“Thank you for giving me a chance Sam. I won’t let you down again. I love you. I know you probably don’t believe me, but I do, and I’ll keep reminding you until you get it.”
She blinked and yawned, sleep hitting her.
Did she agreed to giving him a chance?
She couldn’t remember but fell asleep to the rocking motion of the truck, being carried again, Dillon calling her baby, telling her he loved her, then warmth, soft bedding and no more.
She woke sometime later, feeling the heat at her back and the arm over her waist, then his scent hit her. Dillon. He was laying with her. Not really touching her, just there. It was comforting. His hand on her stomach.
She knew she’d fallen asleep.
Opening her eyes, she looked at the wall in front of her. Registering that this wasn’t her room and he was still with her. Trying to figure out where she was as she heard his voice.
“Feeling better?” he knew she was awake.
She nodded. “Where are we?” she asked confused.
“I asked to take you home Sam and you said yes, so I did.”
“You brought me to the Connolly’s house?”
“Fuck no. Well not exactly.”
“Then what exactly?” she rolled over towards him and he lent down over her and kissed her stomach.
“Hello baby, daddy loves you.”
Tears hit her lids and she held them back.
He rolled away from her bounding up, his enthusiasm catching. She watched him go glad to see he had sweatpants on at least. Grasping her hand, he gently tugged on it.
“Let me show you.”
She let him help her up.
“This is the master bedroom. Walk in closet, his and hers, master bath. Do you need to use the bathroom?” She shook her head. “View out over the garden, these patio doors and small balcony are great.” He tugged her out into the hallway. “Bedrooms, 1,2,3, full bathroom.” He stopped and knelt down facing her tummy. Holding it gently. “One of those is yours sweetheart.”
He kissed it again and led her downstairs. “Hallway, open plan living room, family room, kitchen diner, fireplace it works.” He let go of her hand and went to the glass wall in front of the garden and pulled the doors back. They moved on their own and opened up the whole wall showing off the long table and bench seats and a BBQ.
Wow…
It was a really nice house. He turned coming back to her and took her hand again. “Hungry?”
She nodded. He led her to the table and sat her down. Then whipped up omelettes with toast and plated them handing them over with juice. She just watched him work and sat there not sure what was going on.
Once he’d sat opposite her Dillon told her to eat.
“I know you did a bit of cooking at Bills, but I didn’t know you could actually cook.”
He laughed eating. “Not really cooking but its food.”
She tried it. “It’s good.” The eggs were light and fluffy and not over cooked at all.
He finished before her and just sat there. Watching her. Waiting. When she’d had enough, she reached for her juice.
“So…. This house,” he told her. It’s…. yours.”
She choked on her drink and he sprung up coming to her aid while she looked around wildly. “What… the hell does that mean?”
He rubbed her back. “Da said you needed a place of your own to nest in, a place you might like me to move into so I can support you. There are plenty of bedrooms, I can take any of them. This furniture came with it, the bed in the master is new but you can change anything you want, buy anything you want to make it a home. I kinda like the BBQ and table out there I’d like to keep that and get some lounge chairs etc.”
Her mouth was open, and she couldn’t shut it.
“You’re going to need more help than Bill can give you Sam. This will do that.” he told he quietly.
She frowned not quite believing what she was hearing. “Your dad bought you a house so you could play happy families?”
He shook his head. “No. He bought you a house so you could have the freedom and support you need to give you both the best chance of seeing this through. My contribution is to support you in any way you want. If you choose to….. terminate the pregnancy… I’ll support that too, but the house is still for us to use to get to know each other properly without all the social clap trap getting in the way.”
She’d already made up her mind, she wasn’t terminating the pregnancy. The baby was real and she wanted it. “I can’t live with you Dillon. I can’t take this.”
“Why not?”
“It’s too much. We don’t know each other enough. I’ve been through a lot and I’m not ready for more.” She could see he was trying to do the right thing and it pulled on her heartstrings. She saw the good in him. How hard he was trying but she knew Gab didn’t do anything for nothing. They’d be a price to all this. She narrowed her eyes.
“Gab.” She tapped her fingers on the table. “This was his doing. What’s this costing you?” He looked away. “What’s it costing you Dillon?”
“If you choose me Sam, we’ll be set for life.”
“What’s. It. Costing. You. Dillon?” she bit out.
“My….. scholarship.”
She sat back unable to believe he’d go along with this. “Why would you agree to this? No Dillon. That was your ticket out of here.”
He whipped his head around. “I agreed to it easily. I need you. I fucking love you. Weeks of not having you has fucked with my head and if this is the way to get you, I gave it willingly. Don’t you get it Sam, I don’t want to be out of here, if here is where you’ll be. I want you more than the scholarship Sam. And I will work for him if I have to to make that work.”
“The hell you are. What? And come to resent me or us because of it. No fucking way, you’re not doing that. Do you think I could live with myself knowing you threw it all away because of me? Get him on the phone.”
“It won’t make a difference Sam. He bought the house.” He told her resigned.
“Phone Dillon.”
He unlocked it.
“Where are the pictures from the scan?” He handed her one and she took a picture. Finding Gab’s number, she sent it to him. Giving it a few minutes then called him.
“Dillon. Did you seal the deal boy. That girl is ours.”
“No Gab he fucking didn’t. Have you looked at the picture I just sent you? It’s our baby.”
There was silence for a moment. Guess his brain was catching up. He might have been looking at the picture too, she couldn’t be sure as she put it on speaker.
“Sam lass, the baby is bonnie just like her mother. I’m near heartbroken just looking at it. It’s good to hear from you. I’m guessing Dillon is with you then and you’re at the house. Do you like it?”
“Don’t Sam lass me you fucker.” Gab laughed.
“So much like his mother.”
His laughter pissing her off more. “And no. I don’t. I won’t be taking it either and Dillon will not be giving up his scholarship.”
“No deal lass. He’s all signed up.”
“Really? That’s funny cos the last time I checked you don’t have to be signed up to your family. But we’ve established the Connolly’s are weird so I shouldn’t be surprised.” Dillon’s face was looking a bit grey. She ignored him.
Gab’s voice got hard. “He’s not leaving this town lass and he will work for me.”
She could feel it in her bones. He meant it and Dillon would become a shadow once more.
“Really? How’s that going to happen then Gab? When I leave and that might now be sooner rather than later, Dillon will go with me. And so will the baby. They’ll be no granpa and you can’t stop that.”
Gab’s voice lightened. “Granpa? Fucking love that. Leave? What leave?”
“Well you see I don’t like being pushed around. I don’t like my friends being cut off from their dreams. I certainly don’t like being told what to do or like watc
hing those said friends wither and die and become something they hate because of me, which in the end will make them not want to be with me or the baby anyway and probably hate me. Getting the picture here Gab?”
He was quiet. She daren’t look at Dillon. “You telling me Dillon is this ‘friend’?”
“Don’t play coy Gab, doesn’t suit you. He’d the baby’s daddy and will act accordingly.”
He laughed. “It’s better than ignoring him lass but I’d prefer you loved him like he loves you.”
She kept her eyes on the phone and couldn’t look at the flush creeping up Dillon’s face. She already knew that, he’d told her plenty of times.
She waited.
“Okay. Take the damn house. I need to know you’re getting the support you need. No strings other than I get to come by every week when that baby arrives, I’m allowed to spoil it and be grandpa.”
She frowned, suddenly feeling broken and told him softly. “I can’t guarantee you there’ll be a baby Gab….” The sound of her own voice so broken cut through her.
Dillon reached out and held her hand tightly, she let him. She needed his touch at that moment.
“No one can do that lass. You can only do your best. If my boy fucks this up a second time I’ll gut him, and you can pick someone else.”
“Yep feeling the love there Gab.” She told him dryly.
He chuckled. “Keeping it real Sam, keeping it real. The house is yours. Use it. Get to know each other and see where it leads. If it leads to nowhere okay. Dillon goes off to college and you do what you need to do but the house, will always be there because if I have a grandchild, I want to know it.”
“And Dillon doesn’t have to work with you, doesn’t get drawn into shit he doesn’t want to do. You don’t hold it over his head, you don’t pressure him into anything, you don’t try to bribe him or use me or this child as a bargaining chip against him or this house right?”
“Bloody hell woman, you’re more thorough than a fucking lawyer. No. I won’t do any of those things.”
“Should I believe you Gab? Do I need to have you sign it in blood?”
He snorted. “So like his mother. No.”
“Good, because the first sign that you broke that promise guess what happens?”
He was quiet before answering. “You leave and take my grandchild with you.” He bit out.
“That’s right. Good doing business with you Gab. Always a pleasure. Dillon will get back to you on our decision. Have a nice day.” She cut the phone off to Gab’s laughter and handed it back to him.
“Holy fuck, what did you just do?” Dillon asked her in wonder looking at his phone. She took her hand back.
“I just gave you your life back. It won’t ever be dependent on me or my child.”
He flung himself back in his chair. “Jesus. He fucking listened to you. I’ve not seen that since…… mom.” He shook his head gazing at her like he was seeing her for the first time. Then frowned. “You’re wrong about one thing Sam. My life will always depend on you. Without you, I don’t have one.”
She shook her head. “You are so wrong and in time, you’ll come to realise that and thank me.”
She could see he didn’t believe her, but they still made an agreement. Dillon would remain at the house and live there. She would move between Bills and the new house.
Later that night she retired to what was now her room in the house. He moved into a bedroom down the hall. It felt weird and strange that he wasn’t with her and she missed the heat of him from earlier. His scent was on the sheets and pillows and she found it hard not to ask him to join her but what would be the point? He might think he loves her, but they were not a couple and that, would lead to more problems they didn’t need.
She spent the weekend with him Bill coming over to check it out. Dillon having called him when he’d put her to bed Saturday night, explaining that they had a house and were going to try living in it. Bill appeared to take it well and she wondered if Gab and spoken to him about it beforehand. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had.
Monday morning he dropped her at Bills to shower and change clothes packing a bag and drove her to school. She spent her week staying with one or the other.
And before she knew it, Dillon was taking her to the clinic on the Saturday and picked her up after.
They spent Sunday together lounging around, and Bill came over again with dinner then took Dillon on in some video game while she explored the basement some more and found what was a games den. Very teenage. The bar, not so much but it came with the house so she couldn’t say much.
They had dinner and it wasn’t hard.
Bill took her home that night to his to stay at his and come Monday morning, Dillon let himself in and helped Bill make breakfast and once again, she was making packed lunches for two.
School seemed to turn back the clock to pre-drama days. They found their rhythm once more. Dillon didn’t press her for anything more than friendship and she was both grateful and a little sad about that. He worked his ass off and was back on the team and on track for the scholarship. Trent, Dale and Cosmo hung around with them along with Julie, Kim and Laraine all happy they’d sorted out their issues. She was sure there was a little hooking up going on.
You couldn’t miss the definite interest flying around between the six of them which she loved. The guys being less assholes than normal. And suddenly they were their own group once more.
The lads still partied and met up with the cheer leaders at the dugout and she would look at them after shaking her head and dry heave to their sniggers. It led to confrontations with Kate, Julie and Laraine but it wasn’t her business to interfere. But they were being a lot more careful. Dillon kept his distance from the cheer sluts and make it clear he was off the market. She’d tried to tell him he didn’t need to do that for her, but he’d only got annoyed and walked away.
Four weeks in and three months pregnant it slipped out during lunch in their conversation over grocery shopping list that they were living together. Kinda.
It had just seemed so natural. Whipping out her shopping list and handing it to him reminding him not to forget the fruit and the detergent she liked, along with what she was cooking for dinner as Bill was coming over. All said in innocence and met with stunned silence. The second conversation dropped she groaned realising they were centre of attention. Dillon’s face was a massive grin. Their little group had seen it all. It had been way too domestic.
Shit.
Then the bombardment started. So many questions, raised eyebrows. She couldn’t look at Dillon and laughed. He shouldered up to her kissing her head and told them flat. They were living together. Sharing a house.
Lots of whoops later and laughter, plenty of innuendo and the boys invited themselves over for an unofficial house warming party for Friday night. She invited the girls too.
The week flew by with Dillon taking her to and from school and before she knew it, another Friday and last period.
She came out of the bathrooms before last lesson to a buzz in the atmosphere. She heard the word ‘party’ and ‘Dillon’s new place’ being thrown about.
She stopped cold.
All the cheer sluts were hanging around Dillon and his crew like old times talking up a storm. The rest of the football team were there too. Her friends over to the side waiting on her.
She walked over. “What happened?”
Laraine turned to her, she looked upset. There were tears in her eyes. “They marched in and took over, telling us we weren’t wanted.”
“The party?”
She nodded. “They turned it into a housewarming free for all. We won’t be coming tonight Sam sorry. I’m not watching that shit show. Cosmo will be all over it and I can’t watch.”
“Do you know who invited them?”
She looked at Julie, Kate and Laraine who then looked back at her. “They said Dillon.”
Trent came over and threw his arm around Julie. “You, me, a bottle of teq
uila I wanna see those moves later baby.”
“Good luck with that,” she told him and walked off.
Trent turned to her. She was sure he really liked Julie. Really liked her with all the teasing and sexual tension going on. Just like Dale and Cosmo liked Kate and Laraine. “What the hell? What’s going on?” he asked.
“Your fearless leader.” Kate told him. “We’re not going to that party Trent where the cheer sluts will be all over you guys and they’ve already told us we’re not wanted.”
He frowned turning to her. “That can’t be right. It’s your house Sam. Your housewarming.”
“Was. Now it’s a party free for all. Have a nice time.”
She walked off with Julie and Kate, following Laraine down the hall. She was fuming. So fucking angry.
Why had he done this?
She texted Dillon to say not to wait for her she needed to speak with Bill, and he was picking her up, saying they had things to do. Then she messaged Bill to say she’d be staying over and could he take her to the clinic Saturday morning, Dillon was having a rest. She’d had it with this shit.
Bill was happy to pick up the slack. She ordered an Uber and passed on the final class, going back to Bills.
She didn’t want to see Dillon being the old Dillon. She simply didn’t have the strength.
When he texted her hours later asking where she was, she told him she was out with the girls instead. He didn’t message back.
She had take-out with Bill. Healthy eating. Then tried not to look at her phone. Not to check anyone’s status. Not to look at anyone’s Instagram or Twitter. And failed.
The party was in full swing in what was meant to be her home.
Dillon: Bad Boys Series High School Hot Love Hate Relationship Page 15
