Cougar

by M. A. Foster

  “If not, then we’ll have it here at the house,” Jayla says, shrugging.

  “We can’t have it here, Jayla. There isn’t enough room. Even if we keep the guest list to a minimum of family and friends, it’s at least two hundred people.”

  My mother and Liz nod in agreement.

  “How do you figure?” Zach asks as he walks into the room and straight over to Jayla.

  I hold up a hand and begin ticking off my fingers. “Let’s start with the friends. Between the two of you, we’re looking at what, at least fifty people, right?” They look to each other, then back to me and nod. “Add in our immediate families and their plus ones. Then add in our extended families and their plus ones. Do you see where I’m going with this? Then you have to consider the other people who’ll be in your lives. There are people at the record label, the law firm in LA and the Royal Mayhem foundation. That’s just your side, Jayla. Zach, it’s your day, too. Your parents have friends, and then there are your father’s business associates and colleagues. And—”

  “Sounds to me like eloping wasn’t such a bad idea.” Zach looks over at Jay.

  “We had our day, Z. Let’s let them have theirs.”

  “Are you two planning on taking a honeymoon?”

  Zach looks over at Jay. “Are we?”

  Jay shrugs. “Maybe a short one. We could go back to where it all started, Z.”

  “Disney?”

  She smiles. “Why not?”

  Zach is stretched out on the sofa in the great room watching Sports Center.

  “Where’s your wife?” I drawl as I make my way to the refrigerator.

  “She went to see Harper.” Harper moved in with the Averys after Jay’s attack, and then she and Cole moved into Max’s guest house.

  I drop down onto the opposite sofa and prop my feet up on the table. “Whose idea was it to elope?”

  “Both,” he answers. “I know you’re pissed, and I’m sorry we went behind your back. It wasn’t something we planned. We both knew it was going to happen eventually, so we figured why wait.”

  “Why wait?” I scoff. “I’ll tell you why. You were both still in high school. You’re young and extremely immature. You can’t even handle tabloid rumors. What happens when she’s on tour and the tabloids plaster bullshit stories all over social media? Are you going to grab the closest sorority girl for a revenge screw? Do you even know how much money she has or how much she’s worth? I’m just naming a few reasons here why you should’ve waited. And when this doesn’t work out, there’s gonna be a hell of a mess for me to clean up.”

  “You mean if?”

  “What?”

  “You said ‘when,’ not ‘if,’ which means you’re expecting us to fail.” He rolls to a sitting position and rests his forearms on his thighs. “Emerson, I’m sorry for disrespecting you. I’m being completely honest here when I tell you that I hadn’t taken your feelings or anyone else’s into consideration. All I could think was that the love of my life almost died. That feeling is something I can’t get over. Yes, we’re young. Yes, I screwed up. But I love her more than I love anything else in this world. And aside from the short stint of her tour, I want to go to bed every night with her next to me safe and sound. I want her to be happy. Whatever Jay wants, I’m going to give it to her. If she wants ten kids, then she’ll have them. I don’t care about her money. I have my own. I’m sure it’s pennies compared to what she has, but it’s not about the money and you know that. If you want me to sign something, I will, but I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”

  I fight the urge to leap over the coffee table and tackle hug Zach. Instead, I point at him. “You promise me right now, Zach Easton, that you will treat my daughter right, and you will stay faithful and loyal to her. Do not break her spirit.”

  “What about her heart?”

  “You’ll break it a hundred times. No relationship is perfect. My advice is to never go to bed or leave the house angry. Always say ‘I love you’ and mean it.”

  “I promise.”

  I smile. “Then welcome to the family.”

  Emerson

  When fashion designer Anna Sizemore heard about Jay’s wedding, she immediately contacted me, insisting she had the perfect dress and wanted to deliver it personally. Anna was just starting out in her career when she reached out to me a couple of years ago, claiming she’d met Jay through Evangeline and that Jay would be perfect for her upcoming clothing campaign. I was hesitant at the time, considering we were trying to keep Jay’s face out of the media, but she assured me that Jay would still keep her anonymity. Jay and Anna had grown close over the past year, collaborating on designs from T-shirts for the Mayhem Foundation to custom evening gowns.

  Tears prick the corner of my eyes as Jay steps out from behind the makeshift partition. The room fills with gasps as Anna escorts Jay over to the three-way mirror and begins fluffing her dress.

  It's a blush-colored strapless ball gown with layers of tattered material. It’s chic, yet it has an edge to it.

  “Oh my God,” Grace whispers beside me while squeezing my hand, and Lisa bumps her shoulder against mine.

  “It’s perfect,” Elizabeth adds from behind me.

  “Agreed,” Evangeline chimes in, and the girls hum their agreement.

  Jay spins around and pins her bright eyes on me. “Really?”

  I nod, fighting back tears. “Really.” My teary eyes flick to Anna. “Thank you.”

  “Can you guys give us a minute?” Jay nods to me.

  “Of course.”

  The girls file out of the room and the door clicks shut. Jay moves over to the little coffee table and sits down in front of me.

  Taking my hands in hers, she smiles as her eyes fill with tears. “I’m feeling really emotional right now, and I don’t want to cry all over this beautiful dress.” She reaches over and grabs a tissue from the box on the coffee table. “I just realized something.”

  “What?”

  She sniffs. “I think, subconsciously, one of the reasons I eloped with Zach was because I didn’t want to face my wedding day.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “It didn’t hit me until now that I was avoiding a wedding because Dad isn’t here to be a part of it.” She bursts into tears. “It’s supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life, but it won’t be because he’s not here to give me away.”

  My heart shatters. “Oh, Jay,” I cry and pull her into my lap. She wraps her arms around my neck and cries into my shoulder. It never occurred to me that she’d give up one of the most important days of her life to avoid having to grieve for Marcus all over again.

  “Is there a letter?” she asks meekly.

  “Yes,” I tell her. “It’s the last one.”

  She pulls back and looks at me confused. “But why?”

  “Jayla, he may not be here to walk you down the aisle, but your father was always going to be the one to give you away?”

  She snorts and I smile. “I’m going to ask B to walk me down the aisle.”

  “I’m gonna need to get that on video.”

  “Okay, we’ve narrowed it down to these two.” My mother gestures between the two wedding invitations. “Which one?”

  I prop my elbow on the table and rest my forehead in the palm of my hand. “I think either will work.”

  “Honey, are you feeling all right?” my mother asks. “You look pale.”

  “I feel blah.” I stick out my tongue. “I think my hormones are out of whack. Do you think it might be early menopause?”

  “I don’t know. Your dad is the doctor. Ask him.”

  “Daddy,” I call out. “Do you know anything about hormones?”

  My father walks into the kitchen with a smirk on his face. “Hormones? Sure. It’s the sound your mother makes when I—”

  “Daddy!” I laugh.

  “I was going to say cut back her allowance.”

  “Very funny, Max.” My mother rolls her eyes. “You dick.”

 
; I can’t with these two.

  My father laughs. “What’s wrong, Emi bear? Not feeling well?”

  “I don’t know. I just feel off.”

  “It’s probably stress,” my mother says. “When’s the last time you went to the doctor for a checkup?”

  I shrug. “Probably three years.”

  “Emerson,” my father cuts in, his voice stern. “I’m making you an appointment with Dr. Shaw for tomorrow morning. She’s a GYN. Go get yourself checked out. She can check your hormones and your stress levels. Do you take a multivitamin?”

  “No.”

  My mother shakes her head. “Emerson,” she chides.

  I hold up my hands in defense. “I’m sorry, okay? I know I should be taking better care of myself. I just got off track when I was taking care of Marcus. I promise I’ll go tomorrow.”

  “You’re pregnant,” Dr. Shaw tells me.

  I let out a humorless laugh. “You’re kidding, right? I can’t get pregnant.”

  She looks down at her electronic tablet. “It says here you’ve had five pregnancies. Your fourth pregnancy was full term. A girl.”

  “Jayla.” I nod. “I call her my ‘miracle baby’ because she’s the only child I was able to carry full term. I never made it past the first trimester with the other four. And after the last pregnancy, I’ve never been able to get pregnant.”

  “Okay, so I’ve got your chart here. Do you know when your last period was?”

  I rub my forehead, trying to think back. “January, maybe? It’s not uncommon for me to miss a few and not notice.”

  Dr. Shaw nods and makes a note. “That would put you in your second trimester then. I’m going to do an ultrasound today just to take some measurements and make sure your baby is healthy.”

  A nurse wheels in the ultrasound machine. “Okay, I’ll need you to lean back and lift up your shirt. This is going to be a little cold.” I flinch when the clear gel hits my stomach. “Told you.” She winks as she rubs the wand through the gel and across my abdomen. She points to the screen. “There’s your baby.” My gaze zeroes in on the black and white screen. There’s a baby. She clicks a few buttons. “I’d say you’re about fifteen weeks.”

  “But I haven’t even gained any weight! How could I have not known?”

  “Emerson, it’s okay. I’ve seen women who were much further along than you and they didn’t know either. No more stress, okay? You have another person to think of, so you need to take better care of yourself.”

  “I will,” I promise.

  I gasp as she presses another button and two little sonogram pictures slide out. “I can’t believe it.” A tear slips out of the corner of my eye and down my cheek.

  “Believe it.” She passes me the pictures. “You’ve got a little fighter in there. Congratulations, Emerson.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper as I stare down at my little peanut.

  “Emerson!”

  “Oh hi, Chris. I was hoping I’d run into you.”

  “Yeah? What’s up?”

  “I want to invite you to the wedding, so I need your address.” I pull out my phone to add to his contact info and a piece of paper falls to the floor.

  “I got it.” He bends over to retrieve the paper while I pull up my contacts.

  “Okay. What’s—” I lift my head to see Chris staring down at the paper in his hands, and I realize it’s my ultrasound picture. “Oh, uh….”

  Chris lifts his gaze from the photo and smiles. “This is a good thing, right?”

  My shoulders sag in relief. “It’s a very good thing… I think.”

  Chris chuckles. “You haven’t told him yet.”

  “No.” I gesture to the picture. “It was only just confirmed.”

  “Cam’s going to be thrilled. He loves you.” He hands me the photo.

  I nod, swallowing back my emotions. “I know he does. I love him, too.” I really do.

  “Hey, babe.” Holly, Jay’s former nurse, comes up, curling her arm around Chris’s. “Hey, Emerson. How’s the wedding planning coming along?”

  “Better than I expected on such short notice. Invitations will go out later this week. I hope to see you there.”

  I also learned from talking to Holly that her younger sister is Olivia, who is one of Jay’s very close friends from the Project Mayhem class.

  “I’ll be there.” Holly grins, then tilts her head back to look up at Chris. “I gotta get back to work. I was heading back from my break and thought I’d come say hi.”

  “Hi.” Chris dips his head and kisses her chastely on the lips. He seems happy. I like this look on him.

  Holly starts to walk away but then turns back to face us. “By the way, congratulations.” She points to the picture in my hand and snickers, probably because of the look on my face. “I won’t say a word.” She makes the universal gesture that her lips are sealed.

  “Thank you.”

  Holly turns and disappears into the pediatrician’s office where she works.

  “Judging by that grin on your face, I’d say Holly makes you happy,” I state.

  “She does.” His brows furrow. “Do you think she’s too young for me?”

  I frown. She’s not much younger than Cam.

  A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth, and I realize he’s joking. We throw our heads back and laugh. A wave of happiness washes over me, and I realize in this moment how happy I am to have my friend back in my life.

  “She’s lucky to have you.” I reach out and squeeze his hand. “I’ll see you at the wedding.”

  Emerson

  “I missed you,” Cam breathes against my lips.

  My eyes pop open and I instantly wrap my arms around his neck. “You’re home,” I say with a mixture of disbelief and excitement. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  He reaches between us and grabs the book smashed against my chest. “What are you reading?” He scans the cover, and I bite down on my lip and hold my breath. His eyes flick to me. Blink. Another blink. “You’re pregnant?” His bright blue eyes fill with unshed tears and wonderment.

  “Yes.” I smile.

  “Seriously?” he whispers as he pushes up my T-shirt. “You’re having my baby.” He presses a kiss to my bare stomach, then pops his head up with a smirk. “It is my baby, right?”

  I snort and roll my eyes.

  He presses another kiss to my stomach. “What does this mean for us?”

  “It means we’re having a baby.”

  “I know that. I want to know where we go from here.”

  “Tell me what you want, Cam.”

  “Ideally, I’d like to put a ring on your finger and move you into my house, but I know it’s not gonna be that easy.”

  “I’m not ready to get married, and not for reasons you think.” I sigh. “We spent the majority of our relationship hiding it. We never got to just be a couple. I want us to be a real couple. I want date nights. Sunsets and picnics on the beach. I want to be able to walk down the street holding your hand. Can we do that for a little while?”

  “On one condition. You have to move in with me. I’m not okay with my child not living under my roof.”

  “Deal.”

  “Yeah?”

  A wide smile stretches across my face and my eyes well up with tears. “Yes.” I jerk my chin toward the nightstand. “See that envelope? That’s for you.”

  He smirks as he reaches for it and pulls out the photo. His eyes flick to me and then back down to the sonogram picture. “You know, I didn’t think it was possible to love you more than I already did, but this….” He sniffs and leans forward, resting his forehead against mine. “Thank you.”

  “Thank you for loving me. I promise I’ll never take your love for granted.”

  A woman who looks to be in her late forties steps into the room. “Emerson?”

  I raise my hand. “That’s me.”

  “Hello, I’m Marlene.” She extends her hand to shake mine, then Cam’s.

  “Cam Parker,” he int
roduces himself proudly. “Baby daddy,” he adds, and I snort a laugh.

  Marlene giggles. “I know who you are. I’m a fan.”

  “Thank you.” He winks. “If you can get some good footage of my baby, I’ll sign anything you want.”

  She laughs. “I’ll see what I can do.” She turns her attention to me. “You’re seventeen weeks?”

  “That’s what they tell me.”

  She snaps on a pair of rubber gloves. “Okay. This is gonna be a little cold.” She squirts the clear gel over my lower belly, then places the ultrasound wand against my abdomen with a little pressure. A whooshing sound immediately fills the room.

  Cam straightens in his seat. “What is that?”

  “That’s your baby’s heartbeat,” Marlene tells him, and I give his hand a reassuring squeeze.

  “There’s your baby.” She points to the image on the screen and I wrinkle my nose. I’m probably in the minority here but 4D ultrasounds creep me out. However, I keep that thought to myself because the expression on Cam’s face is worth every second.

  “The baby has your nose,” he says as he stares at the screen, mouth agape.

  “Do you want to know the gender?”

  Cam looks over at me with raised brows. “Do we?”

  I smile and nod. “Yes.”

  Marlene points to the screen. “Congratulations, Mom and Dad, it’s a boy.”

  Cam’s head jerks to me, his eyes wide and his smile big. “It’s a boy.”

  The next morning I make my way into the kitchen and find Jay and Zach sitting at the island having breakfast. “Good morning, brats,” I singsong, snatching a piece of bacon from the platter as Grace passes me a glass of orange juice. I lean with my backside against the opposite counter. “We have a lot of wedding stuff to go over today. And don’t make any plans for tomorrow tonight because we’re having a family dinner.”

  “Mom, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you need to cut back on the wine.” She gestures to my stomach. “You got a little pooch going on there. You look pregnant.”