Chapter 7

Walker frowned again. He took the bait, looking confused. "You sent me a text? I didn't get anything," he said, his voice filled with disbelief. I shot him a glare—was he for real? "What do you mean? You read it! It shows that you read it!" I fired back, my frustration starting to boil over.

He grabbed his phone from the table, appearing anxious as he scrolled through our chat. His brow furrowed in concentration. "But our chat is blank," he said, turning his phone toward me as if I could somehow make sense of this.

I blinked, surprised by the blank screen. "That's so weird. I sent you a text," I insisted, offering my phone for a better look. He took it, brows drawn together in a mix of curiosity and confusion. Then, suddenly, his eyes went wide, and he stammered, "Wait—D-Destiny, you're pregnant!"

"Yes. I was just coming from the hospital—" I exclaimed, startled as he suddenly lifted me off the chair. I gripped his shoulders in fear of falling.

Walker pressed kisses on my lips, then my cheek, and finally on my nose. His lips moved all over my face. I placed my palm over his mouth and chuckled awkwardly, "My God, put me down first. I'm getting dizzy!" He set me down gently, wearing a nervous but excited grin. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just... oh my God," he said, finally settling for just hugging me.

He pulled back a little, his eyes locked onto mine, and I could see the shadows behind his smile. But at that moment, I also noticed a flicker of hope.

A familiar guilt immediately settled in the pit of my stomach.

"We're getting a second chance," he said quietly, his voice a bit shaky, as if he was about to cry. Walker's tone was filled with sincerity. "I won't let anything harm you again," he vowed, hugging me again, this time a little longer. It felt so nice and warm that I felt like crying again.

How should I respond to that? A mix of emotions swirled in my chest and spread throughout the rest of my body.

His warm hands cupped my face gently. As our eyes locked, I began to understand these feelings:

Hope. Vulnerability. Apprehension...

I took a deep breath, trying to process the jumble of emotions inside me. Walker's words hung in the air, heavy with promise and sincerity. "I..." I started my voice barely above a whisper.

Walker's hands remained cupped around my face, his thumbs gently stroking my skin. "You don't have to say anything," he said softly. "Just knowing that we have a chance to start again...it means everything to me. We're going to try harder this time."

It was then that I realized why I wanted to come here. I didn't want to be alone with these mixed feelings while crying in that quiet house.

My eyes watered a bit. "...Okay," I said and blinked the tears away rapidly. He kissed my hair, "What's in the paper bag?" he drew attention to the thing I dropped on his desk. " It's a cream puff," I told him and his eyes went wide.

"You bought me a cream puff?" he asked as if it was so out of pocket. I mean it is but... "Why?" I asked back. Walker went to the desk and opened the bag, "Nothing...thank you," he said and took a bite. He hummed and turned to me, "It's pretty good!" his smile was big.

*****

The days that followed were both tiring and frustrating.

You may wonder why.

Every morning since then, I woke up with morning sickness, and for the rest of the day, I dealt with sore breasts, backaches, and cramps.

As if that wasn't enough! Thanks to someone who wouldn't stop hovering around me, I was having serious headaches, and my mood swings were worsening! Every day felt worse than the last.

Ever since my pregnancy was confirmed, Walker has been constantly around me, checking on my health, asking how I was feeling, and if I needed anything.

At first, I appreciated his care, but after a time I nearly fell in the bathroom, and his worry became overwhelming. I lost count of how many times he called me in a day.

I'd be in the middle of a task, and my phone would ring - Walker, asking if I was okay, if I'd eaten, if I'd taken my prenatal vitamins. I'd reassure him, and he'd apologize for being overbearing, but the calls kept coming.

One day, I was at the grocery store, and my phone rang for the fifth time that day. I answered, trying to hide my frustration. "Hey, I'm fine, Walker. Just shopping for some groceries."

"Okay, just be careful, okay? Don't lift anything heavy. If you have to, you can just ask for it to be delivered and when I come back from work I'll help you move it." he said, his voice laced with concern.

I took a deep breath, trying not to snap. "Walker, I've got this. I'm not going to lift anything heavy. I promise."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "I just want to make sure you're okay, Destiny. I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby."

I softened, feeling a pang of guilt for being short with him. "I know, Walker. And I appreciate it. But I need some space, okay? I can take care of myself."

There was another pause before he responded. "Okay. I'll try to give you some space. But if you need anything, promise me you'll call?"

I smiled, feeling a sense of relief. "I promise, Walker. I'll call."

"But he lied. He lied! He didn't stop at all! Yes, he stopped calling, but he replaced it with texts. My phone is still buzzing!" I almost slammed the fucking device on the table.

Jenna watched my outburst, calmly sipping her juice, from her place on my couch. Can you guess why she's here? Correct! He sent her to watch over me like I'm a freaking kid!

"I know he's just trying to be supportive, but it's starting to feel like he doesn't trust me to take care of myself or the baby. It hurts."

Once I had calmed down, she said, "It's not that he doesn't trust you; he's scared." She paused to place her cup on the coffee table and continued, "Remember, you weren't the only one who lost a child that day, Destiny. He is just as terrified as you are."

"I know. That's why I'm trying to be tolerant," I replied with a sigh.

Jenna sighed, "No, Destiny. I've been saying this for years now: you have to understand. Both of you need to sit down and discuss your problems and feelings,"

"You can pretend all you want, but it won't get better. You're both hung up on your pain and guilt. I don't want any of you getting hurt all over again," she told me.

Just then, my phone vibrated again. I unlocked it and opened his message:

-I might be home late. Don't wait for me.

-Please have dinner on time.

-Don't stay up too late and don't forget to turn on the heater, and cover up properly. The weather has gotten colder.

Each message popped up one after the other. A soft sigh slipped out, "It's not that I don't want to talk to him. I just... don't want to dig up those painful memories," I told Jenna.

"But?" she asked. I gave her a little smile, "But you're right. The other day when I swung by his office, he said it was weird seeing me there. I didn't think much of it back then," I paused, then added, "But I realized I used to drop everything and visit him whenever I could,"

"Yeah, I remember. You'd ditch all your work and vanish before the day was even done," Jenna laughed.

I smiled, "I used to talk to him about anything. We'd take night walks and grab dinner together. But now, we can be in the same room without even a 'how was your day' from me. It feels like he's the only one making an effort, flaws and all. When you think about it, it's my fault too. And even though I keep saying I don't want us to look back at our past, it's just that I don't want to think about it."

My chest felt super tight. "I wish I could just talk to him about all this. But when I see him, I end up getting distracted and then I'm just mad at him, slamming the door in his face and making him sleep in the living room. Ugh, I'm gonna cry! Maybe I should just stop now...these mood swings are messing with me." I wiped my face with my sweater sleeve.

Jenna smiled and grabbed my hand. "Wow, that was quite the spill. At least you know who the problem is," she said. I rolled my eyes and playfully swatted her hand away. "You're supposed to be on my side." "Friends tell it like it is," she shrugged.

"Anyway, you need to tell him today," she insisted. I laughed nervously. "Isn't it too soon? I could just do it tomorrow—" "—Nope. You have to do it today, while you're still feeling all this," she interrupted.

Oh God.