by Rachel Burns
“The thing that worries me is that the father might want to worry about the baby too. He has a right to know, doesn’t he?” Barbara asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Did the father harm you?”
“No, I already told you I was the bad guy, not him.” Tears pricked Elise’s eyes. She felt like she was in a tiny room and that the walls of the room were made of guilt. The walls were coming closer and closer, trapping and suffocating her. There was no escape.
“Then he has a right to know he’s going to be a father soon.” Barbara gave Elise a look filled with compassion and yet determination.
“I can’t admit what I did.”
“What did you do? Tell me.” When Elise didn’t answer, Barbara continued. “Anything you tell me stays in here. I can’t tell anyone what you did. However, I believe it would be better for you if you told me. I need to know, so I can help you.
“You won’t like me anymore if I tell you.”
“Of course, I will.”
“But I don’t like me anymore, how could anyone else?” Elise asked her.
“I can see it’s eating at you. I promise I’ll still like you.”
Elise was quiet for a moment. She was trying to word things, so Barbara would understand that Elise had done what she did out of love. “To start with you have to understand that I look a lot like my older sister Ashton. Some people say we look like twins.”
Elise had told her psychologist the entire story. Barbara had been surprised, mostly because Elise had gotten away with it for so long. She wanted Elise to tell Derrick. It was his right to know he was going to be a father.
Elise wasn’t good at things like that. She could never tell anyone anything. That was what got her into this mess in the first place.
Elise only had to work a couple more weeks, and then she was off on maternity leave. She and her father had sat down and discussed everything. He said she could stop working whenever she wanted.
Once again, Elise insisted she be treated like everyone else. Other women got off two weeks before the delivery, and then they stayed home with their babies the first two months.
Marshall had talked to Elise’s gynecologist, who said everything was going according to plan. Still, Marshall felt this was a high-risk pregnancy. He had an eye out for his youngest daughter. She was still the baby of the family.
Ashton checked on Elise several times a day too. She insisted Elise eat lunch with her. Sometimes they went out to eat, and sometimes they ate at Ashton’s desk.
Elise was on her way up to Ashton as she thought about Derrick’s rights. Was it fair for him to have a child he knew nothing about?
Of course, it wasn't.
She pictured herself visiting her father’s office and having the baby with her. Derrick would walk past his own child and not even know it.
Worse yet, the baby would never know Derrick was his father.
Elise felt the baby deserved to know more than Derrick did.
Still, she knew she would never be able to knock on Derrick’s door and look him in the eye and confess what she had done to him.
She was thinking about writing it in a letter when the elevator doors opened, and he stepped in.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Montfort.”
“Good afternoon, Derrick.”
Derrick had already turned away from Elise, but he looked back at her and raised an eyebrow when she used his first name.
He decided not to make a big deal out of it. The poor kid had problems enough without him scolding her about her manners.
Once again, he had a vision of Ashton over his knee, only this time it was Elise. The Montfort women were too gorgeous for their own good.
They got off the elevator together and walked to Ashton’s office without exchanging another word. Elise was trying to get words out of her mouth again and once again failing miserably at it. She told herself this wasn’t the time or the place. She was glad for any excuse she could think up. Thinking up excuses was a talent she clearly had.
Ashton’s secretary was off getting them lunch, so Derrick had to speak with Ashton personally. It was always very uncomfortable when that happened.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Montfort. I signed one of your ideas. The company is sound, and they need good backing. The other three all seem like long shots. I can’t sign them in good conscience.” Derrick was looking at Ashton and remembering what happened. The picture of her lying in his bed with her legs open was burned into his mind.
He looked over at Elise. Her belly was larger than when he saw her last. She must be having the baby soon from the looks of her. No one knew who the father was, and no one knew when she was due. Gossip about her was a favorite here at the company. People were guessing things and assuming.
Derrick should probably be thankful that Ashton wasn’t pregnant too. They hadn’t used condoms that night. Everything had been so spontaneous. It had been something special for him. For Ashton it had been nothing.
“Is this starting up again?” Ashton took the files from him and looked them over. “These are sound investments. I have a sixth sense for these things. After that first big mistake, I’ve learned to be careful.”
Derrick wasn’t about to fight with her. “You can always take the matter up with your father. Enjoy your lunch, ladies.” Derrick looked at Elise for a moment. “I wish you lots of luck with the baby, in case I don’t see you beforehand.”
“Thank you.” Elise had tears in her eyes. It was hitting her how wrong she was. She couldn’t not tell him. He honestly did deserve to know.
Derrick returned to his office. He hated how meek he was with Ashton. She had played with him and won. Money always wins, he told himself. Unfortunately, he would never have that kind of money, so he would never win against her kind.
It was a shame that none of the jobs he had applied for had wanted him. He wasted so many vacation days interviewing elsewhere. He always got into the final draft, but they always went with one of the other guys.
For now he was stuck here.
Chapter 17 – Asking For Help
Elise knocked on her father’s office door and went in. She showed up when she knew Mrs. Linus was on her lunch break.
Elise had tried to go see Derrick, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She needed help.
“Elise, sweetheart, come in and sit down.” Marshall stood up as she entered the room. She looked so young – too young to be expecting a baby.
Elise sat down and looked at her father. She took a deep breath. “I did something terrible, Daddy. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done to anyone.”
“Are you all right, sweetheart?”
“No, I can’t live with the guilt anymore.”
“What is it?” He squatted down in front of her, taking hold of her hands.
“It’s about the baby’s father. He doesn’t know.” In the beginning Elise had worried Derrick would figure it out, but he didn’t. Now she felt she couldn’t keep the truth from him.
She’d wanted to go to him and tell him the truth, but she couldn’t do it. She thought about writing him a letter, but that wasn’t good either. The days were passing by so quickly, and every day she pushed off telling the truth, making it worse.
So here she sat, hoping her father would know best what needed to be done.
“How can he not know? Haven’t you seen him since then?”
“I see him every day,” Elise confessed.
“He works for me?” Marshall asked, wanting to kill whoever got his baby pregnant and then dropped her like a hot stone.
“He doesn’t know that it was me.”
“You aren’t making any sense, Elise. Just tell me his name.”
“I’m serious, Daddy. He doesn’t know. He thought I was Ashton.”
“I don’t understand.”
Elise looked up to the ceiling for support, hoping she would find the right words to explain the awful thing she did.
“I’ve had a crush on a m
an here at work. He never noticed me, but I knew he was in love with Ashton. She had me try on the dress she wore at the Christmas party, and then she left for the evening. He came in, saw me in her dress and thought I was Ashton. He finally paid attention to me, and he treated me like I was a grown-up. I liked that, so I played along.
“I meant to tell him the truth, but then one thing led to another. We talked for hours on end and got along so well, better than he ever got along with Ashton.” Elise looked at her father, hoping he wouldn’t hate her when he heard the awful truth.
“The diner where we went to have coffee was closing for the evening, and he suggested we go to his apartment, so we could continue talking.
“It was all so perfect. I didn’t want it to end.” Elise took a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her eyes and nose with it.
“He touched me, and I liked it. I didn’t want him to stop. I let what happened happen. He isn’t the bad guy in this. He thought I was Ashton.” Elise wiped under her eyes again.
“When he fell asleep, I left him. On Monday, he brought Ashton flowers, and she yelled at him, saying she had a boyfriend, and that she didn’t want to have anything to do with him. He thought she’d found someone after their night together.
“He never even once thought it had been me. He doesn’t see me or take notice of me. It’s clear he doesn’t love me. And, after what I did, he’ll never like me. Still, the baby is his. He should know that. I’ve tried to talk to him before, but I’m too ashamed of myself.”
Marshall wrapped his arms around his baby’s head. She had heart trouble, and she was in a terrible predicament.
How could he solve this for her?
Marshall searched his soul for the right words. “Everything is going to be all right. You did the right thing coming to me and telling me the truth. If you would like, I could talk to him and explain what happened. I’ll inform him, and then we will see what he has to say about this. I’m guessing it’s Derrick Davis. Am I right?”
“How did you know?” Elise looked up at her father and asked.
“I too noticed that he was fond of Ashton. Oh Elise, you set yourself up to get terribly hurt. Everything backfired, didn’t it?” Marshall wrapped his arms around his baby. She was so terribly naïve.
“Yes, it did, Daddy.”
“I think you should go home and rest. You shouldn’t be here when he’s told the truth. A man’s first reaction to something like this probably won’t be good. You shouldn’t judge him about something like that either. You honestly did do something unforgivable.
“I’ll tell him that however he wants to be involved in the baby’s life, it will be okay. In fact, I’ll give him a couple of days off to think about it before he answers. You’ve had eight months to let this run through your head. He needs time too. You need to go home and rest. You won’t hear anything one way or the other today anyway.”
He helped her to her feet and kissed her forehead. It was his duty as her father to try to right the wrong she’d done. He’d done it often enough for Ashton, but this was the first time he had to do something like that for Elise.
This would be harder to fix than the things Ashton had done. He couldn’t throw money at this problem to solve it.
After Elise was safely gone and on her way home in a taxi and Mrs. Linus had gone home for the evening, Marshall called Mr. Davis to his office.
There was nothing Marshall wouldn’t do for his daughters. He would do this for Elise, so she didn’t have to do it herself.
He feared Mr. Davis could get violent with Elise when he heard the shocking truth.
There was a knock at the door. “You wanted to see me, Mr. Montfort?”
“Yes, come in and have a seat. What I have to tell you is something that will be easier to take in sitting.”
Marshall watched Mr. Davis’ jaw drop.
“I had no idea. Believe me, I never –” Derrick couldn’t believe what he was hearing and what it made out of him. Elise was just a kid. That meant he’d slept with a woman who was still a child.
His mind couldn’t make the next step. He was stuck on the thought that he’d slept with a child and not Ashton.
“Why? Why would she?” Derrick needed to understand what was going on here, the quicker the better. Had she used him to make her teenaged boyfriend jealous?
“She told me that she loves you. She has had a crush on you for a while now. I’m so sorry. I realize this is a great shock for you. I suggest you take the next couple of days off and think about what you want. Whatever you decide is fine. If you want to be a part of the baby’s life, you may be, as much as you want. However, we will understand if you don’t want to have anything to do with my daughter or your son.”
The word son got Derrick’s attention. Elise had not only misled him into sleeping with her, but she was also pregnant with his child. Derrick buried his face in his hands. “I had no idea,” he repeated. “She’s so young. I never would have –”
“Elise already told me. She was very clear that I shouldn’t blame you.”
At least that, Derrick thought. If she’d been pointing fingers, he would have strangled her. This couldn’t be happening. He was a man who lived by a certain code of ethics. Something like this couldn’t happen to him.
“Like I said. You have time off to let this shocking news sink in. Take as long as you need.”
Derrick rose to his feet and slowly walked to the door.
“Elise is a good kid. There was no malice in her deed. She’s still very young.” Marshall felt a desire to stand up for his daughter. He wanted Mr. Davis to understand that Elise had acted out of love and not because she wanted to hurt him.
Derrick nodded and went out the door.
In a daze he went to his office and packed a few things together. While he packed, he told his secretary to cancel all of his appointments for the next couple of days.
“Aren’t you feeling well, sir?” she asked.
“I’m afraid not. I cleared things up with Mr. Montfort. He knows.”
“Is their anything I can do for you?”
“No, thank you. Goodbye.” Derrick walked out then. He had to get away from people, so he could think straight.
Derrick went down to the parking lot to get into his car. He saw Ashton getting into her car and pulling away.
Why had he ever thought that she would sleep with him? Of course she wouldn’t. None of this had made any sense. He had even believed that Ashton had been a virgin. How stupid was he? Of course she wouldn't be.
The warning signs had been there, and he had ignored them so he could have sex.
Now everything make sense. He’d been a victim of a schoolgirl crush, and it was going to ruin him.
Chapter 18 – I’m Marrying You
Derrick had thought about everything. He drew up lists and made plans as was his nature.
It was clear what his upbringing demanded he do. Elise was expecting his child. That meant he had to marry her. He didn’t have a choice in the matter.
No child of his would grow up without a father.
It was also clear that if he let the Montfort’s raise his child, the boy wouldn’t turn out, none of the Montforts had.
Derrick felt his life was over because of what Elise had done to him. It also pissed him off that her father had been the one to tell him and not Elise. It was the least she could have done. She hadn’t even had the decency to look him in the eyes and confess her misdeeds.
He had a strong feeling that Elise still needed to be raised. Her father may have been too busy to do it right, but Derrick would take the time. He would have a wife he could control.
She had trapped him into marrying her, so he would see that she got what she wanted. She would play the part of wife and mother personally. He wouldn’t let her shove off any of the responsibilities that were rightly hers on nannies and maids. There was no way he would spend the rest of his life with a spoiled brat.
On Friday morning, Derrick drove to th
e Montfort Mansion. He wanted to be certain that he would be alone with Elise. He had to stop at cast iron gates and ask for permission to go further.
Derrick told whoever was listening that he was Derrick Davis, and that he was here to see Miss Elise Montfort. The door rolled open for him. They were obviously expecting him.
Derrick drove up to the house. He couldn’t believe they lived in such an enormous house. This place was bigger than anything he could have imagined. Of course the girls had turned out to be spoiled selfish brats with all this splendor surrounding them.
Derrick parked his car and got out of it. He went up the steps to the door. He knocked and looked around at the many potted plants. They were all in full bloom despite the heat, making the entrance look like something out of a gardening magazine.
A maid opened the door, a real maid in a uniform. This wasn’t a woman who came in for a couple of hours a week.
“I’d like to speak with Elise,” Derrick informed the maid.
“Of course. Come in, sir. Who may I say is calling?”
“Derrick Davis.”
“Please wait in here, sir.” The maid showed him to a sitting room. This room was decorated with such impeccable taste that it could only have evolved over many generations of perfect care. It was elegant and cozy. It was the type of room Derrick would never be able to offer Elise.
Oh well, he thought, it was her fault. After all, she’d been the one to choose him not the other way around. She would have to make due with the cheap furniture he had in his apartment.
Elise had been pacing up and down her room for a while now. No matter what she did she couldn’t find a comfortable position. Her back and shoulders were aching, and her legs were swollen.
Someone knocked on her door.
“Come in,” Elise called out as friendly as she could.
“There is a man here to see you. He says his name is Derrick Davis.” The maid saw Elise’s face sadden.
