The Choice

.16

Previously
my heart stopped when I looked up and saw her face. oh that face that was covered in freckles and had the most beautiful smile id seen in the whole entire world.
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"Joel?" she recognized me.

"Erika? is this where you've been hiding these past 4 years?" I heard the shops door open and second later a little girl came running towards Erika.

"mama I'm back!" Erika kneeled down and hugged the little toddler.

"mama? Erika what is this?" the little girl with hazel eyes and light brown hair looked at me confused. she looked just like Erika.

"mommy, this man looks like my daddy from the pictures." the girl spoke with an accent. no it couldn't be. she didn't dare to look at me in the eyes.

"hey Bella why don't you go to the back and start your homework huh? come one. and I'll let you have a candy before dinner." she grabbed the toddlers hand and took her to the back. she returned a few seconds later.

"what are you doing here?" she crossed her arms.

"same goes to you. is this where you've been hiding for the past 4 years of your life? and can you please explain what the hell that was earlier. who is the little girl?" her head was hanging down. "look at me Erika" I lifted her chin with my finger and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"is that...?" I couldn't finish the sentence.

"that's Bella. Isabella, my daughter. and yes this is where I've been "hiding" for the past 4 years of our lives." she put air quotes on hiding. her daughter? who was the father? had she found someone here and gotten married?

"your daughter? you have a daughter?" I was having mixed emotions.

"we have a daughter. that child has both your genes and mine. she is the product of our "love". the night you made me yours." I had a daughter. I was 21 years old and I had a daughter. a daughter I hadn't seen for the first 4 years of her life.

"h-does she know I'm her father?" she said I looked like her daddy from the pictures. had Erika not hidden me from her life?

"yes she does. all her life I've shown her pictures and news about you. I couldn't let my daughter grow up without knowing at least what her father looked like." she had tears rolling down her cheeks. "what are you doing here anyways?"

"does she know why I'm not with you? why we're not together?" I ignored her previous question.

"no she doesn't. but don't think I didn't tell her for your benefit I did it for her, she would be heartbroken if she knew her father decided to have an adventure with a slut and leaves us. she'd be more than I was." it hurt me to see her like this.

Erikas POV
right when I thought I'd never hear from Joel again, he reappears in my life. and my daughters life. all these years I've been trying to convince myself that I didn't love him anymore. he had broken me and I hated him because even after he caused me so much pain, I still loved him. after seeing him all of my feelings came back. taking over my body and my mind. I loved him but I couldn't let him back in that easily. I wasn't going to neglect him from seeing his daughter.

"Erika...I have no idea what to say. can we please go out for coffee? and talk. please that's all I ask for. we can take Bella, that way I can get to know her." I didn't know what to say. it looked like he did want to be involved in Bella's life.