Chapter 7
seven
Setting down the bowl of salad, I take a step back and stare at the table.
Tonight is the night.
My parents should be here any moment for parents’ weekend.
I ordered all of their favorite dishes from places we hit up when they are in town to try and soften the blow.
Tonight I have to break it to them that I’m pregnant.
I have to tell them that all of our hopes and dreams have gone up in smoke. At least for the upcoming Olympics.
I wish Ashley had gone out or done something, but she said she was going to bed early because practice has been grueling. I can only hope that she is sound asleep with her headphones on like she said she would be.
Brett comes up behind me and rubs my arms.
“You need to calm down. I won’t let anything bad happen,” he murmurs.
Shutting my eyes, I lean into his touch. While his words are comforting, he doesn’t know my parents.
I can’t help but jump when someone knocks on the door.
“Do you want me to answer it?” Brett asks.
“No, I got it,” I say as I force myself toward the door.
Taking a deep breath, I grab the handle and open it.
I force myself to smile. “Hey, guys! Come on in.”
My dad leans down and kisses my cheek. “Hi, sweetheart.”
“Hi, Daddy.”
My mom steps forward and gives me a soft hug. It takes everything in me to not lean into her.
“Emery, you look as beautiful as always, maybe a little pale, but beautiful,” she murmurs.
I want to tell her that the reason I’m so pale is because her grandchild hardly lets me go a meal without projectile vomiting, but I don’t.
“Who’s this?” Daddy asks with an edge in his voice.
“I’m Brett, sir. You’re your daughter’s boyfriend.”
I turn in time to see Brett hold his hand out to my father. I hold my breath, waiting to see what Daddy will do, and only release it when he shakes Brett’s hand.
I want to smack Brett. We never agreed he was my boyfriend. I guess it sounds better to tell them we are pregnant and together rather than the truth. This happened when we weren’t even a thing.
“Boyfriend, you never told us you were seeing someone,” Mom says.
“That’s because she’s not supposed to date,” Daddy mutters.
I close my eyes. Great. This is going fantastically already.
“Excuse my daughter’s manners. I’m Ellen, and this is my husband, John,” Mom says.
“Nice to meet you both,” Brett says before his eyes find mine. “Are you ready?”
Ready? Ready for what?
I shake my head when I realize he was asking me if I’m ready to sit down.
“Yes, let’s. I ordered everything, and it just got here a few minutes before you did,” I tell my parents.
The four of us move to the small table I have on the edge of the kitchen and sit down. Brett sits on my left, my father on my right, and my mom in front of me.
“You two went through a lot of trouble setting this up,” Mom says.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Brett smile. He thinks this is going well, but I know better. I can tell when my mom has an edge to her voice. She’s picking up that something’s going on, only she doesn’t know what.
She will soon, though.
“So how long have you two been seeing each other?” Daddy asks as he picks up his fork.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
Do I tell them it’s new? Or do I admit that Brett’s been my fuck buddy for years?
“Your daughter and I have been seeing each other since freshman year but have recently started seeing each other seriously,” Brett tells him, catching me off guard.
Daddy’s eyes narrow. “And who’s choice was that?”
“Mine,” I blurt out, making everyone look at me. “It’s no secret that I didn’t intend to date anyone.”
“Until now,” Brett tacks on.
I hum, neither confirming nor denying. This shit is complicated enough as it is.
Hell, I don’t even know where things stand between Brett and me besides the fact that we plan on co-parenting together and that he wants to be an active participant in our child’s life.
“Emery, what’s going on? I can’t help but feel like we are missing something,” my mom asks.
Under the table, Brett squeezes my thigh.
This is it.
“I’m pregnant,” I choke out.
Mom sucks in a breath as her hand flies over her heart while Daddy sets his fork down gently.
“Come again?” he asks slowly.
“I said you two are going to be grandparents.”
This time my voice doesn’t shake.
Mom and Daddy share a look but don’t say anything.
“Say something, please,” I beg after a minute.
When they turn toward me, the disappointment is clear on their faces.
“What about the Olympics?” Mom asks.
“Obviously that isn’t happening now, Ellen,” Daddy says.
“It’s going to happen. Just not this go-around,” Brett cuts in, his fingers digging into my thigh.
Daddy scoffs. “Not without our financial backing it won’t. We’ve invested millions of dollars to make sure you would make it this round only for you to drop the ball at the last minute.”
“Daddy…” The tears start to roll down my face when he shakes his head.
“No, I love you, Emery. You know that, and I supported your dream, but no more. I’ll gladly make sure you and your baby are taken care of until you graduate and get on your feet, but that’s it.
No more trainers, no more nutritionists, nothing.
You made your bed, and it’s time for you to sleep in it. ”
I knew this would be his reaction, but his words kill me.
“Enough,” Brett hisses. “Did we intend to have a baby right now? Of course not. It’s no secret that she was headed for the Olympics, but this is happening. We will have our baby, and once she’s cleared, she will start training again.”
“And who will pay for it?” Daddy asks as he crosses his arms over his chest.
A wicked smirk crosses Brett’s face. “Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Brett Woods. Yes, the son of Elijah Woods and sole heir to Woods Law and Financials. As of today, Emery doesn’t need your financial backing because she has mine.
I will take care of her, our child, and her training when the time comes.
She will earn her way to the Olympics on her talent, and I will gladly foot the bill.
The only thing Emery needs from you is your support.
If you won’t, walk out that door right now and don’t look back.
My parents don’t care about me, and I won’t let you guys make Emery feel the way I do, nor will I let anyone be part of my child’s life who is only doing so out of obligation.
It’s my job to protect both of them. Again, if you aren’t on board, there’s the door. ” He points to the door.
My heart races as I stare at him. In the three years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him this passionate about something.
Me. He’s passionate about me and our baby.
“Now, now, how about we all calm down? This has come as a shock to us all,” Mom says, trying to be the peacekeeper.
Daddy sighs as he turns to look at me, disappointment still on his face, making my heart ache.
“Sweetheart…” he says, but I shake my head, making him stop.
“I think it’s best if you guys leave for now,” I tell them quietly.
“Sweetheart, we need to discuss this,” Daddy says.
I shake my head again, but it’s Brett who speaks.
“She’s asked you to leave.”
Mom reaches out and touches Daddy’s arm gently. “Let’s go back to the hotel. We can discuss this with Emery later when we’ve all cooled down.”
Daddy’s jaw clenches, but he nods as he gets up.
When the door shuts behind her parents, she sobs.
“I don’t know what I was expecting. I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty, but that was worse than I thought it would be,” she tells me through tears.
Standing, I pull her out of her chair and hug her. Before I can apologize, her hand finds the back of my head and pulls it down to hers.
Over the years we’ve kissed each other softly, frantically, passionately, and a bunch of other adjectives I can’t think of, but never like this.
Only when she gasps do I pull away and rest my forehead on hers, and I can’t help but smile when she leans in, trying to kiss me again.
“Now, now, Miss Monroe. No funky business. Not after that, or I might feel like you are taking advantage of me,” I tease, feeling a little raw.
A look I can’t quite name crosses her face. “D-do you not want me anymore? Now that I’m pregnant?”
No, fuck that.
Not want her? Is she fucking crazy? Of course I want her. I’ve always wanted her. It’s she who hasn’t wanted me.
Does she really not realize that?
My hand moves from her waist to the side of her face. I tip her head back, forcing her to meet my eyes.
“Emery, I always want you. Always.”
Disbelief with a hint of insecurity still covers her face, so I grab her hand and move it to the front of my jeans. Instinctively, she squeezes my cock, making it jump in her hand.
I raise a brow. “Does it feel like I don’t want you? Is that proof enough?”
She squeezes again, and I reluctantly pull away from her. This isn’t the time or place.
No, before Emery and I fall into bed again, she needs to know where I stand.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, hoping for a different result. For two years, I’ve waited for her to wake up and realize that I’m right in front of her.
Only, I don’t think it will happen. Not unless I force her hand.
“I want you, Emery. I’ve always wanted you.
That’s why I told your parents I was your boyfriend.
Hell, I’ve considered you my girlfriend for the last two years even though you didn’t know it.
It’s only been you, and if I have my way, it will continue to only be you.
” She opens her mouth, but I continue on before she can say anything.
“I want more than your body, though. I want your heart, mind, and soul. I want every fucking part of you. I want us to be together, really be together. I want to build a family with you that I’ve only ever dreamed about.
I want to build a life with you. I want to raise our baby together, maybe a few more when we are ready, and after you’ve accomplished everything you want in life, grow old together. ”
Tears roll down her face. “Brett…”
“You don’t want me, though, and I get it.
Honestly, I fucking suck, so I get it. I won’t force this relationship on you, though.
I won’t take advantage of this situation and make you feel like you have to be with me when you don’t want to, but I can’t keep sleeping with you knowing that it means more to me than it does to you.
Our child deserves better than that. So if you don’t want me, then I will co-parent with you and be the best father to our kid, but I can’t be your part-time lover as well. ”
“I never said I didn’t want to be with you,” she says, cutting me off.
I give her a sad smile. “Baby, you’ve made it known from day one that you never wanted more than my cock when it came to me.”
She laughs and slaps my chest. “Brett, you were a cocky fucking eighteen-year-old man whore when we met. Of course I didn’t want more! Besides, dating wasn’t even on my radar. I was laser focused on my sport, and I wasn’t about to let some guy get in the way of that.”
Just like Clay was, but even he woke up and realized a good thing was in front of him when he met Grace.
“I was, but I changed. I changed because you made me want to be better. It was like one day I woke up and I realized what was in front of me. I realized what we could have together, but you weren’t interested.
You didn’t realize how you had me wrapped around your finger.
” Taking a step back, I run my hands through my hair as I laugh.
“Do you know why I ran into you that day you told your coaches why you were pregnant?”
“Because you were on your way to hockey?” she asks, a cute little line forming between her brows.
“Yes, but no. Every day, before practice, I stop over at your rink to get a look at you. I would stand there and watch you skate, completely fucking mesmerized while you had no idea. Even when we weren’t officially dating, I would go over there just to catch a glimpse of you.
Do you even realize that you smile when you finish a routine and you’re happy with it?
I swear to Christ, when you do it’s like the lights in a dark room have turned on.
For years, I sought you out any chance I could get.
You were the one I wanted when I got hurt, then when I had surgery.
Shit, my nurses kept asking me when my girl Emery was coming to visit because I kept saying your name while under anesthesia. It’s you, Emery, it’s always been you.”
“Brett…”
Tears track down her face but I don’t stop.
“I love you. I am in love with you. I fell in love with you years ago, and I understand that you don’t love me back. That’s okay. Shit, I accepted it, okay? But our child will never know because we will love them with everything we have.”
She runs a hand through her hair. “This is…”
Speechless. I’ve made her speechless.
I know I just dumped a lot at her feet, but it hurts that she has nothing to say. I wasn’t exactly hoping she would deny that she doesn’t love me, but a man could wish.
“I’m going to go,” I say, feeling more than a little raw.
And before she can even come up with something to say, I leave.
For the first time since I’ve known Emery, I run.