Theon
I made my way to the bedroom only to find it empty. I went downstairs in search of the mother of my son, and saw her pacing back and forth in the kitchen, being closely followed by pancake, who was barking effusively at her legs.
" What are you doing? " I questioned as I reached the room.
The kitchen counter was full of ingredients, and she was busy chopping some tomatoes.
" Sorry, I overheard your conversation with Harper and decided to make dinner. She won't make it in this rain, will she? " Sam smiled at me.
" Well, no... But you didn't have to worry about cooking.”
I didn't even know she cooked!
" Don't be silly, I can do it without any problem," she smiled, "actually my father called me earlier and made me want Chilli, and luckily I have everything at home.”
" Chilli? " I frowned as I saw the separate pots and the washed beans.
" My grandmother makes the best Chilli con carne I've ever had," she explained.
" And you are making your grandmother's Chilli? " I asked as she finished cutting the tomatoes.
" I'm trying to, it's never the same," she confided.
That information surprised me, and in a way, pleased me, I didn't expect Sam to be the cooking type.
" How can I help you? " I questioned.
" You can chop the onions," she smiled.
I did as she asked, and in a few minutes a delicious aroma invaded the kitchen when everything was already in the pot.
" Come on, this will take a little longer to do," she nodded, "we can speed up the painting.”
I accepted her suggestion, returning to the room, while she set the timer on her cell phone. Soon we were both once again busy painting our little one's room.
" And how did you learn to cook so well? " I watched her with a half smile, again sitting on the floor.
" I don't know how to cook well, I just don't starve," she laughed, "my grandmother insisted that every woman should know how to cook a good chili, so I had to learn.”
" That's an interesting story," I teased her as I re-soaked the rolling pin with paint.
" Chilli is a very serious thing in my family," she teased.
" You seem to have had a very interesting life.”
" Yes, my parents took care of that," she sighed.
" Can I ask you a question?”
" Sure.”
" Don't you intend to tell your parents what's going on? " I watched her.
Sam shifted on the floor, looking uncomfortable with the subject. But I needed to understand what was going on.
" I will tell them when Charlie is here. That way I'll have someone to lean on.
Charlie would arrive the next day for Thanksgiving, and Sam was looking forward to that visit. I had invited them to join us for lunch, and she seemed pleased with the situation.
" How do you think they will react?”
" I'm not sure, actually. They'll be disappointed, that's what scares me the most. " she sighed, getting up.
I could understand some of her fears when faced with this new information. Her parents must be very conservative, so they can't easily accept the fact that their daughter gets pregnant without being married, or at least in a stable relationship.
I wanted to help her feel better in some way, but I didn't know what to do. I approached her, knelt down and put my hand on her belly, bringing it closer so that he could hear better.
" Hey baby, it's me again," I began in Greek, "I think I need to make it a habit for you to know my voice.”
Samantha put her hand over mine, smiling as she watched me.
" You have an amazing mother, you know? " I continued " I hope you take good care of her.”
" What are you talking about? " she asked, still smiling.
" This is a secret between me and my son," I winked at her, before kissing her belly.
That gesture caught her off guard, her body tensing in response before relaxing. I was about to pull away when I felt her hand on my scalp, stroking it.
" I'm going to go check on the food," she suddenly turned away, looking disconcerted, "I'll be back soon.”
" Of course... I'll get back to work." I sat down on the floor, deciding to focus on the wall and ignore the feeling that had taken over me.
Why did I keep torturing myself? Harper loves me, I know that, and I don't want to hurt her, but still, when I'm with Samantha....
I looked at the bedroom window, which was bathed in the heavy rain that still pelted the city outside the house, wondering how I ended up in the middle of this madness. But one thing was for sure, I couldn't wait to meet my boy.
The storm seemed far from passing, in fact it was getting bigger by the minute as I worked nimbly on the walls. I had gotten the hang of it and the work was paying off.
" Dinner is ready " Sam surprised me by standing in the doorway.
She was watching the part I had managed to finish with a dazzled look on her face, and I imitated her gesture, understanding her reaction. His room will be beautiful.
" Did you like it? " I stood beside her.
" It's turning out just the way I imagined," she smiled, still staring at the wall.
" Glad to help," I mirrored her smile.
" Come on, Theon, the food's about to get cold. " she called me.
I followed her, and soon we were seated at the front dining table, with pancake at our feet.
" So, what did you think?”
" It's good," I tried to flatter her.
It was far from being the best dish I have ever eaten, but it was good.
" Our son will not starve to death," she winked.
I couldn't help but laugh at this scene. She was right. But soon a heavy thunderstorm interrupted us, causing me to look worriedly out the window. Will this rain really not pass?
" Tell me more about your parents," I turned my attention back to her, deciding to forget anything that was not under my control.
" My father works with oil, I can't really explain what he does, but he travels a lot and knows a lot of people," she revealed, "I try not to depend on him or my mother, but they always help me when I need it.”
" Does your mother also work?”
" They both work together, despite their situation, they have managed to grow a lot with each other's support.”
" Situation?”
" My mother got pregnant when she was still a teenager, they were very immature and it couldn't have been easy," she explained.
This information surprised me and made me understand the real reason for her fear of disappointing them. It was likely that she didn't want to make the same mistakes as her parents. And I couldn't blame her for feeling that way.
The rest of the dinner was pleasant, we discussed a few more names, without being able to reach a consensus, and went back to work. It was after midnight when I finished everything, Sam had been delighted with the final result, while I wondered if the storm had abated enough for me to drive.
" You're not planning to leave in this rain, are you? " she asked as a flash of lightning illuminated the entire room, followed by a loud crash of thunder.
" I don't know, it's late," I sighed.
" Theon, you can sleep in the guest room! Going out in this rain is dangerous," she assured me, "you don't want to risk orphaning your son before you even meet him, do you? “
I looked out the window again, watching the rain falling hard outside. As if reading my decision on my face, Sam followed me up the stairs.
" I'll get the room ready for you," she warned.
Samantha didn't make much of the point, she seemed very tired, and as soon as she had settled me in, she went to sleep.
I lay there for a while, watching the bedroom ceiling as the storm raged on. My mind was caught up in all that I had discovered and how difficult those feelings were.
I knew that I had to choose and forget the other person, I couldn't continue in this situation. I could either choose Harper and let go of that feeling for Samantha once and for all, or I could choose Samantha and make it clear to Harper what was going on. But how could I break the heart of the woman who had been so supportive and understanding from the beginning? That old love for Harper kept me stuck with her, but this new feeling for Sam didn't seem fleeting.
Guilt consumed me for much of the night, preventing my sleep, but at some point I fell asleep, still thinking about all my options.