Paper doll

Chapter 14

Chloe's POV

"Chloe?" He mumbles in shock

I see him look me up and down and then his eyes fall on her

"Ryan?" Gasp ask in shock

I never thought I'd see him again, I thought I'd lost him forever the day I left, but I had to go, for her safety, for Ryan's and for mine

It's been a whole year I haven't seen him, he's never met her, he should've, he deserved that chance but I took it from him

Dear god I'm a horrible person, I just wanted to keep her safe

Ryan's POV

"I found you" I whispered, I don't think it was meant specifically for her but in general

"I'm so sorry" she whispers with tears in her eyes

"What the hell?" I mumble

She steps out of the way and gestures for me to go in, I do, still in complete shock, I don't think I was prepared for this

"Sit down" she suggests and I do as I'm told on the couch on the opposite side of the room, she sits down on the other end of the couch with the little girl in her lap

"I can't believe you're here" she tells me, I can't read the look on her face as hard as I try

"I can't believe I found you" I reply

I don't think either of us really know what to do or think or say right now

"Why did you leave?" I ask her, the hurt coming out in my voice

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I found out I was pregnant that night and I knew Jared was coming back, I was scared of what would happen if he found out, he'd hurt her, I couldn't let him do that, I didn't want to go, I didn't want to leave you, I loved you so much but I had to keep her safe, I wasn't ready to be a mom but it's actually really amazing and so is she, I should've told you, I should've said goodbye, but I didn't think you'd try that hard to find me, how did you find me?" I listen to her and I can't help but feel shocked, she was pregnant? I look at the little girl and I have to wonder

"You wrote this address on the paper you used to make the paper doll you wrote our initials onto in the heart" I explain

"Oh, I didn't realise" she mumbled

"Is she Jared's?" I accidentally just let out

She looks at me for a moment shakes her head and my breath catches

"Ryan, I'd like you to meet Gracie, your daughter" she introduces me to the little girl who she says is my daughter

"How do you know she's mine?" I feel like I have to ask, she looks really hurt when I do so I feel the need to apologise "sorry" I mutter

"No, it's okay, you have a right to ask, you and I had been sleeping together for 3 weeks when I left, when I saw a doctor a couple of weeks later the timings didn't fit Jared, only you" she tells me

"I'd have come with you, even if she wasn't mine, you know that right? I'd have been there for both of you" I tell her, slightly hurt she didn't tell me

"I know that now, it took me a while to realise and by then it was too late, I thought what I did was best for everyone, I was wrong" she admits

I smile as she looks down at Gracie, she I can see the love in her eyes, I can't stay mad or sad or hurt or anything like that looking at these two, I just can't

"Do you wanna hold her?" She asks me, having noticed that I was staring at her with a smile

We made her, we did that, she's so beautiful and so precious and that was us, the most perfect combination of us I could imagine

"If you're okay with that?" I ask her gently

"Of course I am, she's your daughter too" she tells me with a smile as she hands our daughter to me

I take this little baby girl and sit her on my lap, leaning her head against the crook of my arm so I can look at her properly

"I'll tell you everything you want to know, I'm so sorry" she promises me and then apologises

"Stop being sorry Chlo, you did it to keep her safe and everyone else, I'm not mad at you, but I do wanna know more about her if you don't mind" I tell her

"Anything you wanna know" she nods

"Just everything you can tell me" I ask for, I want to know everything I've missed about her and in general

"Do you mind if I go get changed quickly first?" She asks and I nod with a smile

"It'll give us a chance to bond a little, she's probably quite confused as to who I am" I chuckle

"I don't think so, there's a couple of pictures of you in her room, she got really curious once so I showed one to her and now she likes to look at it every day, I told her that's her daddy" she tells me awkwardly

"Oh" was all I could manage

"Sorry I promise I'll just be a second" she tells me and I smile at her

"Take all the time you need" I tell her and she smiles back at me

"Thank you for not giving up on me" she whispered

"Always" I replied

----------------------------------------------

So she's his, according to Chloe, hmm okay, who's ready for her side of the story? Xoxo