Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
ELLIOT
“ T hank you for covering your spot, I really appreciate it. You’re always one of my best volunteers,” Blaire says after I give her the news that I can’t fulfill my commitment to her foundation. “Is everything okay?”
I don’t know if we’re ready to tell people that we’re expecting a baby or babies. I was reading online that sometimes the sonograms detect amniotic sacs that disappear as the baby grows. If it’s only one baby, I hope Fern agrees to have a few more with me.
That’d be after I convince her to be with me and that I love her.
It’s going to be a challenge. Someone, somehow, convinced her that she’s unlovable.
That’s the biggest lie I’ve heard and seen in my lifetime.
I can only show her how much she means to me and make sure to convince her that I love her and every day I’m falling for her more and more.
“Everything is great. My family needs me, and I might have a new project coming up that needs my undivided attention,” I say.
“Cryptic.”
I don’t want to tell anyone what’s happening right now, so I tell her, “You might be one of the first people to learn what’s happening, I promise.”
“If there’s anything I can do for you, let me know.”
“Thank you, Blaire.”
Before I focus my time on Fern, I want to make sure that North Bay Construction and Magic Kings are running without any problems. The same way I do when I leave for a long-term volunteer job, and I don’t plan to visit or take calls.
Sure, I’ll be in and out, and maybe working in the same building, but that’s up to Fern.
She’s my main focus. Well, and our babies.
I’m going to teach her that she’s worth loving and it’s totally fine if someone looks after her.
When I enter Blake’s office, he arches an eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m working on a few things before I take some time off. I need you to make sure that the tenth floor is clean and ready to be refurbished.”
He taps his laptop. “I got the email. What I don’t understand is why you’re still in San Francisco?”
I stare at him, confused by his question.
“Well, I have an idea,” he continues. “It’s evident that Fern is getting to you, which is interesting, even entertaining.”
“I—”
“You don’t have to confirm,” he interrupts me. “You’ll do it in your own time. I’d like to know why you’re feeling guilty about it?”
I wait to see if he’ll interrupt me again. Since he doesn’t, I ask, “Guilty?”
“Yes, you try to avoid the subject of Fern every time I bring her up. It’s okay to fall in love with someone else.” He clears his throat. “You’ve been divorced for almost twenty years.”
“I know that. I don’t avoid falling in love, like you all assume. I just haven’t found a person that really gets me.”
Well, except for Fern. She’s different. I won’t be telling him or anyone that though. My current problem is that I don’t know if she’ll believe what I feel or what to do to make her fall in love with me.
I remember Dahlia always wondered if her husband was with her because he loved her or because he knocked her up. They were never able to be happy, and that doubt stayed in her heart forever.
I take a deep breath, and as I let it out, I say, “Things are complicated between Fern and me.”
“How complicated?” he asks.
“Can we discuss this after Fern and I solve our problems?”
He crosses his arms and shakes his head. “Knowing you, you might not wanna talk for another twenty years. Tell me what’s bothering you, McPhee, before I start an intervention.”
Fuck, Blake can be so fucking annoying.I have to speak up. If I don’t, he’ll be calling the guys. Kyle will include my sisters and brother. I’m not in the mood to deal with them.
“She’s pregnant.”I tap my chest and repeat. “Fern is pregnant with my baby.”
He stares at me. “What?”
“We’re expecting a baby.”
“Oh, I got that. I’m just… bam.” He makes an explosion sound and touches his head. “You just blew my fucking mind.”
Then, he laughs as he takes a picture of me.
He fucking laughs at my expense.
“Fucker,” I mumble.
“Have you told Kyle or any of the guys?”
“We’re not telling anyone, and I trust you’ll zip your mouth until I’m ready.” My voice is threatening.
He grins and nods. “I knew Fern was special.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you do her. I’ve been watching you since you arrived… almost a year ago? I can’t remember, but you’re taken, dude. At the gala… I knew then.”
The words don’t register. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You’ve never been so in love with someone.”
He’s wrong, isn’t he? “You saw me with Hazel. I loved her. She was my entire life.”
“Nope. You never saw her the way you do Fern. I’m not saying you didn’t love her, but the world didn’t stop spinning when she was around you. It does with Ms. Spearman.”
I glare at him, upset but mostly confused.
“There are many kinds of love. Fern is the one that can change you and make you a better version of who you are. Your soulmate. The woman you’re meant to spend the rest of your life with. Look at you. You’re still here.”
“Because she’s pregnant,” I claim but the words sound weak. I still hold onto them though. If anything happens between Fern and me… well, it’ll develop slowly.
“We’re trying to figure out the future of our children.”
He snorts. “That’s a great excuse.”
“I was leaving,” I assure him.
“You could’ve left long ago. And before you tell me the Brentwood project was keeping you here, let me stop you.”
“I didn’t leave because it’s important,” I argue.
“Nah, you and I both know you could’ve put anyone in charge and left.”
He’s right. I can’t argue and even if I wanted to, he keeps going.
“You fired your CEO for not treating her right. You moved so many things around to make everything happen for her. Even now, you changed your schedule. If you didn’t care, you’d just set up a trust for your child and continue with your pathetic life. ”
Blake is right, but I don’t want to admit it to him.
There’s something about Fern that calls to me.
She’s the first woman I slept with through an entire night and wanted more.
But sex isn’t why I look for her. There’s so much more.
We have a connection I’ve never experienced and one I want to have for the rest of my life.
“Don’t fuck this up, McPhee. If losing Hazel almost broke you, losing Fern will fucking kill you.”
It’s up to me, but how will I make this happen?