Personal Chef

Chapter 43

I could tell that my parents thought it was strange that I hadn't gone back to the condo, but they kept that to themselves. Over breakfast, my mom kept giving me sympathetic looks and my dad kept frowning into his oatmeal.

After I'd unsuccessfully tried to eat, I went home. When I let myself in the door, I wasn't sure if Kat would be there or not. I hoped she wouldn't, which maybe made me a bad person.

"I'm back," I called out as I set my purse in the closet.

Shawn walked out of the bedroom wearing just a pair of athletic shorts. He was towel drying his hair.

"Kat left an hour ago," he said as he noticed me looking around. "She caught a flight back to Los Angeles."

"Oh."

I didn't know what else to say, but I was definitely a little relieved.

He walked over and gave me a kiss on the top of my head. "Thank you for giving us time to talk yesterday. I didn't mean to push you away last night, but I felt it was best for everyone if you didn't have to deal with Kat. I know you two aren't exactly friends."

"How did that talk go?" I asked.

"We came to some understandings. You and I need to talk now. Okay?"

His words, coupled with how he said them, made me feel like there was a thirty pound stone in my stomach.

"Can I shower first? I didn't yesterday and I feel gross," I said.

"Yeah, of course," he said, giving me a weak smile.

"Join me?" I asked.

"I just showered," he said before turning and getting himself a cup of coffee.

He knew what I meant. Whatever we had to talk about wasn't going to be good. I now knew that. If he couldn't fuck me in the shower, he was avoiding intimacy. The rock inside me doubled in size as I dragged myself to the bathroom alone and got undressed.

I took my time in the shower so that I could delay the pending discussion as long as possible. I tried not to think of what he had to say, but deep down I suspected what the gist of it would be. Because I knew Shawn.

Trying to maintain some normalcy, I put on a little make-up, blew out my hair, and got dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a hoodie of Shawn's. I then braced myself and walked out to the living room. Shawn was now fully dressed in jeans and a sweater. He looked tired and was anxiously playing with his ring, which did nothing to ease my mind. He took a seat on the couch. I sat next to him, and he put an arm around me as he rested his chin on the top of my head.

"I'm really sorry, Chels," he muttered softly.

And that's when my heart broke, because I now knew for sure where this was headed.

I had to look at him to gauge how he was feeling, so I wiggled out of his grasp and moved away so that I was turned towards him, sitting cross-legged.

"Just tell me," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

He hesitated a moment before saying anything. "I need to be there to support Kat and the baby. I've already missed five months of the pregnancy. I can't miss any more. That's a terrible way to start parenthood."

I nodded because it made sense even if it hurt me.

"We talked about the different options. It makes the most sense for her to stay in LA since her career and parents are there. She needs support from her friends and family."

I couldn't argue with that. I wouldn't want to be far away from my parents if I were in her shoes.

"So she's staying there. That means I need to go there to be with her," he continued.