Page 51 of F Buddy

Zach

This had to be done. I didn’t want to leave Scarlett at all while she was still at the hospital, but I needed to.

Abigail was there, waiting for me at my apartment, just as she’d said when she called me away from Scarlett and my baby. I sighed as I let us inside. I regretted bringing her here when we arrived back in the States, but there was nothing I could do about it right then, so I let it go.

“You know, if her mom hadn’t been there, I would have ignored you even if you broke into my apartment and stole everything,” I told her over my shoulder.

It had been two days already, and it would be New Year’s Eve soon. Our little break from work would be coming to an end, and I had plans to make. I had no intention of leaving Scarlett and our baby, especially now I’d admitted to her and myself, and to our friends and family, that I loved them both.

“Everything went well, then?” she said blandly.

I spun on my heel and stared her down as she closed the door and turned to face me. Before meeting my eyes, she looked around the room as if trying to memorize it.

“Yeah,” I said quietly. I reminded myself to be a little more sensitive. Abigail wasn’t the bad guy in any of this—I was, and I was damn lucky that Scarlett was so quick to forgive me. “Look, about leaving you at the restaurant—”

“It’s fine,” she said, cutting off my apology. “No explanations are needed. I was there for the whole argument.”

I sighed, feeling part embarrassed and part grateful I didn’t have to explain things to her. I was still trying to take it all in myself.

“So,” she said, “what happens now?”

I shrugged. “So, I stay here and raise a baby with Scarlett.” It was pretty much a foregone conclusion in my mind. Even if I didn’t love her as much as I did, or didn’t love my son as much as I did already, I would have done it anyway, because it was the responsible thing to do.

Abigail looked so surprised and I wondered if I should be insulted. “Really?”

“Yes, Abigail. What else did you think was going to happen?” I realized I wasn’t being fair and made an effort to regulate my tone. “I know this is out of the blue, and I’m so sorry about this. But you and I are over, Abigail. I would say there was nothing between us to begin with, but that would be rude.”

She rearranged her expression and looked away from me to try and retain her cool.

“It’s not rude if it’s true.” She laughed darkly and met my eyes with a smirk on her lips. “I was wondering when you’d realize Scarlett wasn’t just another notch on a bedpost for you, that you felt more for her than friends with benefits.”

“Of course, you noticed,” I muttered with a sigh.

She shrugged. “It was obvious, Zach. Probably from the moment you turned me down when I offered you sex and then kept doing it over and over, even when you said we were dating.”

I frowned, confused. “But if you knew, then why did you...”

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “I wanted to try and get you to change your mind,” she said and smirked. “It would have been a nice conquest, but you would have been a pain to work with afterward when you freaked out.”

I opened my mouth to protest, then snapped my mouth closed. I wasn’t sure if I’d have freaked out or not, but I definitely would have regretted it if I’d slept with Abigail only to realize later that I loved Scarlett.

“So,” she went on, “what are you going to do about work?” Her eyebrows shot up. “You realize we’re still stationed in Tokyo for the foreseeable future, don’t you?”

I arched an eyebrow right back wondering how simple-minded she thought I was as if that hadn’t occurred to me first.

“The break is until the fifth, but the office will be open on the third, and I’ll go and let my boss know then. They can’t make me go back there, and I was only there to replace someone anyway. I’ve done my work the past several months. I’m sure they can find someone else to take over.”

She looked shocked again. “Are you seriously giving up on your job for—”

I held up a hand, and immediately she went silent. It was getting annoying, how insistent she was on this.

She tightened her lips, looking a little upset, then defeated, and finally understanding.

“You’re hooked on the life of fatherhood after seeing your baby?” A smile played around her lips. “Was it love at first sight?”

I didn't know whether she was joking or not, but I sighed, and a smile spread on my lips. “I guess it was,” I murmured, then laughed. “Although, it should probably be love at first wail because I heard him crying before I saw him properly for the first time.” I aimed a smile at her. “He’s adorable.”

“A boy, huh?” she murmured to herself.