53. Promise
A week has passed since Tracy came to the office to tell me she is pregnant with my boyfriend’s baby. I am on my way to pick up Jason from the airport. Andrew is driving while I sit at the back. Jason’s plane should be landing in a few minutes. I am happy he is back. I missed him terribly. I am worried about what will happen when he runs a DNA test on the baby in Tracy’s womb. I am praying that the baby in Tracy’s belly does not belong to him.
I step out of the car and stand at the end of the stairway of Jason’s private plane. As he descends the stairway, the smile on his face is the same one I got the moment my eyes saw him. He walks towards me and pulls me into a hug. He spins me around and showers my face with kisses.
“Jason, stop spinning me,” I say, giggling, feeling a little light-headed from the spinning. He drops me back on the ground and captures my lips in a passionate kiss. I kiss him back with the same intensity as he is kissing me. I have missed kissing him.
“I missed you so much,” He says once he releases my lips from his
“Me too,” I say, with my forehead against his. “How was your trip? I hope you accomplished everything you wished, and where is your grandmother?” I ask, walking to the car. Andrew greets him before collecting his bags from the crew members and puts them in the trunk.
“I did, and grandma decided to stay for a few more days,” Jason says, opening the car door for me.
“Oh, that’s nice, and will you be resuming work tomorrow,” I ask, getting into the car. Jason gets in after me once he is inside. Andrew starts the car.
“Yes, I have a lot I need to catch up on.”
“I knew it; you are such a workaholic.”
“I know, and speaking of work, how were things while I was away. I hope it was not too stressful for you.
“No, it wasn’t.”
“That’s good to hear, considering Vivienne was away too.” The emergency Vivienne had that day required her to take leave from work. Her dad had a mild stroke, so she took two weeks off to take care of him. She will also be coming back to work tomorrow.
“Yeah” Jason has not mentioned anything about Tracy or the baby. It’s like they don’t even exist. I didn’t expect him to mention it immediately as he landed, but I thought he would have asked something about her by now.
In the evening, Jason and I go out for dinner. I have some clothes at Jason’s place, so I wear a white floral print bodycon dress with a square neckline and lantern sleeves for our dinner out. As I am putting on my heels, Jason walks over to me with a box in his hand.
“Here you go, this is one of the gifts I got for you from Dubai,” He says, placing the box on my lap. I am sitting down to put on my shoes.
“What did you get me?” I ask, smiling, feeling excited to find out what he got for me. I open the box to reveal a beautiful bracelet. It’s a rose gold pear-shaped diamond bracelet. “Jason, this is beautiful. I hope it didn’t cost too much.”
“I think it’s better only I know the price. I am happy you like it.”
“I love it, thank you,” I say, standing up to hug him.
“You’re welcome. Are you ready?”
“Let me just put this away; then we can go.”
“Put it on instead.”
“Isn’t it too expensive to wear to a simple dinner date?” Even though Jason refused to tell me how much it cost, I know it must be worth a fortune.
“No, it’s not. You should always have the best on.”
“I don’t think I need such a beautiful jewelry on my body while we eat.”
“Eleanor,”
“Yes,”
“Please put it on; I bought it for you to wear any time.”
“Alright,” With Jason, there is no convincing him otherwise.
I put on the bracelet and grab my clutch so we can be on our way.
While at dinner, Jason and I talk about random things. We are eating dessert when Jason finally speaks about Tracy.
“I know you must have been wondering all day why I haven’t mentioned Tracy.”
“Yes,”
“I didn’t say anything about her because I don’t believe the baby is mine even though I slept with her a few weeks before we got together.”
“What if it is Jason? It’s not impossible.”This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.
“I know it’s not impossible, and if that baby in her womb is mine, I need you to promise me something,” He says and takes my hand in his from across the table.
“What do you want me to promise you?”
“Promise me that you won’t leave me. Promise me you will stay with me and help me raise the child.”
“Oh,” I was not expecting him to ask me this. This is a lot he is asking me to do. I am crazy for Jason, but I don’t know if I can do that. The question I should ask myself is if I am ready to leave him. God, I am so confused right now.
“I know it’s a lot I am asking, so you don’t have to give me an answer now. Please think about it. There is no woman in this world I would want other than you to be by my side while I raise my kid.”
“I will think about it and get back to you.”
“Thank you,” He says, pecking the back of my palm.
I spent the following days thinking about what Jason asked me to promise him. I told him I would give him an answer after the DNA test. He wishes I would decide before it, but he understand why I can’t. It’s such a difficult thing to decide. I am on my way to his place right now. He had the DNA test yesterday. He asked me to come over and be with him as he finds out.
I step into Jason’s apartment once the elevator arrives on the penthouse. I walk straight to his study, where he told me he is going to be.
“Hi,” I say once I step inside his study.
“Hello, love, you are here just on time. Andrew just brought the results,” Jason says, walking towards the couch in his study to sit down.
“Oh,” I say, walking over to him by the couch. I sit down beside him.
“You haven’t given me your answer,” He says, with the result in his hand
“I know”
“Do you want more time to think before we find out?”
“No, I think it’s better we find out now” Jason seems so calm about the whole thing. It’s because he believes he is not the father of the baby. I have been having sleepless nights thinking about what to do if the baby is his. He is so confident it’s not his. I hope he is right.
“Alright, let’s find out then,” He says, unsealing the envelope. He reads the paper inside, and he does not need to say anything for me to know what is written inside. The expression on his face and the fact that the paper slipped out of his hands once he was done reading is enough to tell me he is the father.
I pick up the paper from the floor to still read it and make sure I am right. Once I read the paper, I keep it on the table and walk out of his study. I hear Jason talking to me as I walk out, but I can’t make out what he is saying. The only thing my brain can process right now is Jason is the father of Tracy’s baby. I can feel myself on the verge of tears as I realize things are not going to work between Jason and I. I know we don’t have to break up, but it’s not easy for me to just agree to help him raise a kid that is not mine.
I wait till I am inside my car before I release the tears. God, why does he have to be the father? Anyone could be the father. Why does it have to be my Jason? We have been through so much, and now this. How are we going to get through this? Do I really stay with him and help him raise the baby. Oh my God, what am I going to do?
I sit in my car and cry for only God knows how long. I drive home with my nose red from too much sniffing, my eyes swollen, and my face stained with tears. Before entering the house, I use wipes to clean my face, so Uncle Jack won’t know I cried. I haven’t told him about Tracy been pregnant for Jason. I wanted to tell him after we find out if the baby is his.
I step into the house, and the sweet aroma of whatever Uncle Jack is cooking drifts through my nose. I wonder what he is cooking. It smells divine. I walk towards the kitchen to find out. What I see before my eyes in the kitchen is something I never imagined seeing in my life.
“What are you doing in my house?” I ask Vivienne, who is standing beside Uncle Jack with a smile on her face.