A Second Chance at Love

Chapter 1- A baby is not a burden!

Looking at the man facing her, Ellie remembers how only four years ago she melted just by the sight of him. However, this was not the case anymore. Back then she had fallen in love like every other girls falls in love. Without any reserve. She had loved with her heart and soul. Every day, she arose with the impression of walking on cloud nine. She thought that it was It. Love with the capital L. But above all, she believed that it was reciprocated. And believed is the word for what is was.

It had all started on her last year of college. She had taken a major in Creative writing as she dreamed of becoming a writer and her best friend Angie was in the same class as her. She wanted to become an editor, so as to edit Ellie's books, as she always said.

He was the typical American boy; dirty blond hair always in a beautiful mess that occasionally fell over his mischievous hazel eyes. And his smile.

His smile could make any girl forget their first name with a simple flash of his perfect white teeth. That smile had her, and many more girls, falling in love at first sight. As cheesy as it sounded, it was true and he claimed that he did too.

Love for Dean Parker was "you're good enough until I find better". Despite Angie's constant warnings, Ellie refused to see this flaw of Dean's. She believed that she could be the One for him just like he was hers. But as they say; sometimes we need to learn things the hard way.

Looking back over her past relationship with him, Ellie can now see that all these gestures that she thought romantic and thoughtful from him was just a way for him to get what he wanted. Her innocence. That he got. And so willingly too!

What an idiot I was all these years ago, she thought to herself, looking at a grown version of Dean sitting in front of her in the cafe. And what am I doing here anyway? Urgh, I should have stayed at home with Amber!

Just thinking of Amber made her smile. She was her most precious belonging. God knows what would have happened to her if she didn't have Amber. Life without Amber would have been very different. She had filled the empty space that Dean had left when he had rejected her. Amber was her bundle of joy, her precious daughter. She was also the reason why after four years she was here, with Dean. The father of her beloved child.

"Ellie", a deep voice cried out. Shaking out her thoughts, Ellie blinked to look into Dean's chocolate orbs."Did you hear a word I said?" he asked with a hint of impatience.

"Oh, I'm sorry", she replied apologetically, "I've kind of drifted away", she added with a small smile.

Dean's lips stretched in to a smile, a faraway look in his eyes."You use to do that a lot. It drove me crazy how you easily got lost in thought."

"I'm sorry", Ellie repeated, not knowing what else to say. "You were saying?"

"I want to see her", Dean said calmly, scrutinising her face, trying to catch her reaction."I want to see Amber and get to know her."

Ellie looked at him doubtfully while trying to hide her panic. What if he tried to take her daughter away? "What? Why", she asked, suddenly feeling the need to know of his intentions regarding Amber.

"I...I feel that I made a terrible mistake back then! I should have given us a chance to see if we could have made it! I don't even know when her birthday is! And she's my flesh and blood!" he exclaimed in what Ellie could describe as desperation. His face was so full of regret that her heart go out to him.

"Oh Dean, I'm so sorry. I thought that I was doing the right thing when I kept her away from you. I didn't realise what I was doing! I'm so so so sorry!" Ellie replied while wiping the tears that had fallen unbeknown to her with her fingers.