by Tia Siren
“You know your father better than anyone, and if you think that is the best way to handle this, then of course I will come with you,” he said. “We are a team now, a family in the making, and you don’t ever have to handle any of these things on your own again. You jump, I jump. Okay?”
“Thank you.” I said. “That means a lot, knowing I don’t have to face all of this by myself. I’m so glad you came over last night, that you decided enough was enough. I want you to know that my top priorities are this baby and you and transitioning us through all of this in the best way possible.”
“I know that,” he said. “I’ve always known that, even when I was trying to convince myself of the opposite.”
“I’m worried about ruining your life again,” I said. “You have done so much to get to where you are. You got a new job, you found a partner for your business, and you finally got us back together. My father is an angry man, and I don’t want to see him do what he did a couple weeks ago.”
“He won’t,” he said. “He won’t because he can no longer keep us apart, and not only because of the baby, but because we have a bond that can’t be broken now.”
“You’re right,” I said with a sigh. “I just don’t want to lose him in the process. It has to be done though. Every second we wait is another second he could be accepting it, moving forward, and being the man I hope my father truly is. You and I will never be at peace and ready to tackle a family if we keep hiding from him. We shouldn’t have to hide our love for each other or the love for our child.”
“For now,” Scott said, taking the toast and setting it down on the tray, “let’s enjoy the rest of the morning just being together.”
I smiled and curled up next to him, pulling the blankets over me and resting my head on his chest. It felt so good to be with him, to feel him close to me. I had missed him more than I could have known I would, and he was finally back in my life. I was going to tell my father that night, and I was going to stand my ground. Not only did I need Scott in my life, but our child would need him too. This was non-negotiable in every way imaginable.
We spent the morning cuddling in my bed, trying desperately to keep our minds off what was going to happen that night. Then we threw on our clothes and headed to Scott’s house, figuring it was probably best that we weren’t there when my father arrived. I had to be careful about how we handled this, and being there curled up in bed together was not the answer. Besides, getting out of my father’s house and relaxing with Scott was exactly what I needed to keep the anxiety at bay. I knew it was unhealthy for me to go through this kind of stress, but it had to be done. There was no way I couldn’t be a part of it. I wasn’t going to let Scott face the wolf on his own. He would get torn apart.
Chapter 33
Scott
We stayed cuddled up at my house for as long as we could on Sunday, neither of us wanting to face Mark with the news. It was important though, and it was better to rip the Band-Aid off than to slowly let him in on the secret. Cassie received a text from her father around three that let her know he had arrived home safely. She showed me the text, and I nodded at her, rubbing my hands over her back. We dressed in nicer clothes and fixed ourselves up before heading out to the house. The car ride over was silent, and Cassie sat there grasping my hand tightly, relying on me for support.
She cracked her window and breathed in the warm summer night air as we pulled up to the gate and headed down the driveway. I parked the car and sat there for a minute, looking over at her to see her expression. She looked terrified, and I didn’t blame her. My nerves were on end as well.
“Hey,” I said, smiling. “This is going to be okay. I am right here with you, and I will not leave you alone in this. We are a team, okay?”
“Yeah,” she said and smiled.
I got out of the car and walked around to open her door and help her out. She clung to me for dear life, and I held her hand tightly as we made our way up to the front door. By the time I reached the top steps, my breathing had escalated and my mind was running faster than my thoughts could catch up. I looked over at Cassie, grabbing her hand before she knocked.
“I want to ask you one last time,” I said. “You are one hundred percent sure that you want me here with you? I don’t want to make matters worse.”
“You won’t,” she said. “We are a family, and we will share whatever burden my father brings down on us. You are my family now, and though he is too, you are my future, and the future father of this baby. I want him to see that you are my partner and that I won’t back down from this.”
“I will always be there for you no matter what,” I said. “We can make it through this, and when we do, we will all be stronger for it.”
“Absolutely,” she said. “You ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
She reached up and rang the doorbell, then dropped her hand and grabbed mine tightly. The wait at the front door felt like it was an eternity, and when the sound of Mark’s shoes tapping across his marble foyer echoed in my ears, my heart pounded faster. Cassie looked up at me and smiled, tightening her grip on my hand. We both looked forward as Mark slowly pulled open the door and stared out at Cassie.
“Cassie,” he said. “Why didn’t you just use your key?”
“Father, we need to talk to you,” she said. “This is very important, and I need you to take a deep breath before you react.”
He looked confused and shifted his focus over to me, and his jaw clenched. Slowly, his eyes trailed down between us to our hands clasped tightly. I was afraid she would fold and pull her hand away, but she didn’t. She stood strong by my side, grasping my hand even tighter. I took in a deep breath and looked over at Cassie and then back at Mark.
“Sir,” I said, nodding my head in greeting. “It’s good to see you again.”
“What the hell is this? You two come knocking on my door after I have been gone all weekend? What in the world changed in that short amount of time? I knew I should have never let you stay home without someone looking out for you,” he said.
“Father, stop,” Cassie said firmly. “This is not up for debate. We came here to talk to you like adults. There is no reason, if you respect me, to blow up before you even hear us out. You and I have always been able to talk to each other, and I really need this to be one of those moments that you open up and let us talk, regardless of the fact that Scott is here.”
I looked back as a truck pulled up in the driveway and the landscaping crew jumped out, getting things ready to do their work. The head guy waved at us from the driveway, and I nodded as Cassie smiled and Mark waved back. We turned back to Mark and stared at him, waiting for him to make a decision.
“We can talk right here if that is really what you want,” Cassie said.
“No.” He sighed, moving to the side. “There’s no reason to get so upset.”
Cassie smiled sweetly at me, and we walked into the house. I thought it was strange that he had a change of heart so quickly, but it could have been for other reasons. One thing I knew about Cassie’s dad was that he was an incredibly private man when it came to his family. In his entire career, even being one of the richest men in the country, he had never been known for a scandal. He kept his secrets close to his chest and somehow managed to keep the bad quiet every time. It was amazing what a large check could do in a small town like ours. He could buy just about anyone’s secrecy without much fuss at all.
“Let’s go into the living room,” he grumbled. Then he looked at the maid. “You can take a break, Melinda.”
“Gracias,” she said, bowing her head and smiling at Cassie as if they knew each other well.
I looked around as I walked through the big open front room and into the living room. There were pictures all over the walls of Cassie, her mother—who looked just like her—and the family all together. I wasn’t sure how I had managed to miss all of those when I was there earlier that day, but my mind had been preoccupied with other things at the time. W
hen we walked into the room, I stood next to Cassie, and her father strolled over to the window and stared out at the perfectly manicured backyard, complete with an in-ground swimming pool and pool house in the distance.
“Father, why don’t you sit down,” Cassie said.
“No. I think I’d rather stand,” he said, his eyes still fixed out the window.
“Fine,” Cassie said with a sigh. “Scott and I are here to tell you that we have made the decision that, against your better judgment, we are going to be in a relationship. Now, you made it perfectly clear when you fired him from the company that you do not approve of us being together, but that is something that is not your choice. This is my life, our life now, and I will live it how I please, whether it is down the route you wanted it to go or not. At some point, you are going to have to let go of the idea of always being in charge.”
“I knew you were a strong-minded girl when you were born,” he said, not looking at us. “You have the fire and spirit of your mother, never wanting to take advice, never wanting to do things the right way, never wanting to make choices that are actually in your own best interest. For a moment there, when you came home, I really thought you were serious about changing your future, pursuing something that had long-term viability, doing your family proud and carrying on the legacy that I built, but that was short lived. So, this is what you are deciding? To throw away your life on some random guy with no real future ahead of him? And if so, what did you even come here to ask me? It is obvious that you are going to do whatever you want no matter how I feel about it.”
“I didn’t come here to ask permission,” Cassie said. “I came here to tell you, to talk to you about it, to try to keep you in my life. You think Scott is just some random guy, some fling that will be over and done with in the blink of an eye, but you are wrong. If you think I would change everything for something like that, then you don’t really know me at all. The truth is, this is no fling. I love this man, and I am prepared to spend the rest of my life trying to make up for what you did to him.”
Cassie’s words surprised me. I knew we were back together, but I didn’t know she was so in love with me. It was the first time I had heard the words come out of her mouth. It was strange considering we had spent our entire relationship hiding from other people. To be open and out about it was like taking things to a whole new level. I smiled at Cassie as she pulled the sonogram from her pocket and held it in her hands. Her father was still not looking at her, but she was about to get his attention.
“And then there is this,” she said, tapping him on the shoulder and handing him the picture of the baby. “I’m pregnant. I thought you would want to know being that you are pretty much my only parent since Mom has disappeared from our lives. You will be the only grandfather this child has since Scott’s father passed away years ago.”
He looked down at the picture and walked over to the chair, plopping down and grasping the paper in his hands. He sat there silently, staring, and I walked over to Cassie and rubbed my hand over her back. This was hard for her, but I was hoping that picture was what it was going to take to snap him out of his selfish stance toward her and us. However, the longer he sat there, the more his expression changed. He went from straight-faced and calm to red-faced and livid in about three seconds flat. His hands shook as he clutched the picture of the baby. He whispered something, and we both stepped forward.
“What, Daddy?” Cassie said.
“I said get out,” he said calmly. Then he yelled. “Get the fuck out of my house, both of you!”
The calm smile disappeared from Cassie’s face, and she walked over to her father, grabbed the sonogram picture, and turned back to me. I sighed and followed behind her as she left the house and her father, who had nothing constructive to say at all. We walked out of the front doors and straight to the car, where I opened her door quickly and helped her inside. When I got in the driver’s seat, she looked at me, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. Immediately, she started to sob, shaking her head and leaning forward into my arms.
“I can’t believe him,” she cried. “Not even the baby was enough to sway him.”
“Give him time,” I said, running my fingers through her hair. “It’s a shock to him like it was to you and to me. Let the idea settle, and if you still haven’t heard back from him in a week, we will come back. Okay? It’s not good for you to be this upset.”
“All right,” she said with a sniffle. “You’re right. I expected this reaction. Now I just have to wait and see.”
I really hoped I was right. Cassie’s future happiness depended on it.
Chapter 34
Cassie
I decided to start staying with Scott. That was where I felt the most comfortable, and he liked to have me close. On Monday morning, we both got up, dressed, showered, and got ready for the day ahead. I felt wiped out after confronting my father the night before, but like Whitney said, life continued to go on and I had to as well, or else I was going to get left behind. I had to admit it was nice to have breakfast with Scott and kiss him good-bye before going our separate ways to work.
The day itself was nice and quiet. The guys on the crew were getting work done for once, but I knew that had something to do with us being behind and everyone’s jobs being threatened. Bill was happy to see me there and sent me on my rounds of the site. Everyone was quiet and content. Even Carl didn’t say much to me. I assumed my father had told Carl how it was after he ratted me out and either threatened his livelihood or paid him off to leave me alone. Either way, it was nice to no longer worry about getting caught alone with him since he made a beeline in the opposite direction of wherever I was walking. I wasn’t particularly fond of the job, but it got me out of the house and got my blood pumping, which was good at that stage of my pregnancy.
I wished I could say the whole experience was worry free, but it wasn’t. I knew my father was on the warpath. There was no way he couldn’t be. He would have known from the morning briefing that I had decided to go to work. I was looking over my shoulder all day, wondering if he was going to show up out of the blue and fire me, or worse, yell at me in front of everyone and spill my secret to the people who worked for me. It was stressful hiding out in the different stations and peaking around the corner every time a truck pulled up out front. Happily, though, he never did show up to fire me or even talk to me at all. Maybe Scott was right. Maybe giving him some space to think things through was exactly what my father needed to come to terms with what was going on.
I barely made it through the rest of the day. I was exhausted, and it felt like instead of getting better, I was getting more and more tired every day. By the end of the day, I was ready to go back to Scott’s house and crawl into his bed and take a nap. I hailed an Uber, having left my car at my dad’s, and headed back to my new temporary home. While we drove through town and toward the house, I let my thoughts loose in my head. I started to question whether I had made the right decision to tell my father. Maybe I was too quick to jump on the horse and should have given it more time to establish a solid base in my relationship first. What was done was done, though, and there was no going back. My father knew. Soon my mother would know. It would spread like wildfire from there on out.
When we pulled up to the house, I paid the driver and got out, then noticed a strange car parked in the driveway behind Scott’s. Not only was he home early, but he had someone in the house with him. For a moment my stomach flipped, but then I reminded myself how much Scott cared about me and that he would never do something like cheat on me. I was being emotional and paranoid, two things that had become staples since I’d gotten pregnant—a two things that were driving me absolutely nuts inside my own head.
I stopped and grabbed the mail out of the box for Scott and headed up to the house. I took my boots off outside because they were so muddy from the site and then walked inside. I put my bag on the hook by the door and yawned, trying to wake myself up. If there was a guest here, I didn’t want
them to think I was rude, but I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. It was getting harder and harder to keep up a normal routine, and not having my things in one place didn’t help. I couldn’t go back to my father’s though, so I would have to make do with what I had and get the rest when the time was right. In the meantime, I had some clothes and things at Whitney’s house I could bring over.
“I’m home,” I yelled from the front of the house as I walked into the living room.
I stopped and smiled, staring at an older woman sitting on the couch. She stood up and smiled big, looking over as Scott came out of the kitchen with a couple glasses of iced tea. He smiled at me, and we all stood there awkwardly for several moments. Finally, Scott snapped out of it and put down the drinks and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around me and hugging me tightly.
“Hey,” he said. “You okay? You look exhausted.”
“I’m okay.” I smiled. “Just a long, strenuous day at work.”
“Hear anything from your father?” he asked.
“No,” I said, shaking my head and glancing over at the woman. “He stayed away from the site today, and he hasn’t called me at all.”
“He will,” Scott said. “Don’t worry. It’s only been one night.”
“I know,” I said, kissing him on the cheek.
“But now that you are home, I want you to meet someone,” he said excitedly and pulled me over to the couch. “This is Aunt Ida. After my father died, she was a staple in my household. She has been like a second mother to me my entire life. She lives down the street from the house I grew up in and lived at until my mother passed away a couple years ago. I think you will find that the two of you have similar, stubborn personalities. She is one of the most important people in the world to me and one of my last living relatives. Aunt Ida, this is my girlfriend, Cassie, the one I have been telling you about all afternoon.”
