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Chapter Sixteen
MOVING ON
EGYPT
THREE MONTHS LATER
“So, how are you liking the new job?” Smith asks with a smile on his handsome face.
It’s my weekly video chat with him and the twins, and I look forward to talking to them. Seeing their faces gives me a little piece of home, so I don’t feel so homesick.
“It’s still taking some getting used to, but I’m sure in the end it will be worth it.”
I was able to get a job in Dallas, Texas as an operations manager for a national distribution company. I’m not making as much as I was working for Giovanni, but the pay is competitive and the medical benefits are great. I’m able to live comfortably and help my daddy if he needs it. Not that he would ever ask for my help, especially because of the guilt he felt after manipulating me for so long. I eventually forgave him because I can understand why he did what he did. It’s no excuse and he should’ve told me, I have to be honest though, it took me a little while not to hold a grudge. I thought my daddy and I were closer than that, so I felt some type of way about it. But in the end, I decided with him being injured I didn’t want to waste time being upset.
However, my daddy was able to heal fairly quickly from his injuries, especially with the help of the specialist that Giovanni paid for. All of our medical bills were paid off, and it was like the incident never occurred. My nightmares say otherwise, but I’m working on that.
It felt good to get a fresh start away from the troubles of my past, but I do sometimes feel the twinge of loneliness that comes from being in a new state on my own.
“We all miss you here, sis. I wish you didn’t have to move so far away,” Ari says with a pout that makes me sad.
“I miss you guys too. But you know why I had to do this.” Ari knows exactly what I’m talking about. Moving to Texas was a way for me not only to avoid Giovanni but it was also a chance to prove to myself that I could make it on my own. And I’m thriving. I had to put hundreds of miles between us in order to move on, and I still haven’t been able to remove Giovanni DeLuca from my mind. Hell, from my heart, either.
“I guess I understand, but are you going to come home soon? I want to be able to see you in real life. Or at least you can let us come to see you. It’s been three months since you left, and
Buddy won’t tell us anything we don’t already know,” Alexa says, and her tone for once is serious.
“I promise to come home. I just need some distance at the moment. I know you get it, Lexie.” I smile to soften the blow, but I can’t go back to Nashville right now, maybe ever.
I have to be prepared to live life on my own. I’m a grown woman who can take care of herself. I can’t be afraid to live my life.
“I guess.” Alexa rolls her eyes, but I know she’s done arguing for now.
“Okay, guys. It was nice to see all of your beautiful faces. I love you guys. Talk soon.” We blow kisses into the camera, and I disconnect the call.
“Well, little bit. Your aunties and uncle are going to be shocked to meet you,” I say, rubbing my nonexistent stomach.
I wasn’t shocked that a few weeks after I got here, I found out that I was eight weeks pregnant. Giovanni and I fucked like rabbits without a condom in sight. It was one of the mistakes that I made while we were sleeping together.
I knew better than to let him slide into me without protection, but the feel of him inside me without anything between us was heaven. We never used a condom, and it was my fault as much as it was his.
However, with the realization that he would never feel for me the way I felt about him, I had some choices to make. I would never force myself on someone, and I definitely won’t force a man to love my child. Abortion wasn’t an option for me because I always wanted kids, and with it being just daddy and me, adding to my family has always been my dream.
I will tell Giovanni about the baby after establishing myself in Texas. If he doesn’t want anything to do with our child, then so be it. But I won’t keep his child from him. He deserves to know.
And although I’m not showing yet, my face is a little fuller than before and my boobs are also bigger. So far hiding my pregnancy so far has been a breeze because the people I’m closest too I don’t see on a daily basis anymore. But if I went home, the twins and my daddy would be able to tell that something was off with me. So I have to stay away until I’m ready for everyone to know. Until then, me and my peanut will be living life in Texas.
I’ve had a few appointments at my OBGYN, and I am at a healthy weight and taking my prenatal vitamins. So everything is going well, but I am sad that I have to go through the pregnancy alone. But again, it’s a choice that I made, so I’m living with it.
I settle on my couch with my blanket, a snack, and the remote. I still haven’t gotten used to the exhaustion I feel even when I’ve done the simplest of tasks. I didn’t even have to work today and I already know whatever show I pick will be a lullaby in the background. I just hope that with sleep comes peace and not the never-ending torment of Giovanni DeLuca.
***
A knock on the door wakes me up out of a deep sleep. I start smiling because I know it can only be my neighbor, Mrs. Paul, a widower who lives across the street. The older woman has been a godsend. She checks on me daily and feeds me the most delicious baked goods I have ever tasted.
Between her cakes and cookies and this pregnancy, there’s no wonder my doctor told me to keep working out.
“Coming! I know you must have the Snickerdoodles I’ve been asking for. I can’t wait to try them!” I say as I swing the door open.
