“Or…I could wait until you and Bram split-up?” Connor said then he put food in his mouth.
My smile disappeared, “That’s not a very nice thing to say, don’t you think?” I asked him and I put food in my mouth too.
“I’m sorry, that was rude of me,” Connor said, “You must think that I’m desperate to get married or something. But I was just so confused. The last time that I saw Bram and Alicia less than a year ago, they were so in love with each other. And then Bram married you.”
I bit my lower lip and my heart started to beat fast. I knew that Connor had me investigated but I did not know how much he knew about Bram and Alicia’s relationship. I really needed to be careful with my next words, “I see, um…” I was not able to finish. The door of the coffee shop opened and the outside noise of the city distracted us.
“Hi, man!” Connor stood and greeted the person at my back. I glanced up to my left side and my eyes widened.
“Sup, stranger,” Bram extended his hand to Connor and they shook hands.
“We were just starting our brunch,” Connor told Bram as he went back to his seat, “Do you want to join us?”
“No,” Bram answered, “I have a scheduled lunch meeting in an hour. I’m just here to wait for Emma.”
Connor nodded and we finished our food while both of them talked about random things. Bram ordered Jonas and Chantal to go home to Laguna and told them that he would drive the MX-5 with me.
He made a call when we were on the road, “Archie, can you attend the lunch meeting for me? I just need to handle something.” I heard Bram say to the other line.
He waited for the response then he hung up. He stepped on the gas as we headed towards the direction of his condominium.
“Did you forget what I told you about Connor?” Bram yelled at me after he closed the main door of his unit, “Connor had you investigated. Do you know what that means?”
I did not like the condescending tone of Bram’s voice. I placed my bag on the dining table and glared at him, “What do you want me to do? Avoid him? How could I possibly do that when he is your childhood friend?”
“Why are you even spending time with him?” Bram asked as he removed his royal blue coat. He threw it to the living room sofa.
I rolled my eyes in exasperation, “And why didn’t you tell me that my OB-GYN is Connor’s Aunt?”
Bram and I just stared at each other. I watched his chest rise and fell. His hands clenched into a fist. Then he sat on the living room sofa. He placed his elbows on his upper legs and placed both his hands on his forehead.
My irritation easily faded when I realized that Bram was having all of these problems because of me. I released a long breath and crossed my arms to my chest. I tried to divert my attention and stared at his black and white pictures on the wall.
“What did he want?” Bram asked again. His head was turned to me.
“He said he was puzzled. Because he saw Alicia last week and she told him that she was here for your induction,” I answered looking directly into his eyes.
Bram did not respond, instead he stared at the center table and shook his head. I pulled out one of the dining chairs and sat down. I put out my phone and checked my notifications. I got a lot of missed calls from a lot of people. I could not help it so I covered my mouth and yawned.
I inserted my phone into my shoulder bag and carried it towards the master bedroom. I turned the air conditioning on and placed my bag at the bottom of the nightstand. I kicked my shoes and laid down on the bed.
“Are you avoiding our discussion?” I heard Bram say as I closed my eyes.
“No, Bram,” I answered him without opening my eyes, “This is what women do when they are pregnant, they sleep. A lot!” I imitated his British accent in the last part. There was silence for a moment.
“Emma,” I heard Bram say. His voice sounded closer to me. I opened my eyes and met his beautiful blue ones. He squatted near the bed, “Are you scared?”
I nodded at him, “Yes.”
Bram held my ring finger, “I’m scared too but I will take care of you.”
I nodded in acknowledgement, “Can you stay with me while I sleep?”
“I wanted to but I can’t,” Bram explained, “I need to go back to the office at 1pm.”
“Okay,” I answered him and closed my eyes.
“You’ll be safe here,” was the last words I heard from Bram then I drifted to sleep.
“Emma,” I heard a voice say in my dream, “It’s time for dinner, dear.”
I opened my eyes and saw Mama Credence. I sat up quickly and got dizzy.
“Take it easy, dear,” Mama Credence said, “Bram called me and told me that you are here. I brought you some food.”
I dangled my feet from the bed and said, “Thank you.”
I walked barefooted towards the dining area. The maid of Mama Credence was standing by. There were at least three varieties of food on the table. And I inhaled their scent as I sat on one of the chairs. I wanted to get the beef soup but Mama Credence got it for me. I slowly slurped on the soup and savored its comforting flavor.
“Bram told me the good news, Emma,” Mama Credence stated.
I put my spoon down and turned to her, “I was supposed to call you but I got distracted.”
“I know dear,” Mama Credence commented, “Bram told me everything when he called earlier.”
I gave her a weak smile, “I don’t know what else to do to avoid them, Mama Credence.”
“Don’t worry, dear,” Mama Credence told me, “Bram and I will take care of them. Just take care of yourself and the baby.”
“Thank you,” I said to her then I continued eating.
After our dinner Mama Credence told me that I should take a warm bath and sleep early. I looked at my few clothes here and it consisted of dresses and denims. I checked Bram’s closet and found a white medium V-necked shirt. I put it on.
I was only wearing a panty under the shirt. I went under the covers and reached for my phone. I checked the time and it showed nine o’clock. I placed my phone back on the nightstand. I drifted to sleep with Bram in my mind. Where could he possibly be at this time?