❀HIS❀BRIDE❀

🛍FIFTY ONE🛍

We had our shower together but she didn't let me touch her. She only agreed to wash my hair and then we were out but she got out first.

By the time I get out, she is already dressed up in the hoodie.
"Your dress up was fast," I tell her.
"In there is the last time you're ever gonna see me that way."
"What's up with the attitude? I thought we were cool few minutes ago."
"Do you think it's gonna be easy for me to pretend you didn't do anything to me? I'm trying my best to forgive you but the reminder that I went through a lot is just..."

"I know. I do. I never stopped thinking of all I put you through Karen, and how you had to push out this baby without me to accept that I was its father, I did Karen. Please, I'm just sorry ok? I'd do anything you want..."

She doesn't say anything and I'm just standing here with my towel tied around my waist. I go up to my drawer and bring out my check book and write down a cheque for her.
"Here you go." I drop it on the desk. "It's all yours."
"Money isn't my problem?"
"Can five hundred million be our first step to being together?" I ask.
"Asher why are you trying to use money on me?"
"Cause I feel I can make up for it quarter way. At least for taking care of yourself and Royal."

She presses her lips together. I pull her up and into a hug. I would have caressed her hair but she has it tied in a turban.
"I'm sorry Karen, you're the only way I can earn your parents' forgiveness and I want to make everything right..."

Surprisingly she hugs back.
"We're cool."
I pull away. "For real?"
She already has tears in her eyes. "Yeah, it's pointless if I don't have you to take responsibility..."
"Aww I love you so so much...." I pull her closer to me tighter.

There is a knock on the door.
"Mum, Dad, what are you doing in there? Dinner's ready!"
Karen and I chuckle. "Coming baby..." Karen replies.
"Okay!"

I can sense him leave. Karen and I rest our foreheads on each other and smile.
"It's been forever..." I mutter and pull away. "So are we good to go? Your parents need to know, my parents need to know too."

"Know what?" She raises her brow.
"We're good now and we can get married..."
"What the..?"
"Will you marry me?"
"Eww no, that's gross. Let's just go downstairs." She pulls me along with her. I guess she doesn't realize what she has just said. That was what she did the first time I asked her to date me in high school.
We get downstairs to the dining while Kim is just coming out from the kitchen.

"Hi Karen." Kim and Karen hug while I sit down beside Royal who already has hotdog in his mouth.

"Hey lil dude." I rub his hair.

"Pass me the juice, Dad."
"Let's wait for your mom," I tell him.
He scrunched up his face. "There's no need. At the end, she may end up not eating halfway and then drinking a little amount of water."
"Why? She doesn't eat well?"
"Yeah she doesn't. She says that she doesn't feel okay eating much." He shrugs.

But why?

Karen joins us at the table, opposite me.
"Kim and Ashton won't join us."
"They don't have to. It's almost twelve, this is partially breakfast," I say.

We start eating, and the whole time I'm noticing she is eating so much like the usual Karen I knew back in high school. But still, I've noticed her slight eye bags and how she has slimmed down over the years. There's no need to ask cause I know it's all because of me.

After dinner, she goes upstairs while Royal and I are playing video games but soon enough, Royal sleeps off around two and I take him upstairs.
Karen's sleeping already and she looks so cute. I lay Royal beside her and go to sleep beside her. I pull her close to myself from her waist and breathe into her neck.
"I'm sorry baby..." I keep kissing her arm and rubbing it. Honestly, they are lots of changes about her since I left. Talk less of the fact that I left immediately after denying her pregnancy and still did not reach out to her until our son is five.
______

"So tell me how it was for you to live this long after what I did," I ask her. It's now morning — 8am precisely, and we're both up. Royal doesn't seem to be waking up anytime soon.
Karen's head is on my chest and I hold her to myself so closely.
"Why? Do we have to bring up past memories? They're all filled with sadness. Starting from the point I realized I was pregnant for you. Hold on, I thought we used protection. I was so shocked that the result of everything is pregnancy."

"Yeah we did buh... I took it off. It wasn't intended, I don't even know what I was thinking to take it off and then I released inside of you..."
"Okay so You didn't tell me when you knew huh? You intentionally let me get pregnant..."

"I forgot honestly, and the fact is if you were ready to take drugs."

"As long as I wasn't gonna get pregnant and it'd be avoided, then I was gonna take it. The truth is it's your fault for getting the protection off."

"But aren't you happy now that Royal is part of our lives? Like we have the chance to have something to keep us in some kind of relationship forever."

"It was an accident!"
"That is now a blessing."
"Do you know how it felt like to see his face for the first time and realize he looks so much like you? And to show I wasn't lying about who the father was?"

"I guess it was heartbreaking..."

She exhales.

"How was it like to be in labor?"
"Crazy as hell. I had to push him for seven hours. It's the most painful shit every and I don't wanna go through that again. And plus the contractions, mehn, I was going through hell."

"I wanna be there when that ever happens again. I'm sorry I wasn't there for Royal..."

"Happens again? You're joking..."

"I'm serious..."
"And who's gonna put me in that position?"

"Me!"
"Eww! You know it's gonna be hard to trust you and believe me when I say I'm okay with just Royal. It's even hard to take care of him alone. I don't wanna go through those processes again."

"For real?"
"I'm dead serious."

"I'm sorry."

I kiss her forehead.