Mending her shattered soul

2- We are survivors

Sawyer

I am curled up by the fire in our living room, reading a book, while Chloe is tucking Stella into bed. I enjoy this serene routine of ours. We have come a long way from the day Chloe found out she was pregnant and was unceremoniously dumped by Trevor, her baby daddy. It was hard for Chloe to find herself a single mom at 19.

Fortunately, her parents and I stood by her side and we never let her go through this alone. Financially, it was a challenge, especially as Chloe and I were both still at university. On scholarships might I add?

Chloe startles me out of my reverie, entering the living room and wagging her finger at me.

“What did you do?” she scolds me.

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“Trevor just called. He told me that he will visit us tomorrow with his parents to meet Stella.”

“Waw, that’s great news! Why are you so worked up?”

“Don’t look at me with your big blue baby eyes, Sawyer!”

“What did I do? I am just surprised and waiting for your input. Can you explain why, in less than 24 hours, they changed their minds? Why they went from 'your kid will never be officially recognized as a Harrison', to 'we want to meet her and get to know her!'”

“What do I know? Maybe it's a miracle!”

“I stopped believing in miracles a long time again. I asked him why this change of heart. And he replied that I should ask you.”

“Typical Trevor!” I huff, removing the plaid and placing the book on the coffee table. I stand up and look at Chloe straight in the eyes.

“I did what had to be done, Chloe. The important thing is that they are coming to see her.”

“Did you meet with Trevor? How did you convince him?”

“No, I didn’t go to this useless baby daddy of yours.”

“Sawyer! You know I don’t like it when you undermine Trevor.”

“OK. Whatever! I went to see the evil mastermind of the family.”

“You went to Ethan! When I specifically told you to let it go! When you promised that you wouldn’t!”

“Hey, I promised that I wouldn’t go after him last night. We said nothing about today.”

She shakes her head in disbelief…

“How did you get him to change his mind? Last night he was adamant that the only thing I can get is money.”

“I talked to his heart.”

We both stare at each other for a few seconds and then burst into laughter.

“Yes, right. Ethan Harrison with a heart. That’s believable!” she says, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

“I used blackmail, Chloe. And the less you know, the better! What is important is the end result: Stella will finally meet her father, Chloe! And her paternal grandparents! “

“But Sawyer! This man is dangerous. He holds grudges. He will seek revenge.”

“Don’t worry. I can handle him.”

“But….”

“Take the win, Chloe” I softly squeeze her shoulder. “Stella will finally meet her dad.”

Chloe looks at me with watery eyes, nods, and hugs me tight.

“Hey, I can't breathe, Chlo!”

“Thank you, Sawyer! Thank you so much for always putting Stella and me first!”

“Don’t piss me off! She is my goddaughter. Of course, I will put her first. As for you, you are my friend-soulmate!”

“I would never have been able to raise Stella and provide her with a stable home and life without you, Sawyer.”

“And I would not be alive and standing here today if it were not for you, Chlo...”

She gazes at me, with an expression of pain and sadness etched in her eyes. We have been through a lot in those past years, but now is not the time to reminiscence such painful memories.

“Let’s focus on tomorrow. When will you sit down with Stella and prepare her for the visit?” I ask.

“When she gets back from school. I'll take a half day's leave tomorrow and share the good news with her.”

she replies.

“Hey, you do the drop-off, and I do the pick up! Don’t rob me of my time with Stella!” I playfully complain.

“Well, I was thinking…” she hesitates for a few seconds before adding,

“if it is ok for you, and since you work from home… Would you mind preparing your delicious cupcakes and tea sandwiches for the visit?”

“Aren’t you afraid I'll slip poison in them?” I tease her. “Don’t look so horrified, I'm joking!” I immediately add, laughing.

~*~*~

The next day breezes by, with me tidying up the house from top to bottom. Though our abode is modest, I want to show our visitors that Stella is growing up in a nurturing and cozy environment.

I also prepare the savory bites as requested by Chloe. As I work part-time for a catering company, my culinary skills are highly commended by the customers. So, I am certain that on this front, they will enjoy the food and it might even surpass their chef’s snobbish cooking!

I hear a commotion at the entrance door; it is Stella, peering through the window. Since her mom told her about the visit, she's been restless, eagerly awaiting their arrival. Every two minutes, she runs to the entrance and looks through the window to see if they have come yet. Who can blame her? At last, she'll see her father!

Searching for Chloe, I find her in the foyer, biting her nails, anxious as well. Chloe will be seeing Trevor for the first time in forever. I think the last time they met was when Chloe was six months pregnant, and I tried to convince him and his brother to stop their baseless accusations and stand by Chloe.

The meeting was a big fat disaster. The Harrison brothers insisted that Stella could not be Trevor’s child and that Chloe was sleeping around. When we said that we could easily prove them wrong by running a paternity test, they vehemently refused.

Instead, they offered to pay us a hefty amount of money if we agree to just go away and disappear from their lives. Then their uncle joined the meeting, insinuating that Chloe wanted to trap Trevor with this pregnancy, hoping to become a Harrison and get their social status and money.

There was a lot of yelling, and I was on the verge of physically attacking the three of them when Chloe forced us to shut up. She impressed me that day with her strength and composure.

“Trevor, one day you will realize you judged me unjustly. And when this day comes, my door will be open for you to come and visit our daughter, because I will never be heartless like you are to me today. I will make sure to tell our daughter about our love story and share the many good memories we shared together. Don’t you ever offer me money like that! My principles aren't for sale! Trevor don't ever forget: money cannot change the truth.” And just like that, she left without looking back.

As she was leaving the meeting room, I saw a hint of hesitation in Trevor’s eyes, but his uncle immediately stepped in and told him not to forget the photos of Chloe with Richard. Richard? As in our best friend, Richard? Before leaving, I told Trevor that whatever information his uncle was feeding him, he should not believe him. I remember this meeting as if it were yesterday…

“Trevor, you know that Richard is our friend and nothing more. And, more importantly, you know Chloe. Do not destroy your happiness and the future of your unborn child because of your uncle. He was always against your relationship, belittling Chloe’s middle-class status. How many times did he try to sabotage your relationship with Chloe? How many times did he try to break you up? Don’t you think it's convenient that he is accusing her of cheating on you now? That the child is not yours? C’mon on! This is Chloe we are talking about! Do you really believe she'd cheat on you? Please, think about it and come back to your senses before it is too late. Never trust your uncle, Trevor. This man does not love you. He only loves power and money. Do yourself a favor and do not believe or at least challenge everything he tells you. Search for the truth yourself .”

I left after my little speech hoping that Trevor would think things through and come to his senses. However, I was mistaken.

Here we are seven years later, and even though Trevor found out that Stella was his daughter, he never tried to reach out. Maybe he is not that different from his uncle after all. Money, and social status over anything else.

Now is not the time to reminisce on such painful memories. For Stella's stake, we need to turn the page on the past and focus on the future.

I scrutinize Chloe for a few seconds, then sigh. She still loves Trevor. Everything in her posture and her facial expressions indicate that she still has feelings for him. I hope she will not get hurt again, because if the past taught us anything, it is that the Harrisons cannot be trusted.

I get closer to her and ask:

“Are you okay, Chloe?”

“Of course, I am NOT okay. I'm about to see him after seven years. He's going to see Stella for the first time. I am a nervous wreck.”

“Breathe Chlo. Everything will be okay. Just breathe. And remember this is only about Stella. Please do not put any hope in Trevor other than being the father of your daughter. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

She nods and gazes lovingly at Stella, who's looking out of the window, impatiently waiting for her father.

“Chlo, did you tell Trevor that Stella is not aware of the abandonment and all the crap they gave you?”

“Yes, yes. I told him that for Stella they could not visit us because of work and physical distance. He will brief his parents as well.”

“Good. Now take Stella and go to the backyard. Just play together and get your mind off this meeting. I will call you when they arrive.”

She calls Stella and they walk hand in hand to the backyard just as the doorbell rings.

We all look at each other, hearts racing and eyes wide open. They are early.

“Deep breath, everyone” I whisper before heading to the front door and opening it.