by Emelia Blair
Dropping Elise off at her apartment, I’m driving home when an unfamiliar number shows up on my screen before the phone begins vibrating almost viciously. I press the Bluetooth option on my screen and answer the call.
An overly hearty male voice fills my car, “Lucas! I was wondering if you have some time tonight. I wanted to have dinner with you.”
My expression grows chilly. “Leon.”
A slight pause and then, there’s a note of irritation in his voice. “I’m your father. You can at least call me Dad.”
Disgust is a swift emotion that makes me curl my upper lip, and even as I speak, I can hear loathing in my voice. “You’ve done nothing to earn that title.” I cut the call and when it immediately starts ringing again, I turn off my phone and toss it on the backseat.
Like a greedy weasel, Leon walked back into our lives once both Debra and I became successful. Initially, I had shut the door in his face and advised my twin to do the same. But Mom is of a weaker constitution with a much gentler nature. So when the man who’d sired her children approached her, he used all her weak spots against her until she asked us to get to know him at least.
To this day, I have yet to understand how he got her to agree to it. It’s been a handful of years and sometimes, even Debra caves into that smooth talking weasel, but I remember the struggles of growing up until our maternal uncle stepped in, then Mom found a job. But life hadn’t been easy.
I know who’s to blame for my mother’s tears on the nights she failed to put food on our table or take us to the hospital because she didn’t have insurance, or even the smallest of failures she thought she had committed. I remember her grief and my hatred for this man grows in leaps and bounds, despite his weekly attempts to get to know me.
Dark thoughts clouding my mind, I turn into the driveway of my house. As a child, we had lived in shelters before finally moving into a tiny one-room apartment which was little more than a box.
Is it any wonder that I had chosen to build a large ostentatious home for myself? In a wealthy neighborhood, my property has large grounds with a small pond. I park the car in the driveway and I’m about to get out when I notice the monstrous looking bike. And then my eyes fall on the man leaning against it.
“Oliver?” I sound surprised as I climb out of the car and slam the door behind me. “What are you doing here?”
Tall and broad-shouldered, Oliver’s sandy hair is ruffled and his blue eyes clearly annoyed, a state which I’m inclined to believe is permanent. He glares at me in greeting and his British accent is thick as he greets me with his usual scowl, “I need you to go over these documents.”
I walk to the front door. “Come in, then.”
He follows me inside and although he’s visited my place a few times, he tosses his jacket on the handrails of the staircase that leads to the four bedrooms on the first floor. The ground floor is a sprawling space that holds a large kitchen, a den which I often like to refer to as my ‘man cave’, a dining room and my study.
Shrugging off my trench coat, I hang it on the coat hanger and step into the kitchen to get a cold drink. “You want a beer?” I ask, holding the fridge door open in the dark kitchen as the light shining from inside reflects on my face.
He grunts in acquiescence.
I grab him one as well. “Let’s go to my study.” I flick on the lights of the large study and see Oliver’s eyes take in the chaos. Feeling a bit sheepish, I scratch the back of my head. “I’m mostly working here so…” I shrug. “…just ignore the mess.”
He studies the piles of contracts on one of the chairs, kept in place by a heavy leather bound book, before he removes them carefully and sits down, drawing out a large envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket and setting it before me. “I want your opinion on this.”
I sink into my own chair and go through the contents of the envelope.
Oliver’s eyes are on me as he sips the beer while mine stands untouched.
“Seems pretty straightforward to me,” I say, finally, and grabbing a pen, I make some amendments.
He raises a brow.
I shrug. “Just protecting your interests.”
He goes through the contract that I’ve fixed and notes the additional terms I’ve added. Then, the corner of his lips tugs up. “Caleb’s going to kill you for this.”
Grinning, I lean back in my chair and grab my beer. “I’m surprised that you’ve suddenly decided to become an official consultant. Did Lana put you up to this?”
Oliver just grimaces. “She won’t get off my back about this. I’ve never met a more persistent woman in my life.”
I scoff. “And you married her. By choice, might I add.”
He sneers at me. “I’ll be sure to tell her you said that.”
I blanch at the thought and then am dragged from my thoughts when Oliver says, all too casually, “I heard you drove Elise home today.”
Lana can act self-righteous all she wants, but she’s a gossipmonger to the bone.
“I asked her on a date,” I finally say.
Oliver manages to look surprised. Then he gives me a considering look, saying slowly, “You’re not crying so I assume she said yes.”
I raise my hand towards him for a high five as I grin. “Yeah, she did.”
Oliver stares at my hand which is in the air for a moment and then says in a disinterested voice, “Yeah, no. I don’t do high fives. Put your hand down.”
“Buzzkill,” I complain, not offended in the least by his lackluster response.
Oliver completely ignores this, asking instead, “So, you’re going to take her on a date? I’m surprised she said yes.”
Now I feel a tad bit insulted. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He scours the document again, saying idly, “The impression I got from Lana was that whatever happened with her ex has left her distrusting of any guys.” When he looks up, there is thinly veiled rage in his blue eyes. “Apparently, this guy got her tipsy enough to convince her to sleep with him on the second or third date. Something which she doesn’t normally do.”
My insides feel cold when I hear this and my hands tighten on the bottle. This raw fury coursing inside of me needs an outlet and I calmly contemplate throwing the bottle against the pristine wall of my study. “He forced her?”
Oliver looks angry as well. It’s no secret that he has a soft spot for the bubbly receptionist. However, he shakes his head. “No. Elise was pretty firm about that. She told Lana her judgment was impaired but it wasn’t rape. However, she was pretty upset in the morning and the guy told her to get over it and kicked her out of his apartment.”
“I’m going to kill that bastard,” I growl out the words.
Oliver stares at me, not in the least fazed by my menacing tone. Instead, he deigns to point out, “You don’t even know who that ‘bastard’ is.”
I give him a sharp look, “She hasn’t even told Lana?”
Oliver is wearing a thoughtful expression on his face. “No. This just leads me to believe that it is somebody in the office. Although why she would go to the lengths of protecting him, I don’t understand.”
I force down my boiling temper. “And she brought Sophie to work today. Why would she do that if the guy works there?”
We both sit in uneasy silence, the topic of my date forgotten, this troubling information eating at us both.
Just why was Elise adamant on hiding the identity of Sophie’s father?
4
Elise
“Oh, why did I say yes?” I groan aloud, lying on the couch in the living room of my apartment. “What possessed me to say yes, Sophie?”
Sophie is on the plush little carpet that Kendall had gifted her with and she rolls onto her stomach in response, saying, “Gah,” in a laughing manner.
“You’re right,” I say conversationally. “He manipulated me into it. I should have known all those apple crumbles came with a price.” I let out a heavy sigh. “But they were so good.”
I
glance down at my daughter who’s staring at me, clearly wondering if I’ve gone insane, “You think I should call him up and turn him down?”
Sophie gurgles with laughter before rolling over again.
I know I won’t turn him down.
It’s just one measly date… I try to argue with myself. I am not flattered that the handsome lawyer with that mischievous smile I secretly adore, asked me out.
Me!
With all my baby weight still on me. Despite the fact he’s seen me at my ugliest, he still asked me.
So it makes me wonder that if I hadn’t gotten pregnant with Sophie being the same person I was over a year ago, would I have been excited and thrilled instead of pensive and wary.
“He said no strings attached,” I say, loudly.
Now I’m just trying to convince myself to go ahead with this because Lucas had a point. I’ve denied myself any kind of relaxation or fun ever since the night I had with Sophie’s father.
“And I trust Lucas.”
He won’t try to do anything funny. It would be nice to go out and have a good time with someone who’s a friend. He can call it a date if he wants. I can just call it a relaxing evening.
I reach for my phone and before I can talk myself out of it, I’m dialing Kendall’s number.
I’ve just about lost my nerve when she picks up on the third ring. There’s someone talking in the background and she suddenly swears, “I swear to God, Duke, if you don’t turn down the volume, I’m going to teach your kid the word ‘fuck’. Have fun explaining that to your wife. Hey, Elise.”
I hesitate. “Are you busy?”
“I was,” she growls. “But Duke wants to watch this badminton match on TV because his is broken. It’s not even a real sport!” She shouts out the last part to Duke.
I hear grumbling from the background and then Caleb’s smooth voice.
I find myself chuckling and then get right to the point, “I actually need a favor.”
“Yeah, sure. Anything.”
I take in a deep breath before saying quickly, “CanyoubabysitSophie?”
Kendall is silent for a minute then asks, “Come again?”
“Could you babysit Sophie, someday this week or the next?” When Kendall doesn’t say anything, I feel worried, “Is that a no?”
She immediately responds, “Oh, no, that’s not it. I’m just thinking of the best way to rub this in Lana’s face. I’m thinking of a selfie montage with Sophie and me.”
I blink. “Ah, sure. Sounds good. So, that’s a yes?”
“Of course!” Then her voice turns suspicious as she asks, “Why though?”
My mouth flaps open uselessly, and I wince. “Umm…”
“Are you going on a date with Lucas?!” The words are practically shrieked into my ear. “Lana just texted me!”
Not wanting to get into this right now, I hurriedly say, “What? Oh, I think Sophie’s calling me!”
“She can’t even talk—”
“Okay, bye!” I cut the call and groan.
“I’m so dead, tomorrow.” Glancing down at Sophie, I pick her up and laying back down, I sit her on my stomach, carefully cushioning her back and head with thighs.
“And how did you enjoy your first day at work, baby?” I ask her, laughing.
Seeing me smile, she claps her hands, making gurgling sounds of happiness.
She’s a happy baby and I vow to myself that she will never lack any sort of love in her life. I’ll be both a mother and a father to her. “Your grandparents will come around, soon,” I tell her. “They can’t stay mad forever, right?”
When she yawns now, I cuddle her and getting up, I start preparing her for bed.
Once she’s down for the night, I change into a slip and when I see my image in the mirror, I sigh, pinching my belly fat.
I was always a healthy girl with curves rather than a slim figure I had craved in high school and college. At one point, it had been a source of constant depression for me. I’d tried all sorts of fad diets but sticking to them was the problem, I wasn’t overweight, by any means, but simply soft and a little chubby.
Feeling the familiar sensation of misery descending on me again, I immediately pinch myself, scolding lightly, “You’re fine the way you are. You can’t be like everyone else.”
The image in the mirror smiles because it knows the long journey it has undertaken to finally accept herself, the years of self love and confidence building that had brought her to this day.
However, I frown at myself. “Wouldn’t hurt to cut back on the sweets, though, would it? A salad for lunch every now and again, maybe? You’re no longer eating for two.”
As I climb into bed, I blame Lucas for most of this additional weight on me, considering how he kept bringing me all sorts of desserts while I was expecting.
Silly man, I think to myself, affectionately.
And if my heart beats a little faster at imagining that sly grin on his face as he slid me boxes of treats before disappearing, I ignore it, and turn over.
It’s when I’m getting ready for work the next day when suddenly hits me what I’ve agreed to do.
Lucas Black asked me out on a date and I said yes.
It takes a while for this to sink in and the rest of the morning, I’m subdued, wondering when Lucas even became interested in me. I always thought he was just being friendly but now that I think about it, I’ve never seen him interact with any other employee.
I tuck a sleepy Sophie into her carrier, my fingers efficient while my mind is wandering.
I hadn’t been lying to Lucas when I had said I wasn’t ready for a relationship or that I wasn’t looking to date anyone at the moment. The thought saddens me a little because I’m one of those people who loves going on dates and meeting new people. While I’ve only had two lovers, the idea of dating was always a fun concept to me.
Now, since what happened on the last date I went on, the thought of dating anyone leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
Sophie shifts and I tuck her in, brooding.
I’ve already agreed to this date but I have to make sure Lucas gets the message that it’s just a one-time thing. Yet, a part of me which harbors a soft crush on the man, feels a little giddy at being noticed back.
“Get a hold of yourself,” I mutter aloud.
Sophie blinks, sleepily.
When I reach the office, taking the bus, I wonder if I should invest in a car.
The office is empty and people are just starting to walk in.
I put the carrier on my large desk and I’m just undoing the straps on my baby when someone bumps into me, making me let out a startled cry and stumble, barely managing to stop the pram from sliding off the desk.
My heart banging against my ribcage and my mouth completely dry as I realize how close Sophie had just been to getting injured, I soothe my shaken baby whose face has scrunched upon seeing the fear on mine.
Lifting her out, I hold her against me as she wails and glances around at the person who had bumped into me. But whoever it was had disappeared into the crowd now waiting at the elevator.
I feel my body grow cold. Had that been deliberate?
I hold Sophie even closer, suddenly staring at the people walking in, no longer feeling safe. The fright I just experienced makes me feel insecure and uncertain. Sophie wails even louder, making me try to shush her and calm her down.
“Shut. That brat up!” Comes a nasty comment and I look up to see one of the younger female employees – Dalia – glare at Sophie and then me, as she adds, “This is an office not a nursery. Why are you even bringing that here?”
One of the women standing next to her titters.
My blood boils, and there’s a harsh element to my voice as I bare my teeth, “You’re got a problem, go to HR. It’s not my fault she doesn’t like the sound of your voice.”
The venom in her eyes makes me take a step back, startled at the sheer hatred there. Not knowing what I’ve done to deserve it is confusing to me.
>
Dalia looks satisfied while smirking. “Everybody knows what you’re trying to do. Shoving that brat into—”
“Is there a problem here, ladies?”
The smooth voice filled with authority makes Dalia pale.
We all turn to look at Oliver.
He looks very annoyed, as he barks out to everyone and especially, Dalia in the lobby, “Get moving!”
His words have people scrambling to leave and those who can’t get into the elevator, rush towards the stairwell.
When he stares at me, I point towards my desk, not intimidated in the least. “Where am I supposed to go?”
Oliver huffs and makes his way towards me, staring down at Sophie and suddenly, I see his expression change, becoming soft, and he looks at me for permission to take her from me.
I let him.
He holds Sophie away from him, looking at her, and my wailing daughter ceases her cries as if realizing she’s no longer with her mother. She studies Oliver with curious eyes before sticking her fist into her mouth and saying decisively, “Gah!”
Oliver’s face creases into a smile which is so unexpected that even I stagger. The man rarely smiles.
Sophie is clearly besotted because she starts baby babbling and reaches out to him.
Oliver settles her against his chest, the soft expression flickering on his face again.
It makes me wonder what he’s remembering that has him, so terribly sad.
He then looks at me and he’s frowning. “Are you being bullied?”
I blink at his words, taken aback. “Uh, no. Why would you—”
“I’m not deaf,” he says, shortly,
I now realize he overheard what Dalia had said. I feel uncomfortable and I shuffle my feet before aiming a smile at him. “I can take care of myself, don’t worry.”
He studies me for a few seconds before saying, “I see.”
I don’t know what he sees but I clearly see my daughter very diligently drooling all over his gray coat and I hold up my arms. “Here, I’ll take her.”
Oliver looks a little disappointed but hands Sophie back. As he leaves, he throws over his shoulder, casually, “Lana is very angry with you for not letting her babysit. Have fun with that.”
