I Ran So Far Away - Complete

Chapter 46

I woke at 2:00 am and Christian was not beside me, his side of the bed undisturbed.

It was Teddy who'd woken me; his soft cries coming through the baby monitor. I headed to his room, finding him half asleep but grumbling. It was unusual for him to wake at this time, so I offered him my breast and he latched on, feeding for a little while before falling back asleep. I took him to the change table and quickly changed his diaper. His bottom and penis looked a little red, so I put cream on them. The baby book said his urine could become more acidic when he started solids.

Teddy awake again, I offered my other breast, lulling him back to sleep. Once he was out, I put him back into his crib. Fully awake myself, now, and worried why Christian was not in bed, I padded downstairs to check his office. Finding it empty, I assumed he was still over seeing Elliot.

I checked the world time app on my phone. London being eight hours ahead of Seattle, it would be 10:00 am there. Kate would probably be at work, however, without knowing her schedule, I wasn't sure if she'd be able to talk.

"Ana?" Kate answered on the first ring.

"Hey! Is now a good time?" I asked. "If you're at work..."

"Now's a great time! I'm so glad you called! I have so much to tell you!"

I giggled. It had been ages since I'd spoken to Kate; I'd missed her enthusiasm.

"How did Elliot's visit go?"

"Well. Really well! I took the Friday and Monday off, and we made a long weekend of it."

"What did you do? Where did he stay? Are you back together?" I wanted all the details.

"He stayed at a hotel close to my flat. We had a great weekend! Friday we did all the touristy things I haven't done since we visited Mom here when I was a teenager. Saturday we visited the markets in the morning and bought food then had lunch at mine. Saturday night we dined at a trendy little place in Soho then danced afterward. Sunday we met my cousins for brunch. Afterward, Elliot took me shopping, then we did Indian for dinner. On Monday he rented a car, and we drove up to a village and had a pub lunch, then we came back, and in the evening he flew back home."

"It sounds like a great weekend! How are things between you two?"

Kate sighed theatrically, demonstrably enjoying the drama of it all.

"It's like I was saying to Mia – I love Elliot, and I will forgive him and take him back, but he needs to work for it. One visit will not make it all better."

My subconscious wondered when Kate had spoken to Mia, given she'd made no effort to reach out to me. If Elliot hadn't told us, I would have had no idea he'd even visited Kate in London.

"So, you're not back together yet?" I clarified, pushing my jealous feelings aside.

"No. I mean we held hands at the markets, and I let him kiss me before he left for the airport on Monday, but that's it. If he wants me back, he needs to step up his game. One bunch of flowers, some text messages, a Tiffany necklace, and a weekend visit aren't going to cut it!"

"You will forgive him?"

"Yes. I'm enjoying London, but I don't want to live here forever. I talked to Daddy the other day, and he suggested maybe setting me up in my own PR firm once I come back to Seattle? Elliot said his business is on the edge of becoming much bigger so we won't need the money, but even once we have kids, I couldn't just sit around spending every day at home or playgroup! I need to be out there doing things!"

I wasn't sure if it was intentional, but it was hard not to take Kate's comments personally. Did she really assume I just sat around all day?! Is that how other people saw what I did?