Unexpected

Chapter 28

GABRIEL

The feeling of my feet being rooted to the floor is overwhelming, but I force myself to move. Nora is waiting for me in the living room, and I need to deal with her.

The sight of her stirred up a storm of resentment in my gut. Of all times, I can't believe Nora showed up here right after I told Jo I loved her. It's almost as if the universe has chosen me as its target, like a cruel twist of fate. The sadness and disappointment that shone in Jo's eyes gutted me. Yet, I had no choice but to watch her walk away. I got myself into this mess, so now I have to man up and fix it.

As I enter the living room, I find Nora looking out of the tall set of windows towards the ocean. She's wearing a light blue dress that perfectly hugs her body and leaves no question as to the fact that she is expecting a baby.

A baby that could be mine.

Of all the things I look back on with regret, getting involved with Nora stands out the most. Of course, I knew exactly what I was doing when we got together. But a small part of me trusted her. I never thought she could have the nerve to play me.

Until the day I woke up to a splitting headache as if a truck had driven through my skull. I recall being startled to find Nora fast asleep by my side and me pondering about why she was there in the first place. Until that point, the only memories I had were of me drinking with the guys in the backstage area. After that, everything else became a bit foggy.

And now, she's here, claiming I'm her baby's father.

As if she can feel my gaze upon her, Nora turns her head in my direction. "You wouldn't take my calls."

My eyes narrow in disbelief. "I think the fact you drugged me that night in London has something to do with it..."

"Gabe..." Her eyes water as her hands hold her belly. "I was desperate."

"Ha!" A humorless chuckle leaves my lips. "That obviously justifies things."

She walks towards me, stopping when I give her a pointed look. "We had something good going on and then you vanished..." she says.

"I was touring, Nora." I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. "Besides, you knew things weren't serious between us."

"You used me." She raises her chin, her voice shaking. "For years, I was a convenient lay to you."

"I never promised you anything."

"But you always enjoyed having me around, huh?" She smirks.

A feeling of annoyance jumps up my spine, climbing up my neck like a sharp claw. "What do you want?"

"I want..." She swallows, her eyes softening. "I want a chance to make things right."

"Tom has the NDA ready for you to sign, then-"

Her eyes widen. "You're not sweeping me under the rug."

"Then we're taking a paternity test." I hold her gaze.

"No." She shakes her head.

"What do you mean no?" I give her a stern look, making it clear to her I'm not budging. "I got a doctor telling me I was drugged by you once. I'm sorry if I don't fucking trust you."

She raises her chin, her eyes shining with emotion. "I'm not signing a non-disclosure and I'm not doing a paternity test before the baby is born."

"Why?" I raise my eyebrows. "Are you afraid the baby is not mine?"

"Because I'm already under a lot of stress as it is, you jerk!" She hisses the words through gritted teeth. "My blood pressure has been high. Do you know how dangerous it could be for the baby?"

"Jesus..." I massaged my temples, trying to cool down. "Have you seen a doctor?"

She lets out an exasperated sigh. "They say it's still mild, but I have to get it checked regularly."

"You'll still need to sign the non-disclosure Tom emailed you."

"You know what?" She makes a move to leave. "You don't care if something happens to me or the baby. All you care about is your reputation."

"Stop." I catch up with her, grabbing her arm so she's looking at me. "You know this is not true."

"I'm scared, Gabe," she breathes, her eyes pleading.

"Nora..." I look down, releasing her.

"You're treating me like you don't know me." She reaches for my hands, but I take a step back.

"You fucking laced my drink with sleeping pills, Nora," I say, and she has the decency to look away. "Excuse me if it's hard for me to trust you."

"I was desperate," she begs, her voice trembling. "I was not thinking straight. After everything that happened with Mathias, I was..."

"Don't go there." I yank at my hair, my head throbbing.

"He was my brother, Gabe," she murmurs. "I was not the same after his death."

The pain in her eyes is so intense that it makes me pause. I love Maria with all my heart. The mere thought of not having her in my life fills me with dread. Losing a sibling is definitely something that changes you.

Mathias was our first stage manager, and we found him to be one of the most outstanding people we've ever met. We had the pleasure of working alongside him for many years, and we loved him like a brother. We were all caught off-guard and extremely sad when he passed away because of a massive heart attack.

"I'm so, so sorry about everything that happened to your brother, Nora, but..." I shake my head, moved by her grief. "What do you want from me?"

"Who is the girl?" She whispers, and my back stiffens.

"None of your business." I give her a pointed look.

"I saw the way you looked at her."

"Jesus, Nora." I let out a heavy sigh. "What do you want me to say? That I'm in love with her? Because I am. I'm madly in love with her. There."

She sniffles. "But... But I'm carrying your baby."

"We don't know that yet," I whisper.

"You don't want the baby to have a family?" She cries out, the sound of her weeping filling the room.

"Whoa." I blink. "Let's backtrack here. I feel like we're running around in circles here."

"I'm not doing this alone." She sobs, her hand going to her nape as she closes her eyes tightly. Jesus Christ!

"Easy." I press my hand to her lower back, guiding her to the couch. "Let me get you some water."

I rush to the kitchen and a minute later, I'm kneeling on the floor in front of her. "Here," I say, offering her a glass.

She takes a few sips of water, and closes her eyes, inhaling deeply before looking up at me. "If you don't want to do this for me, do it for Mathias."

"Do what, Nora?" I plead. "What in the world do you want me to do? You're telling me this baby is mine, but you refuse to take the paternity test. How can I-"

"Can you wait until the baby is born, at least?" She grasps my hands, her eyes full of anguish. "I promise to sign the NDA if you do."

Pulling away from her, I stand up and take a couple of steps back. "How far along are you?"

"Twenty-two weeks," she says, and I raise my eyebrows. "I'm in month five, so around four months until the baby is here," she explains.

"I'll need to talk with Jo before deciding anything," I say, and she closes her eyes for a second.

"Okay," she whispers, and I rub my face, wondering if Jo will ever forgive me after this.

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A/N: Talk to me, guys!!!!!!!

XOXO

Celeste