Twenty-One

 

Paige

 

 

Three months later...

 

To say I hadn't enjoyed my time in LA would be a lie. I made some good friends, and I loved working at the hospital. Not that I spent much time working there. It was rather busy for my liking, and in my condition, I couldn't keep up with the workload.

I could have gone home weeks ago if I'm honest. My heart wasn't ready to face Enzo, so I stayed. I can't say being here has lessened my love for him, it hasn't. But I do feel stronger, more able to treat him as the friend he once was to me.

Yes, I've decided we're better off as friends. Who knows, maybe sometime in the future, we can be together. But for right now I'm content with the way things are.

Of course, he's in for a big shock when he sees me, but then so is everyone else. Especially my mother. But I'm a big girl now, I can make my own decisions. Not that this was an easy decision because it wasn't. I had a little blip there in L.A. I honestly didn't think I could do this, be someone's mother. Especially when Enzo and I aren't together. I thought about termination and adoption, and then I cried my eyes out because I knew I could do neither of those things. I didn't even want to.

I sang to my baby every night, and I told it all about its father and how I would make sure they had a close bond. I only hope that's true.

I should have gone straight round to see my parents as soon as I arrived home, but I crashed as soon I got into my house. I was so tired I didn't even make it upstairs, I fell asleep on the couch. I woke late this morning. I don't think I've slept so long in months.

Looking around my house this morning I could tell my mother had been in and cleaned the place up. I hadn't realized how much what happened here had affected me until I woke up. My house doesn't feel like my home anymore. I don't know that I can stay here. Maybe I just need to give it a few days. Or maybe I need to find somewhere else, I don't want to bring my child home to a place where a man attacked me.

After a hot shower and changing into clean clothes, black leggings, a tank top, and a thin cardigan, I got to sorting my laundry. I then ate breakfast and took myself over to the hospital to fill my boss in on how it went in L.A. I also needed to book in with an obstetrician. After doing all of that and agreeing with my boss that I'd start back to work at the end of the week, which gives me two days to relax, I took myself to Aimee's boutique. I need a consultation. In all, I need her to make me a few things.

“I can't even believe it.” She's said the same thing four times already. What the hell is not to believe?

“Aimee.” I sigh. “Can you just believe it and help me with this?”

“Of course.” She smiles and squeezes my hand. We then spend the next half hour talking. She listens to me while I tell her exactly what I'm envisioning. It's nothing major, just the normal a woman would need to feel comfortable. Aimee is amazing at what she does. She designs and makes the most amazing dresses, lingerie, anything really. The girl is gifted.

With Aimee having drawn up a couple of designs for me, and a promise to have them with my by next week, I'm off to my mothers.

It feels really weird driving my truck after all this time. I'd kind of gotten used to driving my rented BMW in L.A. Now I'm back to my beat up truck. But I do love my truck. I wonder how long I'll be allowed to drive it? Is there some rule that says you can't when you're pregnant?

I pull up in my mother's driveway and there she is, standing on the doorstep, waving like a crazy person. I smile while rolling my eyes playfully before getting out of my truck. I lean over and grab the bag of gifts I bought my family. I slam the door closed and make my way up to my mother. She hasn't noticed anything yet. Might have something to do with the fact I'm holding the bag in front of me.

“I'm so glad to see you.” She says as she pulls me into her arms.

“Me too.” I hold onto her one armed and tightly. I feel her mood shift a little. She's wondering what's wrong. Nothing is wrong I just really missed her.

“Let's go say hi to everyone.” I laugh as I pull away from her. She looks at me curiously for a second before smiling and leading me inside.

God, I had no idea Freddy and Della would be here. My little sister hugs me tightly right before Bob pulls me into him and kisses my head. Freddy gets out of his seat and hugs me, right before Della. I've really missed her.

“Paige, we're going to be aunties!” My little sister screeches. My eyes shoot straight to Della. She's pregnant? I didn't think she wanted kids. That's what she's always maintained anyway.

“Layah, that wasn't your news to give out.”

“But daddy, I'm really excited!”

“Congratulations,” I say with a genuine smile. My brother really wants this, any idiot can see that from the huge smile on his face. Della gets out of her seat again and hugs me. “How far along are you?”

“Four months.” I hear the happiness in Della's voice. And it's genuine excitement and bliss. She pulls away from me and giggles when I stroke her slight bump. I hadn't noticed it before. How did I not notice, she's wearing a camisole and it's rather tight over her bump. “I'm so excited, Paige.”

“I can tell.” I laugh.

“Why don't you tell us how far along you are?” Freddy throws at me. My face drops. How the hell could he know? I haven't told anyone. Apart from Aimee, but I doubt very much she would have called my brother and ratted me out.

“Paige,” My mother takes my arm gently. I turn to look at her slowly. “What's he talking about?” I open my mouth, trying to find the words. Why is this so hard? “Are you pregnant?”

“Yes,”

She gasps as does Della. Bob scratches his head in disbelief, and Freddy is looking at me like I've done something terribly illegal. Layah is hugging my hips again and laughing how she can't wait to have two babies to love.

“I cannot believe this! I thought you went to L.A to work, not to sleep around!”

“Excuse me?” I'm shocked. My own mother thinks that I... Never mind. She can think what she likes. Not that it stops it hurting.

“It's Enzo's.” My eyes dart to Freddy as he gets out of his seat. What. The. Fuck?!

“Enzo?” Bob asks. “Enzo Ryker?” Freddy nods his head in answer while folding his arms around his big chest.

All eyes are on me, and I know I'm going to throw up any moment, and it has nothing to do with the baby inside of me. My mother is in shock. Her eyes haven't left mine yet. Della still has hold of my hand in hers. Did she already know too? But how could my brother and best friend know anything?

“When did this happen?!” My mother practically yells while snatching the bag out of my hand, tossing it on the couch, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards her and pulling open my long thin cardigan at the same time. She looks down at my swollen stomach and gasps.

I yank my arm out of her grasp and wrap my cardigan around myself once again. “So I'm pregnant. And yes, Enzo is the father. What the hell is it to do with any of you? I'm not a child, I'm a grown woman.”

“He thought you'd gotten rid of it.”

“Excuse me?” What the hell is Freddy talking about? “How the hell did he even find out?” I didn't tell him, I told no one!

“At the hospital Christmas Morning.”

I huff to myself.

I don't like thinking about what happened that night. My mother did nothing but call me for two whole weeks after she got home and found out. She even came out to California to me for the weekend in case I needed her. Which I did. The cops finally caught up with Mark and he was arrested, he confessed to what he did. I don't need to think about this anymore, so why is he bringing it up?!

“Doctor Rodgers told him your baby was fine. Can you imagine the shock on Enzo's face when he heard that?”

No, dickweed, because you didn't tell me!

“He came looking for you after he left Sonny's Christmas night. He wanted to talk to you about the baby. See what you intended to do. When he realized you'd left it broke him.”

“Why didn't you call me and tell me he knew?” Come to think of it, why didn't he tell me he knew when we woke up that morning?

Freddy shrugs. “He thought you didn't want to keep it, that you'd have an abortion as soon as you could. Who was he to stop you? Plus, you never mentioned it to anyone. I only knew now because I saw the bump when you hugged Della.”

I rub my forehead with my right hand in frustration. Way to drop all of this on me. “I need to see him.”

“He's not here anymore.” My head snaps round to Della. What the hell does she mean? He has to be here!

“He left the day after you.” I look at Freddy again. “Couldn't cope with you not being here. With the fact you might have had an abortion without even telling him about the baby.”

“Where did he go?”

“He never said.” My brother shrugs again before wrapping his arms around his wife.

“Did he... um... did he say when he'd be back?”

My brother shakes his head.

I'm beginning to sweat. He left. He left and I'm not going to see him again. That can't be, it just can't! What will I do without him?

Maybe I should have called him while I was away. Maybe I should have answered his calls, his texts, his email. I shouldn't have ignored him. I should have told him about the baby. Why the hell didn't I?

Because I thought I was doing the right thing in sorting my own head out first. I never gave any thought to the fact Enzo's head might have been just as screwed up. I just assumed he'd still be here when I got back. That I could tell him about the baby and how I wanted us to be friends. But knowing he's not here anymore, that no one knows where he is has knocked me for six.

“Are you keeping it?” My mother's stern tone brings me out of thought. Is she really asking me that? “Well?”

“I'm five months pregnant, mother,” She gasps. “Of course I'm keeping it!” She rolls her eyes and turns into Bob's arms. “Did you ask Freddy if he and Della were keeping their child? No? I didn't think so! I am twenty-four years old, mother.”

“Yes,” She turns to look at me. “You are twenty-four. But you are also unmarried and don't have a partner! You think it's easy raising a baby alone? It's expensive and tiring.”

“I'll see you all later,” I say, ignoring my mother. I'm not interested in what she has to say. I know she's just shocked but still. “I'm not staying here listening to this. I'm a grown woman. This is my baby, my choice!”

“I'm just worried about you, Paige.”

“Well don't,” I say nothing more before leaving. I'm so not in the mood for this right now.