Love Is Enough

Chapter 9

He's in the kitchen when we get there. We do as we planned. I stand at the door as Sam goes in and tells him that I need him. We decided to say that so he wouldn't be tipped off and so he would actually come talk to us. He walks out and I put a bright smile on my face. He comes up to me and hugs me, and gives me a kiss. I kiss him back quickly, trying not to think of him and Julie kissing just hours before now. Sam clears his throat. Conrad looks confused, looking at me and Sam. "What's going on guys? Amaria?" I twirl my hair, doing the signal me and Sam agreed on because I'm already starting to feel emotional. "Conrad, we need to talk and we need you to listen. You have to hear what we're going to say, no denial. And no interruptions. You have to let us finish before you talk. Got it?" Sam says, in an authoritative tone. Conrad actually looks a little scared. Sam looks at me and nods for me to start. I take a deep breath, and I decide to start.

"Conrad, before I say this, just know that I'm not mad at you. Not anymore. But I am really confused about why you would want to do something that would hurt me. And before you deny anything, I saw you and Julie earlier. I saw her kiss you, and I saw that you didn't stop her. You kissed her back. I saw that, I saw it getting intense. It hurt me Conrad. It hurt me more than I've ever been hurt in my entire life. I thought you loved me, and only me. I thought you were mine. But I can see now that not everything I believed was true. But like I said, I'm not mad anymore. I'm definitely sad, and hurt and confused. But I'm not mad. I did nothing to you and that means it wasn't my fault. I tried everything, I gave you everything I could. It doesn't look like it was enough for you though. And I realized that I had to come to terms with that fact. I realized that you can't make people love you, and you will only waste your time if you try. Now that you know what I saw, we need to talk about the solution. We are both on the same team, so we have to work together and that means we have to be mature about this. We also are going to be parents, which is another reason that we have to make a mature decision. I don't want to cut you out completely. I want you to be in the baby's life, because that's what she needs and I have to do what's right for her. As for our relationship, I don't know what to do. I loved you with all my heart, and if I'm being honest I still think I love you. But I can't be with someone who doesn't love me one hundred percent and who isn't one hundred percent committed and loyal to me. If you can guarantee that this will never happen again, then I'm willing to give you another chance. Because honestly I do love you. But you have to show me that you won't hurt me like this anymore. And it's going to take some time for me to trust you again, I won't be able to all at once. You would have to be patient and understanding. If you can agree to my terms, then I can give you another chance. If you can't, then we can't be together anymore. It's your choice. We will still be parents, no matter what. It's just your choice as to whether we are parenting together or co-parenting. That's completely your choice." I finish and I look at Sam. He takes my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. Conrad's eyes go to Sam's hand on mine, and his face looks as red as a tomato. He glares at Sam, but Sam just looks right back at him. He doesn't make any move to let go of my hand. I admire him for that. It makes me feel warm and safe and gives me a new wave of strength. That is yet another reason for why I love Sam.

"So, Conrad. I think you have a decision to make. We'll let you think about it. We're going to leave now and you can think about it while we're gone. After that, Sam and I walk back to my room. Janie comes in a few minutes later. She immediately runs up and hugs me. "Any news? What's the decision?" "No decision yet. Conrad hasn't said anything yet." I say, managing a weak smile. "Oh, well it's ok love. He'll say something eventually. I have a feeling he still loves you. And I'm pretty sure he will realize what a big mistake he made." I smile for real this time, giving her a big hug. We hear sniffling behind us, and we both look at Sam. "Dude, are you crying?" I say, trying not to laugh. "No! There's just something in my eye, obviously." Janie and I look at each other, and just start laughing so hard we have tears in our eyes. "Stop it! It's not funny!!" Sam says, turning red. After a while, he stops fighting it and starts laughing with us. Soon, we're all laughing so hard we can't breathe. My face turns as red as a tomato, and that only makes us laugh even harder. And that's when there's a knock on the door.

"Amaria? Are you in there? I just need to talk to you." My eyes widen as I look at Sam and Janie. "Should I open the door?" I whisper. They look just as wide-eyed confused as I do. "Ok, you should open the door. You can invite him in and talk to him, Sam and I will listen through the door. Does that work?" Janie finally whispers back. I nod, and take a deep breath. I walk over to the door, again taking a deep breath before opening it. "Conrad looks at me, smiling. That smile fades as soon as he sees Sam and Janie. Especially Sam. "Well, we'll give you two some time." Janie says as she and Sam walk out. After they're gone, Conrad looks nervous. "Would you like to sit down?" I say, hating how polite and formal my voice sounds. "Sure." We sit, and needless to say, it is extremely awkward.