The Bachelor

Chapter 33

“You can’t be certain,” Zach almost snapped at her. Then, his gaze became doubtful when she didn’t answer. “Are you? I mean…” he counted inside his head, “you’re just about two months pregnant. You can’t possibly know for certain that we’re not having a girl.”

“And what made you think we’re having a boy?” she challenged, arching one eyebrow behind her spectacles.

He was speechless. Well, she was right, but he wanted a boy.

“See? This is why we need to settle matters first before you start acting like you know everything,” Julianne pointed out.

Again, Zach was lost. She was the one who had been avoiding him and now she was talking about how important it was for them to settle things down?

“Wait, wait, wait,” he held up one hand and walked closer towards her. Thankfully, she didn’t back away when he held her by the arms. He looked her in the eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “Okay, let’s try to calm down here for one minute.” She just looked at him like she herself was lost. “Do you realize you’re acting all crazy here? But,” he stopped her when she opened her mouth, “I understand that. Hormones are ruling you. You’re not even thinking straight. The last time I checked, you didn’t want to talk. Now, you want to settle matters down. What exactly do you want to happen, Jules? Because I’m as lost as you. You’re not the only person who’s having a hard time here. I’m not having a hard time because I don’t want this baby. I’m having a hard time because you’re being irrational and stupid.”

 *****

Julianne was shocked that Zach actually had the courage to shake her. Well, it kind of worked because she suddenly felt she was her old self. As she looked at his eyes, she was almost certain that he was all that she needed, all that she wanted.

He was actually quite angry and she didn’t expect that from him until now. She was speechless.

 “Well? What do you really want to happen, Jules? Make a decision, but don’t expect me to follow everything because you’ve been silly lately,” he huffed out, his voice frustrated.

Yes, she could see that. She could see that she was making it difficult for him. But she couldn’t control her emotions. She couldn’t even control the words that were coming out of her mouth.

Looking at him now, she remembered everything he’d done for her. Those moments when he stood up for her and that thing he did before he left the show. All of them for her, and now she was paying him back by being stupid.

 *****

Julianne closed her eyes and when she opened them, they were brimming with tears. “I don’t know. I feel different emotions all at the same time. I want to cry one moment and I want to shout the next. I’m not accustomed to these sudden changes.”

Even though she wouldn’t say it out loud, he knew she was asking for help. Julianne is one of the few who really know what they’re doing. She always seemed to know where she stood on matters, and with this pregnancy, with everything suddenly changing around her, she was feeling lost because she couldn’t cope with it as fast she hoped for.

“You don’t know for certain if we’re having a girl, right?” he asked hopefully when she opened her eyes. She looked at him dryly and he smiled, “It could still be a boy, right? You just said that to make your point, right?” Of course he wanted to confirm that one first because he was really hoping for a boy.

Julianne took a deep breath and stepped away from his grasps. “Yes, but still, you have to stop this. You’re making plans ahead of time. What made you buy all those stuff? What if I get miscarriage or—”