Chapter 49

I decided to call Calvin. I truly hoped he’d pick up the phone, so we could talk. I had made a terrible mistake, and now I wasn’t sure how he’d react to it. He hadn’t called me back or responded to my text when I asked him if he got home safely. I hated how I felt about this. I could now see how he was a difficult person when it came to trouble. He didn’t seem like someone who would get over something quickly or someone who would apologize easily, and to be quite honest, neither was I.

“Hello,” he answered, sounding so stern. It was like when he was my boss in the beginning. This was the exact tone he used. Strict and straight to the point.

“I called you so many times,” I mumbled, getting comfortable on the couch and turning off the tv to focus on the phone call.

“I saw,” he said shortly. So he was openly ignoring me… That hurts.

“Oh… Calvin, how are you?” I decided to ask, changing the subject. I wasn’t sure how to bring up the part about him being treated wrongly.

“What did you call me for, Lily?” he asked, unamused, never bothering to answer my question.

“Can we talk?” I then asked, pressing my lips together.

“Now you want to talk?” He scoffed. I could tell he was already getting proud about this.

“Calvin—” I was saying, trying to figure out how to say it.

“What?” he interrupted quite rudely.

“Listen, I think I screwed up, okay,” I admitted, hoping it would help.

“I don’t have time for this right now, Lily. I have lots of work to do.” I couldn’t help but be annoyed at him now. “Take care of yourself and the baby,” he mentioned lastly.

“Take care,” I replied too and ended the call. The next person to call, of course, was my parents. They knew what had happened. I had told them briefly, but I haven’t told them about Odell yet. My parents were both a bit unsure about the situation, and it seemed like they knew more than they were letting on and had warned me to give Calvin a chance, but in the end, I decided to be a stubborn person and thought I knew it better.

“Hello, Mom, Dad,” I said once they answered the call. They barely let the phone ring and had answered immediately.

“Hey, Lilybug, we were about to come over. Do you need anything?” my dad asked, the sound of rustling in the background. It must be aluminum foil, probably wrapping me up some food.

“Some birthday cake cookies would be nice,” I said, thinking about it. “Or ice cream,” I muttered, unsure what I wanted at this point. Perhaps both would console me.

“Cravings?” my mother asked.

“More like emotional support,” I sighed and rolled over onto my side, pouting. These hormones sure were working and making me feel all the emotions.

“Oh no, what’s wrong?” my father then asked.

“When you get here, we’ll talk about it.” I sniffled then ended the call and texted them to drive safely.

I got up and cleaned the kitchen quickly, knowing I’d get judged for how it looked when my parents arrived. The whole house looked tidy, but the kitchen, for some reason, and the couch was always a mess. And I barely even cook these days, so I was happy my parents were coming over. They would 100% bring over food, so I wouldn’t have to order anything. Something told me they’d bring lasagna, and I was craving it.

I went back to the couch and read a few mom-to-be posts Janelle sent me a while ago. Very soon, we’d both give birth! It was a crazy thing to wrap my head around. After about a half an hour, I heard a knock on the door followed by the bell and went to open the door for my parents.

“Hello, sweetheart.” My father pulled me for an awkward hug, then my mother did the same.

“We brought you both the birthday cake cookies and ice cream,. My father showed me the grocery store bag.

“You guys are the best,” I grinned, taking the bag from his hand. “Thank you,” I said as I put away the ice cream in the fridge and opened the bag of cookies to have now.

“We also made lasagna, and by the looks of it, it seems like you didn’t cook anything today.” My mother placed the Tupperware on the counter, her eyes on the empty stove.

“I didn’t get to it. Thank you for the lasagna. I was craving it,” I admitted and smiled at her.

“You’re welcome, dear.” My mother shook her head.

“Let me put some on a plate for you,” my father offered and shooed me and my mother out of the kitchen.

I nodded and went to sit at the dining table. It was a four-person table, but I didn’t mind it being so small. Perhaps I’ll be able to afford a proper house for me and the baby in the future. Mom sat across from me, and we both looked over at my dad as he put some food on a plate for me and served me that with a tall glass of cold water, just how I liked it.

“So what’s going on with you and Calvin,” my mother then asked. I took a deep breath, followed by a sip of my water. I then began to tell them everything, including Odell. My parents were a bit disappointed in how I answered the door. Odell could’ve been someone dangerous, but it’s not like I had even unlocked the door. We spoke through the very tiny gap, which seemed a bit rude, but I wasn’t about to open up for a complete stranger. I also told them about the call between me and Calvin.

“I’m so sorry, Lilybug, but I think he’s just hurt how you never gave him a chance to even explain himself,” my mother explained gently. Usually she’d be more of an “I told you so” person, but it seemed like she didn’t want to hurt me and explained things quite gently.

“I know, but don’t I deserve a second chance?” I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. I was starting to think of cutting it shoulder length, but both Madison and Calvin advised strongly against that.

“You do, but Calvin seems like someone who needs time. Give him some space and you’ll see he’ll come back,” my mom explained, caressing my face, wiping away some of the cookie crumbs.

“How can you be sure?” I asked, a bit insecure. What if that’s all that Calvin needed to be done with me. I now realized I didn’t want to be done with him. I liked him…

“You already mentioned you wanted to talk to him. Now it’s up to him to come around. You can’t chase after him like a little dog,” Mom warned. This just reminded me of high school all over again when I’d come running to her with boy problems… She always told me to never chase after a man, especially when we spoke about Felix who, of course, she and Dad never once liked.

“You’re right,” I sighed. If he wanted to come around, he would come around. I already made sure to let him know I was ready to talk. I saw where I made my mistake and was looking to talk about it. If he didn’t want that, then I couldn’t force him to. At the end of the day, neither of us were obligated to stick around. We’d already reached the end of our original agreement anyways. Even though it pained me to admit, I wished we could have something a bit more.

My parents stayed over a little longer. I showed them the nursery. They were both in love with it. We then spoke about the company’s future along with me working from home once I was ready. Finally, we retired on the couch and watched a fun movie together. Around night time, they both left after first making me some soup. I really appreciated all they did for me.

Third-person POV

At the hospital…

Janelle’s water had broken. Luckily, her parents were over and took her to the hospital. She was only a few days away from her actual due date. Part of her wasn’t ready for this. The last time she had Cameron there for support but not now. Just as she got comfortable in the hospital bed, she received a call. She picked up the phone, even though she was in pain.

“Mrs. Cartwright, your husband woke up from his coma,” were the last things she heard before dropping the phone on the bed.