Youre The Father
The morning light filtered through the tall windows of the Prescott foyer as Alexander prepared to leave for his business meeting in Ohio.
His sleek black suitcase stood ready by the door. The entire family had gathered to see him off... Grandpa Prescott standing tall and dignified, Rebecca with her usual composed elegance, Ivy holding a sleepy Kitty in her arms, and Harper lingering nearby with a bored expression.
Jesse stood a little apart, hands in his pockets, his intense dark brown eyes shadowed.
Emery stood quietly beside Ivy. She looked small and pale in the grand space.
Alexander moved through the family, giving each person a brief, composed farewell. He shook Grandpa’s hand, kissed Rebecca’s cheek, ruffled Ivy’s hair gently, and even gave little Kitty a soft pat on the head. Harper received a quick nod.
Then he turned to Emery.
He met her eyes and gave a small, polite nod. His voice was soft, almost gentle in its restraint.
“Take care of yourself, Emery. If you need anything while I’m gone, tell Ivy or Jesse, okay?”
Emery nodded, her eyes steady but distant. “Okay.”
Alexander gave one final nod. “Goodbye.”
Emery offered a small, polite smile. “Take care, Alexander.”
It was not a romantic exchange... just two people bound by duty and circumstance.
But to Jesse, standing near the foyer, it felt like a knife twisting slowly in his chest.
He looked away sharply, jaw clenched, fighting the wave of jealousy that burned through him. Seeing her stand there as Alexander’s wife, hearing her say his brother’s name with quiet familiarity, it was unbearable.
Alexander said his final goodbyes to the rest of the family and stepped outside. Jesse followed him to the waiting car.
Once they were alone on the driveway, Alexander turned to his younger brother. His calm, observant eyes held a rare note of seriousness.
“Jesse, please look after her,” he said quietly. “You never know what Mom and Harper might have planned while I’m away. She’s… delicate right now. With the pregnancy and everything else.”
Jesse nodded, his voice steady despite the storm inside him. “Don’t worry, Alexander. I’ll take care of her.”
Alexander pulled him into a brief, brotherly hug and clapped him once on the back. “Thank you.”
He slipped into the back seat of the car. The driver closed the door, and the vehicle pulled smoothly away down the long driveway.
Jesse stood there long after the car disappeared from view, staring at the empty road. The weight of his promise pressed heavily on his shoulders.
He was now responsible for protecting the woman he loved… all while pretending none of it mattered.
He exhaled slowly, turned, and walked back into the house where Emery was waiting, unaware of how much closer they had just become in Alexander’s absence.
×××××××
The evening after Alexander left for Ohio, the Prescott house felt heavier somehow. With the head of the household gone, the usual restraints loosened just enough for old habits to resurface.
Emery was in the kitchen, quietly preparing a light dinner since she had been given permission to cook but not clean.
She moved with careful efficiency, chopping vegetables and stirring a pot of soup, one hand occasionally drifting to rest on her stomach.
Harper strolled in wearing designer loungewear, her hair perfectly styled even at home. She leaned against the marble island, watching Emery with a predatory little smile.
“Well, well,” Harper drawled, voice dripping with false sweetness. “Look at you playing housewife. How domestic. Does it make you feel important, knowing you’re cooking for the family that never wanted you here?”
Emery kept her eyes on the cutting board, knife moving steadily. She didn’t answer.
Harper wasn’t deterred. She stepped closer, circling the island like a shark.
“You know, I was thinking… now that Alexander is away, maybe you can finally drop the innocent act. We all know why you’re really here.
You saw your chance and grabbed it... got yourself knocked up on the first try. Clever girl.”
Emery’s knife paused for half a second. She took a slow breath and continued chopping.
Harper’s smile sharpened. “What’s the matter?
Cat got your tongue? Or are you saving your energy for when Jesse comes home?
I saw how he looked at you at the gala. Pathetic, really.
My brother pining after his own sister-in-law while you’re busy pretending the baby is Alexander’s.
I know it isn't. I know it's some random fucker's bastard.”
That struck a nerve.
Emery set the knife down carefully and turned to face Harper, her stormy eyes steady despite the flush rising in her cheeks.
“Harper,” she said quietly but firmly, “I am carrying this baby. Whether you like it or not, that makes me part of this family. I didn’t ask for any of this.
.. not the marriage, not the pregnancy, not your cruelty.
But I’m here. And I’m not going to let you speak to me like I’m dirt under your shoe every single day. ”
Harper’s eyes widened slightly, surprised by the backbone.
Then she laughed, sharp and ugly. “Oh, listen to you. Finally growing a spine now that Alexander’s not here to play protector.
You think because you’re pregnant you suddenly matter?
You’re still the same charity case who wore her cousin’s old clothes.
The replacement. The nobody who trapped my brother. ”
Emery’s hands trembled slightly at her sides, but she didn’t back down. “I didn’t trap anyone. If you want to blame someone, blame Camilla. But stop pretending I’m the villain here when all I’ve done is try to survive in a house that’s never wanted me.”
Harper stepped closer, voice dropping to a venomous whisper. “Survive? You’re thriving, aren’t you? Cooking, playing mother, getting special treatment from Mom now that there’s a baby involved. Enjoy it while it lasts. Because the moment that child is born and we find out whose it really is—”
“Harper.” Ivy’s voice cut through the kitchen like a whip.
She stood in the doorway, eyes blazing with fury. Harper turned, caught off guard, but quickly recovered with a smirk.
“Oh, look. Your knight arrives.”
Ivy stepped inside, her gaze flicking to Emery for a brief second before locking onto his sister. “Leave her alone. Now.”
Harper rolled her eyes and pushed past her. “Whatever. Enjoy your little family drama.”
As soon as Harper was gone, the kitchen fell silent.
Ivy turned to Emery, voice softening instantly. “Are you alright?”
Emery nodded once, turning back to the cutting board. Her hands were still shaking. “I’m fine.”
But she wasn’t.
And they both knew it.
×××××××
It was well past midnight when Ivy suddenly appeared at the door of the bedroom and dragged Emery out by the hand.
“Ivy, what are you doing?” Emery hissed, still in her nightdress, hair loose and tousled. “I was about to sleep.”
Ivy didn’t answer. She simply pulled her downstairs, stopping right in front of Jesse’s bedroom door.
Emery’s eyes widened. “What are we doing here?”
“He wants to talk to you,” Ivy whispered, a mischievous but determined glint in her eyes.
Emery’s heart slammed against her ribs. “What? What does he want to talk about with me?”
Ivy smiled softly. “Hey, it’s alright. I know about you both.”
Emery’s face drained of color. “What?”
“Yeah,” Ivy nodded. “Now go inside.”
“Ivy, I can’t. This is inappropriate! If someone saw...”
“No one would!” Ivy pushed the door open, gently but firmly ushered Emery inside, and closed the door behind her with a soft click.
“Ivy?” Emery banged on the door, voice rising in panic. “Ivy, please. This is wrong. Please open the door!”
No response.
Emery turned around slowly, breathing hard.
Jesse was standing in the middle of the room, still wearing his white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. He looked at her with those intense eyes, raw and unguarded.
“Emery…”
“Are you out of your mind?” she glared at him, voice shaking with fury. “Why the hell did you tell your sister about us? Why am I here in your room at midnight, Jesse?”
Jesse moved quickly, palming her mouth with his hand to silence her. “Please, someone would hear you.”
Emery shoved his hand away violently and pushed hard against his chest with both palms. “Don’t you dare touch me.”
She stepped back, chest heaving. “Let everyone know my brother-in-law called me into his room in the middle of the night!”
Jesse looked at her, pain and desperation written all over his face. “I didn’t tell Ivy to bring you here. She did it on her own. She said we need to talk.”
“Talk about what?” Emery snapped. “Huh? Talk about your cowardice? I’m tired of that! I don’t want to talk about the past or the cowardice that brought us here today!”
“Emery, will you please calm down?” Jesse spoke, voice low and urgent. “You’re pregnant.”
“Pregnant.” Her chest heaved with rage and fear. “That’s your fault too! Everything is your fault, Jesse Prescott!”
Jesse stared at her, stunned by the venom in her voice. Then something in her words made him freeze.
Emery looked away, panting, tears of frustration burning in her eyes.
“Emery, what did you just say?” he asked slowly, voice barely above a whisper.
She turned back to him, eyes blazing. “I’m pregnant with your baby! I’m sure of it! You knocked me up. Not Alexander! You’re always the problem!”
The words hung in the air like a gunshot.
Jesse went completely still. His face drained of all color. His eyes widened in shock, pupils blown wide as the realization slammed into him.
He took one shaky step back, then another, until his back hit the wall.
“My… baby?” he whispered, voice cracking.
Emery’s tears finally spilled over. “Yes. Yours. The doctor said four to five weeks. The timing… it matches you. Not him.”
Jesse’s legs nearly gave out. He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, staring at her with pure, dumbfounded horror and awe.
His child.
Emery was carrying his child.
While married to his brother.
While living under the same roof.
While he had been forced to watch her from afar, pretending nothing had ever happened between them.
His hands trembled as he pressed one to his chest, breath coming in short, ragged bursts. Tears filled his eyes, spilling over without shame.
“Emery…” His voice was broken, barely audible. “My baby… you’re carrying my baby…”
He looked up at her, completely shattered, the weight of every mistake, every lost moment, every second of silence crashing down on him at once.
“I… I didn’t know. I thought… I thought it was his.”
He buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking with silent, devastating sobs.
The words “I’m pregnant with your baby” echoed in the room like a death sentence and a miracle at the same time.
Emery stood there, chest heaving, tears streaming down her cheeks. The anger that had fueled her outburst began to drain away, leaving only exhaustion and raw pain in its wake.
She wiped her face roughly with the back of her hand and took a shaky step back.
“I can’t do this,” she whispered, voice hoarse. “I can’t stand here and watch you fall apart when you’re the reason everything is ruined.”
Jesse lifted his head, eyes red and glistening.
“Emery… please,” he rasped. “Don’t go. We need to talk about the baby. About us. About what this means—”
“There is no ‘us’ anymore,” she cut him off sharply, though her voice cracked. “You killed it the day you chose silence over me. Now I’m married to your brother, carrying your child, and I have to lie every single day just to survive in this house. Do you have any idea what that feels like?”
She took another step toward the door, her nightdress whispering against the floor.
Jesse pushed himself up from the wall, legs unsteady. “Emery, wait. Please. I’m begging you. Don’t walk out. I’ll do anything. I’ll tell Alexander the truth. I’ll tell the whole family. Just… don’t leave like this.”
She stopped with her hand on the doorknob, back still turned to him.
“You had three years to tell the truth,” she said quietly. “You don’t get to decide when it comes out now. Not when it would destroy everything and hurt the people who had nothing to do with our mistakes.”
She turned the knob.
“Emery—”
“No.” Her voice was cold, final, and exhausted. “Stay away from me, Jesse. I can’t… I can’t look at you right now without hating both of us.”
She opened the door and stepped into the hallway without looking back.
“Emery!” Jesse’s broken voice followed her, raw and desperate. “Please… don’t go.”
The door clicked shut behind her.
Jesse remained standing in the middle of his room, staring at the closed door, the weight of the truth crushing him from every direction.
He was going to be a father.
And he couldn’t even claim the woman carrying his child.
×××××××