The cry of a baby woke Amanda, her heart pounding as she instinctively threw away the blankets. The house was silent except for the rhythmic hum of the radiator, but her mind remained hyper-alert, already attuned to the needs of her children. She glanced at the baby phone on her bedside table, the bright screen confirming what her ears had recorded: one of her baby, was awake and not happy about it.
She reached the nursery in a matter of seconds, her shod feet sliding across the floor. The room was bathed in the soft glow of a moon-shaped night light, casting shadows on the pale blue walls. Amanda took Noah out of his cradle, putting his tiny body against her chest. His cries immediately softened, replaced by drowsy moans.
"What's wrong, honey?" she whispered, bouncing him gently. "Bad dream?"
The answer was an indignant sniff, followed by the telltale wrinkle of his little nose. Amanda chuckled softly. "Or maybe just hungry." She grabbed a bottle prepared from the mini-fridge tucked away in a corner of the nursery, silently thanking the past-Amanda for her foresight.
As she fed Noah, her gaze fell on the framed photos hanging on the wall. Two identical faces, each radiating contagious joy, looked back at her. Noah and Liam, her twins. They were her greatest achievement and her greatest joy.
Tonight, however, her thoughts drifted to someone else: Christopher Kole.
It had been two years since their last meeting, a fleeting encounter that had left her with more than just memories. Christopher had been charming, even magnetic. The kind of man who could make a woman forget the world with a single smile. But that night, that was all they had. And then, months later, she found out she was pregnant, not one baby, but two.
She had made the choice to keep them, to raise them alone. Christopher had no place in their lives, and she had every intention of keeping him that way. But fate, it seemed, had decided otherwise.
Christopher Kole stood in front of Amanda's house, his heart pounding in a way he wasn't used to. He was not a man prone to nerves. He was always unfazed. But tonight, as he was getting ready to knock on the door of a woman he hadn't seen in 2 years, he clearly felt overwhelmed.
He had discovered earlier that he has twins. What a shock!
The idea had hit him like a freight train. Christopher had never thought of himself as a father – he was too busy, too selfish, too much of what his own father had been. But the thought of two little boys out there in the world, his blood running through their veins, had ignited something primitive in him. He had to see them. He had to know.
And now there he was, standing on the porch, the words he had repeated over and over again evaporating like mist. He raised his hand to knock.
The door opened. Amanda stood there, her hair disheveled, her expression changing from confusion to shock to anger in the space of a heartbeat.
"Christopher?" Her voice was high-pitched, his grip tightening on the doorframe.
He swallowed with difficulty, meeting her gaze: "Hello, Love."
"Hi, Love." Hearing him call her made her so moved.
Christopher Kole, the man who stood in front of her, the man who had broken her heart two years ago, was undeniably back. Amanda blinked, disoriented, as if she had woken up from a dream. He was as stunning as she remembered, a masterpiece of the male physique. Tall and athletic, with an imposing height of 1.90 meters of sharp muscles encased in an elegant black suit, he exuded an aura of effortless power. His black hair, styled to perfection, didn't have a single strand out of place.
Amanda could feel her pulse beating faster. His gaze, those piercing green eyes, of the same captivating color as the eyes of her sons, held her own captive. Memories came to the surface, a tidal wave of bittersweet emotions threatening to drown her. The joy of their night together, the cold look he gave her the next day and the hurtful words he said to her…
Thinking about her sons, their innocent faces, their dependence on her, brought her back to reality. Christopher was back in her life, and with him, a torrent of unresolved feelings, a Pandora's box of emotions that she had painstakingly tried to close. She took a deep breath, trying to stabilize the tremor in her hands, to calm the storm raging inside her. This was not the time to break down, to let the past consume her. She had two little boys who depended on her, two innocent souls who needed their mother to be strong.
For a long moment of agony, they simply stared at each other, their air thick with unspoken words, unanswered questions and ghosts from their past. The silence stretched out, heavy and suffocating, until at last Christopher, said: "We must speak."
Amanda had imagined this moment a hundred times over the years, but nothing could have prepared her for the reality of Christopher standing on her doorstep.
"You've got a lot of nerve walking in here after the way you spoke to me last time," she said, with anger. "What do you want, Christopher?"
A flash of anger crossed Christopher's eyes. "I know about the boys, Amanda. I know they're mine."
The air between them crackled with tension. Her heart was beating wildly, a deafening rhythm that she feared he would hear. She began to speak, but the words stuck in her throat. Instead, she walked in, beckoning him with a gesture. This conversation was too important for her to run the risk of her neighbours hearing them.
They sat down in the living room. Amanda offered Christopher a coffee, but he sullenly refused. She tried to buy time before tackling this difficult subject. So, she slipped into her kitchen, the small American-style space a welcome refuge to prepare coffee for herself. The weight of his gaze, heavy and full of expectation, fell on her.
Finally, the coffee was ready. With a deep breath, she returned to the living room. She sat across from Christopher, the worn floral chair sinking under her weight. She cleared her throat and said, "You know for my sons, so what? Think you can just come back into my life and play daddy?
"I'm not here to disrupt your life, Amanda. I need to be part of them. They deserve to know who I am.
"Who are you?" she repeated in a voice that rose high. "You're a stranger, Christopher. You didn't go there for two years. They don't know you."
Christopher's eyes sparkled in frustration. "And whose fault is it? You never told me, Amanda. You never gave me a chance."
Amanda held her breath, the truth of his words hitting her hard. She had made the decision to keep him out of their lives, to protect her boys from the pain of his absence. But now, faced with his determination to be a part of their lives, she couldn't deny the complexity of the situation.
"I did what I thought was best" she said, with anger. "I didn't want them to get injured."
Christopher's expression softened, his anger giving way to deep sadness. "I understand that. But they're also my sons, Amanda. I deserve to have the chance to know them, to be part of their lives."
Amanda looked away, tears stung her eyes. She wanted to protect her boys, but she also knew that keeping Christopher away wasn't the answer. They deserved to know their father, and Christopher deserved the chance to prove himself.
Christopher ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in his every move. "I am a powerful man. My sons deserve to benefit from my name and my position in Seattle. I want to try, for them and for you."
Amanda blinked, the last two words hitting her like a punch in the stomach. "For you". She shook her head, forcing herself to stay focused. "It's not about me, Christopher. It's about them. And you have no idea what it takes to be a parent."
"I can learn", he says, his voice calm now. "Give me a chance, Amanda. I am not asking for forgiveness. Just a chance to do the right thing for them."
Her breath stopped, the sincerity of his voice catching her off guard.
"We'll see" she finally said. "But that's not a promise, Christopher. You have a lot to prove."
"I understand. Thank you", he said, a gleam of relief in his eyes.
Amanda, explained that she needed time to digest everything. "It's a lot to take in", she said, her gaze fixed on the ground. "I need to think about what this means for me, for the children"...
"I understand. But it's not something we can put on hold indefinitely, Amanda."
She nodded, her eyes finally meeting his. "I know. I... I need time."
He studied her face, looking for the slightest sign of hesitation, for the slightest indication that he might walk away. In the end, he conceded. "Okay", he said, "but please don't take too long."
Amanda smiled, a small, tense smile. "I won't."
He stood up, overlooking her. "Here's my card, my number is on it, you can contact me when you're ready."
She accompanied him to the door, the silence between them heavy with unexpressed emotions. On the threshold he turned to her. "Good night, Love", he said, without any emotion.
Amanda's heart skipped a beat. "Good night, Christopher."
He lingered for a moment, his eyes searching hers, then finally turned around and left. Amanda watched him leave, the sound of his footsteps fading into the street. She leaned against the doorframe, her hand pressed to her chest, feeling a strange mixture of relief and dread.
Then, she turned and went back inside, her mind swirling with questions to which she had no answers. As she leaned against the closed door, she couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't making the biggest mistake of her life or if she was giving her sons the chance they deserved.