The Bachelor by David Dower (read along books TXT) 📖

What would they fight about? Whose turn it was to feed their child? That was not something she would have wished for with Zach. Yes, she could be a parent. But, could he? He was too…childish to be a father. Their relationship was not that stable to begin with.

She shook her head. No, she didn’t want her child to feel unwanted.

“What the hell—?” Kim exclaimed from the door.

“What is it?” Julianne asked, standing up.

“You have to see this, Julianne!” her friend called out.

Curious, Julianne slowly walked to the door and her eyes rounded. “What the—”

Three men were entering her doorway, carrying blue things. Blue crib, blue stroller, blue paper bags, blue every baby thing.

Kim was writing on a board and she beamed at Julianne. “Zach sent them.”

“Where are we going to put these?” the first man asked, holding the bags up in front of him.

“Just put them here,” Kim answered when Julianne couldn’t, guiding the men into the living room.

A few moments later, Julianne was surrounded by everything blue. Kim was busily looking at blue baby clothes from the bags when she finally moved and went to her room.

“Where are you going?” her friend asked when she emerged with her bag and keys.

“I’m going to Zach.”

“Why?” her friend asked rather suspiciously.

“This has to stop,” she said and walked out.

 *****

Zach was home, doing some work with Liam who needed his signatures for the project he and Chanty were doing when the maid came in and announced that a Julianne Grey was looking for him.

He immediately jumped off his seat and looked at the shocked Liam. “What is she doing here?”

His friend looked at him for a long time before frowning, “What a stupid question…”

“Go to hell,” he muttered and stormed out of the room, each step a sign of anticipation.

Finally, when he was able to enter the vast sitting room of his parent’s estate, he saw her. She was standing there, facing the window, dressed in…well, Julianne style clothing.

“Jules,” he uttered and slowly, she turned around, her face blank. He forced out a grin, a defense mechanism of the nervousness that he actually felt. “Did you receive the flowers?”

“I received everything,” she nodded.

God, it was nice to hear her voice.

“You should stop this, Zach.”

Now, why wasn’t he shocked to hear that? “No, of course not,” he refused, shaking his head. Now as the moment where he should be taking matters into his own hands, because obviously, Julianne was being irrational and stupid. “Jules, I have a right to do everything I can for you and the baby. Now, if you’re going to continue being hard-headed and irrational, I will have to make this—”

“You should stop it because you’re doing it wrong,” she interrupted.

“No, you’re doing—” he stopped when her statement finally carved itself into his brain. “What do you mean I’m doing it wrong?”

“You should have at least talked to me first before sending those things.”

He huffed with her incredulousness. “Jules, you were the one who didn’t want to talk!”

“Well, you should have learned first that we’re not having a boy!” she exclaimed.

“What?” his frowned deepened. “You’re not pregnant?”

Julianne rolled her eyes. “I am, but we’re not having a boy!” Chapter 33

“You can’t be certain,” Zach almost snapped at her. Then, his gaze became doubtful when she didn’t answer. “Are you? I mean…” he counted inside his head, “you’re just about two months pregnant. You can’t possibly know for certain that we’re not having a girl.”

“And what made you think we’re having a boy?” she challenged, arching one eyebrow behind her spectacles.

He was speechless. Well, she was right, but he wanted a boy.

“See? This is why we need to settle matters first before you start acting like you know everything,” Julianne pointed out.

Again, Zach was lost. She was the one who had been avoiding him and now she was talking about how important it was for them to settle things down?

“Wait, wait, wait,” he held up one hand and walked closer towards her. Thankfully, she didn’t back away when he held her by the arms. He looked her in the eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “Okay, let’s try to calm down here for one minute.” She just looked at him like she herself was lost. “Do you realize you’re acting all crazy here? But,” he stopped her when she opened her mouth, “I understand that. Hormones are ruling you. You’re not even thinking straight. The last time I checked, you didn’t want to talk. Now, you want to settle matters down. What exactly do you want to happen, Jules? Because I’m as lost as you. You’re not the only person who’s having a hard time here. I’m not having a hard time because I don’t want this baby. I’m having a hard time because you’re being irrational and stupid.”

 *****

Julianne was shocked that Zach actually had the courage to shake her. Well, it kind of worked because she suddenly felt she was her old self. As she looked at his eyes, she was almost certain that he was all that she needed, all that she wanted.

He was actually quite angry and she didn’t expect that from him until now. She was speechless.

 “Well? What do you really want to happen, Jules? Make a decision, but don’t expect me to follow everything because you’ve been silly lately,” he huffed out, his voice frustrated.

Yes, she could see that. She could see that she was making it difficult for him. But she couldn’t control her emotions. She couldn’t even control the words that were coming out of her mouth.

Looking at him now, she remembered everything he’d done for her. Those moments when he stood up for her and that thing he did before he left the show. All of them for her, and now she was paying him back by being stupid.

 *****

Julianne closed her eyes and when she opened them, they were brimming with tears. “I don’t know. I feel different emotions all at the same time. I want to cry one moment and I want to shout the next. I’m not accustomed to these sudden changes.”

Even though she wouldn’t say it out loud, he knew she was asking for help. Julianne is one of the few who really know what they’re doing. She always seemed to know where she stood on matters, and with this pregnancy, with everything suddenly changing around her, she was feeling lost because she couldn’t cope with it as fast she hoped for.

“You don’t know for certain if we’re having a girl, right?” he asked hopefully when she opened her eyes. She looked at him dryly and he smiled, “It could still be a boy, right? You just said that to make your point, right?” Of course he wanted to confirm that one first because he was really hoping for a boy.

Julianne took a deep breath and stepped away from his grasps. “Yes, but still, you have to stop this. You’re making plans ahead of time. What made you buy all those stuff? What if I get miscarriage or—”

“You really have to stop this, Jules,” he took her by the arms once again. “You’re trying to handle this thing alone and you know you’re not alone. I’m here, I love you, what else is there to worry about? We’ll get through this together. I’ll help you through this.”

“But…” she looked at him with a frown, “what if you realize you don’t want her—or him” she added before he could correct her. “What if you realize the two of us can’t work out the way we want to in the end? We haven’t even been on a real date outside the show. We haven’t even done things normal couples should—”

“We don’t have to do things the normal way, Jules. We have this,” he looked down at her still flat abdomen, “and we’ll work with it. And I think the Jules I know before the pregnancy hormones would agree to that. Jules, stop thinking about ‘what should be’.” With one finger, he tipped her chin up so their eyes met. “Do you trust me? I honestly need it right now. I need you to believe that I will not go anywhere, I will not back out. For once, I’m certain with this—with what we have.”

 *****

Julianne believed him. There was no question to that. But the stupid hormones raging inside her were telling her to back off and wait.

Wait for what, moron? Asked that part of her. You need him.

“Can we take it slow?” she finally asked the most sensible solution she could think of. She knew she was being irrational here. Hell, she couldn’t even figure out when she started being irrational. But she could trust Zach to do what was right while she was on the process of controlling her emotions.

“What do you mean slow?”

“Slow…no wedding, please…”

Zach blurted out a laugh. “You’re worried I’m going to ask you to marry me? I am very willing to do that, Jules, but knowing you, I’ve already programmed my mind that wedding will have to wait.”

“You can’t take that away. I still need to know you better—”

“I know what you mean,” he held her closer and kissed her nose lightly. “But for once, let me make the decisions first. You’re not currently capable of making the right choices here. You’re going through a phase. But don’t worry,” he added when she was about to agree, “I won’t make a decision the real you won’t approve of. We’ll talk everything out and we’ll take it slow.”

Julianne wanted to say no because she knew how Zach could get impulsive with decisions. And on the other hand, she also trusted him to do the right thing. So, slowly, she nodded her head and she was certain that time that she just made the best decision so far. Yes, they’d take it slow. One step at a time.

 *****

“No,” Julianne said strongly, shaking her head.

“Why?” Zach asked incredulously. “We’ve been dating for months, Jules, why not now?”

She looked at him pointedly, “Zachary Astor, you told me you won’t rush me into this…” she looked around the bridal room full of gowns.

“I just…” he was looking guilty now as he brushed his fingers through his dark brown hair, “I just wanted you to fit some.”

“With my size?” she arched her brows at him, her hands on her hips. Her bulging stomach was evident now.

“What’s wrong with your size? I find you sexy,” he grinned at her and pulled her towards him. “Come on, just one gown.”

“No, and we’re going to be late.”

“Late for what?”

Julianne eyed him without answering.

“What?” he asked. He totally forgot what he was supposed to remember by the look on her face.

“It’s my doctor’s appointment,” she said icily.

“Ah, of course. I already thought that,” he said and looked around. “Can’t you just—”

“No, Zach, I don’t want to wear a gown with a bulging stomach.”

“You don’t sound like you’re Julianne,” he frowned.

“Well, that’s one thing you must learn about me. Sometimes, I tend to be a little vain. Let’s go,” she turned around without glancing at any of the gowns on display and she was already outside the store when Zach caught up with her.

“I’m telling you, Jules, he’s going to be a he,” he said excitedly.

“And I told you, she’s going to