by Tia Siren
She smiled at Amelia and excused herself to go talk to the set director. Once she was gone, I turned my focus to Amelia. From up close, she looked even more tired and sickly than she had before. “How are you?” I asked, concern lacing in my words.
“How I am is none of your business, Kellan,” Amelia responded in a blunt tone.
I knew I deserved to be talked to that way, but it didn’t mean I liked it. I ran a hand through my hair as Amelia turned to select some jewelry. She picked up a pair of hideous earrings, and I noticed that her hands were shaking.
“You’re right. I forfeited the right to ask about you three months ago. However, you’re still my best friend’s daughter, and I worry on his behalf. Have you been eating and sleeping enough?”
“Kellan, I’m trying to work. Go away. My life is none of your business,” she said without even looking up at me. Then she scoffed and shook her head. “And don’t pretend that you care about your friend’s child when you don’t even care about yours. That’s hypocritical and stupid. ”
I closed my eyes for a second, feeling the verbal slap in the face. As much as I wanted to leave gracefully and avoid more unnecessary confrontation with her, I couldn’t help myself. “What is the point of keeping this baby if you’re not going to take care of yourself while you’re pregnant? You say I’m selfish and pathetic and hypocritical, but aren’t you all of those things as well?”
Those words made Amelia finally look up at me. The moment her gorgeous, tired eyes met mine, I wished she would look away. The incredulity in them wasn’t new to me; I had seen too many women gaze at me that same way over the years. However, that look coming from Amelia made my heart feel cold.
“Excuse me?” she hissed as she slammed a thick golden bracelet onto the table. The noise made me cringe. “How dare you talk to me like that? I’m tired because I’m working despite being constantly nauseated. My child already has one loser parent. I refuse to fail at my dream job because I got knocked up by a deadbeat asshole and give him a loser set.”
I reigned in my temper. “Your father owns half the company, and I own the other half. Believe me, your job is safe. No one is going to fire you for taking a few days to care for yourself.”
For some reason, that comment seemed to make her even angrier. Her nostrils flared as she continued to stare at me. “Great, so now I’m a charity case?”
I raked my fingers through my hair. “No, you’re not. Jeez . . . I’m just worried and trying to be nice.”
“Well, don’t,” she stated abruptly. “My son and I are not your concern, so please, leave us alone.”
Son . . . She’s having a son. The information danced around in my mind, but before I could process it properly, Amelia’s face turned white and her eyes rolled backward. My heart stopped with worry and fear as I rushed to her side just in time to catch her as she collapsed.
Chapter Seven
Amelia
I awoke to a sea of bright white lights. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust, and then several more for me to realize where I was. The hospital room looked exactly as you’d expect and smelled just as bad—like a mixture of sickness and sanitizer. I sighed and shifted into a more comfortable position.
Once seated, I glanced over at the chair to my right and was surprised to see Kellan sitting there. The tension between his brows relaxed when he saw me awake.
“Hi,” he greeted in a cautious voice.
I tried to smile, but it felt weird and forced. “Hi. What am I doing here? What happened?”
“You collapsed about half an hour ago, and I brought you to the hospital. The doctor just left. He said you’re dehydrated and fatigued. They’re running some bloodwork to see if it is something else,” he explained in a tired and worried voice.
My heart sank at his words. I knew that with all the extra pressure I was putting on myself to be the best at work and do everything for the baby on my own, I wasn't the healthiest, but I had never imagined that my behavior could bring me, and my unborn child, to a hospital bed. The notion made me feel awful and stupid. Kellan’s voice from our argument earlier today returned to my mind, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Is my baby all right?” I asked with tears in my eyes.
Kellan nodded, and I relaxed. I sank back into my pillows as he added, “I’ve already spoken to your father, and he’s on his way.” I glanced back at him with panic in my eyes and covered my stomach with my hands. Understanding the issue, Kellan closed his eyes and asked, “You still haven’t told him?”
I shook my head and looked away, not wanting to see the anger in his eyes. “No, I haven’t. I didn’t know what to say or how to explain the father situation, so I just kept putting it off.”
Kellan muttered a curse under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. “You have to tell him before he finds out, or he’ll be pissed at you, and you don’t want that to happen. Your father is a kind and understanding man, but he hates being lied to. You know that. You’ll need him and your mom once the baby arrives.”
As unrequired and out of place as his advice was, I knew he was right. This was a big deal, and I would have to lean on my parents a lot once my son arrived. As much as I tried to look in control, I was falling to pieces.
There was no question in my mind that I wasn’t ready for this. It hadn’t even been four months since my graduation. I was twenty-four, living in a brand new house, working a brand new job, and just learning how to be a grownup; I had no idea how to be a parent. That, however, was no excuse to be irresponsible and act as if I were just another woman my age. I had responsibilities and limitations most of them didn’t, and I had to start living accordingly, for both our sakes.
Knowing that I couldn’t afford to keep my parents in the dark any longer, I made up my mind to tell my father about the pregnancy as soon as he arrived. In order for me to do that, however, Kellan had to go away. Under normal circumstances I was a terrible liar; I couldn’t even imagine how bad I’d be with the lie staring me right in the face.
“Thank you for your advice, for bringing me to the hospital, and for staying with me, but you have to go. Like you said, I’m on my own with this one, and I have to deal with it accordingly.”
An indecipherable emotion settled into Kellan’s face as he stared back at me. He crossed his arms over his chest and used a very petulant tone when he spoke. “But if I leave, how will I know that you’ve told them and that you’re taking good care of yourself?”
“You won’t. Which was the point, right?”
He looked away from me and shook his head ever so slightly. “I knew you would say that, which is why I am giving you the next few weeks off to relax and worry about what actually matters.”
My eyes widened as I glared at Kellan. “You can’t do that! I need my job and the money.”
He rolled his eyes as he typed something on his phone. “Your job isn’t going anywhere. As for the money, think of this break as a paid vacation.”
The nonchalant way he said that made me even more pissed off than his actions. I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but before I could get a word in, my father’s voice echoed from the hallway. I glanced from Kellan’s face to the opening door.
“Pumpkin,” Dad said as he raced into the room with a bouquet of my favorite flowers in his hands and worry in his eyes. “I told you not to overwork yourself.”
Tears welled in my eyes at the sight of my father. I blamed my emotional outburst on pregnancy hormones and anticipation, but I was aware that the real culprit was an irrational fear of how he would react to my news. Unwilling to break into a crying fit in front of Kellan, I kept myself together and forced a smile for my father.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” was all I could manage to say as he hugged me. Once he had released me, he looked at Kellan and smiled.
“Thank you for calling me and taking care of my girl, Kellan.”
Kellan shook his head and said something. I
didn’t pay attention to his words, though. I was too mesmerized by their interaction to focus on anything else.
The last time I witnessed them around each other outside of a business environment, I had been a teenager. At that point, my infatuation with Kellan had kept me from noticing that they interacted more like brothers than friends. However, now that I was older and had a more realistic view of the man who had fathered my unborn son, the depths of their relationship was blatantly clear to me, and it put everything into perspective.
As much as I couldn’t condone Kellan turning his back on our unborn baby, I could see that revealing the truth to my father would forever change their relationship. Considering that Kellan had no family that I knew off, I could understand—if only barely—his refusal to claim his child.
Kellan glanced over at me and then at my father. “Well, if she were my daughter, I would have wanted someone to call me as soon as possible.”
His words made my heart ache, but I tried to keep my voice steady as I spoke. “Thank you again for calling my father, Kellan, but you really don’t have to stay.”
I knew that the moment to inform my dad of my pregnancy was now, and I did not want Kellan present for such an intimate family moment. Regardless of how fondly my father regarded him, to me, he was the man who had chosen against being a part of my family and therefore didn’t deserved to experience the emotion that would unfold.
With understanding in his eyes, Kellan nodded and turned to gather his things. It was evident, at least to me, that he was as ready to go as I was to have him gone. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, just as he was saying good-bye to my father, a nurse entered the room.
She greeted the three of us with a bright, warm smile and looked down at the chart in her hands. “Your blood work came out clean, so it looks like you will be good to go once your IV bag is empty. However, the doctor asked me to give you this brochure and make sure you read it.” I looked at her with eyes filled with fear of the train wreck that was about to happen. Oblivious to my panic, she continued. “In this, you’ll find all kinds of information about prenatal care and the new demands on your body. I’m sure you’ve heard it all from your doctor already, but you can never have enough information. Right?”
I nodded at her, but my eyes stayed focused on Dad. Happy in his ignorance, he smiled at the woman and shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I think you have the wrong room.”
The nurse apologized and looked down at her chart with a mortified expression. Her brows pulled together as she looked back at me.
I closed my eyes, hoping I would just disappear. When I opened them again, I felt overwhelmed by the three pairs of eyes gazing intently at me. I focused only on my father’s. “She’s in the right room, Dad.”
“You’re telling me that you’re pregnant?” he asked in between laughs, sure this was some sort of pre-Halloween prank.
My eyes were filled with sorrow and shame as I continued to stare at him in silence. Slowly, as reality started to sink in, I watched as his face turned from normal to white before finally settling into a deep shade of red.
The nurse excused herself and left my room, shooting me a look that was both apologetic and chastising. I ignored her and Kellan—who, for whatever reason, was still there— and kept staring at my father. “I swear I was going to tell you and Mom. I just didn’t know how.”
“You’re pregnant?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Unable to find the words to respond, I just nodded. Dad started pacing. “How long have you known?”
I forced myself not to glance at Kellan as I stammered, “A-about three months now.”
Momentarily, he stopped pacing and glanced at me with so much sadness and disappointment in his eyes that I could barely bear it. Then he turned his eyes toward Kellan, silently asking the father of my unborn child to leave. Leaving me no room to question where his loyalties lay, Kellan nodded and walked out. Tears filled my eyes as, once more, I was hit with the realization of just how alone in this ordeal I actually was.
Once my father and I were the only two people in the room, he turned to face me fully. I wasn’t sure if the heartbreak I saw in his eyes was his, mine, or both of ours.
“Who’s the father?” he asked in an unrecognizably weak tone.
My heart pounded frantically as I replied, “Some guy at a party.”
“You don’t even know who he is?” His eyes glistened with a raging fire.
“Yes, I do,” I started, deciding that I should keep my lies as close to the truth as possible. Hopefully by doing that they would suck less and pass as facts. “But he’s not important or in the picture. It was a one-night thing.”
He stopped pacing again. My father’s gaze traveled around the room before it finally landed back on me. The disappointment in his eyes was so intense that I could barely stand to look at him.
“So that’s it?” he asked after a heavy sigh. “I send you off to the top school in the nation, shell out thousands of dollars, give you a house and job, and then you come home knocked up and don’t even tell me about it?” He shook his head and, in the saddest voice ever, asked, “What happened to my little girl?”
Tears fell freely from eyes. “She’s here, and very sorry, Daddy.”
“I bet you are, and frankly so am I. You had so much to look forward to, Amelia. The world was at your feet, and now . . .”
He never finished the sentence, not that he needed to finish it. I knew exactly where he was going, and I agreed. I had compromised a good chunk of my future plans for a cheap lay with someone who couldn’t care less about me. I was stupid and pathetic, and it killed me that now my dad knew about it as well.
Every inch of my body ached as I watched my beloved father gather his things and walk to the door. He didn’t turn to look at me or say good-bye; he just stood by the half-opened door and said, “I’ll let you be the one to tell your mother. Please, don’t wait another four months to do it. She deserves better than that.”
With those hurtful words, he left me alone to cry my pain and sorrow away.
Chapter Eight
Kellen
After leaving Amelia alone at the hospital to tell Alex about our baby, this strange feeling of guilt settled in my chest. I felt like the biggest coward alive and a carbon copy of my father, which was a terrible thought. However, plain and simple, I couldn’t bear the thought of hurting Alexander and losing not only my one true friend but also my place in the company. I had learned at a young age that people had to look out for themselves first, and that was what I was doing.
Though sound, that rationalization did absolutely nothing to appease the self-loathing I felt. And that was where the Asian beauty beside me came in.
Since that day, I had distracted myself from thoughts of Amelia with as many women as I could manage. Being as desperate for company and distraction as I was caused my standards fall significantly, and instead of my usual “models only” policy, I was now bedding pretty much any woman who smiled at me. Some of them had been unfortunate looking, but this one wasn’t. In fact, she was one of the prettiest women our agency had signed in a long time.
After a pleasant date, we were driving back to my place. Like most women, this one had babbled on and on about how unusual it was for her to go home with a guy on the first date. I was sure the speech was meant to make me feel special, but it just made me feel bored and allowed my mind to return to Amelia.
Noticing my diminishing interest, the model, whose name I had already forgotten, skimmed her long fingernails up my thigh, toward my crotch. Yeah, never does this my ass!
My head rested against the seat, and I closed my eyes. As I did, I imagined Amelia’s hand pleasuring me. As lips came to kiss my neck, I imagined that they were Amelia’s. Picturing her made me more aroused than I imagined I could be after three whiskeys, and once the car finally came to a stop in front of my building, I was beyond ready to take this woman up to my bed and imagine I was fucking Am
elia while I buried myself inside her.
Guiding the girl by the hand, I made my way into the building’s foyer and froze when I saw Amelia sitting on the plush Chesterfield couch. I blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t an alcohol-induced hallucination. Once I was sure she was real, I released the model’s hand and raced toward her.
Amelia’s eyes were red and puffy as she looked up at me. I wanted to scoop her up in my arms and hold her until she felt better, but instead I settled for sitting beside her and holding her hand.
“I had a fight with my parents,” she said without me even having to ask. She stole a quick glance at the confused-looking model standing a few feet away. Once her eyes focused back on me, her face looked pained. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t want to ruin your night. I just didn’t know where else to go.”
I rolled my eyes and looked at the Asian beauty glaring at me. Without leaving Amelia’s side, I said, “Thank you for the night, but this is important. Tell my driver where you want to go and he’ll see that you get there safely.”
As my gaze returned to Amelia, I saw a glimmer of surprise shining in her gorgeous green eyes. I couldn’t blame her; I was also fairly surprised at my lack of hesitation in dismissing a beautiful girl. However, knowing that Amelia had come to me for safety and comfort despite my appalling behavior felt ten times better than getting my dick wet with some nameless model.
“Come on. I have some leftovers in my fridge,” I said, and stood up. I offered my hand to help her up, and she took it without hesitation.
As we walked toward the elevator, I noticed she was wearing only a light sweater, so I removed my jacket at draped it around her shoulders. She smiled at the gesture and closed the fabric a bit tighter around herself.
“I really didn’t mean to ruin your date,” she in a quiet tone.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said with a smile. “You’re not ruining anything. Besides, this is the least I could do.”
She raised an eyebrow at me, but no others words were shared as we entered my apartment. Normally I was comfortable in silence; it provided a soothing peace to my chaotic life. Yet with Amelia, I longed for the noise. She was a talkative person, and she would normally smile and laugh as if all was good in the world. She was a true breath of fresh air, and I had missed her more than I could admit.
