Three Thousand Miles - Forever, (book #3 of Three Thousand Miles, Series) (19 page)

We drive for about thirty minutes and when we arrive at our destination my
heart begins to race. Adrian glides the car swiftly into the parking lot and he
stops the car into a large space in front of the entrance. He switches off the
engine as he turns to face me. I stare into his eyes and I can see that he is
anxious. Adrian has a way of trying to mask his feelings, but I have learned how
to spot when he is nervous about something. His eyes begin to dart from side
to side and he nervously runs his fingers through his hair. I reach over and
gently touch his leg to comfort him. He smiles at me and then he turns his
attention to the entrance of the London Zoo. I stare out the window of the car
as I scan the crowd of people who are entering the gates of the zoo. I haven’t
seen Zara or William yet and as the thought of them enters my mind, my heart
begins to pound and my nausea from earlier has returned. I don’t know how
Adrian will react around William and I am worried about how the child will feel
about seeing him. It must be very confusing for William as he has spent his five
years on this planet thinking that Chad is his father. Now, everything that he
knows might have just been a lie. I have seen things on the TV about children
who learn that their parents aren’t their actual parents and I can honestly say
that in most cases things don’t always turn out the way that they should. I
can’t imagine how difficult this is going to be on William, after all Adrian is a
stranger to him and meeting new people and thrusting them into their lives
can be very traumatic for a child. I just hope and pray that the truth is revealed
soon as this worry and stress is not fair on any of us – including Zara. I have
seen first-hand how scary and repulsive Chad can be, so I can understand why
Zara wants to leave him. Although I do feel some compassion towards her, it
doesn’t stop my hatred of her being around Adrian. I loathe the fact that she
has held back on letting Adrian have the DNA test and I despise her for the
hold that she has on him. She has a way of compelling him into doing as she
says and I hate her for that. I can’t escape my fears of how much she will want
to be in his life if William is actually his son. When I saw her at Mr And Mrs
Jenkins’s anniversary party, I could tell that she still has feelings for Adrian. The
way she looked at him was alarming to me as it’s the same way as I look at
Adrian. I watched as she couldn’t take her eyes off him and I was jealous
because I know that in the past, he has cared deeply for her. Adrian doesn’t
like to admit it, but I know that some part of him loved Zara and I am terrified
that he might still have feelings for her – especially now that she might be the
mother of his child.

Adrian turns to look at me as a red BMW pulls alongside of us.

“They’re here.” He says as he gently smiles at me. I take in massive gulp of air
as I look past Adrian’s head and into the car. I can see that Zara is driving, her
dark blonde hair is straight and it’s loose around her face. She has on huge
dark sunglasses which cover half of her face and Iimmediately look away as
Adrian rolls down the window.

“Hello,” he says in cool voice. Zara isn’t in my eye line, but I can’t miss her posh
English twang.

“Hello Adrian,” she says smugly. I have to hold back my fury as she steps out of
the car. She smiles at Adrian as she opens the car door for William. The small
chocolate haired boy rushes out from the car and he grabs onto his mother’s
leg. I stare at him and I can see so much of Adrian in him – it’s actually scary.
He has the same lips, nose, cheeks and eyes as Adrian and when he makes eye
contact with me for the first time, I can see Adrian staring back out at me from
his eyes. Adrian quickly steps out of the car and that’s when Zara sees me. She
marches straight over to the window and I am little stunned by her rudeness.
She doesn’t smile or say ‘HI’, but instead she shakes her head at me whilst she
gives Adrian a piece of her mind.

“What is she doing here?” Adrian clears his throat as he briefly turns around to
smile at me. I lean forward in my seat as I await his words.

 

“Alanna is my wife and I want her here. Do you have a problem with that?”
Zara frowns at me as she rolls her eyes – intensely.

“Yes, it is a problem. I don’t want her here. Now please make her leave.” My
heart is racing.
“That is not going to happen and I don’t want row with you in front of the boy.
Now back off Zara, Alanna is staying.” Adrian says firmly. Zara puffs and blows
her way over to the car window again and I bring myself to look at her. Her
dark blue eyes are darting through me and I can tell that she despises me.

“You better not cause any problems, is that understood?” I force myself to
smile at her as I reply.

 

“Crystal!”

Adrian rushes over to the car and he opens the door for me. I take his hand as I
step out into the parking lot. Adrian leads me over to Zara and William and he
instantly introduces himself to the child.

“Hello mate, I am Adrian and this is my wife Alanna.” The little boy stares at us
as he considers replying to Adrian’s words. He looks up at his mom, but she
just rolls her eyes as she pushes him forward. William smiles at me as he
begins to stumble over to us. He greets Adrian with a smile as he tells him his
name.

“My name is William,” Adrian can’t hold back his smile as he locks eyes with
the little boy and then William does something that totally surprises me, he
rushes over to me and he lunges into my arms. He wraps his little arms around
my waist and I am trying hard to hold back my tears. I gently pat him on the
head and he begins to talk in his fluid English voice.

“I like you Alanna,” I gently laugh, but then my face turns sour as Zara lunges
forward and pulls William away from me. I want to smack her for the force she
has used on this small child.

“She has to leave.” Zara informs Adrian with an icytone. I hold back my words
as Adrian jumps to my rescue.

“We have talked about this and Alanna is staying.” Zara grabs William by the
arm as she pulls him towards the car. She thrusts open the door as she gives
out her threats.

“Either she leaves or we do, choose, Adrian.” I sigh as I lock eyes with Adrian.

He looks devastated by Zara’s actions and I can tell that he was looking forward
to spending time with William. I grip onto Adrian’s hand as I know what I have
to do.

“Doll, it’s fine, I will go.” Adrian shakes his head at me as he makes a darting
look towards Zara. I can feel his hand begin to tremble as I grip him tighter.
Zara is staring blankly at me as she maintains a tight grip on William. I smile at
the little boy as he looks confused. This situation must be terrifying for him and
I can’t help but notice how unconsidered Zara is being of her son. She has
pulled him away from us – without explaining why. His eyes look as if they
have tears forming in them as she squeezes his little arm. William is scared and
confused and all I want is for his worries to go away. So if I have to leave
Adrian alone with his ex-girlfriend who clearly still has feelings for him, then
that is exactly what I will do.

“Baby, you don’t have to go.” I turn him towards me as I stare up into his green
eyes.

 

“Yes I do, now please let me go.” I loosen my hands from Adrian’s as I turn to
face Zara.

 

“But baby where will you go? We only have one car?” I think for a second and
then my thoughts become clear.

“I will take the car and perhaps Zara could drive you home?” A wicked smile
comes to Zara’s face as my words ring in the air. I would love to wipe her smile
right off her face – but I resist as I know how important spending time with
William is to Adrian. I quickly smile at William as I make my way back over to
the car. I jump into the driver’s seat of Adrian’s black Range Rover and I quickly
buckle up. I start the engine as Adrian strides over to the unrolled window. He
gently places his hand onto my cheek as he says his goodbyes.

“Baby, I want to thank you for allowing this. I know it must be hard on you, but
it just shows that you are the bigger person.” I smile at him as I gently touch his
hand.

“I know how important this is to you, text me later?” Adrian smiles at me.

“Of course and you know that I love you, right?”
“Absolutely,” I push the car into drive and I gently glide the car to the exit of
the parking lot. My heart is racing and I feel like crying as I look back at Adrian
in rear view mirror. Zara, William and Adrian are walking off into the distance.
From a far they look like a normal, happy family and as I stall at the junction for
about thirty seconds, I can’t help but wonder if I have made a horrendous
mistake by leaving him alone - with Zara.

Ten
(Adrian)

The air is cold and my hands are numb from the iciness of the cool winter day.
My nose feels as if I could fall from my face and icy shivers are running up my
spine, but none of that compares to the cold bitterness that I feel inside. I am
walking across the car park and up to the front entrance of the zoo with a boy
who might be my son and woman who I despise. Her fake smile makes my skin
crawl and I can’t describe how much I hate her for making Alanna leave. My
heart was breaking as I watched my wife drive away. I wanted to run after the
car and rip her back into my arms, but I didn’t because I know that she
wouldn’t want me to do that. Alanna is an angel and she wants me to spend
time with the boy. She knew how important this day was to me and her kind
heart wouldn’t let anything ruin it. I can’t thank her enough as I know that this
isn’t easy for her and I know that another girl wouldn’t be as understanding as
she is. Alanna is my world and my heart is aching for her, but I know that today
has to go well. Therefore, I will keep her beautiful face in my thoughts as I try
to get through the day without her.

As I pay for the zoo tickets I catch the boy staring at me. His chubby cheeks are
rosy and I can’t stop looking at his eyes. I know that they are like mine and the
more I look at him the more I believe that I am his father. He smiles at me and I
am surprised when he reaches out for my hand. I don’t want to offend him, but
at the same time I don’t feel that I am ready to be affectionate with him.
Therefore, I pat him on his head as I gently push him through the gates of the
zoo. I watch his excitement build as he takes in his surroundings. He hobbles
from one side to another as he informs us on what animals he wants to see
first.

“Mummy I want to see the penguins.” Zara frowns at him as she pulls him
towards her.

“Don’t start, you will see what I want you to see, alright?” The boy’s smile
instantly fades from his little round face and I am annoyed by the tone that
Zara has used with him. I scowl at her as I stride forward and I loosen her grip
on his arm. I take his hand as I pull him to my side, I quickly smile at him and he
beams back at me. I look at Zara and I can tell that she isn’t happy with my
actions, but I really don’t care. I nod at her as Ibegin to walk in the direction of
the penguins. William’s hand is hot as we glide along the pathways of the zoo.
His smile is happy and his excitement is growing as we are nearing the animals.
We reach the railings and William stands on his tiptoes so that he can see over
the railings, however he is too short and he soon alerts me that he isn’t happy.

“I can’t see,” he says firmly. I look around for Zara and I can see that she is
standing behind us – grinning wickedly. I make a gesture with my hand as I
want her to come and lift William up so that he can see, but she ignores my
signal and I can feel my anger building. Zara is playing mind games with me;
she wants me to bond with the boy so that I won’t ask her for a DNA test.
Although I can’t deny that I do feel oddly connected to him and that thought
worries me, but I also have to keep my head on straight and I need to find out
for certain that the boy is mine. I gently pat him on the shoulder as I swallow
my pride and lift him into my arms. His face is close to mine and he frightens
me when he wraps his arms around my neck. I want to pull back, but
something about his actions feels right. I know that it sounds crazy, but William
feels right in my arms. His soft brown hair is tucked into a warm red bonnet
and his blue coat is zipped up to his neck, but somehow he feels ice cold in my
arms. I want to warm him up so I pull him closer to me. I gently rub his little
back as I transfer heat into his bones. He smells like shampoo and pancakes
and I inhale his scent as I hold him. I briefly close my eyes for a moment and an
image of Alanna comes into my mind. Her huge brown eyes and blonde flowing
hair are swirling in my head. Her full, pink lips and her Chanel No 5, I can’t
almost smell her and I wish that she was here with me.

“William, go and play.” Zara says as she ushers over to us. I hate the way that
she speaks to the boy it’s as if he is a hassle to her. I have to control myself as
she pulls him from my arms. “Go and play,” she says again. William exhales as
he runs over to the other side of the pathway. He gently grips onto the railings
and he leans down onto the ground so that he can see into the fish pond
below. I can hear him laughing as he spots a fish. I want to run over and join
him, but Zara is blocking me with her sour-face.

“We have a lot that we need to discuss.” I roll my eyes at her and then I signal
for her continue. “I don’t know where to start, but I guess that child support
would be a good place.” I frown at her words – is money all that she cares
about?

“Excuse me?”

“William is your son and you owe me five years of child support!” I am stunned
at her forwardness. I always knew that she was a bitch, but I never expected
that she would stoop as low as this.
“Are you honestly saying that I owe you money when I didn’t even know that
the boy existed?” Zara laughs at me and now my blood is boiling. How dare she
think that I wouldn’t pay child support?