Everything Has Changed - Chapter Sixteen
Jesca's texts are like this
Sam's texts are like this
Harry's texts are like this
Enjoy! xx
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A few days passed and it seemed as though none of us could convince Zayn that he didn’t really want a baby. It was pretty clear that he actually just wanted to prove he could be a better dad than Harry, and no matter how much we argued, Zayn wouldn’t agree that he’d already proven that by taking care of Ella. I finally told him that Sam would hate having to take care of two babies all on her own, especially since the two of them had not been dating long enough to know if things would actually work out. Eventually he dropped it, but said that he definitely wanted to have a baby with Sam if things between them worked out. I told him that he’d know when the time was right, and Liam told him the same thing. We were all relieved when it was over.
My relief from drama didn’t last very long, as I was still dealing with drama of my own. I had a doctor appointment the next day to get the paternity test done and I was feeling extremely anxious about it. Liam could definitely tell, and he’d asked me to go on a date with him that evening to get my mind off of things. I’d agreed to the date, and I spent at least an hour trying to find something cute to wear. Thankfully, Sam and Zayn had offered to take Joseph for the evening so that Liam and I could be alone for a few hours.
I settled on dark skinny jeans that somehow still fit me and a blue floral top that rested away from my stomach. I slipped into my favorite black flats and made sure my hair looked absolutely perfect. It was humid out, so I didn’t bother straightening it. I put enough gel and hairspray in to make sure my hair wouldn’t get frizzy, and then I put on black eyeliner and a light, nude eyeshadow.
“Ready to go, babe?” I asked. Liam looked up at me from the couch and smiled.
“Yeah, I’m ready. You look absolutely amazing,” he said. He stood up and planted a kiss on my forehead. “Let me just grab the cooler and then we can go.”
“Okay,” I replied. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and sent a quick text.
Sam omg what if he proposes?!?
Omg where is he taking you?
He’s taking me on a picnic. He never takes me on picnics
Omg!! Well quit texting me and enjoy your date!
Okay! I’ll fill you in later! Byeeee
Liam and I loaded the picnic basket and coolers into the trunk and got into the car. We began driving and I was surprised when we arrived - Liam took me to a park I’d never been to before. There were what seemed like thousands of big, beautiful trees and plenty of shady spots. The view was gorgeous and I spent a few minutes just taking it all in.
Once we’d brought our things out of the trunk and over to the picnic tables, Liam set the basket on a picnic table and then helped me spread out the blanket. He took the basket and set it down in the middle of it and began taking out the plates while I walked back to the car to grab a small cooler we’d forgotten with the drinks in it. When I came back, the places were set, and I discovered quickly that it was a very fancy type of picnic.
“Am I underdressed?” I asked as I took in the sight of wine glasses, red fabric napkins with holders around them, and lit candles. Liam smiled and let out a laugh.
“No, I think what you’ve got on is perfect,” he replied. “Now c’mon, sit down! I want to eat before the sun sets.” I smiled and walked over to the place Liam had set for me. I sat down and crossed my legs and looked at everything in front of me.
“I don’t even know where to start,” I said, staring at all of the food.
“Well, for starters, the napkin goes on your lap,” he joked. I rolled my eyes at him and watched as he slid the napkin holder off of his and spread it across one of his legs. He nodded towards mine, telling me to do the same. I looked at him as I picked it up and, when I looked down to remove the napkin holder, my heart skipped a beat, my eyes widened, and my jaw dropped.
“Li… Wha… What is this?!” I asked. On my napkin, where Liam’s just had a plain white napkin holder, mine had a beautiful diamond ring. I stared at it in disbelief – I’d never seen a diamond so big in my life. Liam crawled across the blanket and grabbed the napkin from me. He slid the ring off and got on one knee.
“Jes,” he started. Tears welled up in my eyes as our gazes met. “I know that things are crazy right now, and things between us haven’t always been perfect, but I love you. I’ve loved you since the day we met. You’re the most amazing mother in the world to our son, and no matter what the paternity test says tomorrow, I want to be with you for the rest of my life. We can work everything else out later, even if the baby isn’t mine. It won’t change the way I feel about you. Jesca, will you marry me?”
“Liam, are you serious?!”
“Super serious,” he replied. “So what’s your answer?”
“Yes! Oh my god, YES! I’d love to marry you, Liam!” The two of us smiled as big as our faces would allow and he slid the gorgeous ring on the ring finger of my left hand. We embraced each other, smiling and crying all at once. As crazy as our relationship was, I finally felt like things were all going to work out. I kissed Liam and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. We enjoyed the food Liam had packed and talked about anything and everything that crossed our minds. We watched the sunset together, curled up on the blanket. It was a perfect evening, and I hated that it had to end.
“We should get back,” Liam said suddenly. “We have to get Joseph and we have to be up early tomorrow.” I sighed, wishing he hadn’t brought that up.
“Yeah, I guess we should go,” I replied. “Could you help me up?”
“Sure.” Liam got up quickly and then helped me up. We folded the blanket up and loaded everything into the car. Before we left, I’d taken a photo of the ring and hadn’t had a chance to send it to Sam yet. I sent it to her with a caption that only read “OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!”
She replied with basically the same thing. I told her we were on our way back and that I’d tell her everything when we came to pick up Joseph. Liam reached for my hand and laced his fingers with mine. Neither of us said anything, we were just happy to be together and happy to be engaged.
When we arrived back at the apartments, I didn’t even bother knocking on the door. I ran up the steps, Liam trailing behind me. I was about to start screaming her name, but I was afraid the babies were asleep and I didn’t want to wake them. I called for her quietly and suddenly she came running out of the bedroom. She wrapped her arms around me and was squealing. I showed her the ring and she squealed even more, a huge smile on her face. Liam excused himself to go talk to Zayn while Sam and I freaked out for a little while.
“Oh my god tell me everything!” she said as she held my hand and stared at the ring.
“He took me to this beautiful park I didn’t even know existed and I went back to the car to get something and when I came back I sat down and he told me to put my napkin on my lap and the ring was around the napkin and then he said that no matter what happens with the paternity test he wants to be with me for the rest of his life and I said yes and OH MY GOSH SAM I AM ENGAGED TO LIAM PAYNE!”
“Aww, that is so cute and sweet! Congratulations!!”
“Will you be my maid of honor?” I asked with hopeful eyes.
“I’d love to be!” she replied. We hugged again and I had to wipe tears of happiness that had fallen down my cheek.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” I said.
“Believe it,” she replied. “You’re going to marry Liam.”
“I thought he was going to wait until he found out if the baby was his to decide if he’d still propose. What if the baby is Louis’ and he changes his mind?” Panic began to set in.
“Don’t worry about that,” Sam answered. “He said he wanted to be with you for the rest of his life and he meant it. If he was really worried, he would have waited to propose. I have a feeling that baby is his anyway. Don’t waste your time worrying, just wait until you get the results, alright?” I nodded.
“Thanks,” I said. “Yeah, you’re right. He never would’ve proposed if he was worried.”
“You’re not worried, are you?” I closed my eyes and exhaled. “Oh, no… Jes, really, I’m sure it’s all going to work out. I’ll be here for you through it all, too.”
“Thanks,” I answered. “I’m just nervous. I mean, I know that either way the baby will be cared for, it’s just… I don’t want it to have some crazy messed up family tree or anything weird, you know?”
“I know,” Sam replied as she pulled me in for another comforting hug. “It’s going to be fine, I promise.” I pulled away from her and smiled at her, wiping away even more tears. I was thankful that my eyeliner was waterproof and wasn’t running down my face.
“I should probably go get Liam and get ready for bed. Gotta be up bright and early tomorrow,” I said. “I’ll text you though.”
“Sounds good!” I went to the bedroom where I found Liam sitting on the edge of Sam’s bed holding our son. Zayn looked up and saw me and smiled.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” he said. I smiled back.
“They sure are,” I replied. “Thank you, Zayn!”
“I better get to be best man.”
“That’s not up to me to decide,” I replied with a wink. “Liam, you ready to go?”
“Yep! See ya Zayn, I’ll let you know when I decide on a best man. Have a good night!”
“G’night, mate,” Zayn replied. I waved at him and he waved back before Liam and I made our way to the front door of Sam’s apartment. We left hers and I quickly unlocked the door next to it, letting Liam carry a sleeping Joseph in before I stepped in the doorway and closed and locked the door behind me.
~
“Jesca?” I heard a nurse call from my right. I quickly looked up from the copy of People magazine I was reading and looked at the nurse. “We’re ready for you. Come on back.” I closed the magazine and set it on the end table I’d gotten it from and stood up. I smoothed my jeans out and grabbed my purse from the floor.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Liam asked.
“No, that’s alright. You stay here with Joseph,” I answered. “I’ll be out in a bit.” He nodded and I turned to face the nurse. She had me step on a scale to see how much weight I’d gained, made a note of it, and then led me to a room. She explained what they’d be doing and asked me if I had any questions.
“Just one,” I said.
“What is it?”
“How long until I get the results?” I asked.
“It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks,” she answered honestly. “But I think you’ll get your results within a week.”
“Alright, thank you.”
“Any other questions?” I thought about it for a moment and couldn’t think of anything. I shook my head and the nurse smiled as she stood up. “Alright. The doctor will be with you in a minute, then. I hope things work out for you, darling.”
“Uh, thanks.” The nurse gave a small smile before leaving me alone in the room. I waited what felt like hours for the doctor to finally come in and was relieved to see her.
“Jesca, how are you doing?” she asked.
“As well as anyone would be under these circumstances, I suppose,” I replied.
“How’s the baby?”
“I think the baby is well,” I answered. “Shouldn’t I be asking you how the baby is?” I joked.
“Well, I suppose so!” she said. “Let’s have a look, shall we?” I laid back and let her squeeze the cold gel onto my belly. I stared at the screen as the doctor showed me the baby.
“Everything looks great,” she said. “Are you ready for the procedure?” I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded.
“Yeah, I think so. I don’t want to see the needle, though,” I answered. I’d always been terrified of needles, and I knew that if I saw the giant needle she was going to use, I’d never go through with it.
“Alright, if you’d like you can close your eyes or just look up at the ceiling. It won’t take long, I promise. Just take slow, steady breaths,” she said. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. “Let me know when you’re ready.” In…. out… breathe. In… out… In… out…
“Okay, I’m ready,” I said before taking another deep breath.
~
Well, it’s done
What’s done?
The paternity test.
You got it today??
I sure did.
What’d it say?!?!
I don’t get the results for a few days. She said it could take a few weeks, even
Ohh ok. Do you know what you’re going to do if it’s lou’s?
No idea. Probs cry. A lot.
Aww. Well hopefully it’s Li’s!
Yeah, I hope so. I’ll let you know as soon as I get the results!
Good! And good luck
Thanks, I need it. I think I’m going to call Louis and tell him that I got it done
Are you sure? I mean, don’t you want to wait until you know?
I thought so, but I really think he deserves to know. Idk. I’ll text you later.
Alright… bye
I closed my messaging app and went into my contacts. I scrolled until I got to Louis’ name, and tapped it. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the worst. The last time I’d talked to Louis, it hadn’t exactly gone well. Before finally hitting call, I got up and closed the bedroom door. I didn’t want Liam hearing our conversation – not because I wanted to hide it, but because it was personal. I crossed the room and sat back down on the bed, my back against the headboard. Finally, I pressed the green phone icon and waited. Ring…. Ring…. Ring…
“Hello?”
“Um… Hi, Louis. I know you said not to call you, but um… I just thought you should know that I went to the doctor today.”
“What for?” he asked. “You didn’t… Oh no, you didn’t listen to what I told you, did you?!” There was a sense of panic in his voice, and I was a little confused.
“No, I didn’t. I would never do that. Why do you care, anyway?”
“I wasn’t thinking straight when I said that. I was just looking for the easy way out and I didn’t even consider how that’d make you feel. I’m so sorry, Jes. I really, really am truly sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter how many “really”s and “truly”s you add to your apology, Louis. Just save it. That’s not what I called to talk to you about anyway.”
“Well, what is it? Is the baby alright? You sound upset.”
“I’m upset because you’re an ass,” I spat.
“Harsh,” he replied. “I know I can’t take back what I said, but I’ll make it up to you somehow, okay?”
“Whatever. I went to the doctor and had an amniocentesis done today.”
“A what?”
“It’s a procedure with a giant fucking needle and they can find out who the father is from it.”
“Oh. Gross. Do you need my DNA or anything?”
“No, Liam and I went together. They have his DNA. So if the baby is his, the DNA tests will match. And if the baby is yours, the DNA tests won’t match.”
“When do you find out?”
“The nurse said anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. She thinks I’ll know within the next week. I just thought you should know that you’d be finding out soon.”
“Oh. Well, thank you for calling me even after I was a total jerk the other day. How’ve you been?”
“As well as anyone else in this situation would be, I guess,” I replied. I hated that I couldn’t stay mad at Louis. A part of me still loved him, and I knew I could never cut him out of my life completely. Not even after he told me to get an abortion.
“How far along are you now?”
“Um… About twelve,” I answered.
“Are you showing yet?”
“Not quite yet, no. I’m definitely fat, though. Any day now I think I’ll have a little belly pop out.” I heard Louis give a soft giggle and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Am I allowed to ask for photos? Even if the baby isn’t mine?” My cheeks grew warm and I knew I was blushing.
“I’m not sure Liam would like that, but… Yeah, I think you’re allowed to ask for photos, even if the baby isn’t yours.”
“I hope it is,” he said.
“I’m sorry… WHAT?!”
“What?”
“Did you just say you hope the baby is yours?!”
“What?! Um… No, I meant that I hope it’s allowed for me to ask for photos…”
“You’re a shit liar, Louis Tomlinson.” I heard him sigh on the other end.
“Fine, you caught me. Yeah, I hope the baby is mine. I just… I know we were supposed to tell each other if either of us had feelings while we were fooling around, but I didn’t want to ruin things, so I didn’t tell you. I love you, Jesca. I have for quite some time. Before we even had sex. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but you have feelings for me, too. If Liam hadn’t come back and you hadn’t somehow forgiven him for being a terrible father and shit boyfriend for like three months, I think we would have wound up together. I think we’d make a great family. And I’m not trying to tell you to break up with Liam or anything like that, I just think you should know the way I feel about you. When I told you to get an abortion it was because I couldn’t stand the thought of you having another baby with him after he just abandoned you and Joseph, not because I didn’t want to deal with a baby if it happened to be mine. You deserve better, Jes.”
I stared at the wall in front of me, unsure if I’d imagined everything Louis had just said. I wished he’d told me the way he truly felt about me when he first felt it, instead of waiting until it was too late. I was already engaged to Liam. We were going to get married and be a family, even if my second child wasn’t his. I’d forgiven him for everything he’d done, and we were happy together.
“Louis…” I said after some time.
“I’m sorry to just dump all of that on you,” he started. “I just couldn’t go on with the way things are between us and not tell you.”
“Do you want to meet up for coffee sometime?” I asked. “Soon?” It wasn’t exactly the smartest thing to do, but I wanted to see him and I wanted to tell him the news of my engagement. There were probably other reasons I wanted to see him, too, but I knew I couldn’t act on those.
“Like… Like a date?”
“No, not a date. Just two friends having coffee. I have a lot to tell you and I just think it’d be better said in person.”
“Um… Alright, a coffee not-date sounds nice,” he replied. “I can come next week sometime?”
“Next week is fine,” I agreed. “You um… You’ll need a hotel, though. Liam would definitely not let you stay here.”
“I don’t want to stay there if he’s there anyway, that’s fine. I’ll see you next week, then.”
“Yeah, next week. Well I have to go. Bye, Louis.”
“Bye, Jes.”
I hung up the phone and stared at the wall, still in disbelief of Louis’ big revelation. I knew he’d had feelings for me, and I’d definitely had them for him. Part of me wished that things could have worked out between us, but the other part of me was incredibly happy with the way things were going with Liam. I knew I’d never get the best of both worlds, so I tried to push the thoughts of a life with Louis out of my head.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked down at my phone that had just vibrated. “1 new message: Samantha <3” read the screen.
Can you do me a favor?
Sure what’s up?
Can you tell Harry it’s 100% over between us?
Um… Why can’t you tell him that? Seems a bit personal for me to tell him.
Just please can you?
I guess… 100%? Like, you don’t want to see him or talk to him or anything?
100%. He can still see Ella when he wants, I just don’t want a relationship with him.
Alright… 100% over it is. I’ll let you know what he says.
Thanks.
I opened a new message and began writing. How the hell do I casually bring this up? I thought to myself.
Hey, Haz. What’s up? I sent. I decided it’d be best to have a conversation going before dropping the bomb on him. We talked for a while, and finally I found the right time to bring it up.
Sam wanted me to tell you that things between you and her are over. She said you can see Ella when you want tho
Oh… Ok. Gotta go ttyl.
“Is that really all he’s going to say to that?” I asked nobody out loud. I sent the message to Sam to tell her what he said, and even she thought it was weird. She seemed to shrug it off, while I was still concerned about it. Harry and I were still friends, and I had a feeling he was more than a little upset at the news. I set my phone down and let out a huge sigh. I had enough relationship problems of my own, but for some reason I kept throwing myself into Sam’s relationship problems, too. I couldn’t just leave Harry alone, so I sent him one last text:
If you need to talk about it, let me know. I’m here for you. x
