Chapter 19 It Takes Two
IT TAKES TWO
Eli
Earlier that day
Rebecca still hasn’t seen my home—the place she’ll be moving into in under six months. There’s been no reason to have her over since we’ve been hooking up at various hotels, and any meetings we’ve had regarding the trust paperwork were at the attorney’s office.
Now she’s on her way for today’s brunch with Sebastian and Lily, and I’m wondering if I should offer to show her around or just say fuck it and meet her in the lobby. I’m not sure if I’m ready to share my private space with her yet, which is a joke considering I’ll be married to the woman soon.
It’s been two weeks since our engagement party, and we haven’t seen each other since.
After breaking a hard-and-fast rule of mine and waking up in the same bed the following day, I needed a breather.
It was surprising, and not in a good way.
I’d gotten so piss drunk the night before that I must have passed out right after we fucked.
When my eyes peeled open and I saw her lying next to me, my stomach recoiled at the image, immediately feeling like I’d cheated on Cici.
Which is absolutely fucking crazy to still be thinking.
In my mind, meeting with Rebecca only long enough to screw has kept it from resembling something more, something that would replace what Cici and I had, which I refuse to do.
I can’t anyway, because after all this time, she still owns every piece of real estate in my heart.
We planned today so Lily and Rebecca could get to know each other better, but after seeing their interaction at the engagement party, I imagine it will be a waste of time.
Lily seems to want nothing to do with her and appears to blame Rebecca for me and Cici not being together.
But Cici made her decision clear before anything happened.
Maybe not long before; however, no amount of time would have changed the outcome.
Today should be interesting. And since we have plenty of drama in store, when the text comes in that she’s arrived, I decide to delay the inevitable and save showing her around for another time.
When I greet her in the lobby, she’s too eager, which worries me that she’s already reading too much into this, thinking it means more than simply playing the part. So I take the opportunity to remind her on the way up.
“You realize Lily doesn’t know about our situation, right? That’s why we’re doing brunch. To keep the ruse of being a real couple?” I ask, raising a brow.
“Yeah, but why are you not telling her? I mean, she is family.”
Hmmm. I can’t exactly say it’s because I don’t want her to tell Cici. “Because we don’t want to burden her with keeping a secret. It’s hard enough for those of us involved.”
“Technically, it involves her, too, if you ask me. Wouldn’t it be a lot easier to have her in on it?”
She’s not wrong. “It would, and we may tell her eventually. For now, just play your part. And it would help if you two got along.”
“That’s not only up to me. Not sure what her problem is, but it seems like it has something to do with Cici, don’t you think?” she asks, digging for information.
I shrug. “We dated and she’s her best friend. She probably would’ve liked to see it work out between us.”
“Is that what you wanted?”
The elevator doors open, saving me from the truth or the lie I would have told.
“It doesn’t matter. Come on, let’s see if you can make a friend.”
Sebastian must have spoken with Lily about being cordial because the morning went smoother than anticipated.
Whatever the case, I’m relieved when we start winding down and wrapping up the meal.
It means I’m closer to getting out of here and moving on with my day.
I’ve been itching to get my newest car in on the action, and I have a race this afternoon.
I’ve gone a few laps to test how she handles, but I’m anxious to get her out there and see the results.
I still have a few hours to be at the track, but I’m more than ready to leave.
“Well, this has been fun, but I need to head out soon,” I say, looking down at my watch as if I’m pressed for time.
Lily chooses this moment to let her claws come out as she turns to Sebastian.
“Oh shoot, I almost forgot to tell you. Cici’s coming in this week for a visit.
” Then she directs her attention to Rebecca and me as my head snaps up.
“Maybe we should all plan dinner one night while she’s here.
She’s staying with us, so it would be easy to figure something out.
” The sly smile and mischief in her eyes contradict her blasé tone.
My heart immediately starts thumping at the prospect of seeing Cici, and when I turn to Rebecca to gauge her reaction, I immediately regret it, as she looks at me with scorn. What the hell is her problem?
I’m about to say something, but Sebastian prevents a confrontation by stepping in to save the day.
He leans in to kiss Lily on the forehead.
“I’m glad to hear that. It makes me feel better about the week ahead.
Eli and I have a new merger we’re working on.
We have a few dinners scheduled and late nights at the office, so unfortunately, we won’t be available.
But that’ll give you plenty of time to catch up.
” He winks at her. “And now I won’t make you go with me to all those boring business dinners.
” He leans in and nuzzles her ear. “Unfortunately for me, they’ll be even more dreadful without you to keep me company. You’ll have to make it up to me.”
I clear my throat and stand up. “Well, on that note, we should let you enjoy the rest of your weekend.”
Rebecca follows my lead and stands, trailing me to the door.
She stops and turns before we make it. “Thanks for having us over. I’m glad we had a chance to visit.
We’ll have to do it more often. Tell Cici I said hi and that I can’t wait to see her at the wedding since she is practically family. ” She smiles wryly.
Well shit.
I can practically see the claws come out as Lily answers, “I’ll do that. Hey, Eli, if Sebastian works you too hard this week, you can always stop by for a cocktail on your way in. Cici and I will be up gabbing every night anyway.” She beams at me.
The war is on between these two if it wasn’t already.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Lily,” I call out as I practically shove Rebecca out the door.
The minute we’re in the hallway all hell breaks loose. Damn Lily for throwing the first swing.
“What the hell was that about? Is there something I should know? You told me we couldn’t be with anyone else, but is that what Cici is? Your whore on the side?”
“Don’t fucking call her that again. Is that clear?” At her silence, I continue, “Because if anyone deserves that title, it would be the one who’s getting paid to fuck me.”
The slap across my face jolts me from my rage. “Fuck.” I give my head a shake. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.” Her voice comes out choked as tears start to fall. Fucking hell. I can’t have this discussion in the hallway and risk Lily coming out to see what’s happening.
Making a split-second decision, I lightly grab her arm and lead her toward my door at the end of the corridor. “Come on.”
As soon as I shut the door, she starts sobbing. I run my hand through my hair in frustration—so much for not bringing her inside.
I instinctively rub her back in comfort as I usher her to the couch in the living room. Sitting across from her, I take a deep breath to prepare my next words. It’s a challenge to approach this empathetically when I’m so pissed, but I’m also at a point where I can’t risk the fallout.
Finally, I bite the bullet and proceed. “That was wrong of me to say, especially when you’re doing me a favor. Forgive me for speaking out of turn.”
She sighs, looking straight at me. “Is something going on between you and Cici? I deserve the truth.”
“You do, and nothing is happening between us,” I answer truthfully.
“But you wish there were,” she states rather than asks as if she already knows. “Are you still in love with her?”
What the hell? Where is this all coming from?
“Does it matter?”
“It does. Especially now,” she says cryptically, and I don’t like the sound of it.
I lean back. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Her eyes begin to glass over, and the words out of her mouth knock the wind right out of me.
“I think I’m pregnant.” Her hands fidget in her lap as she drops her head in shame.
“Goddammit, Rebecca!” She flinches. “Who’s the father, since it can’t be me?” It comes out aggressive because I’m off-the-charts livid. How could she fuck this up already?
“Seriously? Who else could it be?” she asks in a tone that implies I’m an idiot.
“You tell me, since there’s no way it’s mine,” I throw back at her.
Her arms cross over her chest in defiance. “Really? In case you forgot, it only takes once.”
“When was that, then? Because I’ve never not wrapped it.”
Rebecca cocks her head smugly and smirks, bringing my anger to new heights. “You must’ve forgotten the last time we did it, then.”
My retort comes to a screeching halt as I immediately replay the events on the night of our engagement party from the moment we arrived at the room until the next morning. I tried remembering exactly what took place, and despite my best effort, most of it’s blank.
“What did you do?” I ask accusingly.
“What did I do?” she shrieks. “In case you’ve forgotten how it works—since it’s been so long—it takes two.”
“Yeah? Well, I apparently wasn’t coherent, so what happened exactly?”
She snorts at the question. “You want a play-by-play?”
Her bullshit is not needed right now. “I want to know how my cum ended up in your fucking pussy?”
“We were in the heat of the moment, and it just happened.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal, adding fuel to the fire.
Unable to remain seated in such close proximity, I stand. My hand runs through my hair, pulling on it as I pace the living room. “That doesn’t just fucking happen. Did I reach for a condom or mention it first?”
“After sucking you off, one thing led to another, and I ended up riding you. We didn’t take a break in between. You weren’t the only one drinking. I may not have been as hammered as you were, but I wasn’t in my right mind either. That night was hard on both of us,” she rebukes.
“Right. So you basically took advantage of the fact that I was drunk off my ass and knocked yourself up. Wait a minute—” I stop in my tracks and face her. “—I thought you were on birth control.”
“I am…. Well, I was. I mean, I am. I’m just terrible at taking it, and I didn’t think about telling you before I got back on track because we always use condoms.”
“Except that one time, and you didn’t think to warn me. What makes you think you’re pregnant? It’s only been two weeks. Are you just assuming?” I’m completely perplexed.
“I took a home test—they can detect it within a few days.”
“You’re not supposed to drink when you’re pregnant, but you had mimosas today.” My skepticism is palpable, but why would she lie about it? Something isn’t adding up.
“I didn’t want to raise suspicion, and I figured a couple early on wouldn’t hurt.” She shrugs again, and I’m in no way convinced.
“There’s no way I’m taking the word of a drugstore test. I’ll schedule you with our family doctor tomorrow, and if you are pregnant, I’ll want a paternity test.”
“Seriously? You’re the only person I’ve been with.”
“Then it shouldn’t be a problem, right?” I ask matter-of-factly.
“It’s not. I just wasn’t expecting to be accused of lying.” Rebecca turns her head away, pouting.
“You could’ve been screwing ten other guys for all I know, and before two weeks ago, that was your prerogative. I’d like to believe you, but even you can admit that we haven’t established any sort of trust between us yet, so I’ll be verifying if the child is mine or not.”
“Fine, but I have a doctor. I’ll make an appointment.”
“No, it’s not up for discussion. This is sensitive information I can’t afford to end up in the tabloids. You’ll go to my doctor.”
“I’m not comfortable seeing someone I’m not familiar with. I don’t want some random stranger in my space.” She waves her hand around her lower half. “And besides, all doctors are bound to privacy. It’ll be fine.”
“Did you miss the part where it wasn’t a request? I’ll drag you there myself if I have to.” My patience is waning.
“And if I am pregnant, what then?”
I’m not even sure what she means by that, but I’ve reached my limit for today.
“One thing at a time. We’ll have that discussion after it’s confirmed. I have somewhere to be, so I’ll walk you out.”
I wait one minute after the door shuts, when I know she’s cleared the elevator, until I lose it.
“FUUUUUCK! Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” My hand slams down on the countertop before I lean over, resting my head in my hands and praying to God she’s not pregnant, that whatever test she took was wrong.
And fuck if that makes me a terrible person for wishing a child who could be mine not to exist, but goddammit, I don’t want a child with Rebecca.
I wouldn’t even marry the woman if I had another choice.
What the fuck am I doing? Is this even worth it anymore?
My mind is reeling, going in circles with different possibilities.
What if she’s not and I have to worry about this exact situation for the next two years?
What if she sleeps around and ends up pregnant?
There are provisions in the will that cover different scenarios, but fuck if I have to worry about this shit the whole time.
I’ll certainly be getting her an implant for birth control starting tomorrow if it turns out the test was false.
Then I’ll be backing that up with a supply of condoms that I’ll keep behind lock and key.
Although I’m royally fucked if I’m too late for all of that.
Could my life get any more out of control than it already has?
What the hell am I being punished for? Goddammit.
Slamming my fist on the counter again, I flee to the garage in a rage, knowing there’s no better way to work it out than by replacing it with the adrenaline of the race.
Shooting a quick text to Sebastian to explain Rebecca’s scheme and that we’ll resolve it tomorrow, I power down my phone.
This shit will be waiting for me in the morning, and I’ll handle it then.