"James, I spent years running form my mistake while it snowballed after me. It was larger everytime I stopped to look at it, and I was just too selfish and afraid to do anything to fix it. But I've finally realized that continuing to run from what I've done is not going to make me any happier and it won't make it go away. I know it took way too long for me to finally own up tp what I've done, and I know I have to live with it for the rest of my life." She inhaled deeply, finally reaching her defensive argument. "But continuing to stay out of Zoie's life isn't going to make things any better. She's going to get older James, and when she does she'll realize my absence."
"You heartless bitch!"
Nadine jumped at the brutality of his words, and took in a sharp breath.
"She realizes you absence now." He looked at her like she was the most despicable creature on Earth, and when he opened his mouth to speak to her, he shook with rage. "She hasn't stayed the same since you left. She learned how to walk and talk. Oh! She's potty trained too. I don't know if you knew about that one. That was fun to do alone. She knows how to read. And she's fully aware that all the other girls at school have both a mother and a father. She remembers your last visit, and she has all those silly magazing you're on. We even went and saw that sleezy movie of yours this afternoon, before you started tearing all your clothes off and we had to leave the theater. She knows exactly who you are, and what you do. And why don't you go ahead and have a peak at some of those letters she wrote while you're at it? She knows you're not around, and she always wants to know why! It's getting more and more difficult to lie to her, and I don't want to have to deal with the pain it's going to cause when she finally comes to the realization of what you did. But I would still rather go through all that than have you be around her. I said Zoie's mother was fictional because that's exactly what I made her. The love that's written in those letters comes from me, and otherwise that persona is completely made up. I don't want her to get to know you! You're a bitch who doesn't care for anybody else but herself. I don't want you to shake Zoie's entire world by showing up here, horribly influence her, and then leave again in a week when you realize once again you can't handle the responsibility, hurting Zoie even more than you already have."
James' face had grown read with the rising of his voice, and from the upstairs the opening of a door could be heard.
"Dad?" Zoie's voice called from upstairs.
James flinched, hoping she hadn't been listening to his entire rampage.
"Yeah sweetie?" He called up.
"Bakit mop o sinisigawan mommy ko?"
Nadine's eyes grew large and she whispered to James with shock. "She called me Mommy!"
"Why the hell would that surprise you?" James snapped. "Did you think she didn't know your relationship to her?"
"No, it's just..." Nadine trailed off and looked pitifully at James. "Give me one chance. Just for Zoie?"
"Dad can I come back downstairs now?" Zoie called.
James remained silence, glancing from Nadine to the bottom of the stairwell, visible from the living room.
"Yeah Zoie." He finally replied back, looking Nadine straight in the eyes. "Come on down."
He took a step closer to Nadine. "You can't stay here at night, you can't talk about any of our personal issues in front of her, and you can't contradict me on any rules."
She nodded swiftly while the sound of four year old feet could be heard pounding down the steps. Zoie came flying into the living room just as James gave a final disapproving glare towards Nadine that lets her know that his relent changed nothing between the two of them.
![THE BABY CONTRACT [Preview] autorstwa exquisite-naila](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/200356696-80-k288482.jpg)
Then both turned to smile at "their" child.
~
Nadine sat uncomfortably on the couch, staring at Zoie, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, watching cartoons. Every couple of minutes, Zoie would turn from the television to look at her, quickly turning her head again whe she found Nadine looking back.
James was in the kitchen preparing dinner, the inviting aroma of warm food circling through the house. He would continually walk to the open doorway attached to the living room, sighing when he always found the two in the same position.
"Are you not even going to talk to her?" The fourth time he walked in, he finally spoke to Nadine, who jumped, then brought her hands together awkwardly.
"I was just sort of... letting her do her thing." Nadine looked at James as if she was scared he might kick he rout any minute. "I'm not really sure what to say to her."
"Are you staying for dinner?" James asked her coolly. Ignoring the helpless look she shot him, and her comments about not being able to hold a conversation with her own daughter. It was her own fault, anyway, and he sensed that Zoie was uncomfortable as well, which heightened his hostility towards the woman on his couch more.
"I know you don't want me to James." Nadine answered. "But I'd really like to."
"You can sit beside me." Zoie spoke up softly. "If you want."
Nadine smiled softly and James huffed. Turning and storming back into the kitchen.
"Well it's ready." He called over his shoulder. Zoie stood up, and began to walk towards the kitchen. Nadine following in pursuit.
"TV off Zoie.' James called.
Zoie scurried back into the living room, and Nadine stepped into the kitchen, gracelessly tripping on the heel of her shoe, an effect of her visibly shaken nerves. She surveyed the meal on the countertop, the main course being pasta, the forbidden fruit of any celebrities like her.
"I'll just have salad." She stated in as chipper a tone as she could muster, her mood dropping again when James turned around with a heavy scowl.
"I already made your plate." He grumbled.
"Oh." Nadine glanced over at the small dining table where three plates of food were already placed, indeed containing a fair serving of ravioli beside the salad. "Well that's fine."
She attempted to smile again at him.
"I'm glad." James snapped back flatly.
Nadine sat down at the table, folding her hands in her lap, repeatedly reaching down to readjust her blouse in an effort to occupy herself until the other house members joined her. James seemed to be wasting time, idly moving dishes around, until Nadine ran back into the room. Finally, they both sat down at the table.
"Broccoli! Yuck!" Zoie made a face at the vegetable on her plate that substituted the salad on James and Nadine's. "Why can't I have salad?"
James sighed loudly, "I asked you which you'd rather have half an hour ago, and you insisted that was what you wanted. You like broccoli."
Zoie pouted, and then, as discreetly as a four year old could muster, glanced over at Nadine's plate then back at her own.
It resonated with James and he reluctantly stood up, reaching over for Zoie's plate.
"Fine, I'll switch it out." He gave in.
Zoie smiled when the improved dinner was set before her, and James sat down again to his own dinner.
After few seconds of eating in silence, James spoke again, this time to Nadine. " Are you going to actually eat, of just push your food around on your plate. If you didn't want anything you could have just said so."
"I'm dividing it into portions." Nadine explained, sectioning off a much smaller area of food, before dripping her fork into it.
"Not that you think my opinions worth anything, but I think you looked better when you were ten pounds heavier." James resounded.
"I was never ten pounds heavier!" She protested, glancing down at her body self-consciously.
"Yes you were. I just said you looked better then. I doesn't have to be an insult." James realized he wasn't making things any easier for himself by making the conversation unpleasant, but it was his only defense.
"Stop." Nadine said, her tone that of exasperation.
James relented, going back to hid dinner. Zoie eyed the brunette woman at the table for a moment, and then began to separate her own food into as many sections as she could, her tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth in a sign of utmost concentration. James looked up and saw this, and huffed loudly.
"Why don't you stop picking at your damn food and finally take a bite?" He barked at Nadine, his tone rising at a dangerous pace.
Nadine wasn't the only one who took note of this. Zoie leaned back in her chair; her fork abandoned on her plate, and stared at her father, mouth agape.
Not wishing to antagonize him any more than was necessary, Nadine responded by finally cramming a mouthful of the pasta into her mouth, pushing guilty thoughts of heavy calories to the back of her mind.
"It's really good!" She exclaimed, as soon as she had managed to swallow the large bite fully.
"Good." James responded without enthusiasm. "Are you finished?"
He stood up from the table, half own half-full plate in hand, and reached across the table for hers.
"No-" She tried to answer, but he snatched the plate away from her, leaving her dumbfounded while he stormed towards the sink, dropping the dishes in with a heavy clatter.
"I'm done too Daddy." Zoie announced, glancing up to him and looking just as uncomfortable as everyone else in the room.
"Four more bites." James instructed, softening his voice to the best of his abilities.
Zoie obeyed, quickly cramming in forkfuls, until she got stuck on the third bite, coughing violently. Nadine looked alarmed, and reached her hands over unsure, gently patting the little girl's back. After coughing a minute more, Zoie hiccupped and stilled, glancing over at her mother again a bit apprehensively.
"Okay." James didn't push the meal further. "Come on, let's get you ready for bed."
Still out of sorts, and thus, out of character, Zoie didn't protest, even knowing she usually won those arguments. Instead, she nodded mutely, grabbing James' extended hand, and sliding out of her chair.
"I could help!" Nadine offered. Still sitting limply in her chair.
James turned to see her coolly. "Don't worry. That won't be necessary. I can take care of my child."
~
It's been a while! You can backread if you want. hehehe.
JDnHart
