Unexpected Delivery (Paradise Place Book 8)

by Natalie Ann

  He was elated as much as he was frustrated over the relationship with Parker.

  “Says none of my kids when they show up out of the blue,” his father said. “Did something happen with Parker?”

  “Did she get sick of your shit and tell you to stay on the other side of the street?” Kaelyn asked.

  He snorted. “Is that how you talk in front of your daughter all the time?”

  His sister laughed. “She doesn’t understand what I’m saying.”

  “Until she says the S word in public when you least expect it,” his father said.

  “I’m going to laugh when that happens,” Evan said.

  “If she does, it’s because she got it from one of you guys,” his mother said. “But your father is right. Something has to be going on. What is it?”

  “Parker is pregnant.” Kaelyn started to laugh at him. “It’s not funny.”

  “Oh yes, it is,” she said. “You and Christian. No, more you. You gave Harris the hardest time when you found out I was pregnant. Like he knocked me up on purpose or something. Accidents happen.”

  “They do,” he admitted.

  “When is she due?” his mother asked with a grin on her face.

  “Why are you smiling?”

  “Because I’m excited to be a grandmother again. You’ll do the right thing even though you aren’t married or haven’t been together long. I like Parker. She doesn’t seem like someone that would put up with your crap either.”

  “Thanks for thinking I’m that bad of a person,” he said, frowning and then putting his niece down.

  “You’re a great person,” his father said. “But you’re stubborn and think you’re always right.”

  “Because I am,” he said with a smirk.

  Kaelyn laughed again. “So let me play this out in my head because I’ve been there. She didn’t tell you right away, and when she did, you told her what she was going to do rather than asking. You probably told her she had to move in with you. Or maybe you said you were getting married without even asking her?”

  Evan felt his face flush. “I didn’t mention marriage. I don’t even know how she feels about me.”

  “Considering she is carrying your child,” his father said. “I’d say she has to feel something.”

  He snorted out. “Yeah, something like that.”

  “You didn’t deny you told her she was moving in with you though, right?” his mother asked.

  “I told her it was best. I could help her more if she lived with me.”

  “Oh, Evan,” Kaelyn said. “You are so clueless. No woman wants to move in with a man for that reason. Do you love her?”

  “Yeah,” he said.

  “Then that is what you should have said to her,” his sister said. “Take it from me. I was scared and pregnant and Harris and I hadn’t been together long and I was terrified he was going to think I was trying to trap him. Remember, Harris had gone through that with someone else.”

  How could he forget that there was a tabloid scandal of a woman saying Harris had gotten her pregnant during a one-night stand? It turned out to be bogus and the woman was trying to get a heavy payday out of it.

  “I wouldn’t think she was trying to trap me,” he said.

  “I would think she wouldn’t unless you’ve told her about women in your past wanting that?” his mother said.

  “Shit,” he said.

  “You did, didn’t you?” Kaelyn said.

  “It might have come up,” he said. “Earlier on though. That isn’t her. Trust me, she put me in my place more than once that she doesn’t want anything from me.”

  “And that bothers you, doesn’t it?” his father asked.

  “I don’t know why she doesn’t want my help,” he argued.

  “Mom,” Kaelyn said. “He’s your son. Maybe you should help explain it to him.”

  “Evan. Women that are independent don’t want a man to help them. They don’t want a man to provide for them. They want one to be their partner. If you approach it that way, you will have a better chance at working things out. I really hope you do.”

  “Me too,” he said. “But she’s going to need my help.”

  “Of course she is,” his father said. “She has a demanding job and works a lot of hours. So do you. You will both need the help of the family just like Kaelyn does at times.”

  Kaelyn worked full time, but Harris ran a baseball clinic and his time was more flexible or he took Scarlet with him if he had to. Evan wouldn’t be able to take his child to the work site though.

  “Parker got a new job this week too. They don’t know she is pregnant and she is worried about that, but it’s not like they can rescind the offer. I’m not even sure when she is going to tell them. I haven’t talked to her in two days since she told me about the baby.”

  His mother shook her head. “That’s not good. And it’s not healthy.”

  “No,” he said.

  “What job did she get?” Kaelyn asked.

  He told them about the new position. “So she won’t be on the road daily, but I’m sure she will be at times. It will be local for the most part.”

  “That’s wonderful,” his mother said.

  “It is,” he said. “I’m happy for her and proud of her. She’ll do great at it.”

  “And you should tell her that,” his father said.

  “I did. Then she hit me with the baby news.”

  “I guess the question is, how do you feel about becoming a father?” his mother asked.

  “I’m good with it. I mean I always thought I’d have kids someday. I’m nervous and scared too. All I know about kids is from being around Scarlet.”

  “And you’re good with her,” Kaelyn said. “You’ll be a great dad. Whether you’ll be a great husband or not depends on if you can get your head out of your butt.”

  “Who said anything about being a husband?” he asked.

  “Evan,” his father said. “You aren’t hardwired for anything else in a situation like this and you know it. I’m not sure you’ve ever admitted you loved another woman before regardless of the baby.”

  “No,” he said. “I haven’t.”

  “Then go make it right,” his mother said. “And let us know when you can both come to dinner and I can congratulate Parker myself. I’m assuming the news is to be kept quiet right now?”

  “If you could, I’d appreciate it. I expect you’ll tell Harris and I’ll call Christian tonight, but until Parker and I can talk again, I’d like it to stay between us.”

  “You know it will,” his father said.

  He left and drove home, but didn’t see any lights on in Parker’s house and no movement.

  By the time her car pulled in it was after eight and too late to go there and have it out again.

  Then he told himself he wouldn’t get anywhere if he thought of it that way.

  No, he had to go over and tell her he loved her and that he was happy about the baby.

  If she didn’t love him back, he’d just have to learn to deal and accept it.

  Maybe.

  28

  Had It Coming

  Friday night, Parker opened the door to see Evan standing there. There was no smile on his face, but no frown either.

  He hadn’t texted he was coming over. He hadn’t talked to her since he’d stormed out on Tuesday night. But he must have been watching her house because she just pulled in ten minutes ago and barely had time to get down the stairs to answer the door after she changed.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Can I come in for us to talk?” he asked.

  If she wasn’t so fed up with everyone in general, she’d tell him no, but that would be childish and she had to grow up. This wasn’t about her and him and both of their stubborn prides anymore.

  This was about the child she was carrying and the man she was in love with and how they were going to make this all work.

  One day at a time was what she’d been telling herself and she was going to a
dhere to it even if it killed her. And she was going to make sure Evan was on the same page as her if she had to shove it down his throat.

  No, no. That would be her being stubborn and in control and she wasn’t going there if she didn’t have to.

  “Of course,” she said. “We need to figure this out.”

  “I wanted to talk to you last night, but you didn’t get home until close to nine and I figured we’d need more time.”

  Which proved he was watching the house. “I was at my parents’ house and then my brothers’. I wanted them to know what was going on.”

  He nodded his head. “How did it go?”

  “Not great,” she said. Her brothers were livid at first and wanted to come over and have words with Evan, but she’d done her best to keep them calm and explain how happy she was about the baby and that she loved Evan. They had some work to do, but she was all in.

  Her brothers didn’t completely buy it by the fact she was there alone and not with Evan giving the news, but she did the best she could to explain he was busy and she wanted to deliver this by herself.

  “How so?” he asked. “I told my parents and sister tonight in person, then called Christian. They’ll keep it a secret until we are ready to let everyone know. Until you’re ready. They were all good with it after Kaelyn gave me shit. I had it coming.”

  “Sounds like your family is more accepting. Why did Kaelyn give you a hard time?” She’d liked Evan’s sister and thought Kaelyn liked her. “Did they think I was trying to trap you? I’m not,” she said, crossing her arms.

  He reached his hands out and undid her arms, forcing her to drop them down. “She laughed. That kind of shit. I gave Harris a hard time when she got pregnant. She said it was only karma and figured your brothers would do the same to me. That I had it coming.”

  She cracked a grin. “I believe they are going to have a few things to say, but they shouldn’t be too bad about it. I didn’t let them know about our little tiff.”

  He let out a laugh. “Is that what we are calling this?”

  “I’m not sure what else to. We have to figure things out.”

  “We do. I’m sorry,” he said. “Can we go sit down or do we have to stand here in the foyer to have this conversation?”

  She turned and moved to the living room, him following. She sat in the chair, forcing him to go to the couch. “Better?”

  “Yes. I was shocked and hurt you didn’t tell me right away. I don’t like people keeping secrets from me and this was a whopper.”

  “I was scared. That test could have been wrong, but I didn’t think it was. I didn’t want you to act the way you did.”

  “It’s been drilled into my head that I can’t call all the shots all the time. That we have to be a unit and that means teamwork. But I’m standing my ground that you can’t do it all alone. You’ve got a new job and you’ll want to put your effort into that as you should. I want you to. But when you get home, you’ll be tired and you need to care for yourself, for our child too. I saw what Kaelyn went through. You can’t be stubborn about this.”

  “I know. Marcus and Jeremy both said the same things to me. I didn’t want to agree with them, but I’m not stupid.”

  “So you said it didn’t go well with your parents. What happened there?”

  She wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him but knew she would have to. “My mother is embarrassed. It’s all about her and always has been. My parents’ marriage is on the rocks and I saw more of it. My father is livid with my mother’s behavior. She’d made a comment about the baby being set for life with you being the father and I’d had enough and got up to leave.”

  “Our child is going to be set for life because of both of us. Not just me. Not just you. Us together.”

  She sniffled a little. “Seems like you’re figuring out the right things to say.”

  “Cut me some slack. I was stunned and I have a quick trigger. I don’t always stop to think of what comes out of my mouth and it’s been known to bite me in the ass a lot.”

  “I’ve spent a lot of my life weighing my words and I didn’t this time and should have.”

  “No, you did. You tried to tell me calmly and I reacted and that caused you to react,” he said.

  “We have that effect on each other,” she said.

  “We do. I’m going to ask you how you really feel about this pregnancy. Just say what comes into your head.”

  She didn’t hesitate to say, “Excited and fearful. Probably an equal amount of both. Unsure and confused.”

  “I’m all those things but maybe not for the same reasons.”

  “You might be surprised, but why don’t you tell me what your thoughts are too. If I’m sharing you need to do it too.”

  “I’m excited because I’m going to be a father. I don’t know much about how to be one other than my time with Scarlet.”

  “And you’re great with her,” she said. “I’ve seen it and it’s both sweet and sexy at the same time.”

  He smiled at her. “Good to know. I’m fearful of the unknown from a health and medical side. Things can and do go wrong and I understand that you might want to keep this quiet for a lot of reasons. I’m fine with that. I’m fearful because I love you and am not sure if you feel the same or will give me a chance to change your mind if you don’t. The unsure and confusing parts come in because sometimes I think I’m in over my head with you and make a lot of missteps when I didn’t think I did it much in life before. Or if I did, I didn’t think about it. With you I care a great deal.”

  Her heart was racing and her sweaty palms were now being wiped on the arms of the chair. She got up and moved over to him on the couch and crawled into his lap. “These are the things we should have said to each other the other night rather than letting our tempers and pride get the best of us. I love you too, Evan. I knew it long before I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t know how you felt.”

  He hugged her tight. “People say all the time they know the exact moment they fell in love, but I don’t. It was just there. It happened without me knowing, as if it was meant. A while ago my brother-in-law told me I had it bad and the minute those words were out of his mouth I thought to myself, oh shit, he’s right. When did that happen?”

  “Does it matter when it did?”

  “No, not at all. That’s what I’m saying. It just happened. But I was afraid to tell you and have you say you didn’t need a man again. You’ve said it enough.”

  “I have. My bad. I’ve let my mother get in my head way too much in my life and I have regrets. When I was leaving my parents, my father pulled me aside and said he was happy for me and a child is a blessing and a gift.”

  “It is,” he said. “It’s our blessing and our gift. I know we have a lot to work out. I know you just bought this house and you don’t want to leave it.”

  “But it’s reasonable to move into yours. I might be prideful, but I’m not crazy. Your place is bigger and it’s nicer. There is space there for us to not drive each other crazy. Space for this child, and who knows, maybe more in the future.”

  He laughed. “No one knows the future, but I sure the hell want to think that way. I’m old fashioned.”

  “Don’t say it,” she said. She knew exactly where this was going. “No one wants to be asked to get married because they are pregnant.”

  “That wouldn’t be the reason,” he argued.

  “It’s not the time. It’s only been a few months. We’ll figure out the living situation and how to work it all out, but marriage is a massive commitment.”

  “It is,” he agreed, “and I’m ready to make it. I’m guessing you’re not?”

  His voice lowered, sounding hurt, and she didn’t want that. “I’m not answering because you didn’t ask and you aren’t going to. I can and have made a lot of massive commitments in my life. I love you and you love me. That should be enough for today. I told myself I’m not planning it all out. I can’t and you can’t. As I know, life doesn’t always go the way w
e want and when that happens it just hurts too much.”

  “You’re scared,” he said. “Don’t be. My love for you isn’t going to change.”

  “I don’t think it will, but for now, we’ve got a baby coming and we haven’t even kissed over it.”

  “Then I think we need to correct that right now,” he said, his mouth going to hers and kissing her with as much passion as he did the night they created the little bun in her oven.

  It was going to be all right. She knew and she felt it, and she was ready to move forward.

  “Life is about compromise,” she said, lifting her head. “Are you ready to take this journey with me?”

  “Every step of the way.”

  Epilogue

  Parker and he were sitting in her living room on New Year’s Eve with her brothers on the way. His sister and brother would be here shortly too.

  Everyone knew she was pregnant now. It was hard to hide it with her due in three months.

  Parker had been worried her new employers would have an issue with it, even if they didn’t say, but they were completely supportive. The CEO told her it was no different than any new employee starting and having an accident, getting sick, or having surgery. Things happened and as long as she was going to continue to work after the baby was born, they were extremely flexible.

  She had every intention of working because Evan knew her well enough to know that she’d be a loving wonderful mother, but she didn’t have the makeup to be a stay at home one.

  With the work obstacle out of the way, the next had been their living situation. She’d made a comment about wanting to spend New Year’s Eve in her house with friends and family. So for the past few months he hadn’t brought up marriage again or when she’d move into his house.

  Parker agreed to do it and slowly was even bringing things over, but not enough to be living there. They took turns spending the night at each other’s place but some nights they were apart. That was coming to an end after tonight if he had anything to say about it.