Professor Richter's Rules

by Jessa York

  Steadying myself, I straightened my shoulders, ready to go see my fate.

  38

  Paige

  “I don’t know how I’m going to drag this body around campus next semester. I’m already the size of a beached whale,” I said, moaning on Jake’s bed. Pulling up the hem of my tank top to expose the ever-growing bump, I placed my hand on it.

  Jake came further into the room, holding a small, decorative Christmas bag. My eyes shot to it and I smiled. We’d put up his tree a couple of weeks ago. There were a few presents underneath but I hadn’t seen that one.

  “Then I’ll just have to carry you to your classes,” he said, sauntering around to his side of the bed. Crawling in behind me, Jake handed me a small box from the bag. “I got you something.”

  It looked like a ring box. Oh my gosh, was he going to propose? My heart sped up as I opened it. Inside was a beautiful, one of a kind—mood ring. I giggled at my silly notion that Jake would ask me to marry him. “I had this one made for you since you can’t wear the other one anymore.”

  Boy was he right. Now that my fingers resembled sausages, I couldn’t fit my old mood ring over my swollen knuckles. Rolling over to face him, I smiled as I said, “Thank you, it’s perfect.”

  “You really like it?” he asked, his eyebrow quirking up as he removed the ring from the box then slid it onto my finger.

  Holding out my right hand, I wiggled it in the light. “You tell me,” I grinned, shoving it in front of his face.

  “Pink,” he said, noting the color the ring had turned on my finger. Grabbing my hand, he kissed the back of it. His thoughtfulness made me feel warm and tingly all over. “Here, I think you dropped this a while ago.” Jake handed me the gift bag.

  “Hmm,” I said, genuinely curious about what could be inside. My fingers felt something soft as I yanked it out. It was that stupid unicorn he’d put on my car all those weeks ago. It made me laugh so hard as I clasped the stuffed animal to my chest. “I have to admit that even for you, this is exceptionally cheesy. Am I ever going to live down your unicorn metaphor?”

  “Never. You’ll always be my unicorn,” he said, kissing my lips briefly while I chuckled again at his overt corniness. I secretly loved it. However, I still found it necessary to tease the poor man.

  Rolling to my back, I set the stuffy on my stomach. That’s when I noticed there was a different ribbon around its neck with a small paper tag. Grasping it between my fingers, I flipped it so I could see what was written. It read, Will you marry me? Hanging below the unicorn’s neck on the ribbon was a huge, diamond solitaire.

  My vision clouded instantly as tears began streaming down my cheeks.

  “What do you say?” Jake whispered, kissing my cheek.

  Wiping my eyes, I looked over at him. “I don’t think it’s legal to marry a unicorn. Even in California.”

  He let out a loud laugh, shaking the bed and me. “It better be or I’m in trouble.” Leaning down, he touched his mouth to mine. Marry me, Paige? Build a family with me?”

  When the boy you’d loved most of your life asked you to be his wife, there was only one answer. “Jake Richter, I’ve wanted to marry you since I was four years old. Of course I’ll be your wife.” He crushed his lips down on mine, his hands pulling me into him.

  “I love you,” he said, in between kisses.

  “Do you love all of us?” I asked, rubbing the unicorn’s snout on his neck, seeing what kind of reaction I’d get.

  Moving back, he grabbed the stuffed animal out of my hand. Undoing the ribbon with one quick yank, he slid the ring off then picked up my left hand. Placing a kiss on the top, he slowly pushed the diamond up my finger. It was huge. “I love you and the baby. In time, I’m sure I’ll grow to love the unicorn, too.”

  “We can only hope,” I said, sighing dramatically.

  “Truth or dare?” he asked, holding my hand as his eyes remained glued to my ring.

  “Truth.”

  “You ready for this?” he asked, his face changing to something that looked like worry.

  Taking a breath, I answered honestly, “It’s a lot all at once, Jake. I don’t know if I can be a good wife and a good mother.” My throat felt dry and scratchy. “I’m excited to try it, though. With you.”

  “You’ll be fantastic. At both,” Jake said, kissing my forehead.

  “Truth or dare?” I asked, sniffing as I wiped my eyes.

  “Truth.”

  “Are you ready for this?” My stomach twisted as I waited for his answer.

  The world’s biggest smile crossed his face. “Yeah, I’m ready enough for both of us.”

  39

  Jake

  “It’ll be fine, you worry too much,” I said to Paige as we drove to her dad’s house for Christmas dinner.

  Her head snapped to me. “You saw how they were at the Quinceanera.”

  Did I ever. The favoritism her dad and stepmom showed toward their other children was more than obvious. Anyone with eyes could see that. “It’s the holidays,” I said, placing my hand on her knee.

  She huffed, throwing herself back against the seat. “Which will make it even worse.”

  “We don’t have a lot of options here. It’s Christmas.” I gazed over at her as I turned onto her father’s street.

  She didn’t answer. Sighing, I tried my best to find a parking spot that wasn’t too far away. After I stopped the car, she looked over at me. “I haven’t told them about the baby.” My eyebrows couldn’t have traveled any higher up my forehead if they’d tried. “Or you.”

  Throwing my head forward I began to laugh. No wonder Paige was fretting. We were about to drop some major bombs on Christmas supper.

  “Why are you laughing?” she asked, her voice so high pitched it hurt my ears. “This isn’t funny.” Crossing her arms, she gave me a stern look.

  “I was just imagining the look on everyone’s faces when you walk your gorgeous self through the door.” I gazed down at her stomach that she could no longer hide. “They really don’t know you’re bringing a plus one? Or should I say a plus two?” That caused me to chuckle even louder, my entire body shaking.

  Paige shook her head.

  “Well, let’s go tear off those Band-Aids, shall we?”

  “I’ll just wait here. You can do it by yourself.”

  Opening my door, I stepped out, still laughing at our predicament. Paige’s family was going to be in for quite a shock. Strolling around to her door I lifted the handle pulling it open. “Let’s go. It can’t be any worse than taking a calculus final and you did that very well.”

  Her eyes narrowed at me. “I barely passed.”

  A fifty-eight percent was a passing grade and it counted as such. “You passed. It was difficult but you did it. This,” I said, nodding toward her father’s house, “will be over even faster.” She still didn’t move. “Paige, we have to tell them. Now’s as good a time as any. Let’s get it over with.” Holding out my hand to her, she finally reached out for it.

  Closing the door behind her, I bent down for a quick kiss. “I’ll be here the whole time.” Her eyes still looked frightened.

  We walked up the long driveway to a house that couldn’t have been more different than Paige and Maria’s place. Their house would easily fit inside this sprawling two-story six times. A man who could afford a new build in this area should easily be able to pay for—or at least contribute to—his daughter’s college fund.

  My hands flexed at the thought of Maria working as hard as she did to provide. Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself that it didn’t matter anymore. Paige would no longer be paying for her education. That would be my job now, I’d see to it.

  Even so, just thinking about how lax her dad had been over the years made me ill. How he could live with himself I’d never know.

  Fashionable lights and decorations adorned the outside of the home, fitting in with what the neighbors all had as well.

  “Paige,” I said, tugging on her hand as we stood
on the step waiting. Her head turned to me. “I’m here.” A ghost of a smile crossed her face before the door swung open.

  “Whoa, Paigey got fat!” a small voice shouted from an even smaller body in front of us. “You bean eatin’ too much,” the little girl said, shaking her dark piggy tails tied up with red ribbons.

  Paige snorted as she stepped into the house, picking up the child into her arms. “Maleana, look how dressed up you are,” she said, kissing the little girl’s cheek.

  “Yep, it’s my Crimmas dressy,” Maleana said proudly, grabbing the ruffled skirt below her and pulling it up to show Paige.

  “It’s beautiful. Do you think I could borrow it sometime?” Paige asked, kissing her other cheek.

  “Pfft, no, you’re too fat.” Right then Paige’s dad, stepmom, and two other stepsisters rounded the corner as I shut the door behind us.

  “Paige, honey. You brought a guest,” her dad observed, looking me up and down. “I’m sorry I can’t remember your name?”

  Why would he remember the name of the only man your oldest child had introduced you to? What a joker. “Jake, Jake Richter. Nice to see you again.”

  “You didn’t mention bringing a friend,” her stepmom said rather haughtily, clasping both hands on her waist.

  “He’s not my friend. Jake’s my fiancé.” Paige held out her hand for them to see. Their eyes widened as shock filled their expressions.

  “What have you done?” her father whispered, shaking his head, unable to take his eyes off her hand.

  “Oh, nice ring, Paigey.” Maleana grabbed Paige’s hand to take a closer look. “It’s eben bigger dan Mommy’s ring.” I stifled a chuckle at the little girl’s keen observation, feeling a bit more pride in that knowledge than I probably should.

  “You’re gonna be too fat for a weddin’ dressy, though.”

  Her parents’ eyes shot directly to Paige’s stomach as she set Maleana down. “My God, Paige!” her dad shouted, his jaw dropping to the floor.

  “Dios mio,” her stepmom muttered behind him.

  “Kids, go watch TV downstairs. The adults need to talk,” he said sternly. His wife turned, silently shooing them down the hall with her.

  “What is the meaning of this? You take advantage of my daughter and get her pregnant?” he stepped into my space, hands on his hips.

  “Dad, stop it. We’re in love,” Paige said, stepping in front of me like she was trying to shield me from him.

  “Love? You’re eighteen, what do you know about love?” His hands flew into the air in a rage.

  Paige calmly answered, “You were eighteen when Mom had me.”

  His eyes narrowed in anger. “Those were different times. And we aren’t talking about me, we’re talking about you.” He shot his hand out, pointing his finger.

  “There are other—options,” her stepmom said, walking slowly toward us.

  Letting a deep breath out, Paige said, “We’re keeping the baby.”

  “Nobody would even have to know. You’re so young and—”

  “I said we’re keeping it. Are you deaf?” Paige asked, her shoulders beginning to shake as much as her voice. Her angry tone made my gut hurt. This needed to end.

  “Well, we’ve shared our news. I think we should go now,” I said, placing my hands on Paige’s shoulders.

  “Go? My daughter goes nowhere with you,” her dad said, stepping even closer to us.

  “This was not the way to get attention from your father, Paige. I mean I know you’ve got daddy issues but going to these lengths is just not right,” her stepmom said, crossing her arms across her chest.

  That was about all I could handle. “We’re leaving,” I whispered into Paige’s ear, pulling her back to me.

  “I am her father. She stays here,” he screamed so loud it made the women jump.

  Stepping in front of Paige, I decided to say my piece. “With all due respect, Mr. Flores, from what I can tell, you haven’t acted like a father to my fiancée in almost nineteen years. Her mother stepped up and did the job. Paige doesn’t need anything from you. We came here as a common courtesy to tell you our good news.”

  “If you can’t be happy for us, that’s up to you. But it is your choice. Just like it’s always been your choice since Paige was born. And when the baby comes, you can decide if you want to be a part of his or her life. Not because I think you’ll make a fantastic grandfather but because our baby deserves the chance to at least know you.”

  “No matter what, I will not allow our child to listen to either of you spew your hatred or to treat him or her differently because they’re ours.” I took a step forward. “And when she’s my wife, if you continue to treat Paige like an outsider instead of a family member—we’re going to have a problem.”

  Her dad was flabbergasted, speechless, unable to do anything besides breathe. I spun around, grabbed Paige’s hand and stormed out of the house.

  Bleeping the key fob, I opened the door for her to get in, not saying a word. Marching around the back of the Jeep, I hit the large tire under the window with my fist.

  Hopping into the vehicle, I gazed over to make sure she was buckled up. Noticing how the seat belt accentuated her stomach, I smiled.

  Paige frowned, setting a hand on my arm. “What on Earth could you possibly be smiling about?”

  My grin growing, I looked into her eyes. Reaching my hand to her belly, I spoke, “You really do look pregnant now.”

  “Umm, I am pregnant.”

  “I know that but now it looks like you are. And even though I have not one solid clue about what to do with a baby, I already am one hundred percent certain I’ll be a better dad than that shit show in there ever was.”

  Her eyes got glassy as I chuckled. “Jake, you’re going to be an amazing father,” she said, running the tips of her fingers down the side of my face.

  “You think so?” I asked, still uncertain of my abilities.

  “I know so.”

  That familiar sting at the back of my eyes began again just like whenever I thought about the baby. “We’ll figure it out together, right?” My hand grasped hers.

  Smiling widely at me, she said, “We will.”

  40

  Paige

  “Are you sure you’re not overcooking that little tyke?” Alex asked me as I waddled into the huge bedroom.

  “After climbing a thousand stairs I’m pretty exhausted,” I said, collapsing onto the bed. “How big is this place? I took like three wrong turns. Evan’s parents should hand out a map at their front door.” I wasn’t really exaggerating. This house was huge.

  “You could have come in the limo with us, missy,” he said, carefully maneuvering a lock of hair out of a curler in Holly’s hair.

  Leaning back on my hands, still trying to catch my breath, I said, “As if you’d want to stop every half hour for me to go pee.”

  Alex shrugged, still focused on Holly’s hair. “Is it still okay for you to travel? It looks like you’re ready to pop any second.”

  “Thanks,” I said sarcastically, narrowing my eyes at him. “I’ve still got three weeks to go. And with a first pregnancy going over your due date isn’t uncommon.”

  “Leave her alone, she’s here now and that’s all that matters,” Holly said, glancing over at me. “How are you feeling?”

  “Besides hot, tired, and hungry?”

  She gave me a small, pitying smile. “You look great, though.” Holly lied as Alex removed the last roller.

  “I do not but I will after Alex gets finished with me.”

  He stepped back from Holly, hands on his hips. “Don’t you know it, girl. We’ll fix you right up. First, we need to finish up the belle of the ball, though.”

  The door opened in a flourish. “I’m back, I’m back,” Ivy said, walking into the room, arms holding garment bags as well as smaller totes. “One of the staff had moved the dresses to a different room. It took us some searching, but all is well.”

  Ivy hung the hangers on a hook in the cl
oset, dumping the other bags on the floor. As she turned to me, her eyes and head did a double take. “Paige,” she squealed, running forward. I stood and she came to a dead stop.

  “Wow, you’ve grown,” she said, placing her hand on my stomach. We hadn’t seen each other since she was back to visit at Christmas.

  “I’m huge, I know.”

  She looked up at me. “You’re beautiful.” Her arms wrapped gently around me, giving me a long hug. “Our sweet Paige is having a baby. I still can’t believe it.”

  Truth be told, I couldn’t believe it either. To think that sometime in the next month this baby would be out in the world seemed crazy. “And our Holly is getting married today? How can everything be changing so fast?” Ivy’s breath hitched as she squeezed me tighter.

  “Get used to it, sister,” Alex said, spraying Holly’s hair. “Things are going to change even more once this bride right here turns into a mega star.” He waved his arm in front of him to dissipate the cloud of hair product.

  “What?” Ivy and I said in tandem as our heads swung toward Holly.

  “Alex, I didn’t want to say anything until after the wedding,” she scolded him.

  Rising from her chair, she straightened out her robe. “You know when we came back to visit in the fall and I auditioned for the Blade Bodwin movie? They just called like an hour ago and offered me the part.”

  “No way,” Ivy said, her hands covering her mouth.

  “Holy cow,” I whispered before rushing over to her as fast as I could, holding my big belly. “I’m so proud of you.” Being careful of her hair, I gave her a hug. Ivy joined in, then Alex until we were all a giant sobbing mess of arms and tears.

  “You’re ruining my makeup,” Holly said, gasping for air as we eventually let go of each other.

  “Stop, stop, no more,” Alex proclaimed even though he was crying the most. Arms up in the air, he said, “I’ll not allow you ladies to have swollen eyes for the wedding photos. Now let’s get a hold of ourselves.” He manically fanned his face with his hands.