Chapter-5
1443 Words
Yes, Jessie. I am the guy."
"He-ee-nrry Fo-ord?" Jessica watched as Tony stuttered in front of the younger man.
"Flesh and blood. Henry Ford, sir. You are?" Henry holds out his hand for a shake.
Tony wipes his hand on his trousers, acting like a fangirl. Jessica simply stared at him, confused.
"I am Tony. Tony Lewis but just call me Tony." He bristled.
"Nice to meet you, Tony. I am here to see Jessica. If that's all right with you."
"Of course, it is. She was just about to take the day off, right Jessie?"
"What? No, I wasn't. It's just 9:30"
"Yes, you are. I'm your boss and I'm giving you the day off. I'll manage just fine."
"Bu-u-t what about Sarah? She could call in at any time"
"I'll let you know the moment she does. Now, off you go."
Tony ushered the both of them out of the flower shop, eager to call his wife and gossip about who the father of Jessica's baby was.
Arriving at a restaurant, Jessica felt completely under-dressed and shifted uncomfortably.
"So, Jessica, you ran off yesterday before I could get another word in. How have you been?"
"I left. I didn't run off. My business there was done, I had to leave before your fiancee came around. She seemed scary."
Henry laughed loudly.
"So you ran out of fear? Didn't think you were the type but first of all, I do not have a fiancee"
"You don't have to lie. I delivered the flowers, remember?"
"Ella is a long story but I am not engaged."
"Whatever."
"I didn't think we would ever meet again. When did you come to New York?"
"Two weeks after we met. I had to leave."
"Had to? Trouble at home?"
Jessica stared deep into his eyes and wondered how he would react if he found out she was carrying his baby.
"Can I ask you something about that night?"
"That night? Sure but I assure you I never did anything without your consent."
Jessica rolled her eyes.
"I know you didn't. I just need to know, did you use protection?"
Henry froze. His mind reeled back to that fateful night. Had he used protection? Were they careful?
"Are you implying something? Is there something you are trying to tell me?"
"Yes. I am pregnant."
Henry had never had those words uttered to him, he simply stared back at her. He looked her over and finally noticed the flowy top she was wearing.
"F-f-for me?" He stuttered.
"Last time I checked, yes. You don't have to worry about anything, I have no plans of ruining your relationship, I am perfectly capable of taking care of the baby by myself. You owe me nothing"
"Woah, woah, calm down. Give a man some time to process. Nobody said anything about not accepting the baby, at least not yet."
Jessica flared.
"Not yet? You know what? Forget I mentioned anything. Have a nice life with your high-class fiancee."
Jessica stood up and walked out of the restaurant as fast as her legs could carry her. She was not expecting him to accept the baby but not in a cowardly way.
Henry watched as she left, once again. He suddenly felt so weak, the thought of being a father had not even crossed his mind in years.
He and Ella had never discussed children, since she had her modeling career but now, he had a child on the way.
He needed to act fast.
He picks up his phone and calls his secretary.
"Hello, Mr Ford"
"Steve, arrange a dinner meeting with Ella and her dad. Italian restaurant, please. Send me the details after."
He had finally gotten the contract, now he could dump Ella's cheating ass. Then he would figure out a way to speak to Jessica.
He might not be ready to be a father but he was brought up as a responsible man. He would take responsibility for whatever she chooses to do.
First of all, she was going to have to move in with him. No mother of his child will lack.
When Henry walked into the restaurant, he could see the expectant look on Ella's face. He had been ignoring her calls and texts since the last time she was at his house.
Her father was his only worry.
He hoped he would be able to separate personal relationships from business. He was ready to get this over with.
"Simon" He nodded in greeting.
"Henry boo, I've missed you, I was excited when Steve called to say you wanted to have dinner with us," Ella says, teary-eyed.
"Yeah. I told him to…It was urgent and it wasn't something that could be discussed at the office. Shall we order?"
After ordering the food, Henry decided to get it over with as he couldn't take the expectant glances the father and daughter kept sharing across the table.
"Simon, I invited you over specifically out of respect. I have decided that I can no longer continue to date your daughter. We are over."
Simon choked on his glass of wine and stared shocked at his daughter.
"Over? What do you mean? Shouldn't you be proposing? You showed me a ring."
"Yes, I did. But I changed my mind. I no longer see a future with your daughter,"
"You are kidding, right? How could you do this to me? I gave you three years of my life, Henry"
Henry rolled his eyes. He should have known better than to think everything would go smoothly.
He calmly watched as Ella stood and raised her voice, drawing attention from the other customers.
"Sit down, Ella. You're making a scene. Let's hear what he has to say"
"No, Dad. He has absolutely nothing to say, nothing can justify this. I'm not going to listen to this anymore, I just can't,"
The men watched as she picked up her purse and stormed out of the restaurant.
"What's going on, Henry? This was not the plan." Simon asked calmly.
"I know. Everything changed when I caught your daughter in bed with her photographer,"
Simon stared in shock.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't let this affect our business relationship. I'm sorry but I have to leave now. I have a place to be, please excuse me."
Henry breathed in a sigh of relief as he stepped out of the restaurant, he felt so free. That was easier than he thought.
Now, he just had to find a way to get Jessica to live with him.
"Move in with me,"
Jessica stared at the man in front of her as the words left his mouth. She couldn't help the laugh that left her mouth.
"Move in with you? Just this morning, you weren't even sure you wanted the baby, now you want me to move in with you? Are you joking right now?"
"Look, Jessica. I'm not going to lie and say I am one hundred percent ready to be a father, I didn't even know until this morning. This is just me letting you know that I'm willing to try, I deserve that."
"I don't know, Henry. I don't think you are thinking about this. I mean, you have a fiancee."
"Not anymore. We're not together anymore."
"Did you break up because of me?" Jessica asked, bewildered.
"As much as I would love to say yes, I didn't. She had it coming and she was never my fiancee, she was my girlfriend,"
"Well, that wasn't what they who came in to order the flowers said. She seemed pretty sure."
"Fine. I was close to proposing, well that was until I caught her with her photographer. She heard about the ring I had gotten and went around, telling everyone we were engaged."
Jessica suddenly pitied him. The man had lost the love of his life to a modeling photographer.
Ouch.
Who was she to judge though? She didn't even know who Luke left with.
"You have just a month. I move in for just a month and if at any point in time, I feel distressed, I will leave."
"A lot of people will be jumping at the opportunity to move into my condo, you know. It's fine though, whatever you want."
All through the ride back to his condo, Jessica couldn't help but pray that she wouldn't regret this. As much as her heart still belonged to Luke, she wanted her baby to grow up with a father.
The car comes to a stop and the door to the passenger side is wrenched open. A voice filled with so much venom spits out.
"Who's this, Henry?"
- Writer
