Austin had seemed to take the hint that I didn’t want to speak with him. At this point, it had been well over a week since I had found out about his baby with another woman. But it was time for me to see what he had to say.
Austin was the type to send multiple texts rather than just one long one, so I opened my messages and began to read-
‘Chlo, I was going to tell you. But the baby isn’t mine. Briar cheated on me and got herself knocked up trying to get me to marry her. I went with her to one of the appointments and based on when the doctor said the baby had been conceived, there’s no way it’s mine. I was in Alabama, 8 hours away for a good month for work stuff. I even asked the dr and he agreed that the baby couldn’t be mine. Chloe, please just believe me. Briar cheated on me and tried to trap me. I want you Chloe, only you. I understand if you need to take your time, just let me know when you’re ready to talk about it.’
I lowered the phone onto my desk, part of me felt relieved, but part of me felt torn that I had pushed him away without giving him a chance to explain his side of the story.
I felt like someone had just poured a bucket of ice water over my head, I was shocked at what he had to say.
And I was so mad at myself for not giving him the chance to explain, so mad that I had spent the last week in bed crying about him.
Knowing what I needed to do, I picked up my phone and sent him a message.
‘Just come over tonight and we will talk this all through. This isn’t just about you and I anymore. Briar is the sister of my cousins husband.’
I dropped my phone on the bed and dragged myself into the shower for the first time in 3 days. After I was done, I slipped another pair of clean pajamas on and changed the sheets on my bed. The pillow cases were stained with mascara and crumbs were all over the place.
Regardless of what would be decided tonight, I knew I needed to pull myself out of the depressive state I was stuck in. I selected a set of black sheets with constellations on them and the matching pillow cases from the linen closet. I put them on the bed and then put the black, fluffy comforter that matched on the bed.
I felt so conflicted, I had no idea if what Austin was saying was true. While I don’t personally know Briar, I know that if it turns out she really is lying about the baby’s father, that it could cause a large rift in Sage’s life.
I placed the pillows into their new pillowcases and then put them back on the bed. I gathered all the clothes laying on the floor from the past week and threw them in my hamper before dragging it across the hall to the laundry room.
The remainder of the afternoon seemed to drag on, as I tried to find something to occupy my mind. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Austin. I had finally let my guard completely down and was just enjoying my time with him, all to get smacked in the face with a massive mess.
A couple hours later, the doorbell rang. I jumped up from the living room couch and ran to the door. While my parents were aware that something was going on, I hadn’t given them any details. And the last thing I wanted was for one of them to answer the door and begin interrogating him.
I took a deep breath before pulling the door open. Austin was wearing his uniform and had a bag of food in his hand.
Without giving me a chance to say hello, Austin began to speak, “Chlo, I’m so sorry.”
I nodded and ushered him inside and up to my bedroom, my stomach was in knots.
“I just want to start by saying that I believe you, but I still want a DNA test done and I need to know why you hadn’t told me about her. This is a huge thing, Austin.”
We entered my bedroom and I sat down on my bed, Austin sat at my desk, keeping his distance.
Austin nodded, “To start with, Blair and I just started as a fling. We weren’t even technically dating until the last 6 months of our relationship. I didn’t see a future with her and I was open with her about that. She knew I never intended on staying with her. But then I went away for a month and when I came back, she told me she was pregnant. I believed that it was my baby and went with her to the first appointment, and like I said, there was no way I’m that baby’s dad based on when the doctor said she got pregnant. When we left the doctors office, I broke up with her then and there. There is no doubt in my mind that she cheated on me.”
I took a deep breath, it was a lot of information to take in. I was trying to keep my cool, but I still felt conflicted. I didn’t know if I could just trust him fully after he had kept that from me. But at the same time, I couldn’t blame him, he had been under the impression that Blair had stopped spreading lies.
“And that was the last time you talked to her?”
Austin nodded, he was looking down at his hands, fiddling with a pocket on his pants.
“So, she’s still telling people it’s your baby,” I questioned, trying to calm myself.
“I have no idea, but I do know my parents have no idea about the situation, and I’d like to keep it that way. I guess I need to call her,” Austin pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts.
“Wait, just come here for a moment,” I blurted out.
Austin looked at me before standing up and setting his phone down on the chair. He walked over to me and I wrapped my arms around him, tears falling down my face.
“I’m so sorry, Chlo, I now I should have told you,” I could hear the hurt in Austin’s voice.
Rather than letting go, I pulled him onto the bed and snuggled up next to him. I rested my head on his shoulder, tears still falling from my eyes. Austin ran his hand through my hair, apologizing as I cried.
A few moments later, I sat up, “I don’t think I had realized how much I had really fallen for you. Austin, I don’t want to loose you. We need to solve this so we can move on.”
Austin pulled himself up on the bed, resting his back against the headboard, “Chlo, I don’t want to loose you either.”