27
JAKE
"Jake Bennett," Kiera’s father greets me coldly. I expect him to shut the door on my face, but he doesn’t. "You have some nerve coming to my house after what you did to my daughter."
"I'm here to offer my sincere apologies," I say. “I left a note the other day…”
“That was you,” Ray replies, folding his arms in front of his chest.
He’s at least half a foot shorter than me but looks formidable. He has the same ashy blond hair Kiera has. I haven’t seen him in over a decade, but the man has aged gracefully. “What part of it were you apologizing to me for?”
“Listen, this is between Kiera and me. I want to talk to her first.”
He scowls. “You have some nerve, boy. Showing up at my door like this. Demanding to see my daughter after everything that happened.”
"Trust me when I say that I didn't mean for things to turn out this way."
"Which part? Knocking up my daughter or leaving her for good?" Ray Crofton says.
"With all due respect, I didn't abandon her. I'm ready to step up to my responsibilities. It's just that up until yesterday, I had no idea where she was."
"Are you saying that she was the one who ran away?" Ray replies, his voice thundering.
I close my eyes. Shit. Her parents don’t know that she left without talking to me up front.
Somewhere upstairs, I hear a door slamming shut. That must be Kiera. I didn’t mean to throw her under the bus like that.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“So, what did you mean?”
“There were some miscommunications. From both my end and hers. I don’t blame her.”
Mr. Crofton is frowning at me. “You really didn’t know?”
“I would never abandon her. There was a misunderstanding. I wasn’t in the country, and she left before I could talk to her about it.”
The door opens wider as he sighs. “Come in.”
The breath I had no idea I was holding leaves me. At least he’s not kicking me out right away.
An awkward silence ensues as he gestures for me to sit down on the couch. A few moments later, Kiera’s mother comes down the stairs. "Jake, how's your mother doing?"
"She's good, Mrs. Crofton. She was asking about you. It would be great if you could go out to lunch with her. She misses hanging out with you."
"I would love that—I mean, no, this is about Kiera. I don't want to do anything to upset her," she says hastily. "Her condition is delicate, and I don't want her stressing out."
I sit up straighter, my heart racing. "She's okay, right?”
I haven’t seen her in weeks. She must be almost showing. I drove past here yesterday, and I thought I saw a glimpse of her in her childhood bedroom, reading. But she didn’t see me, hopefully.
"Yes, the doctor says her scans are all normal. There's nothing to be scared about."
"Can I see her scan?" I say hopefully.
"I mean, I have to ask Kiera first—" Mrs. Crofton says, sounding unsure, looking at her husband who is glaring daggers at me.
"What are you doing here?" he interrupts her. "You need to make your intentions clear."
"That's why I'm here. I was hoping to speak to Kiera," I say. "I do want to do the right thing here but it's hard to do that when she has cut me off. Please, I need a few moments with her."
"It depends on Kiera," Dad says. "You can talk to her only if she consents. But she has made it clear that she wants nothing to do with you or see your face. No offense."
"None taken," I say. I’m in her home, at least. Baby steps.
“I got her some flowers,” I say, coming to my feet. “Maybe you can give them to her?”
“Orchids,” her mom murmurs. “Her favorite.”
“I know.”
"I'll talk to her," she says.
“Please,” I say.
Her mother gives me a reproachful look before she disappears upstairs. Kiera’s Dad continues to pace the room in front of me.
“I didn’t expect this from you, of all people, Jake.”
“Sir, please. I would never hurt Kiera. I love her more than anything in this world.”
“Do you really mean that?” He has stopped pacing now and is now looking at me.
Upstairs, I hear muffled noises trickling. “Mom, no,” Kiera is saying. “You cannot force me to go downstairs.”
“Give the poor boy a chance. He sounds sincere.”
“It’s an act.”
My heart squeezes. I wish she would come downstairs so that I could just explain it to her. A letter would be a good idea, but I don’t want her to think I’m deceiving her. I want her to hear it from me.
Ellie texted me yesterday to let me know that she tried to talk to Kiera about the whole thing but Kiera got sick.
No, however hard it is, I have to do this face-to-face.
“I want him gone, Mom,” Kiera says.
The door shuts close and her mother returns.
“I’m sorry,” she says as she comes down the stairs. She walks right up to me. “I don’t know what went wrong between you two.” She looks at me hopefully as if she’s hoping that I’ll give her a clue.
“It’s okay,” I say, getting off the couch. I didn’t expect Kiera to see me right away. She’s still angry with me. “I’ll leave now.”
I walk out the door, feeling dejected. I feel a tug at my chest and turn around. The curtains in Kiera’s room are pulled back, and she’s looking down at me.
“Kiera—” I call out, but she disappears before I can say anything else.
****
I go straight home. I arrived at Eros yesterday but spent the night at the hotel instead of going home. My parents have no idea I’m coming.
The exterior of my parents’ home is crafted with a meticulous eye for detail, showcasing a blend of classic and contemporary elements. A sweeping driveway leads up to the entrance, flanked by well-manicured lawns
The fa?ade is adorned with towering columns and intricate detailing. Dad took his time building the house to be just perfect for my mom before we actually moved in.
I still remember the look on Kiera’s face when she saw it for the first time.
The garage door is open, and my dad is right out, working on a painting, like he always is.
"Dad?" I call out as I walk up to him.
At the sound of my voice, he looks up, adjusting his glasses. His clothes and fingers are smudged with paint. "Jake, is that you? What are you doing here?"
"Was just in the area," I say.
Dad laughs, walking up to me for a hug. "How are you, son?"
I hug him back. "I'm good, Dad. How are you?"
"Your mother will be thrilled to see you here," Dad says.
"I know, it's been a while," I say. "I know I've been so busy with the museum project."
"Ah yes, Ulysses. I've heard about it."
"Let me guess, someone from the board," I say.
"I needed a few trusted people to keep an eye on you," Dad says jokingly, but there's truth to some of his words. The only reason he allowed me to create the firm was that in return the board would oversee the operations. I thought it was a fair deal, and it has proved to be for the better for our growth.
"I actually like their advice."
Dad snorts. "Those old farts?"
"Yes, Dad," I say. "Thank you for always looking out for me."
Dad frowns. "I'm not really sure what's happening here, but I like it."
I hug him again. "Nothing, I'm just glad to be home."
"Is there something else?" he says.
I hesitate, looking away.
"Come on, son. You know you can talk to me about anything,” he says looking around. “But the garage might not be the best place. Come on.”
He cleans his hands on a rag, leads me out to the porch, and sits me down. “Do you want something?”
“No, Dad, I just want to talk to you.”
He nods and sits down next to me.
My father was one of my best friends growing up, and that never changed.
“So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?”
I take a deep breath, watching the cars go past my house. I didn’t realize how much I missed Eros until I stepped back into the town. It’s been more than a year since I’ve been back home. Mostly, it’s my parents visiting me in Boston.
I hated it when my parents first moved me to town here, but it gave me one of the most precious things of my life. Eros gave me Kiera. "It's complicated."
"I can do complicated," he says. "Want me to get you a beer?"
I shake my head. "No, I'm good. Dad, something happened. I think I messed up big time."
"Is it about you or the firm?" he says.
"Me," I say. "I had this girl, and I lost her. And it wasn’t even my fault. Or hers,” I say, staring out into the distance.
When Kiera and I were in high school, we couldn’t wait to get out of this town. We had all these dreams where we would pick out a big city and stay next door to each other. In my heart, I always wanted to be with her. Even when I didn’t understand what that meant.
"Well, did you talk to her about it?"
"I tried, but she wants nothing to do with me."
"What do you think you did that hurt her?" Dad says. "The only reason a woman would walk away from you is if you really hurt her."
"That's the thing, I didn’t do anything."
"That means that it's just a misunderstanding."
"I lost her once," I say, my voice choking. "I can't lose her again."
"Who is it?"
"Kiera," I say.
"Kiera Crofton?" he says. "I knew it."
"You knew it? What do you mean?"
"I thought there was something between you the first time you brought her home."
"There was nothing between us back then."
"She was the first person you ever wanted us to meet."
"Because she was my best friend?"
Dad raises a brow.
I sigh. "Fine. I guess I was always in love with her. I just didn't figure it out earlier."
“And does she know that?”
“I told her that I loved her, but I don’t think she believes me. She thinks I broke her trust once, and I thought we had worked past all of that," I say. "But apparently not."
Dad says, "Women have the knack for sensing this kind of thing.”
“I suppose.”
“I think there’s something else, isn’t it?” he says, nudging me.
“Dad, Kiera is pregnant.”
He inhales sharply. “Oh, my God, son. You’re going to be a father.”
It wasn’t until he actually said it out loud that it begins to dawn on me. I’m going to be a father. It should feel terrifying, but it doesn’t. On the contrary, it feels like the most natural thing in the world, like it was always meant to be.
Kiera and I haven’t been together for long, but we’ve known each other for eternity. She’s my stronghold in the storm.
“Yes, Dad. But she’s upset with me.”
“I think you’re not trying hard enough.”
“Dad, it’s complicated.”
“She’s going to be the mother of your child. Nothing is ever complicated when it comes to love.”
I nod. I can’t see my future without her in it.
“And you think she's going to come back?"
"It's not going to be easy," Dad says. "But being honest with her is a good start. You two have a long history. I'm sure she'll hear you out if you try hard enough."
Dad is right. I have to keep trying. Kiera is the best thing to happen to me. I can’t let her go.