-1Thanks for the review. I appreciate it.

Chapter 2

"Come in, come in." Charlie ushered her best friend Trisha into Henry's apartment. Charlie had met Trisha when she had came to New York to visit Henry for the first time a while ago. They had met at a store and had hit it off instantly. They had a lot of things in common, including the fact that they both loved to design jewelry. Charlie and Trisha had kept in touch when Charlie went back to Tucson and Trisha had been very supportive of Charlie during her pregnancy. Charlie had felt like she was very fortunate to have met and befriend Trisha.

Trisha came inside and gave Charlie a hug. She lightly put her hand on Charlie's stomach. "You're about ready to burst aren't you?" She joked. Charlie made a face. "Yeah just about." She responded. Charlie led Trisha over to Henry's couch and they sat down.

"So…" Charlie began, looking at Trisha. "What is this big news that you had to tell me about?"

Trisha smiled. "Well..." she leaned closer to Charlie. "Do you know who Dash Kanks is?"

Charlie nodded. "Of course. She is one of the most popular jewelry designers in New York. Her jewelry is really beautiful. I love it. Some of it is really funky too."

"Well, a little while ago, I set up a meeting with her. It was today." Trisha informed Charlie. "I wanted to show her some of the jewelry that you and I have designed. I was hoping that maybe she would like it and be willing to sell it in her store here in New York. I know it was farfetched, thinking that she would want to do that… but well she loved our jewelry Charlie. Absolutely loved it. She wants to sell it in her store here in New York, and if it sells really well, she wants to sell it in her other stores, including the ones in L.A. and Chicago."

"Hold on wait a second? Dash Kanks wants to sell our jewelry in her store? Are you serious? Really?" Charlie asked in disbelief.

Trisha nodded her head, a huge smile on her face. "Really, Charlie. She said she loved how funky our jewelry is, and that it would appeal to a lot of her customers. She said she wanted to sell it in her store. She wants us to design more jewelry Charlie, and of course she is going to pay us for it, we are going to get a percentage of whatever sales our jewelry brings in. I tell you Charlie if this goes well, for us we could end up being quite wealthy."

"Wow, Trish, I can't believe this. I mean this is fantastic news. The best news I've heard in quite a while." Charlie stated.

"It's fantastic news. Just think you and me, becoming well known Jewelry designers. Our stuff being sold in Dash's store in New York and hopefully in some of her other stores across the country as well. We could become quite successful and wealthy. You could rack up enough money to pay for Jack's college education."

Charlie put her hand on her stomach at the mention of her son's name. "That would be a good thing. It would be nice to be able to better provide for my son."

Trisha nodded. "I have a feeling that if we are successful, you're going to be able to create a really good life for your son, one where he could be well taken care of." Trish paused for a moment thinking.

"You know Charlie, since our jewelry is going to be sold in Dash's store here and she is going to want us to make more of it, I was thinking, that well,.. Maybe you should stay in New York. I mean I know I'm going to be here, but I'm going to need your help with designing some of the jewelry. I know you are supposed to go back to Tucson shortly after the baby is born but I think it might be best if you stay here."

A thoughtful expression came across Charlie's face. "Well, Henry and I have decided we are going back to Tucson, we are going to raise the baby there. I think that would be the best option. I don't think I should stay in New York, even though that might make it easier for us to build our careers as jewelry designers, but…"

"But it wouldn't be that hard to stay here. Henry already has a job here at Mode. He's making more money here than he would in Tucson right? Wouldn't it be easier for you two just to stay here? You both could make a lot more money here and provide a better future for your son." Trisha suggested.

"Yeah…" Charlie's voice trailed off. "But I don't know Trisha. Financially it would be better for all of us. But personally… well, she's here you know. And if Henry stayed here he would probably stay with her. And I don't know if I could stomach watching them, together all the time, watching him continuing to love her, watch her around my son. It's hard enough watching it now, in the short amount of time, since I've been back. And if we stay here and they stay together, she is going to eventually be spending time around Jack. And well, I can't say that would make me very happy."

Trisha nodded in understanding. "Oh her. I know it's difficult for you Charlie to be pregnant by Henry, still have feelings for him, but have to watch him love and be with another woman. I know that's hard…" Trisha gave Charlie a very serious look. "But you and Henry are not together, and you are not going to be together after Jack is born. Of course you are going to raise him together, but not as a couple. Even if he breaks up with her, he's still going to eventually move on to someone else. And you will too."

Charlie frowned. "I know that even if he doesn't stay with her, Henry will eventually move onto someone else. But that doesn't make it any easier. I mean I still love him Trisha. And it hurts so much. I wish… I wish that things were different you know? I wish that we were still together, that while going through my first pregnancy I would be in a relationship with the man that I love, who loves me. Not this. Not me getting pregnant by the man that I love who no longer loves me and is involved with another woman." Charlie paused for a moment and then continued talking.

"A while ago, I thought that Henry and I were going to have a real future together. When he came back to Tucson for Christmas Break a while ago and we reconnected, I thought…. I thought that things were going to work out for us. That we would be happy together. But then… everything went down south. I came to New York... And I found out how he felt about her…" Charlie paused and looked at Trisha with a wistful look in her eyes.

"I was blind to it at first, but I quickly became aware of how he felt. The way that he looked at her.. The way that he smiled at her… the way that he would talk about her… and I knew. I knew that he was in love with her. But yet I didn't break things off with him. I should have but I didn't. I kept hoping that he would snap out of it or something, and focus on me, on us. But he didn't snap out of it. And then he broke things off with me and I found out I was pregnant… Things just took an unexpected turn. And now here we are… with a kid on the way. Not together, both wanting different things, but somehow trying to do what we think is best for our son." Charlie sighed deeply. "I wish that things were different, but they're not."

Trisha reached over and squeezed Charlie's hand. "I know this whole ordeal has been difficult for you."

"It has. And you know I'm not going to blame Henry for everything. I made mistakes. I should have broke up with him, when I realized that he had feelings for her. Any fool could have seen that he was in love with her. And I shouldn't have cheated on him with Gabe. That was a really bad decision on my part. I was so hurt and angry at Henry… I wanted to get back at him, for loving her. And well I made a mistake. A big mistake. And well he found out about it. I'm sure she told him. And he questioned whether or not he was the father of our son. He was so angry when he confronted me about me and Gabe." Charlie paused.

"I admit I wasn't sure who the father was at first, but I was hoping that it was Henry. Even though he didn't love me anymore, I wanted to have a connection to him. I know that might seem kind of pathetic..."

"It's understandable." Trisha interjected.

Charlie nodded. "We were eventually able to do the test, and of course we found out that Henry was the father. I was relieved and he was… well actually happy. He really did want to be a dad. And well, we started making plans about how we would raise Jack and where we would raise him and now, and we decided that Tucson was the best place. It's where we grew up, we have family there, we thought it would be a good place to raise Jack."

"I understand that." Trisha commented.

"Yeah…I just don't know if I want to stay here in New York, Trisha, even to help advance our careers as jewelry designers. I don't know… I think that Tucson might be the best place for us and our son. And well I know that this sounds ridiculous… but I don't really want to see him with her. I don't want to see him loving her, I don't want to see her spending time with our son, I don't want to see her living the life with Henry that I should be living.. I know that may sound selfish, and spiteful but it's how I feel. I don't know if I can bear seeing Betty live the life that I want to live with Henry. The life that I will probably never be able to live." Charlie looked at Trisha to see her reaction to her admission.

A sympathetic look was on Trisha's face. "I get it, Charlie I do." She remarked. "I understand what you are saying, and I know that you are hurting." She looked at Charlie with a concerned look on her face. "I just hope that you are eventually able to stop hurting. And that you are able to let some of the anger go… I want you to be happy and I think it would be better for you and Jack if you could find a way to be happy."

Charlie nodded. "I want to be happy Trisha, more than anything. But I'm just not really happy right now."

Trisha reached over and gave Charlie a hug to comfort her. They hugged for a little while and then pulled apart.

"So… what do you want to do about this situation about our jewelry and Dash Kanks?" Trisha asked.

Charlie thought for a moment. "I need some time to think about things. I probably will end up going back to Tucson with Henry, but I need to really think about things. Maybe we could still work something out, even if I go to Tucson. But I just need time to think."

Trisha nodded. "Okay."

Charlie and Trisha talked for a while longer and then Trisha left. Charlie then went to take a nap, her conversation with Trisha going through her mind, before she fell asleep.