Chapter 26

Nathan

The sound of my phone alarm stirred me from my sleep. I reached over with my free hand and hit the button, groaning as I remembered that I wasn’t at home. I turned quickly and saw Amanda laying there in my arms, smiling up at me. I had thought it was all a dream, but there she was, safe and sound, wrapped in the blankets, and clinging tightly to me. That was better than any bottle of whiskey ever could be.

She moaned softly and yawned, rolling to the side and stretching her arms high over her head. The sun was shining brightly outside as it did most days in LA, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else in that moment. She turned back to me and snuggled in, groaning, knowing we couldn’t stay like that forever. I could feel the love between us bursting from our skin. Not only were we back together, but we were going to become a family, with a child that was conceived in complete love and would be raised in a home with that much love as well.

I reached down and grabbed her waist, pulling her up so that her head was resting on the pillow next to me. We faced each other, our hands entwining between us and our eyes locked on one another. When I looked into her eyes, it was like I could see everything in my life from the past, to the present, and even into the future. I could feel her stomach pressed against my side, and I thought about the small life inside of her, growing every day. It was my child, the child that would be just as much part of me as it would be of her. I hoped that it got her heart because I didn’t know anyone else as loving and caring as she was.

“I want to tell you again how sorry I am,” I whispered. “You are the most precious thing in my life, and you are carrying our child. It is so beautiful, and I wish you could have told me sooner. I would have never turned you away, no matter how hurt or angry I thought I was. This child is the embodiment of our love. It is a symbol of everything that is beautiful in this world. Everything that is beautiful about you and about us.”

“I tried to tell you several times,” she said. “I actually called you as soon as I found out, sitting in the parking lot of the doctor’s office, but you always rejected my calls. I thought about coming to your office, but I was afraid to be rejected in public. I felt exposed and vulnerable, so I just came to terms with the idea of raising this baby by myself. I didn’t want to, I wanted you to be with us, but I never thought it would actually be possible. I thought I had lost you forever, and there was nothing I could do or say to make you change your mind. It was a very hopeless feeling.”

“I know,” I said, kissing her on the forehead. “I didn’t know what to do, what to believe, or what to say. I was completely drowned in a bottle of whiskey and my own self-pity. I hated John for being the one to tell me, I hated Jordan for being so happy, and I hated every single person that I saw living their life for love. Every time you called, I fought with myself, trying to decide whether to answer or not to answer. My fear won out every time. I promise I will never screen your calls again.”

“I’m not a girl with a lot of enemies; I’m really nice to everyone,” she said, making me smile. “But sometimes, you can’t help who likes you or doesn’t like you. What Sarah did, I have never seen another human being do, but now that I know what people are capable of, I know that I need to protect myself better. I need you to promise me that the next time you hear some weird rumor, no matter how hurtful or damning, you will come to me and talk to me about it. Give me a chance to clear my name before damning me to that sad existence we found ourselves in.”

“Seeing what Sarah did opened my eyes, too,” I said. “Seeing just how manipulative she was, putting my best friend in a position where he hurt me and you because he trusted someone he never should have, made me realize that things are not always as simple as they seem. My time without you was the worst time in my entire life. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die, and all I had to do from the start was actually open my eyes and ears and take in my surroundings. I promise that if I ever hear anything about you again, good or bad, I’ll come to you and talk to you about it. I will presume you innocent, instead of assuming your guilt.”

“Oh,” she said, excited. “Now that you are back in the picture, I can tell you about the doctor. I had my initial checkup where they told me that I was pregnant, and I scheduled my next visit, my first real visit, for a week from now. They will most likely be doing an ultrasound, and we will get to see the baby for the first time. They did one when I first went in, but the baby was too small to see. We should be able to hear its heart beat, too. It’s going to be really exciting.”

“That sounds amazing,” I said.

“Would you like to go with me and experience all this as a family?” she asked. “You can meet the doctor and learn all about what we are to expect in the coming months. For the first time since I found out I was pregnant, I actually am feeling excited about this. It’s also the first time since I found out that I haven’t woken up sick to my stomach.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I said, kissing her gently.

We laid there for a little while longer and then pried ourselves out of the bed. Both of us had luckily brought a bag with us in case we wanted to change at the wedding, so we didn’t have to go down to breakfast in our fancy clothes. When we were dressed, we headed down to the restaurant for the brunch with the bride and groom before they were expected to leave on their honeymoon. We had missed the entire reception, but I was pretty sure that since both of us were missing, they knew exactly what was going on.

“Yay,” Lindsey squealed, jumping from her seat and running over to Amanda. “I’m so happy to see you, and you look pretty happy.”

“I’ll tell you about it all when you get back,” she whispered with a smile.

“Duh, you better,” she said. “Does he know?”

“Yep,” she said, smiling brightly and turning to John, Jordan, and Lindsey’s cousins. “And I guess it’s time everyone found out. Nathan?”

“Yes, yes,” I said, smiling. “Amanda and I are expecting a baby.”

Everyone cheered and clapped their hands, truly happy that the two of us were back together and stronger than ever. We sat down and started to eat, realizing how famished we were after missing dinner. Lindsey smiled big at me across the table and turned to Nathan.

“So, Mr. Robertson,” Lindsey said, clearing her throat. “I would like to request something.”

“What’s that?”

“If you hear any weird things ever again about Amanda, I want you to believe me when I tell you that they are complete bullshit,” she stated. “I have known Amanda my whole life, and I know her better than anyone. If you need to know the truth about something, you can come to me, and I’ll give it to you straight. No more of these guessing games, especially not with people like my sister running around, causing all kinds of problems.”

I smiled at Amanda and rubbed her leg, feeling loved by everyone in the room. I always took Lindsey with a grain of salt and treated her with the utmost respect. It was something that Amanda loved about me. I knew how important this girl was to her, and I would never mess it up.

“Well, I will always trust Amanda when she tells me the truth about something,” I said kissing her cheek. “But I promise that if I need to come to you, that I will take your word as the truth.”

“Good,” she said, smiling. She glanced over at John and cleared her throat.

“And I have to be the bigger man here,” John said. “I want to tell you both how sorry I am that I brought that load of bullshit into your lives and tore you apart like that. If I had used my big brain and not my little brain, I would have realized right away what kind of woman I was dealing with. But I didn’t, and I hope that the two of you can forgive me. Nathan is like my brother, and I could see every day how much it tore him apart to be without Amanda. That makes me feel terrible.”

“Of course, brother,” I said, reaching over and shaking his hand.

“You were acting in the best interests of Nathan,” Amanda said. “And though your truths were misguided, it makes me feel good to know that a man of such strong character is standing beside him, watching out for him. I think that you will be able to teach our child some fantastic things about being a stand-up friend. I hope that one day, you have my back like you have his. He is a very lucky guy. So, of course, I accept your apology. We made it back together, and that is all that matters in the end.”

“Thank you,” he said with a smile.

“And as far as Sarah goes, trust me, I know how manipulative the girl can be,” Amanda said. “She has taken some of the best people I know and turned them into monsters. I hate that she got ahold of you like that, and I’m sorry that she used you. I know that doesn’t feel good. I just hope that you have learned your lesson in all of this. Stay away from that girl, and try not to judge them by their looks. She may be pretty on the outside, but she is rotten on the inside.”

“Trust me, I won’t be seeing anymore of Sarah ever again.” He chuckled. “I definitely did learn my lesson. In fact, I am going to start being a little more selective of the women that I bring into my life.”

“Wow,” I said, shaking my head. “It seems this wedding has changed all kinds of things, even the people that we thought were written in stone to be douche bags for an eternity.”

“Hey, hey,” he said. “I deserved that, but everyone can change.”

“Well, here is hoping,” Lindsey said, raising her mimosa in the air.

“Here, here,” everyone repeated with laughter.

I sat back in my chair and watched as everyone talked and joked. The girls cuddled up and whispered, the food steamed hot, and the mimosas bubbled in their glasses. My eyes met Amanda’s, and she smiled, leaning over and kissing me on the cheek. I felt like I hadn’t been happy for a very long time, but there, sitting with the people I cared about the most, I could feel the depression just evaporate away. Amanda did something amazing in my life, and I would spend the rest of it showing her just how much I loved her and that baby in her belly.