Wherever You Are

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She got up gently from the small bed careful to not disturb the sleeping boy who had latched himself to her. Her heart was still swollen with love for the kid who had given her the world without even knowing about it. She now knew why people said Children are god. Her Riley was truly everything she could ever want.

But she knew it wasn't for long. Javier would never be okay with his son calling her his mother. No one would be okay with it. She was just an employee. Ex-employee now. However, she was grateful for whatever she got. She finally got to hear herself being called a Momma. Several nights she had dreamt of her unborn child who had haunted her. She might have been just a teenager but she was ready to be a mother. She had even decided the name of her child. She was scared but she knew she was going to give all her love to them. Her child, she couldn't even hold him or her in her arms. She had always felt empty but now with Riley sleeping so peacefully in her arms, she felt as if god finally graced her with the chance to hold her kid. And she thanked him for it.

She tucked him gently and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. She knew it was time for her to leave. She wasn't needed there. The child might want her but his father didn't. Javier hadn't stepped inside the room since Riley took his medicine and it had been hours. His words from the day in Chicago rang in her ears. He didn't want her to show him her face. That was why he hadn't come to see even Riley. A treacherous tear escaped the mental barriers she had raised and she quickly wiped it.

Now that she was here, she decided to pack her stuff that she had left in the guest room, unless Javier had taken it on himself to dispose of them.

She found her way to the room she had called hers for a short period of time and let out a bitter laugh when she saw the stuff just as it had been. Guess, he didn't even want to touch her stuff. She knew it wasn't right of her to be so bitter but her heart ached thinking about his indifference. He hadn't said a single word to her ever since she came inside the house.

"What are you doing?" She jumped at the voice dropping the shirt she had been folding. She looked down at the duffle bag in front of her with a frown wondering if it looked like she had been stealing.

She bent down to pick up the short and threw it in the bag. However, before she could drop the shirt, her wrist was enveloped in a huge warm hand. She stared at the hand. How did he walk so quickly and quietly?

"Why are you packing your stuff?" He asked again.

She followed the hand to the arm which joined at the broad shoulders before looked up at the face of her former boss. She looked inside the brown eyes with a longing. She hadn't seen him for three days and she had missed him. Her thoughts had been all over the place these past day. She had been used to seeing him everyday. Heck, she spent more time with him than her brother.

He had grown a stubble these past days which made him look somehow more mature. A voice inside her urged her to cup his cheeks in her hands and feel his skin.

"Packing?" She said, forcing the voices in her head aside. She went to take out the last of her supplies from the wardrobe but was jerked back by a hold on her arm.

"Don't." Javier breathed into her ear. "You can't leave."

Elise laughed bitterly. Was this man for real?

"Isn't that what you wanted? Surely, It hasn't been so long for you to change your mind. How could you want a 'gold digging bitch' to stay? You should be disgusted, right?" She spat struggling in her grip. But he didn't leave her and snaked his arm around her stomach and kept her in place against his chest.

"Elise." He said softly, his voice showing guilt and remorse he felt. But Elise was too angry now to care. All she wanted was for him to realise she wasn't wrong and come to her but now that he was here, she found herself fuming.

"I am really…" he started to be stopped
.
"Save it Mr. Kellen." She cut him. She had stopped struggling in his grip knowing that it was of no use. She wasn't stronger than him. "I don't need it. What I needed was for you to listen to me. What I needed was for you to trust me." She again felt tears in her eyes. This time they were tears of anger and frustration. She turned around in his arms so that they were now facing each other. Javier loosened his grip on her but kept his hands on her chest for safety lest she tried push him away. He knew her anger was justified and he only wanted her to forgive him. If that meant facing her wrath, he was prepared for it.

They stood pressed against each other. Their faces just inches away. It would have been a romantic moment if both of them weren't so miserable. Elise was hurt and felt betrayed. What made it worse was the realisation that she had no right to feel so. On the other hand, Javier was hurt too, he was guilty and frustrated that he managed to push away the one good thing that happened to him in a long time.

"Did you give me a chance to explain myself? No. You didn't. Now you heard from somewhere or watched the news and now you feel guilty? The truth is Javier, you are doing it only to ease your conscience. You don't care." Without a warning, she shoved him in the chest and rushed out without the bag. She didn't care about her stuff anymore. He can throw that away for all she cared. She left the house in a flash. She could hear his footsteps behind her and a tiny part of her heart hoped he would follow her out. She even slowed down her pace for him to catch up once she was outside. But the door never opened.

Javier followed her as she was leaving calling her name but his voice fell to deaf ears. He hadn't had the chance to apologise yet and he felt horrible for it. He had hoped once she would finish her complaints, he could tell her how bad he felt and how wrong it was of him to do that. He was ready to even beg her for her forgiveness. He knew it was weird considering he was her boss but he didn't care anymore. He wanted her back. With full intention to stop her and make her listen to his apology he followed her. Just as he was about to open the door after her, his feet planted them in place. George was out for groceries and that meant if he left the house, Riley would be alone in the house. Was he ready to leave his son alone in this condition? No. He knew if Elise knew she wouldn't want it too. But he also didn't want her to think he gave up on her. He wanted her to know he wasn't doing it because he felt bad as a person. He wanted her to forgive him because somewhere, somehow, she had made her place in their life. They needed her.

He took a few step back and sighed in defeat. He would have to try another time. But for that he had to make sure she would come back to them. If not for him, then for Riley. If he thought he was attached to her before, after today he knew it was a whole different level. His kid adored her. He loved her. He looked up to her. And this gave him all the more reason to not give her up. No. He was going to make sure she forgive him and stays in their life.