by Amy Field
“We can settle out of court. We’ll call them to this office tomorrow and have a discussion,” Jared said. “It’s all too simple.”
“That sounds great,” Nick said. “You can do that?”
“Easily. Why don’t you go home and I’ll call you tonight with the details?” Jared suggested.
Nick nodded and they stood up the leave. For the first time in months, he was feeling hopeful.
“You are in a good mood,” Camellia said smiling.
“I had a great meeting with the lawyer,” Nick said excited. “He said we can fix this problem.”
“I told you, didn’t I?” Camellia’s smile was strained but Nick didn’t notice.
They were watching TV together. Amelia had been put to sleep and the two were snuggling on the couch. Nick kept on talking about the lawyer he had met and Camellia’s smile disappeared. She was thinking of Jared but didn’t want to say so to Nick.
“Are you okay?” Nick asked, noticing her faded smile.
“I am fine, a bit tired,” Camellia diverted but Nick was too perceptive.
“I am sorry,” Nick said. “I didn’t think about your feelings.”
Camellia had told him that her ex-partner had been a lawyer and she had gone to his office to tell him when she had seen him cheating on her with his secretary. Thinking of it made his blood boil. He couldn’t abide cheaters.
“Don’t blow it out of proportion. It’s a minor hitch. I just want your problem to be solved,” said Camellia.
“You and me both. He said that he would call me with the details,” Nick looked at his cell hopefully but there was no call.
“I am sure it’ll arrive soon.” Camellia assured him as Nick’s cell phone rang.
“I’ll take it,” Nick said and picked it up.
“Hello?” Jared’s voice came through and Camellia looked up.
“What’s the news?” Nick asked.
“We’ll have the meeting in my office,” Jared said. “Tomorrow at ten,”
“I’ll be there.” Nick said and hung up.
Camellia’s eyes were narrowed and her face was thoughtful. The voice had sounded familiar to her but she didn’t know why. It was almost like she was hearing Jared but that was too big of a coincidence right?
“Is something wrong?” Nick asked.
“Nothing, I was thinking of something else. So your meeting is tomorrow?” Camellia said.
“Yeah, I hope it dies down tomorrow. Any more of this and I’ll go mad.”
“Isn’t a normal life going to be boring?”
“Not when I have two beautiful ladies in my life.” Nick grinned.
“That’s so cheesy,” Camellia’s nose wrinkled but she was smiling.
“It’s the truth. I am looking forward to the quiet life, with you and Amelia,” Nick said sincerely.
“So am I,” Camellia said softly.
Nick wrapped his hands around her and they settled back in the couch but Camellia couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something was going to happen.
Nick was at the office promptly at ten. He couldn’t sit still as he waited for the other lawyer to arrive. He hadn’t seen the person who had complained against him and he was nervous. What did this person look like? Would this issue be resolved quickly? Time would tell.
“Don’t worry,” Jared patted his shoulder.
He was completely composed with his secretary beside him. It was a normal day for him, but a nerve-wracking day for Nick. The door finally opened and a well dressed man walked in, followed by another man who wore casual clothes. The casual clothed man avoided looking at him and Nick was at ease. This wouldn’t be an issue.
He lost track of the words that were being spoken. There was a lot of lawyer talk going on and Nick couldn’t keep track of it. An indictment, pay off…Nick was in over his head from the words. The two lawyers traded harsh words and Nick was glad he had gone with Jared. Jared clearly was a strong lawyer and didn’t back down once. He was good at his words and an hour later, he had convinced the lawyer to drop the charges in favor of a slight pay off. Though Nick had done nothing wrong, he was relieved to let it all go. He didn’t want the hassle of court and this wasn’t a big issue.
However he couldn’t help but glare at the man who had caused him all this trouble. The two men left and Nick turned to Jared.
“Thanks for this,” Nick said sincerely.
“It’s no problem. It’s my job,” Jared assured him.
“You can talk to Sam about the payment.” Nick said and left.
He couldn’t wait to tell Camellia the news, they could celebrate it tonight. Everything seemed wonderful as he thought of the two important people in his life waiting for him.
Jared didn’t like hassles.
He was tempted to tell Alicia to do it herself but sighed as he took the file from her.
“I have to get it signed by him?” he asked and Alicia nodded.
It had been three weeks since he solved Nick Prescott’s problem. Nick had seemed like a good guy to him and the job had been easy. He paid well which was always a plus. The file that Alicia had given him was the contract severing their relationship and authorizing the release of the check that they would give to James Reckon, the man who had filed a case against Nick. He would have let Alicia sent it but when he checked the address, he thought he could do it easily with his car.
It was an hour away and Alicia would take too long. Jared wanted to get everything done.
“Thank you boss,” Alicia smiled coyly.
Jared didn’t respond. Ever since Camellia left him, he hadn’t gone into a relationship with Alicia. Alicia was a fling and she was going to remain so. A part of him felt guilty for cheating on Camellia but not enough to want her back. His feelings for Camellia had dimmed but he did want to know where she was. She had left abruptly and he was a man with morals. He did feel guilty about being the reason for it. Tracy had told him to let it go and he was doing just that by moving on with his life.
The file in hand, he went down to his car. It was six then and he wanted to get this over with so that he could go over to his house and relax for the day. Being a lawyer wasn’t easy but all the hard work was worth the reward.
Through the car ride, he thought about home and was surprised when he drove up to the apartment building. It wasn’t a bad place but not the place where he expected someone as rich as Nick to live. Rich people were always strange.
He got out and started at the noise the lift made. It shook as he pressed for Nick’s floor and he felt the distaste grow in him. Jared calmed himself, he just had to deliver the files and he would be done. The doors opened and he stepped out. Alicia had told him the apartment number was 10C so he headed for that. He knocked and waited but there was no response.
Was he out? Jared was tempted to leave the file and go but it was the start of a weekend. If he didn’t have it signed, they would have to wait until Monday and the waiting was completely unnecessary. He decided on a whim to knock on 10D, maybe his neighbor would deliver the papers to him and have it sent over the next day.
He stepped towards it and knocked. Noises came from inside and the door opened. He saw Nick standing there, looking surprised but the person behind Nick caught his attention.
Camellia’s mouth dropped open and guiltily, her eyes went to the bundle she held in her arms. Jared’s eyes were on the bundle as well and he felt as if the ground had given away. He knew without needing to ask that it was his child. Camellia had left a year ago, the perfect time to have a baby. She had left him without telling him she was pregnant.
Rage came first, how could she have done that? The baby was his as well; he deserved the right to know.
“What are you doing here?” Nick was asking.
Jared looked at Nick and his lip curled. Camellia was with Nick, how had that happened? From the look on Nick’s face, Jared deduced that he had no idea that Jared was the father. That didn’t make him feel any better.
“I came t
o give you these files but I had a surprise waiting for me didn’t I?” Jared said, looking at Camellia who averted her eyes.
“I don’t understand,” Nick frowned.
“Nick, Jared is Amelia’s father,” Camellia said quietly.
“What?” Nick said aghast.
Jared pushed past him to see the baby. Camellia had called her Amelia and as he got closer, he got a better view of her. She was exquisite and Jared found a lump forming in his throat. His eyes alight with fresh betrayal, he stared at Camellia.
“How could you do this to me?” he demanded.
Camellia’s eyes blazed into his. “To you? You were cheating on me!”
“So you took my child away from me? Wasn’t that unfair of you?” Jared said.
“You deserved it,” Camellia said but she didn’t truly believe that. Jared was right, she had behaved like a coward by taking away Amelia from him but she wasn’t going to let him say that.
“I can’t believe you would be so callous,” Jared said. “I admit I did something wrong but that doesn’t merit this kind of behavior.”
Nick wanted to butt in but he couldn’t help but sympathize with Jared. Jared looked rightfully angry and, as someone who had grown to love Amelia, he could say that he would have been mad as well if Amelia had been taken away from him. He moved away, letting them fix it among themselves.
“What do you want Jared?” Camellia said in exasperation.
“I want to hold her,” Jared said.
Camellia hugged her child protectively and Jared glared at her.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Jared warned.
“What do you mean?” Camellia said, the blood draining from her face.
“I mean, I can fight you for custody,” Jared threatened.
Nick did a double take and looked at Camellia. He knew this would break her, Camellia loved Amelia too much. She couldn’t have her taken away.
“Jared, you can’t be serious. You can’t take my child away from me!”
“I won’t have to if you agree to joint custody.”
“I don’t trust you,” Camellia said.
“Neither do I.”
Camellia looked at her child and swallowed. She knew there was no other option left. She couldn’t put Amelia through a court battle and maybe it was better for Amelia to have both her parents in her life. At the moment, Jared looked very sincere so she decided that it was better to give him a chance.
“Alright, I’ll let you have her one day a week,” Camellia said slowly.
“We’ll take it slow,” Jared agreed.
He looked at Nick and Camellia before saying,
“Can you tell me what Nick is doing here?”
Camellia blushed. “Nick and I are seeing each other. He helps take care of Amelia while I am at work.”
Jared looked at Nick jealously. It wasn’t because he was dating Camellia but as he took care of his daughter.
“I see. I want you to bring Amelia to my house tomorrow,” Jared said.
He left without another word, leaving Camellia drained. Nick put his hands on her shoulders to support her and Camellia leaned on him.
“That was certainly dramatic,” Nick said.
“I don’t know Nick. I hope everything turns out okay,”
“It will,” Nick said but he wasn’t very sure himself.
Chapter Seven
True to her words, Camellia took Amelia with her to Jared’s house.
She knew exactly where his house was, and the look of it brought up painful memories. It was a two-storey cottage with a well maintained garden and marble path leading to the door. Camellia rang the doorbell and waited for Jared to answer the door. Amelia was in her arms and she had brought over her toys and clothes so that Jared could take care of her.
Camellia hadn’t slept, thinking of how Jared would take care of Amelia. Nick had stayed over and tried to comfort her but it hadn’t worked. Camellia was completely on edge.
Amelia smiled at her and the calm washed over her. At least she knew how to comfort her.
The door opened and Jared stood there, dressed in jeans and a t shirt. He ushered her in and Camellia looked around. Everything was spic and span. The interior of Jared’s house was done in white and she could see her face reflected back through the tiles.
“You are on time,” Jared said.
“Aren’t I always?” Camellia said stiffly. She couldn’t bring herself to talk normally to him. Her lingering resentment made it impossible for her to do so.
“You don’t have to be so…” Jared didn’t finish that sentence as Camellia handed off Amelia to him.
Jared held her awkwardly as Camellia put down the bag.
“I got her formula and clothes. I have written down instructions and my cell number for emergencies. I’ll come to pick her up at six.” Camellia said in one breath and bit her lip.
Jared nodded and Camellia reached forward to kiss Amelia.
“I’ll see you later honey,” Camellia said and without a backward glance she left the house.
Left alone with Amelia, Jared was at a loss over what to do.
Amelia was giggling and he couldn’t help but smile. There was a tentative feeling of tenderness blooming in him that he had no idea how to process. She was a beautiful child but at the moment she felt foreign, as if she was someone else’s child and not his. Jared stood and rocked her gently which she seemed to like.
He was tempted to call Alicia for help but that was stupid. No one knew about Amelia and he wanted to keep it that way for now. He decided to look through the bag that Camellia had left behind.
Inside the bag, there were several toys which he took out. He handed a rattle to Amelia who shook it vigorously before giggling. It was working; he was doing something to help her.
It went normally for an hour but then she began to cry. At the sound of her cry, Jared froze. He had no idea what to do. Was she hungry or had she soiled herself?
The smell alerted him that it was the latter. He set her down on his sofa gingerly and rooted through the bag for anything to change her into. He came up with a bottle of powder, diapers and wipes. He would have to do it himself.
Jared was queasy at the thought of it but he steeled himself. Amelia was his daughter and he should learn right? He peeled away the diaper, cringing at the smell of it and tried to clean everything up. He did everything well until it was time for the diaper which he botched up. All the while, Amelia watched him with a smile on her face as if mocking him. Even the child knew about his incompetence.
He was emotionally drained after crossing the first hurdle but the second hurdle came soon after. After noon, Amelia began to cry again and this time Jared was sure that she was hungry. He took out the formula and bottle but took a while searching for the instructions that Camellia had claimed to leave for him.
1) Sterilize the bottle.
How was he supposed to sterilize the bottle? Did that mean that he was supposed to wash it? Would normal water do? These instructions weren’t easy at all.
2) Wash hands with soap.
3) Mix formula as instructed on the tin.
4) Make sure it is blood temperature.
Blood temperature? How was he going to do that? Jared found himself dialing Camellia’s number.
“What’s wrong? Is she okay?” Camellia’s panicked voice came through.
“What does blood temperature mean?” he asked.
“You don’t know what blood temperature means?” Camellia’s voice was incredulous.
“Just tell me.”
“Test it against your arm, if it’s the same temperature, its fine.” Camellia explained.
“Thanks.” Jared said and hung up.
He picked up Amelia from the sofa and headed to the kitchen. Looking around for a place to keep her, he picked the counter. He set down a blanket for her, placing two pillows on each side so that she didn’t end up falling and examined the tin of formula. It said that the water had to
be lukewarm so he set about heating the water. As he poured the water in the kettle, Amelia gurgled, startling him and making him spill the water on the counter. He groaned and picked up the paper towels to wipe it.
Amelia cried, distracting him and he left his towels to attend to her. When the smell of smoke reached him, he turned to see the towels were on fire. A second later his alarm began to beep.
Jared didn’t think of setting out the fire, he ran outside with the baby in his arms, completely out of his mind about what to do.
This wasn’t what he signed up for.
Camellia couldn’t have reached the house quicker.
The second she got the call from Jared and heard the sirens, she was getting a taxi to rush over to his house. Nick went with her and the two arrived to see Jared sitting in the front steps of his house, Amelia squirming in his grasp. The fire men were gone and when Jared looked at her, Camellia saw the hollow look in his eyes.
“Nick, could you take Amelia?” Camellia requested.
Nick nodded and pick up the toddler, walking off into the distance. Camellia sat down beside Jared.
“I didn’t think it would be this hard,” Jared said.
“You never can tell,” Camellia said.
“I don’t know how you do it,” Jared said in awe.
“It’s hard at first but you get used to it.”
“I don’t think I apologized for before. I really am sorry about everything.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“I was making her formula but I spilled water. I used the paper towels to clean it up but I must have left it too close to the stove so the towels caught on fire. I panicked,” Jared said simply.
Camellia didn’t say it but she was thankful that Amelia was okay.
“I don’t think I am cut out of this,” Jared admitted.
Camellia let him go on.
“I thought I could but I think it’s better if I stay at arm’s length. I want to be a part of her life but maybe when she is older. For now, I would like to visit her and pay child support,” Jared looked at her pleadingly.
“I guess you can do that.”
“Thank you Cam.”