Right Girl (5 page)

Chapter Six

Zack

I
hold her in my arms and make a solemn vow that I will never let her go. I will
not
let this break us apart or come between us no matter how difficult our
future might seem right now.

I
knew that knocking on Rachel’s door last night would change everything. I knew
it would but still had no idea what to expect. Part of me was desperate to find
her and demand answers but the other half of me didn’t want it to be true. I
didn’t want to believe what Samantha told me and was dreading the moment when I
would confirm it for myself.

It
was Rachel’s mum who answered, startled when she opened her front door and
found me on there on the doorstep.

“Well,
well, well… this is a surprise.” Miranda gloated, a triumphant expression on
her face.

It
was clear she thought I had come back for Rachel. She figured I had somehow
come to my senses and was back for her daughter.

“Cut
the crap and let me in.” I barked, narrowing my eyes at her in contempt. “I
need to speak to Rachel.”

“
Rachel
?
Don’t you mean
Samantha
?” She mocked me, awaiting my response.

“Mum,
who is it?”

I
heard Rachel’s voice coming down the hallway and shoved the poisonous bitch
aside. I was determined and was prepared to be forceful if that’s what was
needed.

“It’s
your ex-fiancé.” Miranda answered, staring at me coldly. “He’s finally
returned.”

“Zack?”
Rachel stood in front of her mum, staring at me in astonishment. “I can’t
believe you’re really here.”

“Is
it true?” I demanded. “Tell me it’s not true.”

“She
told you?”

“Of
course she told me. You really think she would keep something like that to
herself?” I snapped, grabbing hold of the door frame with both hands.

“What
on earth are you talking about?” Her mother interjected, a look of confusion on
her face.

“Dad
and I bumped into Samantha when we were in town this morning.” Rachel told her.
“She saw me with Amber.”

“Look,
I’m here to find out if I have a daughter!” I yelled, slamming my fist against
the wall in front of me. “I’m also here to keep that sick monster away from her
as well as Samantha. I will not have a child abuser around my daughter.”

“How
dare you? How dare you come to my house and throw these accusations around like
this!” Miranda cried, pointing her wicked finger at me.

“Zack,
you’ve been told so many lies.” Rachel spoke softly, taking one step closer
towards me. “She’s been lying to you all this time. My dad didn’t do any of
those things to her.”

My
fury was about to explode. I could barely look at either one of them but knew I
had to stay and sort everything out for the sake of my daughter. I longed to
turn my back on both of them and forget I had ever been involved with Rachel.
However, the pull I felt when it came to finding out the truth was too
powerful.

“I
don’t give a shit if he’s your biological father or not. I will
not
let
him go anywhere near my child
or
Sam for that matter. I’ll kill him with
my own two hands if he tries to see her again.”

“Zack,
he’s not here.” Rachel blurted out, placing one of her hands on my arm. “He’s
gone back to Spain.”

“Not
that it’s any of
your
business.” Miranda interrupted, scowling at me in
disgust.

I
glared at the older woman, despising her for everything she’s done. She
destroyed the woman I love and every single instinct was screaming at me to
make her pay for it.

“I
need to talk to you alone. There are things we need to discuss and we can’t do
any of that with an audience.” I said, struggling to control the rage I felt in
her presence.

“Mum,
can you please leave us alone so we can talk?” Rachel asked, barely glancing at
her mum beside her.

“If
that’s what you want.” She replied, somewhat reluctantly. “I’ll see you in the
morning.”

“Goodnight,
Mum.”

She
left us alone which made me feel a little more at ease. Some of the tension I
had been carrying left my body and I leaned back against the side of the house,
closing my eyes for a few moments.

“What
now?” I asked, raking my fingers through my hair.

“You
come in.” She said, opening the door a little wider. “Come in and meet your
daughter.”

I
was consumed by memories as soon as I set foot inside the front door. They all
came flooding back to me and I can’t explain how difficult it was for me to
stay inside. Everything about that house was a reminder, a reminder of what it
felt like when I couldn’t have Sam. A time when we couldn’t be together and I
thought the pain of that would kill me.

“Isn’t
she asleep already?” I enquired, following her down the hallway.

“She
is but we won’t disturb her if we’re quiet.”

Rachel
placed her fingers on her lips and smiled, making her way up the stairs. She
poked her head around the third doorway on the left, beckoning me over.

“She’s
in there?” I asked, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

I
moistened my lips, trying to prepare myself. I knew that moment would change my
life forever and could scarcely believe I was about to meet my little girl for
the first time.

“That’s
right.” She confirmed, watching me closely. “Are you ready?”

I
nodded my head, wondering how on earth this could be happening to me before
Rachel squeezed my hand, opening the door so we could enter.

There
was a pink cot in the corner of the bedroom with a pink mobile hanging over it.
I took a hesitant step towards it before I somehow managed to find my courage,
making my way across the room so I could peek over the railings.

A
small bundle lay there, covered in blankets with a dark tuft of hair peeping
out. She looked so peaceful, breathing deeply as she slept.

“She’s
beautiful.” I whispered, staring at her intently. “Unbelievably beautiful.”

“She’s
ours, Zack. We created her together.”

Rachel
joins me, reaching into the cot so she can stroke her hair.

“C-can
I touch her?” I asked, longing to feel my baby’s warm skin against my
fingertips.

“Zack,
she’s yours. Of course you can touch her.”

We
spent five minutes like that, gazing down at our sleeping child before Rachel
lead me out of the bedroom.

“I’ll
need a DNA test.” I announced, making my way downstairs.

“You
don’t believe she’s yours? She looks just like you.”

“Rachel,
I’m not saying I don’t believe she’s mine. I just need to see it in black and
white so I can actually believe it.” I assured her, rubbing the centre of my
forehead.

“There’s
been no one else.” She revealed, sounding sincere. “I haven’t slept with anyone
but you.”

“You’re
not seeing anyone?” I enquired, surprised that someone like Rachel was still
single.

“I’m
not interested in anyone or anything but my daughter. She’s the most important
thing in my life.”

We
made our way into the living room, standing awkwardly until I decided to break
the silence.

“Were
you ever going to tell me?” I asked, struggling to understand how she could
keep something like this a secret.

“I
needed to find out if you were still with the whore.” She snapped, narrowing
her eyes at me in contempt.

“Don’t
you
dare
call her that, do you understand?!” I grabbed hold of her
shoulders and pushed her back against the wall. “My future wife is
not
a
whore and you will treat her with respect. If you can’t do that then don’t
bother mentioning her at all.”

I
knew I sounded threatening because I saw a flash of fear in her eyes. I never
handled her roughly before or even spoke to her so darkly. She wasn’t used to
it but I knew I had to use force so she would listen to me and understand.

“You
expect me to forgive and forget everything that she did to me?” She demanded,
pushing me away from her in anger.

“I
want us
all
to move forward now. It’s time we put the past behind us and
try to figure out how we’re going to raise Amber.”

“She
even told you what her name is?”

“Yes.”
I sighed wearily, taking a seat on the sofa.

“Do…
do you like it?”

“It’s
beautiful.” I replied, raking my fingers through my hair. “Just like her.”

“I
thought you might have had your own baby by now.”

“We’ve
only been together a few months.” I responded, reluctant to speak about my
relationship with Rachel.

“Zack,
you’ve always wanted children. I’m just surprised you haven’t been able to
convince her.”

“Rachel,
I’m not here to discuss my relationship with you. I’m here to talk about what
happens next.”

I
could feel my patience slipping away and knew I had to make plans before I
left. I wanted her to agree that I could see Amber and finalise those
arrangements later.

“The
truth is I don’t know how long I’m going to be here. I came back to spend some
time with my mum and dad while he was here.”

“I
swear to God if that man sets foot in this country again…” I warned her,
glowering at Rachel from across the room.

“Zack,
he won’t be coming back here. His whole life is in Spain now and he only came over
for a visit so he could meet his granddaughter. I doubt he’ll be back anytime
soon.”

“He
won’t have
anything
to do with her from now on.” I growled, clenching my
fists at the thought of that pervert around my baby girl.

“I
wish you didn’t believe her lies. I wish you could see her for what she really is.”
She murmured, shaking her head sadly.

“I’m
in love with Samantha and her heart is pure. She’s the only one I want to spend
my life with and the fact that you and I now have a baby together will not
change that.”

I
stood up onto my feet, deciding it was time for me to leave.

“It
could be so different.” She said, grabbing hold of my arm as I walked by her.  “All
of this could be ours, Zack. Our little girl is up there and the three of us
could live in a big house like this. Don’t you want any of that?”

She
still had hold of me, awaiting my response. I knew I couldn’t lie to her
anymore and the only way we could all move forward was to be honest with one
another.

“I
do want that.” I admitted, pulling my arm from her grasp. “But I want it all
with her.”

She
exhaled slowly, allowing my words to sink in. I made my way towards the front
door, hoping she would follow me so we could finalise a few things.

“I’m
pleased you came.” Rachel said, taking me by surprise.

“When
can I next see her?” I asked her eagerly.

“Whenever
you want to. I won’t stop you from seeing her.”

“Thank
you.”

I
smiled weakly, overwhelmed by exhaustion all of a sudden. I couldn’t wait to
get back to the hotel so I could be with Samantha. I felt terrible being apart
from her on her birthday and was longing to make it all up to her.

“So
what now? What happens next?” Rachel inquired, interrupting my thoughts.

“I’ll
need a contact number so I can reach you.” I told her, reaching for my phone.

“My
number has changed but I’ll give you my new one.”

She
scribbled down her number and handed it to me, trembling slightly when our
fingers made contact.

“We
can talk more about the DNA test tomorrow. I don’t want to insult you but I
just need to be certain.”

 “It’s
ok.” She assured me. “
I’m
the one who’s been lying to you these past few
months. I told you I had an abortion so I can’t exactly blame you for being
doubtful now.”

“How
could you like to me about something like that? I don’t understand why you did
it.”

It
kills me when I think about how much I’ve missed out on. I wasn’t there
throughout the pregnancy or during the birth. There’s so many things I would
have liked to have been a part of and now it’s too late.

“I
thought it would be too difficult for me having you around.” She admitted,
lowering her gaze. “My heart was broken and I needed time to heal. You can
understand that, surely?”

“I
still wish you had been honest with me. I’ve missed out on so much with her.”

“She’s
a couple months old, Zack. You haven’t missed out on anything.”

“Haven’t
I?” I challenged her, raising my voice.

“There’s
still plenty of things to come. You’ll be around when she takes her first
steps, says her first word and begins to crawl. You can be involved if you want
to be.”