PART OF HER WORLD

CHAPTER 14

Telling her sister she was pregnant was the single hardest thing Sophia had ever had to tell her. It had left Maxine a little shocked as well.

"How far along are you?" Maxine asked as they talked on Skype.

"Just over two months,” she told her as she nervously twisted the edge of her dress.

"Who is the father?"

"Ah no one you know, but we're not seeing each other anymore,” Sophia told her, feeling a bit at a loss as to exactly what she should tell her big sister.

"He walked out on you?" she demanded, sounding mad.

"Oh no, he doesn't know about the pregnancy. I broke up with him before I found out,” she said.  She didn’t want Maxine to think of Asher as a man who would abandon a pregnant woman. It left her wondering why she thought she needed to defend him.

"Well you're going to have to tell him Sophia,” Maxine said sternly. Her sister was always a bit of a mother hen towards her and Sophia knew that she wouldn't let up on her about this.

"I will. I have to call him tonight,” she explained, whether or not she told him was a different story.

"So why did you break it off with him?" she asked. Sophia continued to fidget with the edge of her dress not sure if she wanted to tell Maxine about Asher actually being involved in the bank robbery and death of Jason's partner.

"He really wasn't who I thought,” she explained, leaving it vague. She imagined it would be less stressful for herself as it wasn't a conversation she needed to have tonight.

"And you don't think it will be an issue for him if you move to England?"

"I'm not sure ... I know he loves kids and all, but I don't know if he would make waves about this,” Sophia said. However, she had an inclining Asher would want to be a part of the baby's life just based on the way he talked about his niece.

They continued to talk for nearly another hour before Maxine had to go. After ending the chat, Sophia picked up the phone and let her fingers trace out the number for Asher. She didn't punch the keys. However, she wasn't sure what to say to him, or if she was even ready to talk to him.

When he cornered her at the grocery store, she had experienced so many mixed emotions. Fear, anger, and a pang of excitement. Hearing his voice and catching a hint of his heavenly cologne had brought a longing bubbling up to the surface. Sophia missed him, yearned to have him hold her in his arms and those feelings scared her. So did fainting, it left her embarrassed, and she realized Asher would put the questions to her about it.

Coming to in his warm strong arms felt so right and Sophia knew in her heart she had fallen hard for him. She needed to figure out what to do, what to say, and if she should give Asher a chance to explain himself or not. She hadn’t been completely honest with him either and that also bothered her. It made her seem like a hypocrite. With a deep breath, she dialed the numbers she had been repeatedly tracing her fingers over.

The line rang and rang and rang. No one answered, and she got a terrible gnawing in the pit of her stomach as worry filled her. He had wanted her to call, so why didn't he answer? Maybe he was in the shower, or his cell was dead. She forced her mind to those thoughts instead of the darker ones that crept into her. She tried to think of the many other reasons why he hadn't picked up the phone in an attempt not to think the worst.

 Waiting half an hour, she tried again and after the eighth ring, Asher picked up. Relief filled her at him answering.

"Hello,” he said, his voice sounding tired.

"It's me, Sophia ... you wanted me to call,” she now wasn't sure if she should have, not knowing what to say to him suddenly.

"Hey, um listen, I know I wanted you to call ... but I can't talk right now,” he said and in the background, she could hear an intercom paging Doctor Nelson.

"What's wrong," she asked as her heart raced in her chest. Worry and concern flooded her that her earlier worries of him being hurt hadn't been unfounded.

"My niece had a mild attack. The doctors want to keep her overnight for observation,” he said, and his worry echoed in his voice.

"Is she going to be all right?" Sophia asked.

She knew how much Hallie meant to Asher, how close they were and her heart ached for him.

"Ah yeah they think so. But I really can't talk right now. Crystal needs me. She's really upset. Do you mind if I call you later?"

"Oh yeah, don't worry about it. I hope everything will be alright,” she told him.

"Yeah me too,” he said and hung up without saying goodbye.

* * *~~~* * *

The waiting for the specialist was nerve-racking. Crystal, Mike, and himself paced in the small family room just down the hall from the nurse's station waiting for him. Asher's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions; he hadn't been able to sit still since he got there earlier this afternoon. The door to the room opened and drew everyone's attention to it as an older man with a white smock over his suit stepped inside.

He looked at Crystal and smiled softly.

"I think it's safe to say that Hallie can go home tonight. It wasn't her heart that was causing the symptoms. Hallie was having an anxiety attack,” he explained.

"Oh thank god." Crystal exclaimed, and it was as if the world was lifted off of Asher's shoulders suddenly as he and Crystal hugged.

"However, I do believe you should bring her into a therapist if this happens again,” he said and gave Crystal a piece of paper.

"Now that being said, if she should suffer the same symptoms still bring her in immediately, given her heart condition, it's not something I want you to risk,” he stated.

"When can we go see her?" Asher asked.

"Right now, she is tired but awake and I think her own bed would be less stress-inducing, so if you want, you can take her home anytime,” he told them.

Once they had Hallie home and settled, Asher went off to his room to call Sophia back. It was nearly eight at night, but he was hoping she would still be up. He knew some of her medications made her sleepy and after she had fainted today he wasn't sure if she would be up or resting.

"Hello?" Sophia said after the third ring.

"Hey, I'm not calling too late am I?" he asked, as she sounded a bit tired.

"No, not at all, how is Hallie?"

"Fine, it was an anxiety attack so the doctors let her come home tonight,” he explained.

"Oh thank goodness."

"Yeah, it was quite a scare."

"I can only imagine."

"Um so ... do you think we can talk ... face to face?" he asked nervously. He was afraid she would say no.

There was a long pause at the other end of the phone and his worry began to grow with each passing second.

"Yes, I think that is something we have to do,” she said, his heart raced in relief of her agreeing to see him.

"When is a good time?" he asked.

"Well, if you want to come over now ... or is it a bad time?" she asked.

"I can be there in twenty minutes.”

" OK, I'll put some tea on,” she said, and after they said goodbye, he raced to take a shower and make himself look half decent. He knew she could not see what he looked like, but he still had the need to look his best for her So he scrubbed a bit harder to get the day's dust off.

Stepping out of the bathroom buttoning up his shirt, Crystal stood there staring at him with a smirk on her face.

"Where are you off to?" she asked.

"Sophia's."

"Oh ... what did I miss? I thought she wasn't talking to you?"

"Well, I ran into her at the store earlier and she agreed to let me explain things,” he told her.

"Don't let her get away, Asher. I like her and think she would be good for you,” his sister said with a big smile.

"Trust me, I don't want to lose her,” he told her, and she gave him a quick hug.

"Well, at least you smell good,” she said with a lighthearted laugh.

"Thanks," he said and grabbed his truck keys, and headed out.

* * *~~~* * *

Standing there still with wet hair and in her bathrobe, Sophia hurried to run the brush through the long mess before pulling it up into a ponytail. She tried to find something presentable to wear and quickly decided on her cream-colored sundress. She had butterflies in her stomach and was completely caught up in the moment of trying to look good for Asher. As she slipped out of her robe and pulled her dress on over her head she didn't even bother with underwear. It hit her then. She was more excited to have Asher here than she was mad at him.

Somehow now the lie didn't seem such a big deal, the need to hear his voice, to have him hold her in his arms and kiss her was overriding those other emotions and she knew she was in love with him. Now all she had to do was tell him about the baby. Worry played through her mind again at what his reaction might be. She hadn’t decided yet on moving to England and knew that if things could work between her and Asher, she would not leave.

Pacing back and forth in the kitchen as she waited for the kettle to whistle, she thought of how she should tell him, or if she should wait until she was at least three months along. Given the scare with Hallie, she didn't want to add to his stress, so she settled on the idea of waiting until she knew how things would play out between them. Her nerves were frayed and because she was so lost in her thoughts, she jumped when the kettle began to screech.

It was just at that moment that the doorbell rang and her tummy did tiny little somersaults. Sophia ran her hands down the front of herself to make sure the dress was straight as she headed toward the door.

"Hello?" she asked as she opened it. She knew no one else should be coming over other than Asher.

"Hey,” he said, and her heartbeat increased just at hearing his voice.

"Come in,” she told him as she moved to one side.

As he walked passed her, she caught the scent of his aftershave and she smiled as the fragrance made her all warm and fuzzy inside. An urge to have him kiss her swept over her and the warmth of those ideas flooded her face. Sophia never understood why she blushed so much, maybe because she was a redhead, or it could simply be because she was shy.

After they sat down with their cups of tea in the kitchen it grew a little uncomfortable as they both waited for the other to talk.

"So ... I wanted to apologize for my behavior and for lying to you,” Asher said, finally breaking the quietness of the room.

"Look, I was a bit irrational about the whole thing,” she began.

"No, no you have every right to be pissed at me. I should have been straight up with you from the first night we met,” he told her.

"We all make mistakes. I really should have been more forthcoming with you as well,” she explained.

His fingers brushed over hers, unsure if it had been an accident or not. She didn't want to react, but something within her did and she clasped his hand.

"Asher, can you forgive me for being so foolish?" she asked him and his warm hand clasped hers back.

"Tell you what, why don't we try to start this all over? I've never met anyone like you Sophia and I really don't want to lose you as a friend or as my girlfriend either,” he told her.

"I don't want to lose you either, Asher," she whispered so he wouldn't catch her voice tremble as it threatened to let the tears fall.

"Alright. I propose we go on a date," he said.

"A date where?" she asked.

"How does a romantic picnic sound?" he asked. The idea had her smiling from ear to ear.