Life with the ex-bad neighbor

Chapter thirteen - Someone new

Emma's POV:

I am already in the sixth month of my pregnancy. It's not a lie that before, I was excited. Now, I want it to get born. Without Vince, everything is different. I wanted it to be a surprise, but I never got the chance. My boyfriend will never be able to see his daughter. He was so excited to have a kid running around the house. I am planning to go home when the baby is born. I might stay a couple of months with my parents. Later, I will move out. I know they will help me with everything, but this is my life. I have to fight for it. On the bright side, if there is any, Ricky hasn't bothered me. I thought after he got rid of Vince, he would make me come to him. Luckily, this didn't happen. There is no way that I will raise my girl with this i***t. Like it's not enough that he killed her dad. Of course, I have pressed charges against him. The problem is that the police still haven't found him. I know this is not easy, but I wish they could hurry. Even if Ricky gets to jail, he won't be sorry. I know that he is proud of himself. People are proud when they do something good. This boy is proud of killing people. I thought that this happens only in books. It turned out that some writers were right. I want to believe that Ricky will leave me alone, but I can't. I have the feeling that he will start bothering me again. It's not like I will let him. Moreover, now I have his, Vince's, and my parents on my side. I hope that he won't do anything.

I woke up in an empty bed. Up to now, I should've been used to this, but I can't. There is no way that I can forget about Vince. I am starting to think about what doctor Williams said about her daughter. That was a couple of months ago, but it's still fresh in my memory. I don't think that I will be able to fall for someone again. It's not because Vince and I were together for a long time. He was the only person who made me feel better. I have to move on, but I don't think I can do it.

I laid on the bed for a while and later got up. I have to get ready for work. Kim told me to stay home, but I didn't listen to her. If I don't go to work, I will think about Vince. It's better if I distract myself with something. I got dressed and walked downstairs for breakfast. Somehow, I convinced my mom to go back to the office. I know she wanted to take care of me, but now I am better. I won't do anything which could affect the baby. I made some scrambled eggs and sat at the table.

- Someone is hungry.

- Oh, hi, dad.

- I'm glad that you are eating.

- Well, my next meal will be at lunch.

- Don't you think that it's time to stay at home?

- Please don't say it. I don't want to do it. That will make it worse.

- You know better. Don't stress, ok?

- Yes, dad. I know how to take care of myself.

- I know, but sometimes you don't want to do it.

- That was before. Now I am careful.

- If you say so.

After breakfast, I took the car to work. I can walk, but the baby is getting heavy. When I arrived, I checked myself and walked in. Right now, this is the only place that makes me happy. Kim raised my salary by half of mine. Mostly because I took Vince's work. We had equal salaries. She offered me to work with someone else, but I denied it. I prefer to be alone. Moreover, I don't think that I can work with someone else. Not as good as with Vince.

On my lunch break, I went to the closest restaurant. I am trying to eat healthy and less, but the baby has another opinion about that. I ordered a salad and a dessert. Since I went in the fifth month, I have always kept snacks in my drawer in the office. In case I get hungry, which happens almost every day. I was eating when someone sat in front of me. I looked up and saw a man.

- Nothing personal, but I am here.

- I know, but there are no other free tables.

I thought that he was lying, but no. Every single table was taken by two or more people. If he doesn't talk to me, I am good. The man ordered chicken with French fries. I was finishing my dessert. He looked at me, and I returned it.

- Your husband must be happy.

- What?

- You are pregnant, right?

- Yes, I am. Oh, now I get it. Thanks, my husband is happy.

- If I could be in his place, that would be great.

- What do you mean?

- I had a girlfriend, but she didn't want kids. When I started talking with her about this, she said it was too much. Technically, according to her, I want too much. She left me.

- I'm sorry. You probably feel horrible.

- Only in the beginning. I decided to look at it from the positive side. Maybe my girlfriend wasn't the one.

- I'm sure that you will find the right one. Just like I did.

- Your man is lucky.

- He was.

- What do you mean?

- We weren't married. I planned to surprise my boyfriend with the baby, but never got the chance.

- Oh, I'm sorry. Can I know how it happened?

- He died in a car crash. Sadly, I survived.

- Be happy about it. You will have a beautiful child who will remind you of him.

- This is the worst thing. That boy was my first boyfriend. Even if I meet someone else, I don't think I can love him the same way.

- First love always hurts. Then you get used to it.

- To understand that she wasn't your first.

- I dated a girl in high school. We wanted different careers. That is how it ended.

- Until today, I regret everything that happened.

- When you love someone hard, it's hard to let him go that easily.

- True. During this whole conversation, I forgot to ask you the most important question.

- Which is?

- What's your name? - I asked, and he laughed

- I'm Andrew.

- I'm Emma.

- Look, I like talking with you, but I have to go back to work.

- Not only you.

- In that case, can I walk with you?

- You don't know where I work.

- As long as it is not far away from my place, I'm good.

- It's around ten minutes from here.

- No problem. I have some time.

Andrew walked with me and later went to his office. He was nice. I guess that both of us don't have luck in love. Well, he still won't be like Vince. No one can. Also, I prefer my baby to have no dad instead of another one. Somehow, I will take care of her. When I work, I often lose track of time. I checked the time, and it was 5 pm already. Soon Kim walked into my office.

- Hey, are you ready?

- For where?

- To go home.

- Yes, I think that I'll finish my work tomorrow.

- Awesome. Oh, by the way, you are coming home with me.

- What? Why?

- I am inviting you to dinner.

- But I am not ready.

- Who cares? Take your things, and let's go.

- Ok, give me five minutes.

That was a bit unexpected, but I won't deny it. I called my mom to tell her that I had dinner plans. We took our cars and drove away. I have never been to her house before. I don't know about the inside, but the outside is amazing. Vince and I wanted a bigger one when we had more kids. Well, now this can't happen. One kid is better than none.

- We are here. Let's go inside. That is your second home. You are always welcome.

- Thank you. I appreciate it.

- Dave, I'm home.

- Hey, I'm glad to see you.

- This is Emma. I hope that you don't mind that I invited her here.

- I have no problem. Come in.

- Hi, I am Jenny. Who are you?

- I'm Emma. You have a cute t-shirt.

- Thanks, it's my favorite.

- This is my daughter, Jenny. Where is your brother?

- In his room.

- When dinner is ready, I want you to call him.

- Sure. Do you want to play with me? Please.

- Yeah, sure.

Jenny took me to her room. It's bigger than mine, and she is only six years old. We played a couple of games. Mostly with dolls. I want to do the same with my baby. Spending time with your kids is one of the most beautiful things. Jenny noticed my belly and came closer. She wanted to play with the baby. It will be a bit hard for her, but I don't mind. Soon, she started talking to her. Some kids are adorable. Later, we went for dinner.

- Luke, can't you text her later? - Kim asked

- Later, it might be too late.

- If you love her, keep her close. You never know what might happen.

- Why are you saying this? - he asked me

- Because I know what it is to be heartbroken.

- You still think about him, right? - Kim asked

- I do, every single day.

- I know that it's hard for you. Don't you think that it's time for you to move on?

- Maybe she did it. - Dave said

- What do you mean? - I asked

- We saw you with a man at lunch.

- Oh, yeah. Who is the new man?

- To be honest, I have never met him before. All the tables were taken, so he sat with me. It's not like I liked that. Well, in the beginning. He wanted kids from his girlfriend, but she told him he wanted too much. Later, she left him.

- Oh, that's sad. - Kim said

- You can't always get what you want.

- That's true. To ask you, is it confirmed that it's a girl?

- Yes, it is.

- That's awesome. You will like being a mommy.

- I hope so.

- Did you choose a name?

- Not yet. I was thinking about Mia, but maybe I will change my mind.

- Mia is a beautiful name.

- The problem is how to explain to a little kid that her father is gone.

- I think that you have to wait for that.

- I would love to, but I know one day she will ask. I need to think of something.

- You will be a great mom. I know it. Otherwise, Vince wasn't going to be with you all the time.

- At least I could go to the bathroom alone. - I said, and they laughed

- You are a lucky girl. - Dave said

- I was. I guess that my luck left me.

- Be patient. I'm sure that everything will be the way it was. Vince might not be here, but this doesn't mean that you have to give up.

- Kim is right. You have to wait longer for the nice things.

The rest of the night I spent with Kim and her family. They were so nice to me. Vince might be gone, but there are always people who will support me. I am so grateful that I have such an amazing boss. Kim is not only my boss. She is also my friend. This woman has helped Vince and me many times. I have to return her the favor, but I don't know when. For now, I will focus on my life and baby. I can't wait to see her. I hope that she will look like her dad. He won't be here, but at least she will be a beautiful reminder of him. I love Vince, and I will never stop.