Nicola was trying to get a project finished before she had to go to her doctors appointment. She had moved some things around so that Theo would be able to be with her during this appointment. She had her back turned as she was going through some files that she needed to take home. Hearing the knock on the door she assumed that it was Marc. “Now is not a good time, Marc. I really haven’t had the best day and I’m beginning to run late for my doctor’s appointment.” “Well then it’s a good thing that I’m not Marc.” She closed her eyes for a moment. She knew that voice. “Hello doll. I…I just want to talk.”
“Like I said, Ryan, I am running late so now is not a good time.”
“Are you just going to keep avoiding me?”
“I’m not avoiding you, Ryan. With that being said I have nothing to say to you.” She crossed her arms as she looked at the man who was standing in front of her. “You haven’t talked to me in I don’t know how long and you suddenly expect me to talk to you.”
“Wow! Really I…if you would just let me explain. I just…..I just want us…”
“Let me stop you right there Ryan, there is NO US.”
“I just want to make things right. I know I’m not the father that I should be…but if you would just give me a chance.”
“A chance? Really? Maybe if she wasn’t seven years old it wouldn’t matter. You can’t be a revolving door in her life. It doesn’t work that way. She needs someone that’s constant, someone that can be there for her every day and she has that. She has Theo.”
“She may not be his biologically but she is HIS daughter. Blood doesn’t make you a father. He is there for her and he loves her just like she was his. She is HIS in every way that counts.”
“But she’s not his. She’s MY daughter.”
“If you wouldn’t have said that you didn’t want anything to do with me then maybe just maybe things would be different. They aren’t. She doesn’t know you.”
“And whose fault is that? You didn’t even tell me that you were pregnant. I didn’t find out about her until she was two.”
“You were the one who said that you were done. So I moved on.”
“You really aren’t the girl that I know.”
She shook her head. She didn’t want to do this anymore. She just wanted a life where her daughter could be safe and happy, where the little life inside of her would be safe. She knew that that life wasn’t with Ryan, it would never be with him. The life that she wanted, the future that she wanted was with the man who had her heart from the moment that they met. She couldn’t imagine her life without him and she didn’t want to. She leaned against the counter as she watched Ryan. “Please just go.”
“I know what you are doing. You’re trying to push me away just like you always do.”
“No. I’m not trying anything because there is NO you and me. I am NOT pushing away because you will never be near me again. You have got to go. I’m already late for this appointment and if I don’t leave then it will have to be rescheduled.”
She wasn’t expecting him to ask that. “Excuse me! You really have some nerve asking me that. I don’t owe you anything. We have a past and that’s where it stays.”
“Do. You. Love. Him?” He asked as he stepped closed to her. “Are you in love with him?” He took another step closer to her.
“I have to go. Theo is waiting for me.”
He grabbed her by her wrist. “What is so damn important that you can’t answer a simple fucking question?”
She tried to pull her wrist out of his grasp. She looked him in the eyes as she tried again to get her wrist away. “I’m pregnant. Is that what you want to hear? This appointment is about the baby. It’s scheduled the way that it is so Theo can be there.”
He slowly let go of her wrist. “You’re pregnant?”
“Yes. Theo and I are expecting.”
“Are you sure it’s even his?”
She slapped him as hard as she could. “You bastard. Of course it’s his. What do you want from me? To forgive you? I’m in love with him. He’s my future.”
He looked at her and she could tell that he was angry at her. He grabbed her by the wrist pulling her to him. “Don’t you ever hit me again. Did you ever love me? Tell me that he’s the one that you want.” She struggled against him. “I loved you. I really did but you…you broke me. I put myself back together and it took a really long time but I did it so please stop trying to come back into my life . I’m happy. He’s the man that I want. He’s the man that I love. He’s the father of my children.”
She winced as she felt him tighten his grip on her wrist. “Ryan…you are hurting me. Let go of me.” “He is not the father of Waverly. I still love you. I will always love you.” “I don’t love you. I will never love you ever again. Now let me go. NOW!”
“You are a real bitch you know that? I can see why he likes you….I mean you are pretty good in bed and now you’ve got two kids by two different men….what does that say about you?” Before she could respond she felt Ryan’s grip loosen and saw him up against the wall with Theo’s hands around the collar of his shirt pinning him to the wall in her office.
“Honey…..honey….let him go. He’s not worth it. He’s trying to push your buttons. Let’s just go we have our appointment about our baby and then we will go pick up our girl.” She knew that Theo was frustrated and so was she but she needed to keep calm for their baby. She pulled him away from Ryan and took his hands into hers. “Look at me.” She watched as his blue eyes soon met her hazel ones. “I love you, only you. I don’t want him. I want you and I want our family.”