Chapter 6
Nolan couldn’t believe his ears. This beautiful woman loved him? He couldn’t help but smile. The next thing he knew he was hugging her tightly. It didn’t make any sense, but he felt it too. He loved her. Who cared if it wasn’t logical? He could feel it in his chest that he loved this woman. He loved this woman and their daughter.
He smiled a bit, before saying, “I know it must be hard for you, but just say the word and I will do whatever you need me to do in order to make sure that you and Sophia live a good life.” Emma smiled before hugging him tightly. They hadn’t expected this, but they were both glad that their feelings for each other were mutual.
When Nolan had sat down to study for his economy final, he had not expected, not in a million years, to find himself sitting in a hospital with the mother of his child, but here he was. It was scary to think that he was now a father, but for some reason he was oddly okay with it. He knew, deep down, that he would never abandon these two beautiful girls.
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After that eventful night at the hospital the family’s relationship only deepened. Nolan found himself falling more and more in love with the two girls every day. Soon enough they had moved in together in a small apartment that was midway between both of their universities. They had arranged a system where Emma took morning classes and Nolan took afternoon classes so that there would always be someone available to take care of Sophia.
As time went on, Nolan even asked Emma to be his girlfriend. It was evident it would happen eventually, but it was pleasant to experience nonetheless.
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It had been a weekend. Sophia was about a month old. It had been a difficult month. Both of them were novice parents who had no idea what parenting was. They knew nothing about babies but through the power of the internet and friends they managed to get through the first month together. Still, it had been a lot of sleepless nights and hard work. However, now, after a month of being parents, they felt like they were finally getting the hang of things.
Now Sophia was about a month old and very healthy. Their doctor had praised the young couple for their great work at raising the child as they did.
The day Nolan asked Emma to be his girlfriend was a warm day in January, a very warm day, almost spring-like in the Florida climate. They had decided to take Sophia for a stroll around the park since they all needed some fresh air after so much time cooped up indoors.
So they had walked around the park together before Nolan gently grabbed Emma’s hand. Even though they both had feelings for each other they never expressed it again since the night the baby was born.
For some reason, while Nolan was walking with Emma he felt compelled to take hold of her hand, to touch her. Emma blushed at the gesture but then squeezed his hand gently as she smiled. They continued to walk through the park with Nolan pushing the stroller with one hand as he held Emma’s hand with the other. They seemed to be the picture perfect family.
After a walk around the park, they decided to sit down and enjoy themselves on one of the park benches. Nolan gently rocked the stroller to and fro with his foot, rocking Sophia who was slowly falling asleep in her cocoon of blankets.
The wind started to pick up, and the temperature dropped. Emma shivered a bit. She was a small girl and therefore easily susceptible to the cold. Nolan noticed her shivering and so pulled her closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders before bringing her even closer until her head was on his shoulder. She smiled before nuzzling into his warmth.
She really did have feelings for Nolan, she was sure of it. He was cute, nice, and amazing with Sophia. It was hard being a mother in college, but Nolan made it bearable. She wanted to be something more to Nolan but didn’t know how to press the issue without the fear of pushing him away. What if he didn’t want to be anything more than a father to Sophia? What if he just wanted a no strings attached relationship with Emma? They hadn’t even kissed or touched since the night of Sophia’s conception, surely if he wanted more he would have made a move by now, right? Holding hands today was the most intimate thing they had done in over ten months.
To be honest, Nolan couldn’t stop thinking about how to advance his relationship with Emma. She was beautiful, compassionate, and an amazing mother. Who wouldn’t want to be her boyfriend? But, Nolan was scared. What if she rejected him and then took Sophia away from him? He loved Sophia. Nolan didn’t want to take the risk of losing his daughter, but he felt like he had no choice at this point. He couldn’t suppress his feelings any longer.
He looked over at Emma who was smiling. He could feel himself getting nervous as he looked down at her. Her light blonde hair was fluttering in the wind and the way she was laying her head on his shoulder just made her look so beautiful. He had to ask. “Hey… Emma…. Can I ask you something?” Nolan’s voice was barely a whisper. He was terrified of rejection, but this was something he had to do.
Emma looked up at Nolan, wondering what he wanted. She nodded at him before blushing a bit. Their faces were so close. All she needed to do was lean up, just a tiny bit, and she would be able to kiss him. Despite this thought, she restrained herself from kissing him and instead waited for him to continue.
“Would you… you… be my girlfriend?” Nolan asked nervously, as he looked into Emma’s beautiful eyes. Her eyes widened. Nolan couldn’t help but stare into those beautiful oceans. He started to look nervous the longer she took to answer. He could feel his heart race in his chest.
Emma’s heart was racing just as fast. Had he just asked her out? Was this real? Was she dreaming? Emma couldn’t believe it. Had Nolan liked her all along? Yes, there was the night at the hospital, but they had never spoken of feelings again, so Emma had assumed they were nonexistent. Emma suddenly started to smile like an idiot before nodding. She lunged forward and hugged him tightly.
“Yes… of course I want to be your girlfriend!” She squealed excitedly.