Yours Only, Albert

Chapter 6

Seeing as Albert had left to buy her food, she'd made tea to soothe her stomach, opting to lounge on the couch, as she binged a show on Netflix. She had actually understood his denial. After all, when she found out she was pregnant, she'd almost convinced herself that everything was a dream. 

If he decided to stay, where would that leave her? At this point, it was all but guaranteed that he would stay if only to see the child, and Sam accepted that. Would he settle for weekly visitations? And if he decided to fight her for custody, what then?

She shook her head.

No, he seemed like the love-'em-and-leave-'em type, so she was fairly sure he wouldn't knowingly saddle himself with a baby.

As for her, she didn't care for child support. Sam had a great business and her friends have been tapping her as a marketing consultant for their companies. Life was good, and she couldn't wait to meet her baby.

She paused the movie as her doorbell rang. Albert was drenched from head to toe. His hair was sticking up at odd angles, and he was dripping, quite literally.

It was comical to see the always composed man looking like a drowned rat for once.

Albert held up the wet paperbag with two golden arches printed on it. Sam grabbed it and ushered him to come in, leaving the bag on the kitchen counter as she ransacked a cabinet in the guest bedroom for her Kuya's clothes.

She wasn't entirely evil that she would leave him to dry in his soaked clothes. Besides, he brought her fries and some chicky nuggies.

"Here," She began, holding out a towel, some gray sweatpants, black shirt, and some boxers. "Bathroom's over there."

He nodded, grateful to finally rid himself of his wet clothes.

Sam settled back on the couch and started munching on the fries. It was heavenly.

She was watching intently, morbidly fascinated with Holden Ford's interrogation when she felt the couch dip. She wasn't prepared when Albert snatched a couple of fries.

"What?" He asked as she frowned. "I bought them!"

"That doesn't mean they're yours!" She sniped, irritated at his faux innocence.

They shouldn't be fighting over fries. "What do you want?" Sam glared at him. "Why are you really here?"

Albert sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't really know," He chuckled. "Heck, I don't even know what I want to do with myself these days. But I want to be here. I want to be part of the child's life."

"We don't always get what we want."

He shook his head ruefully. "Don't I know it."

Sam smiled sadly. What she wouldn't give to have someone who would love her as Albert did his late wife. She knew their story, knew how much he loved the beautiful Katherine.

She felt a little guilty for envying a dead woman, but she'd never belonged anywhere. Her mom thought her too quiet, her dad had always found her lacking, and the people around her thought her too serious. And when she talked, they thought her strange. When she allowed herself to feel, they thought her sensitive. Whatever she did, she couldn't quite fit the puzzle.

So she took what they had broken and retreated in her cave with the handful of friends that were true. Nobody would hurt her so carelessly with their words anymore.

"I'll be having an ultrasound tomorrow. Do you want to come?"

He smiled. "Yes, I would like to come."