***** Nick glanced up as Mr.Valenci opened the door for a young couple. Almost everyone was already here and in the den, chatting and having a few drinks and from Nick’s position by the door at the foot of the stairs, he could see the front door clearly. The couple came downstairs followed by Mr. Valenci. “ Todd and Angela are here,” He announced and Nick glanced at Gabrial for explanation. “ Mor’s brother and his wife. Hey, Todd. Come meet Nick and Rickie,” Todd walked over to them and Gabe did the intros. “ So how’s Morgan?” Gabrial asked. “ She’s good. Very busy these days,” Nick’s spirits fell a few notches when he interpreted the fact that Morgan wasn’t coming. Todd turned out to be a funny guy and for about forty five minutes, they all swapped stories on college life. The doorbell rang again and Mrs. Valenci went to open it. Nick glanced uninterestedly at the brunette with some guy and a small infant. He tuned back to what Rick was saying and had forgotten about the couple. “ Guys, Morgan and Jake are here,” Gabrial’s Mom announced, leading the couple down the stairs. Nick froze when he heard Mor’s name. He looked over. Morgan. Still the same except for the fact that she looked a bit thinner. Hazy memories and drunken promises rushed to his mind at a dizzying speed. He watched her greet Mr. Valenci and her parents. She finally looked over to the group by the fireplace and flashed Gabrial a smile, not seeing Nick yet. She gave Gabe a long hug and said hi to Rick. At last, her eyes met Nick’s, her smile faltering. “ Morgan,” He said, his voice slightly hushed as if alone with her and not in a room full of people. “ You remember Nick, dont’cha, Mor?” Gabrial asked cheerfully. “ Nick. Hi,” She said formally, wrapping him in a quick and impersonal embrace before moving away. He stared after her, hurt and disappointed at her reaction to seeing him. That was all? A year of waiting, a year of regretting and all she gave him was ‘Nick. Hi’ and a cold hug? He felt as if she had just planted that dagger through his heart all over again. He watched as the guy she came with said something to her and she laughed before taking his hand and leading him to where Gabe and Nick was standing. “ Guys, this is Jake,” She introduced and Jake stuck out his hand, offering them a smile. “ Hi,” Nick said somewhat shortly, barely gripping his hand before dropping it. Morgan and ‘Jake’ seemed not to notice and this made Nick angrier. He excused himself and walked upstairs, needing some peace and quiet. He went out to the backyard’s glass doors and stared outside at the snowy night. It was going to be a long night...
***** Morgan glanced up when Nick took a seat at the dinner table directly in front of her. She flashed him a small smile which he quickly ignored. Sighing inwardly, Morgan turned her attention back to the other end of the table where Gabrial was talking about one thing or another. “ You ok? You look a little pale,” Jake asked softly, his green eyes showing slight concern. “ Yeah, I’m fine,” She assured him. He nodded and looked at his watch. “ You and Lia wanna come to my house tonight?” He suggested and she paused, contemplating. “ Yeah, sounds good,” She returned his smile and glanced at Nick who was practically glaring at her. “ What?” She asked quietly, caught off guard. Before Nick could reply, Evelyn, Morgan’s mom, came over to her and Jake, holding Amelia. “ She looks sleepy,” Evelyn said, handing her granddaughter to Morgan. “ Yeah. I should let her sleep,” Mor mused, studying her daughter’s face. “ Thanks for watching her, Mom,” Morgan said, standing up. “ Why don’t you eat first, honey? You’ve certainly lost some weight,” Eve said and Morgan and Jake exchanged smiles. Eve always told her daughter she had lost weight every time she saw her. “ Your Mom’s right, let’s eat and then you can put her to sleep,” Jake said as Evelyn walked away. “ Is that your kid, Jake?” Nick asked shortly. Jake glanced at Morgan. “ Yeah, my kid,” He nodded, uncomfortable at Nick’s stare. “ Could you bring her baby seat, please?” Morgan asked Jake, cradling Amelia. “ Yeah, sure,” He stood up and walked off to the direction of the livingroom. “ What is your problem, Nick?” Morgan snapped, glaring at Nick. “ What’s wrong with me? How can you pretend nothing happened? It’s been a year, Morgan! Not a very easy one for me-...Tell me one thing, is that really Jake’s kid?” He shot at her, his voice lowering so no one else could hear their conversation. She hesitated. “ Yes, of course it’s Jake’s kid,” She answered. “ You hesitated,” Nick said angrily, not really doubting it was Jake’s child but just looking for an excuse to make her angry. “ Why can’t you put the past behind you, Nick? It was one night, it would’nt have worked out with you and me,” She hissed. “ How do you know that? I shouldn’t have let you go so easily, I realize that-” “ We are not having this conversation right now. This is neither the time or the place,” Morgan snapped and looked up as Jake came back with the baby seat. Nick watched bitterly as he helped her strap Amelia in and sit back down himself. That could have been him, that could have been his child. Mrs. Valenci appeared and started bringing out the bowls and platters of food. Nick looked on unitrestedly, his appetite gone...
Contents
Next Chapter
Main Page
