Serendipity – A Chance Encounter - Chapter 383

The next day was the day before the wedding.

It was almost lunchtime and Becca was still in bed. She had already gotten up earlier in the morning but after taking a bath, she went back to bed and stayed there. Liam thought that she may just be feeling tired so he asked, “How about we just stay here and order in?”

He laid down next to her and brushed her hair away from her face. “Do you want to go and have a check-up? You’ve been feeling lethargic lately.”

She shook her head and nuzzled on his arm. “I’m okay. I’m just feeling lazy.”

“That doesn’t sound like you at all.” He kissed her forehead before he gently placed her head on a pillow so that he could check the food menu.

He retrieved a menu from the table and sat on the bed facing Becca. He started to scan through the food choices and tried to find a few dishes that he thought she would like.

“Okay… are you hungry? Or would you like to have a light meal?”

He glanced at her but only saw her shrug. Pursing his lips, he pointed a few items on the menu. “I’m just going to name some and tell me if you like it.”

“Hmmm… how about a deli sandwich?” He showed her a picture of it but Becca shook her head.

He flipped a page and found another one to show her, “Oven-roasted King Mackerel… or maybe Islamorada style?”

“No.” She replied dismissively.

“Pff… why are you so picky with food lately? You loved to eat anything before.” Liam didn’t really complain angrily but rather he was just muttering the words to himself. Hearing him, Becca bit her lip and swallowed.

“Their seafood here is the best actually. Especially their raw ones because they’re always fresh. And look, they have sushi… perfect! You love them right? I think we can even invite the chef-”

“Liam, I can’t eat any of those!” Becca furrowed her brows.

“Why not? You used to love them. Why the sudden change?” He continued to search through the menu, flipping the page casually.

“Because I’m pregnant!” She bit out.

“Well, you should have told me that in the first place!” Liam sighed as if he had just wasted time and opened the first part of the menu to search again for a better option while Becca just stared at him, waiting for him to absorb the information.

“If I had known then I w-w-wo…” He blinked.

And he froze.

The menu slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor as his hands began to tremble. He slowly turned his head to look at Becca only to see her in tears.

“Becca, what did you say?” Liam’s heart pounded in his chest when the words had just registered in his mind. “Why are you crying?” He immediately scooped her up and made her sit, holding her close to him as he asked again. “Did you say something just now? Because I swear I just heard you say-”

“I’m pregnant,” she muttered almost inaudibly.

“Yeah that…” Hearing the words again, Liam was now sure that he wasn’t hallucinating.

Initially, his expression brightened but it only lasted for a few seconds before it was replaced with a worried one. He knew that she didn’t want kids. But now… what was he supposed to say?

“Are you sure?” he asked, trying to be as calm as he could.

Becca nodded and lowered her gaze. She had been stressed out the past several days when she confirmed her pregnancy after visiting the doctor. “7 weeks.”

Liam’s gaze landed on her stomach but could not see the bump. “I… but… your…”

“It’s normal for bumps not to show when it’s the first time. And it’s still early,” she said in a small voice. Becca is also naturally skinny and has an active lifestyle so her tummy still looks flat.

“Oh…”

Liam still didn’t know what to say. He was very much elated but then his heart also ached at the same time as he wasn’t sure what was in Becca’s mind. “How do you feel?”

Becca couldn’t bear to look at him. Her tears streamed down her face and seeing her like this, Liam’s heart was crushed. He closed his eyes and pulled her towards him, stroking her back as she cried. “It’s okay, babe… we’ll get through this. I’ll support you whatever your decision is.”

Her tears flowed some more. She could literally feel her heart breaking as she listened to him. She had been feeling extremely guilty because of his sacrifice and she could no longer take it.

“I’m keeping it,” she mumbled and it made him freeze.

“What?” He pulled back to look at her in the eye but all he could see was a mixture of pain, joy and fear on her face.

“I thought… I thought I could go through not wanting it but the more I thought about it last week, the more scared I was of losing it.”

“What do mean? I don’t understand.” Liam wiped her tears away with his fingers while his own started to trickle down his cheek.

“I want to keep it. I can’t lose it,” she sobbed. “I want to keep my baby.”

Liam looked at her intently as he tried to understand her words. His heart beat even faster; it was warm and then cold. And he wanted to make sure if he understood it correctly so he probed, “You’re keeping it… that means…”

Placing both of her hands on his face, she said with a trembling voice, “Liam, you’re going to be a father.”

His hand covered his mouth, “Are you sure?” Everything still felt surreal for him.

Becca nodded and then continued, “But I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. I’m scared.”

So that was what’s bothering her. It all made sense to him now. He couldn’t understand why her reactions were different like something was off.

“Babe, it’s okay… you don’t have to be scared.”

“But I am! What if I become a bad mom? What if I become like them? Even if you tell me I’m different, this feeling that I have… I can’t control it. It’s how I feel, Liam. I’m scared!” She cried harder.

“Stop crying.” Liam hugged her tighter and stroked her back repeatedly as he said, “Don’t be scared. I’m right here… You’re not alone in this. I’m going to be with you every step of the way. You have all of us. Sam’s here, my brother… my family… we’re all here. We can raise our child in a loving family.”

She sniffed and sobbed on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry about what I said last time.”

“It’s okay…” He pulled back and looked at her in the eye. “Do you trust me?”

Slowly, Becca nodded her head. She decided that she wasn’t going to run away anymore. “You’re all I have.”

Liam formed a gentle and loving smile on his face. “I love you.” He placed a kiss on her lips and whispered, “Thank you. This is the best gift that I’ve ever received.”

With misty eyes, he lowered his gaze and reached his hand down to touch her stomach, caressing it gently as the two of them leaned on each other.