but regarded me as dispensable.

“If wanting to get rid of me is what love means to you, then I don”t want to be loved by you.”

He winced, his expression breaking even more.

“Evie, that text… that text was from my brother—”

“I don”t care who it was from,” I bit back. It was like I was standing in his office, seeing the text again.

“You fucking responded, Ethan. You said you will get rid of me.”

“Evie, please—-”

“If… If I hadn’t seen it was that how you’d have kept fucking me? Just using me until the time was right for you to discard me?”

“I would never,” he breathed.

“But you did. You made me feel less every time I wanted you to care. You never saw me past a helper for Sophie, and I know that was my job but… but… I don”t know, Ethan. You failed to see how much you were hurting me.”

“Evie, please. If you wouldn”t give me a chance to do anything just please let me explain.” He begged.

I breathed shakily, watching him.

“All this was complicated from the beginning. You are so young and dedicated… my best friend”s daughter. I couldn”t betray my best friend, so I was careful, tried to push you away and I thought... I thought it worked until I started to realize otherwise,” he breathed.

“I started to hate how much I hurt you, but I just couldn”t throw caution to the wind. Evie, believe me, I tried to convince myself that all I felt for you was lust. But gaslighting myself could only get me so far. Look what happened when I finally decided to throw caution to the wind.”

He paused slightly, his eyes searching my face.

“Look at the chaos I caused. I blamed myself every day after the fight for the strained relationship between myself and your father… and especially between you and him. Both of you had such a happy family, something I didn”t have. I didn”t want to ruin that for you. I didn”t want to ruin that for any of you and when Henry suggested that I... I let you return to your father, I agreed.”

His voice turned heavy…shaky.

“That was my biggest mistake because then I realized how much I loved you… but it was too late. You were gone. It took losing you, Evie, to realize what I truly lost. I didn’t just lose you. I lost my peace…my happiness. I lost a part of me….”

“…There is no justification for my response, Evie. I… I thought I had your best interest at heart. Now I realize how stupid I was… and I’m sorry.”

He breathed heavily before stretching the bouquet.

“You don”t have to forgive me now. But please…” His voice broke.

A tear slipped down my cheek.

“Please, know this; I need you.”

Another tear slipped down my face. Something about his words pierced the walls I’d built around my heart.

“I love you, Evie. And I”m sorry I didn”t treat you how you deserved to be treated. But I want you to know one thing. Whatever choice you make…. if you choose to accept me or not, I’ll still love you.”

Still stretching his hand, he brought his other one to wipe my cheeks.

I shivered at the contact. His thumb was warm, just like how it’d always been.

As we stared at each other, all the anger, and hurt slowly simmered away.

It crumbled under the weight of his stare… his touch, leaving one thing.

Love.

My love for him was unwavering.

But somehow the only thing I could do was accept the bouquet and watch as he placed a kiss on my cheek before walking away.

***

It was the following day.

Again, I woke up to an empty house. Dad must have gone to work. And it was just me.

I wouldn”t lie after his apology yesterday. I felt a little lighter. A part of me felt lighter but the other part still felt heavy.

The weight of something was still hanging thickly in my chest. I didn”t know what.

I moved to get out of bed when I spotted the bouquet.

My heart fluttered lightly at it. He remembered. I’d told him that I liked dark chocolates, and he remembered.

But that didn”t mean anything, right?

I stared at the bouquet for a while before bringing the rose flower to my nose. It smelled heavenly.

Releasing a sigh, I plucked a single chocolate from the bouquet, unwrapped it, and threw it into my mouth.

The taste was a burst of excitement and pleasure on my tongue. I just knew it was a luxurious one… different from the ones I was used to.

After eating one in barely one minute, I plucked another. Then another and another until I was staring at five chocolate wrappers.

I furrowed my brows, staring at my stained fingers.

I always had a sweet tooth, but I’d never eaten so many chocolates in one sitting. Pregnancy cravings?

Shaking my head, I dragged myself from the bed to the bathroom.

In the shower, I couldn”t help but think. What did I feel now? Aside from the little lightness, how did I feel now?

How did I feel about Ethan? How did I feel about the father of my child?

Honestly, I still had no answer to that. I just… didn”t know. But maybe once I took a breath of fresh air at the park, I’d know.

I was halfway in dressing up when I heard a knock. I instantly knew who it was. It wasn”t Dad.

My breath suddenly turned shaky as I yanked my jeans over my ass and threw on a T-shirt.

I made my way to the door. When I noticed a slight haste in my step, I slowed down.

What was wrong with me?

Slowly I opened the door to find him there.

He looked a bit better than the last time, clad in a long-sleeved shirt and suit pants.

“Good morning, Evie,” he breathed. His voice warmed my insides.

This time he held a bouquet of flowers in one hand, and one filled with chocolates in the other hand. I hadn”t even finished the one from last time.

“How are you?” He asked when I didn”t respond.

I wouldn”t lie, it was a bit awkward, and I wanted to take more time before I said anything to him.

I still didn’t know what to say and maybe the walk around the park I’d planned to take would help me.

“Fine,” I breathed, staring at him.

“I got these for you.” His voice was low.

I accepted both bouquets with a small thank you, then turned to keep them without shutting the door.

I found a jar of water in the kitchen and placed the bouquet of roses in there.

His hot stare on my body was a bit unnerving. I almost spilled the jar of water.

“Nice outfit.” I furrowed my brows. It was nothing but a shirt and jeans.

Suddenly it dawned on me that he”d never seen me in such an outfit.

“Thank you.” I tried to restrain the heat creeping up my cheeks. I wasn”t sure I was successful.

“You’re going somewhere…” He cleared his throat when I moved the jar to the center table.

“I am.”

“Let me drive you,” he said without haste.

“I–”

“Please don”t say no, Evie. Please.”

The expression of hurt in his eyes pricked something in my chest. It was unnecessary though.

“I was going to say let me get my bag.”

“Oh...” he trailed.

I hurriedly walked back to my room to grab my bag. It was a free ride. I couldn”t turn him down.

Bullshit, Evie.

Yeah, whatever. A drive would do me much good anyway.

We were in the car, heading to the park. Oddly, the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

“Laura called.”

I whipped my head to him.

“She called to apologize… said she was wrong.”

“What?”

All other thoughts were forgotten as I paid attention to him.

“Even with the file I gave her, Laura wasn’t convinced that it wasn’t corrupted, so she went to the source. She was able to find Dawson through a Private Investigator in Australia.”

I shook my head. Laura really went through all this for her late best friend.

“Laura wanted to see if Dawson had his own file of that night, wanting to make sure the footage was legitimate and after he showed her the footage, with my permission, she got what she wanted.”

I was all ears as he continued, “She took the footage to a reputable expert, and he confirmed that her theory was wrong; that the angle was misleading. Laura finally agreed that Olivia was never pushed and that she had slipped on her own, so she reached out to apologize after which we had a heart-to-heart conversation about how we missed Olivia.”

“Wow.” That was the only thing I could mutter.

He nodded. “It”s what I’d said too.”

“So now it”s all over?”

He nodded again. “It”s all over. Laura knew it was time to move on. I didn”t press any charges, after all, she was only fighting out of love.”

He glanced at me. I understood the double meaning behind his words.

“I never want to see her again…” I trailed softly.

After that, we barely said anything to each other. We got to the park, and he didn”t just drop me off. I didn”t expect him to anyway. He walked with me in silence.

I didn”t know when my thoughts shifted from what I originally wanted to say to him to how I wanted to tell him that I was pregnant.

After a while I was tired, and he offered to take me for lunch.

We got to the restaurant, one of the most expensive ones in Minnesota of course.

The waitress led us past the sea of people to another floor. When the elevator opened on the floor, I realized he’d planned this before.

The whole floor was empty. Amidst the numerous chairs and silk-clothed table, it was just us.

“Do you like it?” He asked and I realized I”d been staring at the elegant golden lights and the faux shrubs that decorated every inch of the space.

“Yes,” I breathed.

“I had to use social media to find this place.”

I smiled. He said social media like it was some mini divinity and he sounded so proud of himself.

He held my gaze, breathing heavily.

He looked like he wanted to say something when the waitress served our food. Not food. This was a feast.

There was a huge roasted fish garnished with herbs and lemon in a large tray. Fillets and large lobster tails with butter.

Oddly, the smell wasn’t a morning sickness trigger. Was this how morning sickness worked? On and off? Or was I nausea resistant to seafood?

All through the lunch, his eyes remained on me, even when I pretended to be so interested in the food. My stomach fluttered, and my heart picked up a harsh pace.

The waitress bowed slightly before leaving.

I couldn”t keep pretending to look at the dishes. When I raised my eyes to look into his, I gasped at the intensity of emotions in them.

“I’m sorry, Evie.” He licked his lips.

“If I could turn the hands of time, I’d do all this the right way. I”m sorry it had to be this way.”

I nodded, releasing a shaky breath.

Perhaps it wasn”t really his fault. He may have been a dickhead. But he was only a man bound by love and respect for his best friend.

And now, he was a man searching for a second chance. I didn”t want to deny him that.

“I forgive you, Ethan,” I breathed.

Slowly, a smile stretched his lips.

“God, you don”t know how long I”ve wanted to hear those words.”

I smiled, staring at his expression. I’d never seen him so happy.

I watched him walk to my side before he pulled me in for a long, tight hug.

I hugged him even tighter, the tears streaming down my cheeks.

“This time, I”ll get it right with you,” he breathed into my neck.

I shivered at the words. It wasn’t just me. Slowly, I moved his hand to my stomach.

“Us,” I whispered.

He froze and then pulled back to stare at me. His eyes were a cloud of emotions.

“You”re…”

I nodded with a smile. Slowly, he brought his forehead against mine. With his hands still on my stomach, he whispered against my lips.

“God, I love you, Evie.”

He leaned down slowly, bringing his other hand to cup my belly before placing his ear on it.

Tears threatened to find their way down my cheeks as I chuckled slightly. “It’s not kicking yet.”

He breathed, placing a kiss on it before whispering to my tummy.

“Hey, son, Daddy can’t wait for you to start kicking. I can’t wait for you to be here. I love you.”

I smiled, a tear finally running down my cheek. “You don’t know that it’s a boy.”

When he rose, a tear slipped past his eye. I gasped.

“I don’t. But whatever sex it is, I already love it.”

His orbs searched mine. My throat tightened as he spoke.

“I don”t know what I ever did to deserve you— to deserve this but I”m forever grateful for the gift of you.” He smiled, rubbing my belly. “… both of you.”

In a flash, I was on another table as he parted my legs and stood between them, cradling my face before taking my lips in his.

“I missed you. I missed you so much.” he whispered.

The kiss was slow at first, but as the seconds passed, it held an undertone of urgency.

His hands disappeared under my T-shirt and pushed past my bra before grabbing my breast. I moaned at the touch.

His finger on my face left hot trails down my neck until he circled my waist and tugged my hips even closer to his.

I suddenly became desperate.

He grunted when his hand reached to touch my pussy but found obstruction.

Hurriedly he worked my zipper down before dipping his hand inside. He yanked my panties to the side and growled when he found me wet.

“Fuck,” he grunted.

Without wasting any more time, he yanked my jeans off. When the cool breeze hit my skin, I was reminded that we were in a restaurant.

“The waitress,” I trailed.

He unbuckled his belt before settling his hardened length on my entrance.

“We’re not going to be interrupted.”

He thrusted into me slowly as if savoring the feeling.

Instinctively, my hand fisted his shoulders.

He brought his head to the side of my face before planting a kiss on my temple.

“So warm...” he trailed.

His grunts became heavy as he increased his pace, and so did my moans.

The table squeaked under our weight as he pulled out to slam into me again, this time harder.

A crazed moan left my lips, and I was instantly lost in oblivion.

How I”d missed this. Our tangled breaths, the small sweat that gathered on his forehead, and how his palms cupped my breast with dexterity.

The knots in my stomach tightened, and I felt my climax build up.

“Ethan!” I dug my nails into his skin.

He leaned down to take my lips in his as I shattered in his arms. I could barely feel him stiffen before he exploded inside of me.

Our breathing was tangled as we struggled to contain the haze of pleasure.

With him still inside, he tucked a piece of hair from my face before cupping the back of my neck to place a gentle kiss on my forehead.

Instinctively, I clenched my pussy around his dick.

He groaned, thrusting ever so slightly before whispering against my lips “Who does your tight pussy belong to?”

I whimpered. “You.”

He grunted, thrusting slightly again. “Who does your wet pussy belong to, Evie?”

I could feel myself getting wet all over again. “You, Ethan. Only you.”

“Good girl,” he rasped, his breathing harsh against my face. “I love you, Evie.”