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“Morning!” She leapt up to give me a peck on the cheek, thanking me for her hot chocolate. “Did I tell you I got an ultrasound appointment at the last minute? They managed to fit me in on Christmas Eve. You’ll come to that one too, won’t you?” She had already asked me to go to her first doctor’s appointment next week.
“Of course I will. I wouldn't miss it for the world.” I was excited to confirm the baby’s due date. Excited about everything, really.
By this point in my life, I had started to accept that I would be a bachelor forever; that fatherhood just wasn’t in the cards for me, and my chance at that and marriage had long passed.
Amelia’s pregnancy changed all that. Falling in love with her was the best blessing I could have been given.
A professional moving company came to do the heavy lifting. They transferred all of Amelia’s belongings to their truck, filling the trailer with her furniture and clothing– stuff she had kept in a storage unit for someday when she had a place of her own. We took a few things in the car with us, and I followed behind the movers as they made their way up to my place in La Jolla.
When we arrived, Melinda and Larissa were there to greet us. They had offered to help out with the move and get Amelia settled with all her things.
Larissa was waiting outside in her running gear.
“Hey, sis! Hey, Nathaniel! Nice place you’ve got here!” Larissa said, gesturing at the house. “There are some great hiking trails in this neighborhood. I managed to get in a good workout.”
“You’re welcome to make a pit stop anytime,” I said, glad to be on friendly terms with at least some of the Weavers.
Amelia and I hadn’t heard from David and Colleen yet. We were still counting on her sisters to keep working on their parents, although Amelia hadn’t mentioned it in the last few days. I got the feeling that she was trying not to think about it because she was tired of feeling disappointed in them for not getting back to her.
Melinda came out of the house and greeted us as we directed the movers to the different rooms where Amelia’s things would go.
“Morning, guys.” Melinda said, rolling up her sleeves. “Let’s do this.”
We worked for a few hours, first with the movers, then just the four of us after all the unloading was done. There were plenty of items that still needed putting away, but I wanted to make sure to treat Amelia’s sisters to lunch. I called and ordered gourmet sandwiches from a local French bakery, and we all sat at my kitchen table filling our bellies after a full morning’s work.
“How’s work at the spa, Melinda?” I hadn’t seen her since she had called me to meet with her and encouraged me not to give up on Amelia. I would always be grateful to her for that.
“The spa is fine, it’s–hang on.” Melinda fished into her pocket and pulled out her ringing phone. “Oh. It’s Dad.”
Amelia and Larissa stopped eating. I set down my coffee.
“Are you going to answer it?” Larissa asked.
Melinda picked up, then put the call on speakerphone. “Hi, Dad.”
“Where the hell is Amelia? Where is your sister? What is going on?” He was shouting, sounding more confused than angry. “I came to her apartment to see her, but all her stuff was gone. Trudy wouldn’t give me any information. Where is she? Did something happen?”
“Whoa, slow down, Dad. Amelia is with Larissa and me, and she’s fine. In fact, she’s moving in with Nathaniel today. We’re helping them with the move.” Melinda paused for a moment, but her father said nothing in response. “If you want to come over here and talk to them–notto punch Nathaniel again–you’re more than welcome to drop by. We’ll all be here, waiting.”
Amelia’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head at Melinda, taken by surprise.
“Dad?” Melinda asked, “are you still there?”
David’s voice was lower and more sedate when he finally answered. “I’ll see you in twenty minutes.”
The call ended.
Amelia immediately freaked out. “What are you doing? Why did you tell him to comehereof all places?”
“Hey. Listen.” Melinda put a hand on Amelia’s arm. “He went looking for you at your apartment. It means he’s trying to reconnect.”
“Still, inviting him here? To Nathaniel’s? I haven’t spoken to Dad in weeks, and all of a sudden he’ll be showing up, in the flesh?”
Larissa squeezed Amelia’s hand. “He misses you. He told me just the other day.”
Melinda nodded. “Let’s give him a chance to apologize and come around. What do you think, Nathaniel?”
I was apprehensive about David coming over, but in truth, I didn’t think he was going to lose his temper again. “Your sisters are right. It’ll be fine. I’ve known your dad for a long time. If he’s made it as far as showing up to your apartment to try and talk, it means he wants to see you. He’ll follow through. David keeps his promises.”
