Chapter 6
SHANE
It has been two days since I last spoke to Liam, and while I love being here with my parents and knowing that Dad is okay, I can’t shake the bad feeling that something is wrong. It’s a strange sensation that takes over my chest, and if I add to that the fact that I haven’t heard from Liam since Friday morning, it only gets worse. I’ve left him several messages telling him where I am and what happened to my father, yet I still have no news about him.
“Sweetheart, come have a snack,” my mom calls from inside the house. I get up from the chair in the backyard and head inside.
“Are you feeling okay?” I ask Dad as I walk over to give him a kiss on the forehead.
“I’m as tough as an oak.” I smile at him, shaking my head. I go to the kitchen for those chocolate and coffee cookies.
“Thank you, Mom.” She hands me a plate piled high with cookies.
“I added ginger; I noticed your stomach hasn’t been well. I’ve seen you throwing up these last two mornings. Is everything okay?”
I stop my march toward the living room, where I had planned to eat with my dad. The worry on my mother’s face makes me want to sit down for a second, so instead of sitting, I just lean against the counter.
“I’ve been feeling this way for a couple of days…”
“Are you pregnant?” The cookie hangs in the air, halfway to my mouth. Even though it’s Mom who said it out loud, I can’t deny that I’ve thought about it a few times. But I also remember that I bought the emergency pill. However, even before that, I’d already been experiencing nausea and vomiting. The reality hits me hard.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“You didn’t say it’s impossible,” my mom says, looking at me with a sharp gaze. “Which means you must have someone in your life.” That’s a low blow for me. I know this woman like the back of my hand; I know where she’s coming from.
“It’s nothing serious.”
“If there’s a baby involved, daughter, it’s serious enough for him to want to meet your parents.”
“Whoa, whoa, slow down there, Mom,” I look toward the living room to see if Dad is listening or looking our way. “We don’t know if there’s a chance of a baby. I’m not saying he hasn’t wanted to meet you, I just didn’t think it was serious at first; what we have is just starting to take shape. I can’t just run off and introduce him to any guy I’m dating.”
“You’re justifying it. You’re defending him… you really like him. Because I’ve never heard you speak up for any of your exes; have you ever had any?”
I huff.
“You really like to poke the bear.”
“Just a little.” Mom smiles widely; she knows I’ve never had a boyfriend, just a few flings that never lead anywhere.
“I’m not defending him either; it’s just that we’ve made a decision regarding what we have, and if it means he wanted to introduce me to his parents, then yes, we are in a serious relationship.”
“Oh my God, really? Are we going to meet them? Are they his parents?” Mom is filled with excitement and I have to ask her to lower her voice. I don’t want Dad to find out, even though I need to deal with the fact that Liam still hasn’t responded to my messages.
“Before we begin, I want you to know that it was all just a coincidence and nothing more. His parents are my clients,” Mom’s eyes go wide and the cloth she had in her hands falls-“Mrs. Rosa hired me a couple of days before I even met him to remodel her kitchen for the second time. I had no idea she had kids. I met her son by chance in a mall and then bumped into him again at the club when we celebrated Marc’s birthday. Since then, we’ve been seeing where the relationship goes, until a few days ago when he wanted to introduce me to his parents formally, even though they already knew me. His father, Alec, is a charming man in a wheelchair; I haven’t asked why, but I don’t want to be intrusive and I don’t mind. He has a sister named Liliana, whom I still haven’t met, but I’ve been told they will introduce me soon.”
“Alright, alright. I would love to meet them; you have to bring them. You still haven’t mentioned what this man does for a living?”
“That’s the best part of all; the company I work for received a request for a remodel in a luxurious penthouse for which I was assigned…”
“Stop, don’t tell me more!” my mom interrupts, excitement bubbling on her face-“and it turns out this mysterious man is the owner of that penthouse!” I nod, trying to hide the smile on my face.
“When I found out who the owner of that monstrous apartment was, I wanted to run, but it was too late; one thing led to another, and he found out who I was, and well, here we are.”
“And yet you still haven’t told me what he does.”
“He is…” a loud knock on the door interrupts both of us from our intense conversation-“Are you expecting someone?” I ask my mother.
“No, not that I know of.” Confused, I get up to open the door. Marc had come earlier that morning to visit my parents. Suddenly, the feeling I’ve been sensing in my chest intensifies even more as I take steps toward the front door. When I open the door, I freeze completely at the sight of the man standing in front of me: Gigit. What is Liam’s secretary doing here? The fear of what this man’s presence represents hits me hard in the stomach, and the thought that something could have happened to the man I love leaves me breathless.