Chapter 31- We see what we want to see
Heath walked along the sea front, taking his time getting home after leaving Irene's. So much had happened in the past few days that he relished the peace; the sound of the waves lapping gently on the shore, the cool sand coating his feet... He was just so thankful that things were okay between him and April when they could have easily gone so wrong.
He continued walking until he saw a very familiar blond sitting in the sand. Bianca. April musn't have gotten a chance to speak to her then. She sat with her knees tucked into her chest and her arms folded and resting on top. Heath was in two minds about what to do. Bianca was obviously still pissed with him and he should probably give her some space... on the other hand, there was a lot that needed to be discussed between them. He went with his gut instinct and made his way over to where she was sitting.
The blond didn't notice him until he sat down on the sand next to her. She turned her head to see who it was and scowled. If looks could kill, Heath Braxton would have been dead a hundred times over. "You're the last person I want to see now."
"I kinda figured that," he shrugged.
Bianca stared at him in disbelief. How could he be so cavalier? "You have no idea what you're doing to my sister," she said furiously, now turned completely to face him. "You break her heart and then make her love you again only to let her down again. And for some strange reason, she sticks around! Well, she's a fool for you like I used to be. April's not thinking about what it's going to be like- how soul destroying it will be- when you have to split your time between her and her new born and Henri and hers. It's going to kill her Heath! You're going to kill her!"
The Braxton heard every single word she said, but there was something he really needed to tell her. "You're right; but Henri is not having my baby." Frankly, it was still a sore subject. He was pretty sure he would never forgive her for it.
Bianca stared at him blankly. "Come again? April said-"
"Yeah, Henri lied. I'm not the father. She was sleeping with someone else around that time and they were less than careful."
Well she could honestly say that she hadn't expected that. The blond almost felt sorry for him. Almost. "Anyone we know?" she asked, half joking.
Heath's jaw clenched. He shifted his gaze to the sand in front of him. "Yeah, actually. It's my brother's."
"Brax got Henri pregnant?! What about Charlie?" she was almost indignant about it as she was when it was her own sister. Charlie was her best friend. She couldn't believe that Brax would cheat on her.
He shook his head. "Not him. Casey."
That completely floored Bianca. Casey? But that was impossible. Henri was his teacher... oh. "Casey was sleeping with Henri?" she still found it hard to come to terms with.
Heath grimaced. "Apparently so. She just decided to tell me it was mine instead. Why not?" he wondered, voice dripping with sarcasm.
She pursed her lips for a moment. This was not at all how she expected things to go. It would be so much easier to hate Heath. It would be so much easier for April to hate him. A part of her wanted both of them to. "Oh," was all she could manage.
The River Boy looked up at his ex once again, an almost pleading look on his face. "Bianca, I know I've done some things in the past that I'm not proud of; but since April told me she was pregnant, I've hardly looked at another woman. I'm in this for the long run; with her and our baby. I'm not the same person I was before. This whole thing with Henri was in the past, before April and I got serious- before I realised I was in love with her.
"I know this whole thing has turned me into a bit of a sap but I don't care. I'm ready to be responsible for once in my life."
Bianca listened to his inspired speech and couldn't help but feel a bit bad. It was obvious that he was in love with her sister but there was a part of her that thought it would only be a matter of time until he slipped up and ruined everything. Despite that, she knew her hands were tied. It wasn't fair to do that to April; to constantly hold this over her head, waiting for the moment he made her cry again just to say 'I told you so'. She realised in that moment tbat it was about her more than anything. There was definitely a chip on her shoulder. It was her problem, not her sister's.
Bianca sighed. "I know. You need to understand, though, that it's hard for me to put my own experience aside. If things hadn't happened the way they did, it could have been me and you in that position instead of April."
"What can I say? I have good taste in women..." Heath jested.
The teacher rolled her eyes. Leave it to Heath. She stood and dusted herself down. "Okay, well that's more than enough of a heart to heart. I better get home and talk to my sister... and convince Liam that he should still marry me. I kinda got a bit worked up this morning..."
Heath followed suit. "He's a good guy, despite what I may have said in the past..." he added with a wry smiled.
Bianca gave a small chuckle. "I guess I'll see you later?"
"Oh, yes! I get to use the front door again. The bruises I have from that window-"
She rolled her dramatically. "Goodbye, Heath," she bid him before they went in their seperate directions. In more ways than one for Bianca.