Chapter 36

For a while, no one said a word. Bella was staring at the woman, and Paul was staring at her.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Paul finally asked.

"Don't be a daft, Pauly. Surely you remember our night together. Well, this is the result of that," the woman said and brushed her hands over her huge stomach.

"I didn't fuck you without a rubber," Paul snarled.

"It broke, can't you remember?"

Bella winced. This was getting too much.

"Um... I think I'll leave you two to discuss this. Paul, should you ask this woman to come inside? The weather is pretty awful," Bella said, feeling dizzy.

"No, Bella, you're not leaving," Paul said, desperation in his voice, and he grabbed her hand.

"I'm not leaving, but I'll go to the bedroom so you can talk privately."

"I don't need to talk in private with her," Paul said and pulled her closer to him.

"But she might, and I don't want to hear about your night together," Bella said. She kissed Paul quickly on the cheek and left. She avoided looking him in the eyes because she knew she wouldn't be able to leave him if she saw the same pleading in his eyes she could hear in his voice. But she just couldn't stay and listen to what had happened between them. And she didn't think Paul wanted her to hear about it either.

She felt tears in her eyes. She didn't look back to see what had happened between them. She went to the bedroom and closed the door silently behind her. She leaned against the door and slid down to the floor. She closed her eyes. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and tears fell on her cheeks.

What would it mean if Paul really was the father of this child?

They had just planned their wedding, for crying out loud. Would they still get married? Did it matter if the child was his? Did it matter to her? Did it matter to Paul?

She couldn't say that she was surprised as such. They had been together only for six months, so a heavily pregnant woman had been a possibility that was now actualized. She had to laugh. This was like straight from some sort of soap opera, a very poorly written one.

But this wasn't funny. What would they do if that baby was Paul's?

Bella sighed.

What a day had it been. She still couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that Paul had proposed, and they would get married in less than two weeks. She was still quite overwhelmed by that alone, and now this ...

She put her head between her knees and did some breathing exercises Kai had taught her. She felt a throbbing headache that was developing beneath her templates.

What a freaking shitty mess.

She got up and walked to the bathroom; she needed a shower to clear her head.

Paul was in full panic. He did now remember fucking this bitch. He remembered the hair, and fuck, yes, the rubber had broken.

FUCK!

"Aren't you going to ask me in?" the bitch asked.

He really didn't want to, but it wasn't like this shit would go away by slamming the door to her face.

He stepped aside, and she came in.

Fuck, this wasn't happening. He could not be the father. What would Bella say? What would she do? Fuck, their wedding. Paul was having an actual panic attack now. He crouched down and took deep breaths in and out, in and out. He felt dizzy and nauseous.

Get your shit together, Lahote! He needed to act, do something; breaking down didn't help. He got up and went to the kitchen. The bitch followed him.

"We need to do a paternity test," he said. Yes, that would be the first step in this nightmare.

"Pauly, are you saying that I don't know who the father of my child is," the bitch whined.

"Fuck like I care what you know or don't know. We are doing a paternity test. And if I remember right, you said you'll get a morning-after pill. So, how the fuck is it possible that you are fucking pregnant."

"It slipped out of my mind after you left," the bitch told him.

He couldn't believe his ears. "Slipped OUT of your MIND?! Are you fucking crazy!?"

The bitch started to sob. Fuck he was so mad.

He grabbed his phone from the kitchen counter and opened Safari. He googled paternity test, browsed for a while, and then found a reliable site, the American pregnancy association.

He read the page and found what he needed:

"Test can be performed as early as seven weeks of pregnancy. The test is safe for both mother and fetus. Results normally take up to one week but can come faster too. It's a blood test for you and a swap for me. I'm checking the closest place to have it done as soon as possible."

"I don't want to do a paternity test. I hate needles. You are the father; I know it," she sobbed.

"I have the right to know if the kid is mine, so you will have the paternity test," Paul said. He wasn't stupid. This bitch could not deny his fundamental rights.

He browsed and found that Port Angeles medical center had a laboratory that made these tests. He checked the time, it was too late to call today, but the center opened at 8 am the next morning. Fucking Christmas, hopefully, the results would come before the New Year. Would Bella marry him, not knowing if the child was his or not? What if it was his?

Fuck, it felt so wrong. After Jared told him Kim was pregnant, Paul started thinking about Bella being pregnant with his child. If Bella were pregnant now, he would be fucking happy. But this woman in front of him was all wrong. He couldn't even remember her fucking name.

Fuck, this was a nightmare. Hadn't he just thought that his life was perfect? And then this shit had hit the fan.

He needed to call Sam and ask if he would be willing to take his shift tomorrow. He would take this bitch to the clinic no matter what to have the test done. He would call there in the morning and make an appointment. It had to be done fast.

"We're going to Port Angeles tomorrow. I'll call you in the morning to tell you when we're having the test."

"Aren't you even going to ask, when is the due date of your child?" the bitch looked hurt, but he just couldn't care.

"Look, you show up here and say that you are pregnant with my kid after being stupid enough not to go and take the morning-after pill. Why did you wait this long? Why didn't you come as soon as you found out you were pregnant?" Paul asked.

He didn't even understand how the fuck she had found him; if he remembered right, they had hooked up in Port Angeles, and he never told her where he lived or his last name, not that he recalled anyway. But that shit didn't matter now; he had to get her the hell out of here so he could talk with Bella.

"I was scared."

"Of what?"

"Everything. To be pregnant being alone, not knowing what you would think."

Paul didn't want to continue this talk any longer now. "We'll talk more tomorrow. Give me your phone number, and I'll call you in the morning. I can drive you to the clinic," Paul said and gave her a pen and piece of paper.

She wrote down her number and gave it to him.

"I'm staying with my cousin in Forks."

Her name was Victoria. It seemed that he hadn't even asked her name when they had hooked up; the name didn't ring the bell, and Victoria was kind of a name you would remember, wasn't it. He probably should feel ashamed, but he didn't have the energy to feel bad for this woman. This was so fucked up he felt like throwing up.

"I'm telling you Pauly; it's your baby. See you tomorrow."

And thank the fuck she left.

He went behind the shut bedroom door. He heard that Bella was in the shower. He wanted to join her, but she probably wanted to be alone and needed time to think. He opened the bedroom door and went to the kitchen to continue making their dinner.

He was so fucking angry for himself. He should've dragged that bitch to the clinic to have the pill. Why the fuck had he trusted her!? He felt like smashing something.

What is Bella thinking? What was going to happen to their plans?

He got their food ready. He heard Bella closing the water. Should he wait here or go to her?

He had to go to her. He couldn't wait any longer to hear her thoughts. He went to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.

Bella opened the door. She had her bathrobe on and a towel on her head. She didn't look like she'd been crying, not much anyway. They stared at each other for a while. Paul noticed he was holding his breath.

Bella walked to him and touched his face. Paul's head leaned into her touch. He got up from the bed and grabbed her in a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him. They held each other, and it felt like they were both scared to say the first words.

Paul spoke. First, he needed to know how Bella was feeling about all this shit.

"Tell me, baby, what you are thinking, please," Paul said, worry and fear lacing his voice.

"I'm not quite sure what to think, to be honest," she said. "How are you feeling?" She asked, tightening her arms around his waist.

"I'm scared shitles that this will affect how you feel about our plans to get married," Paul said quietly like it would make it less likely to happen.

"Yeah, that is what I've been thinking about too, how you feel about getting married," Bella said. "I want to marry you anyway. I won't hold your past against you. But what you want?" Paul could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

"Baby, I want to marry you! Of course, I do; this shit doesn't change a thing." Paul was so relieved that he felt his knees buckle. He took them to sit on the bed. He grabbed the towel off Bella's hair and tossed it by the bathroom door. He cupped Bella's head between his hands and kissed her lightly.

"I'm going to have a paternity test done, and I hope we can get the results before New Year's Eve. I can't believe the timing of this shit. You should not be thinking about bullshit like this when you are getting ready to get married," Paul felt the desperation creeping; what the fuck would he do if that kid was his?

"Baby isn't bullshit, Paul," Bella said.

"But this situation is fucked. I didn't even know her name before she gave me her phone number. How come I could be a father of a child whose mother's name I didn't know when he was conceived."

"Yeah, that is bullshit, alright, but it's not the baby's fault," Bella said quietly.

"No." Paul felt shit. It really wasn't the baby's fault.

"We just have to get through this no matter what," Bella said. He just looked at her; how she could be so understanding about this. He was fucking happy that she was, but it amazed him.

"You know if you were pregnant, I would be over the moon," Paul confessed.

Bella looked at him, looking surprised. "You would?" she asked.

"Yeah, I would. Since Jared told me Kim was pregnant, I've been thinking about how I would feel if you were carrying my baby. The idea makes me so happy. It would be the best thing happening after you become my wife, of course," Paul said but felt bad for Jared and Kim. Kim had finally come back to Jared, but they were grief-stricken still.

"I didn't know you wanted to have kids. I wonder why we haven't talked about that earlier," Bella said. He wondered it too.

"And what do you think about having kids?" Paul asked. He had always thought Bella wanted to have kids someday, but now he wasn't so sure. What would he feel if Bella said she didn't want to be a mother? He would be with her no matter what, but it would be a loss. He just realized that he really did want to have a baby with her someday. It surprised the hell out of him how strongly he felt about it.

Bella cupped his face and kissed him lightly: "Of course, I want kids someday, maybe after I graduate. I don't think there would be anything cuter than little people with your genes. But I must say I hope that I'm the only one giving birth to them."

Paul shivered. He didn't want anything more than that the baby Vitoria was carrying wasn't his. It can't be his!

The next day Paul was driving home after dropping Victoria off. They had driven to Port Angeles to get the test done and back. She had been cooperative after trying first to say that the test was useless. What a dumb bitch thinking he would let it go.

Victoria hadn't stopped talking on their drive to Port Angeles and back. She just didn't shut up. She told everything about herself and tried to ask stuff about him. He only told her that he would get married on New Year's Eve, and nothing would change that. He would be there for the baby if he were the father, but he wouldn't have anything more to do with Victoria other than was necessary. Victoria had started to cry when he'd said that, and maybe he was an asshole, but what the fuck did she expect. He would marry Bella, and she would someday be the mother of his kids, not Victoria.

They had promised from the clinic that the result would be ready either on the 30 or 31st of December. The days couldn't go any faster. It was a shame that this would inevitably affect their Christmas. It would be hard to enjoy and relax when something this big lurked in the background. He had waited to spend his first happy Christmas since mommy Holly had died.

Paul was fucking tired, and he had a terrible headache. He hadn't slept more than an hour or two last night. He had been watching Bella sleeping in his arms, feeling confused and fucking angry at himself. Why the fuck had he fucked all those women. Of course, it was pointless to be angry; it was just fucking bad luck. But he was feeling so hopeless and scared. He fucking hated that.

When Paul had been in Port Angeles, Bella had helped Peter at Armchair Books. He had asked if she had time, and she did. It was hectic at the shop; many customers were coming and going. Many customers she had sold books and coffee in summer had come in, and she had fun chatting with them all. She almost forgot Victoria and the baby for a little while. Almost.

Angela had come to see her. Bella had told Angela that she and Paul were going to get married. She wanted Angela to go with her to buy a dress, she had a similar taste to hers, and she knew Angela wouldn't tell anybody. Angela had been delighted that Bella had asked her, and they had decided to go the day after Boxing Day. Bella thought that maybe she should tell Ailani and Sarah too so they could be present at the registration via video call. They would probably kill her if she didn't tell them beforehand. She would tell them when they had their Christmas video chat on Christmas Eve.

Paul had told Jared and Sam. They had a friendship where they did share everything, so Paul had felt wrong not telling them about the most amazing thing in his life. They had insisted on giving him a bachelor party, which Paul had said was why he had first thought about not telling them. He didn't want any parties. The guys had given up the idea about the party but were adamant about taking him for a few beers a couple of days before the wedding. They had also made it clear that they would be his best men at the wedding.

They spent Christmas Eve at the Clearwaters, where they ate and gave the presents to be opened the next morning. They went to Charlie's for the night, and they called Ailani and Sarah.

"So, I got a surprise for you, or we do," Bella said to her friends. She took Paul's hand and dragged him in front of the camera. Paul pulled her on his lap and kissed her neck.

"You're pregnant," Sarah blurted.

"No, I'm not pregnant," Bella said, but she winched inwardly, thinking that someone was. But she wouldn't say anything about that. It wasn't her story to tell.

"We are getting married on New Year's Eve," she whispered.

Ailani and Sarah started screaming, and Bella silenced the call so that Charlie wouldn't hear.

"Shh, don't scream. We haven't told Charlie about our plans."

"Why?" Ailani asked. "He will be heartbroken if you don't tell him."

Ailani was right. Bella looked at Paul and saw that he knew that too.

"You are right. I think we will tell him. He isn't going to be against it. He loves Paul and is happy me marrying him. I actually ask him here now. Would you like that?" Bella asked her friends. They both nodded their heads.

She felt so good about the idea.

"I'll go and get him," Paul said, kissing the top of her head.

"Spil it, are you sure you're not pregnant, and that's why you're marrying him," Sarah said.

"No, I'm not pregnant, really," Bella said. "Paul proposed, and I accepted. And I had been thinking about marrying him even before he asked."

"What changed? With Bane, you said you would never marry," Ailani asked.

"Have you seen the guy?" Sarah snorted. "She would be mad if she didn't snatch that one out of the market."

Girls laughed when Paul and her dad came into her room.

"Hey, dad, come to say hi to Ailani and Sarah," Bella said and glanced at Paul. He winked at her.

"Hello, girls," Charlie said and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Hello, Chief!" Ailani and Sarah shrieked at the same time.

"Having a good holiday?" Charlie asked.

"Yes." Came from the same mouth.

Sarah was grinning and winking and mouthing her, "say it."

"Hey, dad. Paul and I have something to tell you," Bella started, and she took Paul's hand, who had sat next to her on the edge of the bed. Paul wound his arm around her shoulders. "We are getting married on New Year's Eve."

Bella waited for her father to react. His face went red.

"Are you pregnant?" Charlie asked.

"Ha!" Sarah cried.

Bella stuck out her tongue to Sarah and said to Charlie, "no, I'm not pregnant."

Bella could see relief in Charlie's face.

"What's the rush then?" he asked.

Bella glanced up at Paul, who kissed her cheek.

"I love her more than my own life, and I don't see any point in waiting to make her mine," Paul told Charlie.

"Aww," Sarah and Ailani sighed.

"Son, those are big words," Charlie said.

"And I mean every word I said. My life was shit before I met Bella, and she has made it worth living. I want everybody to know she's mine, and I'm hers," Paul said, bringing tears into Bella's eyes.

Charlie was tearing up too.

"Jesus, man, you are killing us here," Sarah said through her sobs.

"Hush now, I want to hear," Ailani said.

"We spent so much time apart. Being married would make us feel better, more connected," Bella told her father.

"I can see your point, and it's not like you weren't the perfect match," Charlie said. "But what is this, son? You didn't ask her hand," Charlie said and wiped a tear from his cheek.

Paul looked horrified.

"Shit... I … um ..."

"Sorry, son, I was just fooling around," Charlie chuckled. "Congratulations, you two. You are made for each other, any fool can see that, and I'm no fool," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

Charlie grabbed Bella in a tight hug and stretched out his hand to Paul, who grabbed it eagerly.

Bella was so happy she felt she would burst.

Then she realized something.

"Shit," Bella said, "now we have to tell Reneé too."

"Bella, this is awesome," Paul said when he opened her gift. "Thank you, baby; I really love it," Paul said, feeling the soft leather of the bracelet. Bella helped him to put the bracelet on his wrist. It was just the right size, and it suited him so well.

It was Christmas morning. They had just woken up and were opening the gifts with Charlie. It was just as perfect as Christmas goes; it was snowing, albeit almost raining, but some white stuff anyway. The fire was cracking, and a beautiful Christmas tree was sparkling in the corner of the room, while delicious aromas were wafting in the house. Paul and Bella had been able to forget Victoria and the baby for this short moment, knowing that nothing would change between them, whatever the test result.

Paul gave her his gift. "I hope you like it," he said with an adorably shy smile. Something she hadn't seen on his face before. Bella brushed her thumb over his dimple on the cheek.

"I'm sure I will," she kissed him.

She opened the gift and found a box. Inside the box was a silver turtle, and its shell was teal-colored sea glass. It was on a black leather cord that she could use as a necklace or a bracelet.

"Oh, Paul, it's so beautiful," Bella turned the figure around and saw the inscription; it was a date 6/8/2019.

She looked at Paul. "What is this date?"

"It's the date I saw you for the first time at the beach. And that sea glass is the one I saw you picking up from the beach and putting in your pocket. When I turned your jeans around on our first morning together, it fell out of your pocket. I'm sorry I snatched it, but I couldn't help myself."

Bella's eyes filled with tears. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was absolutely the most incredible and thoughtful gift anyone could ever give to anybody.

"Oh my God, Paul. That is so beautiful, the sweetest present I could ever get." She hugged him tightly.

"I want you to wear it at our wedding," Paul said.

"Yes, I will," Bella replied.

"I've got us rings as well," he whispered and kissed her cheek.

Bella was stunned. She hadn't thought about the rings, but it seemed that Paul had thought about everything. They had already made a booking to have their ring tattoos made in Seattle.

Charlie loved his socks. He put them on right away. They were red and grey. The pattern was stripes of different widths and made of Finnish lamb wool.

"Billy and Harry got just the same socks. Now you all match," Bella laughed.

"So, what did you get from Paula?" Bella teased her father. Charlie blushed. "Um... she sent me this pocketknife and socks," Charlie said and showed the gifts to them.

"Oh," Bella said. She had thought she was joking. She glanced at Paul, who was grinning.

"Now, Chief, tell me about this, Paula," he said to Charlie.

"Don't you start too," Charlie said, but his mustache twitched as a faint blush rose to his cheeks.

AN:

Thank you for your comments, dear readers. Love them all *kiss*.

Over 100k words! Eek! That's a lot. Is it too much? There is still so much I want for these two, but 100k is a bit dounting amount of words. But I personally love long stories so it seems that this will be one too.