Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 145: Love Him Still?

Chapter 145: Love Him Still?

"Hmm?" Talia now lying in the edge of the bed giving enough space for Rebecca, asked.

"Do you love Arthur Sinclair... still?"

Talia could understand what her friend meant by ’still’. She only recently found out that her mother didn’t die during childbirth, but was ruthlessly murdered by Arthur’s uncle and so it is not odd for Rebecca to ask this question.

" Because he is engaged with another woman now?" Talia asked playfully poking Rebecca’s cheek.

"Yeah, that too. Also how his family is connected with... you know, your mother’s..." Rebecca took in a deep breath holding Talia’s finger. She could see Talia’s eyes glimmer in that gentle light.

Is that sadness?

As for her, she wouldn’t think twice to renounce anyone and their family and even their dog, if they hurt a member of her family. No matter who it is!

"I do love him," Talia said and without knowing, her lips curved up a bit as she remembered Arthur’s face. How can she not?

"When he said his uncle was responsible for my mother’s passing, it was a great shock. There were many conflicting and confusing thoughts running through my mind after he said it. I imagined how my mother would have felt in her final moments... I..." Talia took in a deep breath and Rebecca held her hand tightly and patted it. Talia continued after composing herself.

" I, for a moment, did want to avoid Arthur forever; I wanted nothing to do with the Sinclair family as it always has been between the Brunton and Boswell families. But then I heard the sound...the sound in the kitchen made by his movements. I knew about the problems between our families, but I knew Fred more. Maybe... because I’ve tried to hate him before and tried living without him, it was easy to make a decision. That lively sound in the kitchen, as he was pouring water, his heavy footsteps.... Oddly it soothed my heart and there brewed a fear deep down... ’What if I can’t hear this sound anymore? Should I live alone like before? Should I really push him away once more and regret it for the rest of my life?’... You know how I was before, right? And... Right then I knew the answer in my heart. My heart wanted him. So I decided to follow my heart," Talia said and looked at Rebecca."You won’t throw Joe away for something his family did, right? I mean, I’d like to say no one would be as terrible as the Sinclair family, but people in politics....eh...you won’t know for sure, right?" Talia nudged Rebecca with her shoulders and Rebecca scoffed.

" Let’s not talk about Joe now," Rebecca was not pleased.

Talia knew Rebecca might be feeling the same way about Joe too. Talia could understand, even though Rebecca shouted at Joe, in her eyes there was that yearning; an expectation for Joe to come for her and maybe explain her the truth.

Talia didn’t speak further and there was silence in the room for some moments.

" I think about it too, you know..." Rebecca spoke softly and even though Talia couldn’t see clearly, she could feel Rebecca caressing her stomach to stroke the child in her womb. "Two or five years from now, this child in my belly... might look or will have some mannerisms of Joe. With every benchmark she crosses as she grows like... rolling around, sitting, crawling, her first word... I can’t imagine Joe not there... When she smiles, when she cries, when she hugs and kisses... I want him there. Not just because he is the father but... "

" You still love him and you want to share your joy with him! " Talia said and all Rebecca did was sigh.

What else she could do? Her friend has nailed the hammer right on the head!

" I heard Sally sending Joe to the barn to sleep. Will he be fine? "Talia asked. Of course she knew if she could hear it, Rebecca would have heard it too. But she still wanted to tease her.

" Why not? Even the useful cows are fine sleeping there. Someone useless as him can survive," Rebecca snorted, "I bet even someone useless as him would have brought a sleeping bag. If not, he’d freeze in the cold." she added and Talia could only smile hearing the concern in her tone.

"Don’t worry. Clint seems to like Joe. He’ll take good care of him. Or...you can go warm him up!," Talia chuckled.

"Hmpf! Get lost. Who cares about him! " Rebecca said casually. But she really was in a deep thought worrying about that urban man who grew up pampered and never went through any difficulties now suffering in this cold wilderness. He won’t be able to survive the wild west.

She really didn’t want to feel bad for him, but... He did seem a bit traumatised seeing Stacy getting shot.

Damn my bleeding heart!

"Let him chase after you for a while, Rebecca. He got you so easy the first time. Let him know your worth. Remember, he still haven’t been open with you," Talia reminded her.

"Open with me? You want me to get together with him? You still believe he didn’t cheat?" Rebecca was a bit disappointed. But maybe as a third party, her opinion might be right.

When Talia first spoke about it, she got angry, but now she could see where Talia is coming from.

" That day at... Ah, it’s going to be midnight already. Let’s sleep...let me pass, I’ll sleep in my bed. I don’t want to push you down," Rebecca got down from Talia’s bed and walked over to her bed.

"Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite," Rebecca said covering herself with the blanket.

"Sweet dreams," Talia said. She knew Rebecca was about to ask her something but decided not to.

Hmm... That’s a first for her.

Rebecca peeked at Talia now sleeping deeply. It is wondrous how she could sleep this quickly considering what she went through some time ago with Stacy.

But then, she’s used to being in danger, isn’t she? Poor girl!

Rebecca wanted to ask her where she disappeared that day during Dakota’s wedding reception. She had her doubts regarding Arthur’s engagement announcement too. Talia is way too calm. And that day of the reception, she disappeared and then reappeared with a bracelet.

Rebecca knew for sure that Talia didn’t have it before. It looked like an old design and the way she was keeping it safe and secret, Rebecca could guess it must have been a precious gift.

If it was someone else, Rebecca would have thought that they have a new lover, but this is Talia. She wouldn’t accept gifts from others and if she hides it, it must be a gift from Arthur.

Are they still in contact? If so why isn’t she telling me about it?

Rebecca wanted to know, and knowing that Talia is keeping secrets from her hurt her a bit. But then as she thought further, she decided it would be better to leave it. By the mess Talia is always in, it won’t be a surprise if she has trust issues. That girl used to have iron curtains around her.

At least she opened about her past with me!

And in her heart Rebecca felt happy if Talia has found her one true love. She just hoped Arthur is exactly who he shows himself as. If not, he’ll have to face the barrel of her gun.

-----

Arthur who was just a couple thousand kilometres from where Talia was, somehow felt a sinking feeling in his heart the whole time and he couldn’t sleep deeply.

He was having a lot of meaningless dreams that kept him awake. It was already past 1 A.M. and he felt his eyes groggy and tired but the moment he closed his eyes, there will be dreams keeping him awake.

He had taken a strong painkiller to tackle his headache and he knew he has to sleep, but he couldn’t sleep. As he wondered what he should do, his phone rang and he picked up his phone to see that it was ’Clingy gum’.

Ugh! When can I get rid of this gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe?