Chapter 29

As time went on Sophie began to regret being married to Zander. He was doing his movies, and god knows what else, while she was at home, wishing she had just waited to marry him, suddenly Sophie felt real depressed, knowing things would never change. All she had were Zander’s pictures and the memories of their good times together. Once in a while he would write to her, or call her, but she wanted more. She felt she needed to get out of the house to do more than work, but what could she do without feeling guilty and wondering if she did leave that would be the day that Zander would call. She needed to be near him; she rolled over hugging her pillow then cried herself to sleep.

Upon waking the next morning, Sophie did not feel any better about her marriage, Zander, or her life, she felt alone, and desperate, wishing she had listened to Alex and just stayed married to him. Sophie decided to just stay in bed be lazy and try not to think about all that was wrong in her life, and try to focus on all that was good in her life. Kay-Leah would be having her baby soon, that would keep her busy, Sophie was looking forward to that, her nights were all that was lonely, in a double bed alone, not something she is used to. Numerous times once she had Alex leave, and she married Zander, since he was not there, she wanted to call Alex, she picked up the phone would start to dial the number but she could never finish with that last number. The last thing she wanted to hear right now was the I told you so, she could not face that right now, the worst part, she would have to admit that deep down he was right about Zander, and that she still does love Alex, that he will always have a piece of her heart. The biggest differences between the two Zander gave her things Alex never could, things that Sophie dreamed of having, Zander gave her. But, as with Alex, Zander is never there when she needs him.

“Mom, I hate to bother you, but, we have a small problem, I think I need to go to the hospital. I have been having really bad stomach pains, and it keeps getting worse.” Kay-Leah said, as she was holding her stomach, rubbing it. “It hurts for so long then it stops. Then hurts again a little bit later, I cannot take it anymore, please take me to the hospital.”

“I’m sorry Kay-Leah, did you say something? Why are you holding your stomach, looking like you are in agony? Are you okay?”

“Mom seriously, I just told you, for the past few hours my stomach hurts, then stops, hurts then stops. I think I need to go to the hospital.”

“Why would you wait until now to tell me, honey, you are in labor? We need to go to the hospital, call your dad and the Bright.” Wow, she actually has a reason to call Alex and not feel bad about it. That makes her feel a sense of winning.

“Mom really, we do not have time for all that, can we just go please, and you can call the others from there.”

“I’m sorry you are right, just get Heather and Jared, and tell them we have to leave.”

“Mom, just come on they are already in the car, I told them before you, for this exact reason.”

It was times like this that Sophie needed Zander to be with her, she had been wishing he would be home to share the birth of his grandchild, but realized that not all dreams and wishes come true, she knows he would be there if he could. At that moment Sophie finally had come to the realization that she would have to live her life with or without Zander, face it as it is thrown at her. She knew things would not change any time soon. There is no way for a person to be transferred closer to home in the movie business, the only way this would work would be for her to give up her job, and move where he is making the movies, or deal with things as they are. She knew what she was in for when they got married, it is her own fault, and she loved him way too much to just let him go. The time has come to deal with the distance, trust him, and live her life the best she can without him here. Sophie had Jewel to lean on in those really hard times, as well as she had friends to lean on, plus she had her job. She could do it. Now there is a new baby on the way that would keep her busy too.

“Sophie, hello, are you there? How is Kay-Leah doing? Has she had the baby yet?” Alex asked concerned.

Sophie looked up surprised to see Alex standing there. She had not expected him to even show up after run in the two of them had a few weeks back; he must have had a change of heart. Considering all of what they had been through, Sophie was happy to see him.

“No, she has not had the baby yet; she has been in there for a while now, should not be too much longer. I am surprised to even see you here, I called you to tell you since it was the fair thing to do, but really did not expect you to be here. I am happy to see that you can put our differences aside and be here for your daughter, and grandchild. Kay-Leah will be relieved to know that you managed to make it here.”

“No need to remind me, we all have had our differences, but today is not a day to allow those differences to get in the way.”

“Thank you Alex that means a lot to me, after all our problems really should not reflect on our kids. They are still a part of you, you are still welcome to come and see them whenever you want to see them. Although, with the age they are a phone call may be worth making before you come over.”

“Why are Austin and his parents here? Why should they care about what goes on in Kay-Leah’s life?”

“Alex, please, they can hear you. We made an agreement. When the baby is born it gets the Bright name, in return they said that they would pay the doctor bills, plus give us ten thousand dollars to use on the baby as we see fit. So you see they are here to see what they have a boy or girl, they have that right.”

“Okay, but the baby is living with you and Kay-Leah right? What about tax time who claims the kid? Never mind, sorry, I did not know all of the information which you had mentioned. Gee, where is Mr. Glamour himself at today? Shouldn’t he be here with you? You know who I am talking about right, the one who you said was what you have always wanted in a man, the one who knows how to love you, the one…..”

“Enough Alex, this is not the time or the place to talk about my personal life. Not to mention it really is not any of your damn business. You really do not need to concern yourself with my love life or even my personal life, the only concern you should have is for your children and now the grandchild. You never cared when we were married, so just do not start to care now, a little too late for that.”

“Excuse me, Mrs. Sharp.” Said the nurse.

“That would be me, how is Kay-Leah?”

“She and the baby are just fine. She gave birth to a healthy seven pound, two ounce baby girl. If you wish I can have the nurse bring the baby to the nursery window, then in a little while you can all go in and see them.”

“Yes please, that would be nice.”

“Well, let’s all go see this new addition to the family.” Sophie proudly exclaimed.

“Wow, I have a daughter, now what do I do.” Austin looked scared as hell; he was unsure what to do.

As they walked toward the nursery Sophie once again began to think about Zander. She had wanted him to be there when the baby was born, instead lucky him, Alex was there. Zander had been hoping that Kay-Leah would have a girl, his wish came true. Now all Sophie needed to do was figure out just how to get a hold of Zander to tell him. Trying to call him was very difficult to do at times, he was rarely at home, and was not able to take calls while on the set.

“She is beautiful, isn’t she Sophie?” Said Alex. “She looks as beautiful as her grandmother. Why Sophie, why, did you have to leave me for him? We could have enjoyed this baby together, now I will rarely see my grand-daughter. At least if we were still together I would be able to spend quality time with her, get to know her, well with you and Kay-Leah too. You know my offer still stands, if you chose to divorce him I will pay for it, all you have to do is say the word, I will be there, at least think about it. All I want is a chance to prove myself, to prove that I have changed, to let you see I know what I did wrong.”

“Thank you for the compliment Alex and yes she is a beautiful child, but it still will not score you any points, I am married to Zander now, and I plan to keep it that way. Don’t get me wrong, I can see that you have made some changes, there are plenty of women out there, just try to move on with your life. Get yourself out there and find another woman. One day out of the blue a woman will cross your path that you will love the same if not more than you ever loved me. There is a person out there for everyone, you just have to be patient, you will find her, or she will find you. You do know that Kay-Leah wanted a girl, she got her wish.” Sophie turned to look at Austin, he looked as though he had seen a ghost, and was trembling. “Tell me Austin, what do you think of the little girl you made?”

“She is beautiful. She looks so much like Kay-Leah. I have been thinking about Kay-Leah a lot lately, I wish we were still together at times, and then we could share the baby, instead of the way we have to do it now. What do you think Mrs. Ramsey? Do you think that Kay-Leah would take me back if I asked her? Who knows we may end up getting married someday. I know not a chance in hell, right.”

“Austin, I have nothing against you, if you want to get Kay-Leah back that is totally up to you, if she takes you back that is totally up to her. I do know that when you broke things off with her she was very upset with you. As far as you two getting married one day, well, do not look that far ahead, you are both still young, you may find someone else later in life that you will love more, it is way too soon to tell. Just for now take a day at a time make sure you want a relationship with her, do not turn your back on her. Right now, I do not think after all she has been through that she could handle it if you two break up again.”

“I understand what you are saying Mrs. Ramsey, I really did not want to break up with Kay-Leah I guess it was just because I was scared and not sure what to do. I really was not too sure how to handle being around you after you caught us together that one night. Then I started to hear the stories about her being pregnant I was even more scared. I really do care about Kay-Leah, I am not sure that I love her though. In fact to be honest I am really still pretty confused about what real love is between a couple. Parental love I do understand, now that I am a father at least. Maybe someday I will understand, but for now I do like Kay-Leah and care for her, she is the girl I want to be mine and to grow to love one day. If not at least I tried and did not run away.”

“Austin, you are learning already, love takes a lot of time to grow between two people, even more time to be able to share that love together for the rest of your lives. Do not make a mistake of getting married if you are unsure that you love someone, make sure the love is real, that you can shout from the roof tops that you love the person. If not you will live a very unhappy insecure life. Take it from me, I have been down that road, it can really hurt deep, and ruin your life as well as the other persons if the love is not real. Think about that. Do not move so fast, you are only fifteen and she is fourteen, you two should be out there living your life, going to prom, going to the parks, whatever you kids do these days, instead you are parents with a child to raise, feed, clothe, take care of.”

“Thank you Mrs. Ramsey. I appreciate the talk we had; does this mean I can come to see my daughter and your daughter with no problems?”

“Your daughter you know you can see her as often as you wish, my daughter, well I cannot answer for her, but I am sure she will be fine with it. Just be careful and do not move to fast, you do not want to end up at odds with each other, not only will you suffer but Kay-Leah and the baby will as well.”

Sophie’s mind suddenly wandered back in time to when her children were born. She sometimes wishes that she could turn back the hands of time to when she was happy, and felt loved, back to when her and Alex were happy, maybe change some things, then she would not have to be unhappy and lonely as she is now. She made her own mistakes, she wishes she had talked it all out with Alex, and then they may have still been together. Instead of trying to solve the problems by herself, but it was too late for that now, the past is better left in the past where it belongs. Time to let it all go and move on.

“Sophie, here is the check for ten thousand dollars as we agreed upon, use it on the baby as you see fit, we will call later to check on the two girls to see how well they are doing. If you need anything else just let us know, again congratulations, she is a beautiful baby.”

“Thank you, of course you are welcome to come over anytime to see the baby, or we can even bring her to your house. You may be seeing a lot of the baby, I do believe that Austin wants to make things work with Kay-Leah.”

“He mentioned that to us, he really misses your daughter, he has not been the same since the two of them broke up. I did tell him that he needed to talk to you first to make sure it was okay; he said he was too scared to. I guess he finally manned up and asked you. They do make a cute couple, who knows they may get married and be together for eternity.”

“Thank you again Mr. Bright, we do appreciate all the help that you have given to us. I have to admit if the two kids were to marry someday I would be proud to call him my son-in-law.”

“Austin is you ready to go home?” Asked his father.

“No, not yet, I need to talk to Kay-Leah first.”

“You can go ahead and go home; I will drop him off on my way home. I want to see her too. I am anxious to see what she is going to name the baby. She has to be ready for visitors by now.”

“Are you sure it is okay, I do not want you to have to go out of your way to bring him home?”

“You only live a few blocks from where I live, it is fine, and he will get home.”

“Okay, but not to late okay, school tomorrow.”

Sophie and Austin walked slowly toward Kay-Leah’s room, after looking once again at the baby. They were both amazed at how big the baby was, and how much hair she had, she is a beautiful baby.

“Okay Austin let me go in first, I want to talk to Kay-Leah, then I will tell her she has a visitor, and you can come in.”

“That is fine with me, at least then she will be expecting me, I won’t have to worry about her throwing something at me out of anger.”

“Kay-Leah honey, how do you feel? We all got to see the baby, she is beautiful. Your dad was here, he had to leave, and he sends his love. The Bright’s were here, but they had to leave as well. They send their love to you and the baby. Now tell me what name did you come up with for that beautiful little grandbaby of mine?”

“I made the decision to name her Jasmine Lee Bright. I thought the two names together sounded pretty neat. Besides I have always liked that name. Was Austin here with his parents? I was hoping to be able to talk to him before he left.”

What a beautiful name for such a beautiful little girl, Zander will be happy to hear that you had a girl, now she is about to be spoiled like the three of your kids are. So how does it feel to be a mom? It feels like a whole new life style, or life doesn’t it? I remember how I felt, excited, and worried at the same time if I would be able to be a good mom. From the looks of it I raised three terrific kids.”

“Being a mom is a great feeling, but it is a scary one at the same time. I am excited though, I have not held Jasmine yet, or fed her. Now mom would you please just answer my question, was Austin here?”

“”Oh, yeah, yeah, he was, he still is. He wants to talk to you. I told him I would bring him home after that. I think I am going to try to call Zander again, and Aunt Jewel, I will leave you two alone.”

“Thanks mom.”

“Hi, Kay-Leah, I cannot believe how beautiful our baby is. What did you decide to name her?”

“Her name is Jasmine Lee. What do you think? Do you like it?”

“Yes, I love that name. Look, I think we need to talk. I have a lot to tell you so please do not interrupt me. I am sorry for hurting you, I never meant to, I really did not even want us to break up; I was afraid to come around or even to see you after your mom caught us. Then those words came out of a few people’s mouths about you being pregnant, that made it even worse, but suffices it to say I have been lost without you ever since we broke up. I regret breaking up; I should have stayed and faced the music. Will you ever be able to forgive me? At least try to forgive me. What I really want to ask is if you will let us be back together? I really do care about you, I told your mom I am not really sure what love is, at least not between two people like us, but I am willing to find out. She just said take a day at a time and not plan to far ahead.”

“Austin, I cannot believe that you want us back together. I have been lost since we broke up too. I just thought you were another one of those guys that gets a girl pregnant and daddy buys him out of being a dad to the child, I guess I was wrong. My mom has always told me that when you love someone you know it, the heart skips a beat, you cannot eat, sleep, or get through a day without every thought being consumed about that person, you just get a weird feeling, and I guess we will have to find out together.”

“Well, is that a yes then? You will give us another try? Thank you Kay-Leah, I am sorry if I hurt you, when you get out of the hospital and the baby of course, we can all find something to do together. For now I guess I better let you get some rest, I think your mom is about ready to go anyway. She still cannot get a hold of Zander and she is getting very pissed off. Well, I will call you tomorrow, sleep well.” Austin leaned over and kissed Kay-Leah lightly on the forehead, then walked out of the room to find Sophie.

“I am ready to go now Mrs. Ramsey. She said she is willing to give us another try. We are going to learn this whole family thing together. Did you ever get a hold of your husband?”

“No Austin I did not get a hold of him, or Jewel. Oh well, should have known, neither of them are reliable when they say they will be. Austin, I am happy for the two of you, I hope it all works out for you.”