Poor Amelia, I thought sadly.
Remorse situated deeply in me, but even then, it wasn’t enough for me to sacrifice my life to help her fix her own.
After all, life was a battle we each had to endure, hoping that we wouldn’t get crushed by its heavy lashing.
Chapter 13
Toby
The following morning, I awoke from the sound of the doorbell, the door being opened, and then some shuffling here and there before the room quieted again.
Raking a hand through my hair, I thought to myself that I needed a haircut whilst reaching for my phone on the nightstand, checking the time. Nine in the morning.
When did Amelia say the appointment was? I wondered as I slid off the bed and strode over to the closet to put a robe on. I had slept in my boxer-briefs like I always did, but I didn’t want to look indecent when checking on Amelia.
Loosely knotting the complimentary plush robe, I strode out the door barefoot. The harsh, Spanish sun filtered through the massive expanse of glass, blinding me a moment. When I finally squinted my eyes open, I saw Amelia sitting on the couch, nibbling on fresh fruits and cream, face naked of artifice and in the same state as I was—dressed in a robe and a little exhausted.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” Slowly moving towards her, I sat on the opposite side, studying her awhile, wondering if I could see traces of the woman from last night.
She made a wan smile, barely meeting my gaze. “Surprisingly I did.” She didn’t add anything after that as she focused on dipping a strawberry in the cream bowl before bringing it in between her lips and taking half a bite.
“What time did you say the doctor’s appointment was?” I asked as I reached for a raspberry and slipped it in my mouth, savoring the sweetness as it broke apart on my tongue.
“I can call him thirty minutes before we leave. He’ll see me first before his other clients.” Of course she was a priority. I wouldn’t expect anything less from her.
I decided that the woman before me was still reeling from the events last night; a mixture of gullibility and stubbornness. Today should be interesting.
“Amelia, about last night...” I cleared my throat. “I was beyond harsh, and for a moment, I had forgotten that you are pregnant.” Seeking her eyes, she quietly stared back at me. “I apologize for what happened.”
She made a sad smile at my words. “You know what I thought before I fell asleep?”
“Hmm?”
“That you were actually a loving, sweet man. Had it been you that I fell for, I think I would end up being a happy woman.” Her voice held melancholy, reminding me of the woman from last night crying herself to sleep on my lap.
“I don’t want to be your enemy. I hope you realize that.”
She nodded, breaking eye contact. “I know,” she whispered. “I’ve known all along.”
To me, she seemed complacent, as if she’d had an epiphany or something. The old Amelia would never converse with me this way, or let alone, admit any of this. And even though last night had shocked me to no end, I must admit that this new version of her was likeable. If co-parenting was in our future, I would feel much more comfortable leaving our child in her care.
After our light breakfast, we immediately started getting ready to leave for the doctors after Amelia’s quick call to make sure that they knew she was coming. Leaving the hotel, Amelia’s chauffeured car took us to our destination.
Anticipation and anxiety invaded me to no end. You see, this would be the first ultrasound I’d ever been to; back in the beginning, I had acted like a spoilt bastard.
Feeling remorseful for my past actions, I quietly vowed that I would go to as many appointments as I could, even if I had great doubts about the child’s paternity. Either way, I decided that I’d rather deal with this situation as delicately as I could. If the child turned out to be mine, then that would be lovely. If it weren’t, then at least I wouldn’t have to deal with regrets. My life as of late had been filled with them, one after the other.
Shifting my face away from the window towards Amelia, she somehow looked pale even with her tanned skin and red lipstick. “Are you feeling better?” Reaching out to her, I gave her arm a light squeeze, as if wanting to transfer some of my strength to her. She looked like she needed it somehow. She blinked a few times as if she was bringing herself back to the present, like her thoughts were somewhere far off, before she glanced at me with confusion. “Are you all right?” Her behavior was starting to worry me. “It’s going to be fine. I’m going to try and be here for every appointment from now on, okay?”
She barely acknowledged what I had just said, which threw me off a tad because, before her mini breakdown, this would’ve been quite a big deal. Right at this moment, though, she simply brushed it off, asking, “When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow before lunch,” I informed her, not taking my eyes away from her odd reaction. “We can go baby shopping later in the afternoon if you’re up for it.” Which only made me wonder again, “Have you bought any baby furniture and the lot?”
“Last month, I purchased tiny, pink lace booties.” Her voice was hollow as she looked away, glancing towards the window.
I supposed that was a start. “Well, we can go ahead and add more to the collection if you’re willing. I wouldn’t mind walking about and being surrounded with pink frills and all those baby things.”
“Sure.” That was all she said.
It looked like she didn’t want to be bothered so I let her be, leaving her in her own world while my thoughts lingered on last night and how her feistiness had turned into something that I wasn’t accustomed to.
Ten minutes later, the driver stopped in front of a private clinic.
Pushing down the lump in my throat, I stepped out of the vehicle, wondering what it would be like to see the baby for the first time. People did this sort of thing on a daily basis. There was nothing to be nervous of, surely.
Striding over to Amelia’s side, I opened the door for her, offering my hand to help her out of her seat. She didn’t hesitate to take it, and when she did, I was surprised to find her hand was freezing cold in the hot, Spanish summer. It was beyond strange.
“Goodness, you’re cold. Why didn’t you say so? We could’ve gotten you a light wrap to put around you,” I said with worry, my brows furrowing at her, wondering what the bloody hell was going on with her.
“I’m fine,” she quietly said, nodding towards me to follow her inside the glass doors. “Come on.”