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Post by Amber Jacobs on Oct 10, 2015 17:22:22 GMT
Since the Finn Industries Holiday Party, Amber had been mostly upset but now keeping it to herself. She still wasn't quite sure what the fight had been about, but she knew that Brandon was dealing with a lot at work and that she didn't want to make things any worse for him at home. So she didn't bring it up again, she went to sleep before he came home when he worked late or stayed up late on the couch working herself until he went to sleep. Her chest ached and she just wanted for things to go back to the way things had been.
She felt responsible, despite the fact that he'd told her that he wasn't really mad at her. Since her return from California their fights had been rare and when they had them, they had been brief and neither of them had said much that they really regretted. Amber idly wondered if he did regret telling her she was being selfish or if he'd truly meant it, and if that were the case, what else did he think about her that she wasn't really aware of.
The last straw for her had been that afternoon, sitting in her doctor's office and asking him to wait for as long as possible for Brandon to arrive because Cassidy had given him the time and date of the appointment and he knew which one it was and he wouldn't miss it. When the doctor regretfully told her he had other patients, she agreed to go ahead and realized he just wasn't coming.
After the appointment, she hadn't even told Cassidy how it had gone when she asked, busying the girl with other tasks to keep her from pestering her about it. Amber herself ended up working much later than usual and when she made her way through the door of the Penthouse quietly, she wondered if she'd beaten Brandon home still or if he was there already.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Oct 10, 2015 18:21:41 GMT
Truthfully, it had been hard for Brandon to focus. Between everything going on at work and now everything that was going on at home, he had spent a lot of time thinking when he was sure he was meant to be focusing on other things. He had spent the majority of the day alternating between trying to find a solution to the problems Riley had encountered, trying to manage his standard day-to-day, and then trying to piece together what he could do to yo fix things with Amber. There had been certain things said that he now realized he regretted immensely, but his own stubbornness was keeping him from being able to apologize. There were certain things that he also thought he had been right about and he was afraid that if he apologized for some of it, he was going to have to apologize for everything. He was sorry that he had made things more difficult in a way by listening to Riley's advice about the paternity test, and he was sorry that he had gotten so upset about her talking to Adam, he was even sorry about calling her selfish, but ultimately it came back to the fact that they both maybe needed to be a little more understanding of the stresses of the other person's life.
He couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be in her shoes. As much as his own job stressed him out, and as much as things like the paternity test had tried his emotions, he was sure that they had played rampant on hers as well. After spending much of the day busying himself with anything he could to keep him from continuously replaying their argument over and over again in his head, he had resigned himself to the fact that he just needed to calmly talk through all of it with Amber. This time with no arguing, no shouting, and much more understanding. Escaping from work as early as possible so that he could at least start working toward repairing his relationship, he had been surprised to find that Amber wasn't home yet. Now that they had been living together for a little while, he realized that the Penthouse just didn't feel the same without her anymore.
Adopting what had become Amber's spot on the couch, he had been reading through a pile of paperwork when he finally heard the door open. Glancing down at his watch, he frowned realizing what time it was. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that she was intentionally avoiding coming home. "You're home late," he commented obviously.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Oct 10, 2015 18:35:19 GMT
Amber put her things down and toed out of her shoes. When she saw Brandon sitting on the couch, she did feel a bit guilty about working later than normal. But she shrugged a shoulder up, "Some things came up at work in the afternoon once I got back to the office, I thought you'd be working late too, so I didn't call. Sorry," she said gently. She stood there for a moment and then decided she should change out of her work clothes. Stepping into their bedroom, she rid herself of the dress she'd been wearing and slipped into an old t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts.
Part of her was curious if he knew he had realized yet on his own that he'd missed the appointment or if he still had no idea. But really, the big part of her worried that he'd just skipped it because of everything going on at Finn Industries and their previous argument.
Walking back out into the living room, she glanced at him. "Did you eat yet or are you hungry?" she asked.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Oct 10, 2015 18:45:10 GMT
He nodded understandingly at her explanation. He was in no position to be angry with her about having to work late, having pulled late nights at the office more often than he would care to count over the last few months. Brandon turned back to the documents he had been reading over, but now that she was here he was finding that he was having a much more difficult time focusing on the words in front of him. Something about her tone made him question whether or not she wasn't over their fight either, if there were still things that they needed to discuss. He was growing to hate fighting with her. Once it had almost been kind of fun, when they were young and stupid. Their fights had been passionate and tempers had certainly risen, but they always seemed to be able to be solved with a quick apology and sex. Now that they were older and their fights seemed to hold more weight, he wasn't sure that it was going to be enough to apologize for everything that had happened at the holiday party and afterward.
"I grabbed something earlier, but feel free to get something for yourself if you're hungry," he shrugged, setting the paperwork down on the coffee table. "Are you still upset with me about the other night?" he asked bluntly, deciding that it was better to just confront it head on at this point.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Oct 10, 2015 19:20:13 GMT
Amber looked up at Brandon when he brought up the events of the holiday party. Crossing her arms in front of her, she glanced away. "Brandon, you've been going through a lot at work and I promise to be less selfish, can we not talk about it anymore?" she asked sadly. "It's been a long day and I just want to eat something and not fight anymore."
She walked into the kitchen, deciding she'd just rummage around to find something for her to eat. Not finding much, she searched for some menus. Did pizza places deliver single slices of pizza? She might have opted to just go to bed if Cassidy hadn't emphasized how important it was to make sure to eat properly for the baby. Of course, that line of thinking just brought her back to the appointment Brandon had missed. Remembering that she had something for him, she padded barefoot over to her tote bag and retrieved two envelopes - a small one that contained the results of the paternity test and a slightly larger one that contained an ultrasound picture and the baby's gender. She dropped them on the sofa next to him. "The small one is the important one, I guess," she muttered as she walked back to the kitchen. Maybe she'd order Chinese food.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Oct 10, 2015 19:39:40 GMT
One of the things he had regretted saying to her was calling her selfish. He was the one who had been selfish, a point that he hadn't really wanted to dwell on. Brandon wasn't sure what he was expecting from her by saying it, whether it was sympathy for all that he had been going through, or if it was just understanding that things weren't always easy for him either. But he was more than willing to agree not to talk about it anymore, if she truly did want to move past it without saying anything more about it. A part of him wasn't convinced that this was the end of it, and when she dropped two envelopes beside him, he realized that it definitely wasn't the end of their conversation.
Despite the fact that her tone might have indicated that the smaller envelope truly wasn't the important one, it was the one that he opened first. She had gotten the paternity test. A sinking feeling hit him quickly after that when he realized that today had been her doctor's appointment. And it had been a big one at that. He didn't even bother reading through the paternity test, he already knew what it was going to say. It was the larger envelope that he hesitated at. He wasn't sure if he should give into his own curiosity or if he should start apologizing right away for missing the appointment. Having gotten so wrapped up in his own thoughts and having quickly submerged himself in a pile of work, he hadn't even realized that he missed it.
Crossing over to the kitchen, he held the envelope in hand. "Amber, I am so sorry. I know there's no excuse, I just completely forgot about it."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Oct 10, 2015 19:48:05 GMT
Amber didn't look up at him, but shook her head. "It's fine. I understand," she said quickly. "Are you sure you don't want food? I'm going to get Chinese," she announced. Then she glanced up for a brief moment and saw the envelope still in his hand and she chewed on her lip. "The baby's doing well," she nodded. "Actually looks like a real little human on the picture now." She was of the opinion for the majority of the start of her pregnancy their baby had been a blob, then a peanut, then a shrimp. It had all together been possible she was giving birth to a shapeshifting alien.
She looked away sadly and shrugged. "It was just a doctor's appointment Brandon," she told him. "I don't expect you to drop everything when you're busy just because of an appointment," she mumbled. "Are you going to open it?"
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Post by Brandon Finn on Oct 10, 2015 20:00:16 GMT
It wasn't just a doctor's appointment, he noted. It was a milestone in their lives and he knew that he should have been there. There wasn't going to be another doctor's appointment where they found out the baby's gender, and there wasn't anything that he could do to change that. Brandon looked down at the envelope, feeling as though just a couple pieces of paper now acted as a reminder that he made a big mistake. He didn't even know where to begin in making it all up to her. Before opening it, he looked at her for a moment, trying to find the words to express how truly sorry he was for everything. Licking his lower lip as though he was about to say something, he abandoned the idea, deciding that nothing he said right now would make up for it. With a small sigh, he opened the envelope, and withdrew its contents.
He hadn't been hoping for either gender. It was still strange enough to wrap his head around the idea that they were having a baby at all, he hadn't even started really thinking about what things were going to be like once it was born. Aside from the information he had been reading in the baby books, it was entirely possible that they would bring it home and realize that they didn't know anything about what they were supposed to do next. But looking down at the ultrasound picture and taking in the fact that the baby was a boy, he realized that maybe a small part of him had actually hoped for this.
"It's a boy?" He hadn't meant it as a question, but looked up at Amber with a small smile either way. He immediately regretted that what should have been an exciting moment was tainted by the fighting they had been having. "I'm so sorry that I missed all of this. I wanted to be there with you, I just -" he stopped abruptly, having no excuse. "I can be kind of a stubborn ass sometimes."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Oct 10, 2015 20:12:38 GMT
She nodded at him and when he apologized, she shook her head at him. "I understand," she tried to assure him. "With everything going on at work and it's been requiring a lot of your attention." She shrugged. "It's a boy and he's healthy, that's all that matters right?" Even as she said it, she knew it wasn't completely true. She missed him desperately and had wanted him to be there. She thought about what he'd said about not putting her issues over his own and making things worse and she really did want to just pretend like everything was fine.
Still, in what she wanted to blame mostly on hormones her eyes welled with tears and she glanced away from him sniffling softly. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I'm fine. It's fine. I'm not trying to -" she broke off and frowned. "I know this isn't just about me, I just wish you had been there but I don't want to make a big deal out of it because I don't want to fight anymore."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Oct 10, 2015 20:22:56 GMT
Abandoning the ultrasound photo on the counter, he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. He wondered idly if the move would be overstepping his current boundaries with her, considering the fact that over the last couple of days they hadn't necessarily been the most affectionate couple. But he was comforted a little by her statement that she no longer wanted to fight. Sighing softly and pulling her close, he knew that he didn't want to fight with her. He had actually grown to hate it and everything that went along with it. Every name called, every angry statement made, all of it made him feel as though he was making a bigger and bigger mistake. The truth was that he couldn't imagine doing anything that would in any way jeopardize their relationship, and he was afraid that his own stubbornness could have been a problem this time around.
"Amber," he started softly, smoothing a hand over her hair while he still held her close, "I'm sorry. I promise not to let anything else get in the way of you and I. You and the baby are my top priorities, even if I'm terrible at showing it sometimes." He would have smiled ruefully at her had he been able to do anything else other than just hold on to her at the moment. "I'll work on it."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Oct 10, 2015 21:34:43 GMT
She sighed softly when he pulled her into his arms, burying her face against his chest and sniffling. Even though she was still a bit upset, the moment his arms wrapped around her, she felt better closer to him. Holding on to him, she sighed, shaking her head and pulling away. "I'm sorry, too," she told him. She pulled back slightly, long enough to wipe her eyes and sniffle again. She looked up at him and shook her head. "I know you love me, Brandon - and the baby. You don't have to put us above work, I shouldn't have gotten as upset with you as I did for needing to work the other night. Once Riley was talking about it, I knew how serious it was. And I know that you don't like Adam, but I didn't talk to him with the intention of upsetting you," she told him, with a nod.
"We're having a boy," she said after a moment. "I was hoping for a boy," she admitted. "Even though I would have still been happy with a daughter and would have loved her. I think a boy will be wonderful."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Oct 11, 2015 16:43:51 GMT
He knew that she didn't intend on making him upset by Adam, no matter how much that he wanted to have a reason to dislike the other man further, his reasons for doing so were becoming much pettier than they had once been. Brandon looked down at her and shook his head, "You don't have anything to be sorry for. I overreacted and I'm sorry. There's just been a lot going on and I shouldn't have taken it out on you." Ultimately it was the fact that she was so close to him that had made her such an easy target to take his aggression out on. It wasn't fair to her, and truthfully he probably should have continued to keep it to himself, but something about the most recent issues had made it all bubble to the surface.
Smiling at her confession for a boy, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I think so too. I don't really know what I would have done with a girl."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Oct 11, 2015 17:02:12 GMT
Amber smiled softly at Brandon, holding herself close to him. "Brandon," she said gently. "I know you've had a lot going on, and I'm sorry about that. And I'm sorry if you feel like sometimes I put myself before you. But if things are ever bothering you, I want you to talk to me about them instead of us fighting," she told him. She pursed her lips for a moment. "Because I love you and I hate fighting with you," she admitted. "And I don't want you to be this stressed and feel like you can't come to me about it. Before it turns into loud voices."
She leaned up and kissed him softly. "Oh, a little version of me would be a nightmare, consider yourself lucky, Brandon," she grinned up at him.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Oct 11, 2015 17:18:56 GMT
Brandon nodded in agreement, "Okay. No more fighting." Communication had never been his strong suit, he was well aware of that fact. At least it had never been his strong suit when it came down to sharing how he was feeling with Amber, let alone anyone else. It had made things difficult at times, he knew that, and he knew that it was something that he was going to have to work on eventually, but he also knew that it wasn't an overnight process. But he could promise her that he would continue to try, she deserved that much. "I'm sorry," he repeated, feeling as though there was nothing else that he could really say. He had already shouted at her all of the things that had been causing him the most stress, and it didn't really seem like now was the time to rehash any of those old concerns.
At the thought of a smaller version of her, however, he couldn't help but grin. "A little version of you would be beautiful. But I feel like I would be helplessly outnumbered. I don't know what I would do with two of you."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Oct 11, 2015 17:44:23 GMT
Amber grinned at him, shaking her head. "Stop apologizing," she pressed her lips against his again and then pulled back. "You have to say a little version of me would be great, because you love me and we just made up. But I'm sure my parents could write you a book on all of the ways you're wrong," she chuckled. "So now I'm the outnumbered one?" she shook her head. "We're in for it, he's going to get away with murder, you Finn boys are trouble," she laughed.
"I'm starving," she admitted. "You're not tired are you? I was thinking I'd order something quick and I can tell you about the appointment, and then maybe we can make up?" she suggested, peering up at him with a bright smile.
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