Chapter 29
BLAKE
“Your mom is going to kill me.”
Danielle giggles from beside me, her rosy cheeks complimenting her Hollywood smile perfectly. “She won’t kill you.”
“I mean, she knows you’re pregnant, right?” I shoot a glance at her as we turn onto Danielle’s childhood road. “Like, stress isn’t good for you.”
Danielle sighs, lacing her fingers reassuringly with mine as I pull onto the drive.
I’m shitting myself.
Danielle’s mom has demanded we go to hers, and my mom had warned me to ‘prepare myself.’
What the fuck does that even mean, anyway?
Images of me cowering into a corner, hands hiding my head, fill my mind, and I swallow hard.
Place me in front of hundreds of businessmen or women and I’m fine.
But this?
Danielle reaches over, placing my hand on her swollen stomach as she kisses me.
“We’re a family, Blake.”
Find your strength. My father’s voice comes from nowhere, and I blink with surprise.
How does my dead father know I need to find my strength right now?
“Oh, here she is.” Danielle grins at me as she climbs out of the car, nodding at me to do the same.
I’d even made Danielle dress me.
I’m in dark blue chinos and a loose white tee-shirt, complete with white sneakers.
Danielle said I looked hot, so I went with that.
A woman stands in the doorway, her arms crossed as she watches me follow Danielle over to her. I turn around, locking my car for the fiftieth time, until I have no option but to face her.
She’s beautiful, but then I should’ve known that with Danielle as her daughter.
They share the same eyes, except her mother glares at me from hers. She forces a smile onto her face, wrapping her arms around Danielle.
“Hey, beautiful.”
She leans down to address the bump next, and I stand beside Danielle awkwardly.
“Hello, Prince or Princess! Grandma here!”
Then she lifts her gaze to mine, nodding slowly.
“I can see how he broke your heart, child. Looks like that could shatter hearts around the globe without effort, trust me. Hello, Blake.”
I extend my arm formally. “Hello, Mrs. Vee.”
She rolls her eyes.
“Cassandra. Or Cassie, whichever. And I’ll take a hug.”
To my surprise, she pulls me close, wrapping her arms around me as she whispers in my ear.
“If you hurt her again, I’ll cut off your dick.”
I choke as she releases me, and Danielle looks at me with concern.
“Are you alright?”
I can barely swallow as Cassie winks at Danielle.
“He needs a glass of water. Let’s head inside.”
Her glare will haunt my nightmares for years to come.
This is my child’s grandma? Fuck!
“Told you she hates me,” I whisper to Danielle as we settle on the couch.
“Huh? She doesn’t. She's just a protective mama bear.”
Danielle idly strokes her stomach, and I grin. “Like you’ll be?”
“Oh, you bet. If it’s a girl, I need to warn her about your sort.”
I snort, stroking her stomach. “If it’s a girl, she’s never seeing a boy.”
“Here you go, son.”
A glass of water is thrust into my hands, and I sniff it to check if it’s been poisoned. I wouldn’t be surprised.
“So. A fake marriage. Is this a real pregnancy?”
I place the water beside me as Danielle groans, sending me a cute smile.
“Oh, it’s real, Mom.”
“I see.”
There’s a flicker of disappointment in her eyes, and I feel the need to defend myself.
“I was a young boy when I lost Danielle.”
“Dumped, not lost. Dumped,” Cassie corrects me cheerfully, as Danielle sends her a pleading look.
“Well, it was a mistake. I never loved anyone after that.”
Cassie snorts. “Sure looked like you enjoyed your downtime all the same. Party-boy-BJ the papers called you.”
I wince. “I hate that name.”
Cassie studies me briefly, before nodding at Danielle.
“My girl doesn’t need anyone. She never has, not even when she was a little girl.
” Cassie pauses, looking over at Danielle fondly.
“If she struggled to learn a word, she wouldn’t let you give it to her.
Oh no; she’d sound it out until it was right, and that was just the beginning. ”
I smile, gazing at Danielle who is rolling her eyes.
“Determined and fiercely independent. I relaxed, thinking nothing and no one could hurt her.”
My smile fades, and I turn to see Danielle shaking her head warningly.
“It’s okay,” I whisper, nodding at Cassie. “I want to hear it.”
“Good, because you’re gonna,” Cassie insists. “The day she met you, she changed. She was smiling all of the time, and nothing could bring her down. She even washed the dishes with a goofy grin. I knew it was a boy, but I didn’t know it was you. The infamous Blake James.”
I hold her gaze, nodding. “Yeah. But that was a long time ago, Cassie.”
Her eyes widen, and she slaps her thigh. “I know that. But then you did exactly what I thought you were going to do. You broke her heart. Do you know, she wouldn’t even look at another man after you? And she did have some handsome ones interested in her, believe me.”
Danielle is silent, her eyes narrowed at her mother as she sends me an apologetic smile.
“She refused them all. I had my money on her marrying a girl; but look what happened.”
I take a deep breath, preparing myself for her attack.
“She married you to help you out. To help you get that company.”
Cassie crosses her arms, easing back into her chair.
“Five years later, she’ll still do anything for you.”
“Mom, stop.” Danielle glares at her, gripping my fingers in hers. “It’s not about that anymore.”
Cassie sneers at Danielle.
“No? Now he’s knocked you up, you’ll be in his life forever. What happened to Mrs. CEO? You could’ve had it all, baby, you could’ve held the world by the balls.”
Danielle looks like she’s fighting back tears, and I rub her back as I study her mother.
I can handle her throwing shit at me, but not upsetting my wife.
“I think we better go,” I snap, helping Danielle to her feet.
Cassie's eyes are wild, and she clicks her tongue with glee. “Coward. Can’t even handle the truth.”
“Shut up! You don’t know anything!” Danielle screams, her eyes wide with anger. She trembles, pointing a finger at her mother. “Just because your happily ever after failed, don’t assume mine will too. I don’t want to speak to you ever again if you won’t accept my husband and my family.”
Hot tears of anger slide down Danielle’s cheeks, and I follow her out of the house, stopping when I reach the doorway.
I turn to the spiteful woman before me and lean in close. “I can see why he never came back to you, whoever he was. Goodbye, Ms. Vee.”
Cassie’s face turns puce with anger, but I head to the car, no longer giving a fuck what she thinks of me. “Yeah? Well, I hope that baby isn’t yours, you son of a bitch!”
I slam the door and reverse off the drive so quickly I can barely take a breath.
The car screeches down the street beneath my instruction, and I glance at Danielle.
“Are you okay?”
“Blake, I’m sorry, she’s my mom…I didn’t think she’d ever be so cruel.”
“Huh.”
Danielle turns away, staring out of the window as I reach for her, lifting her hand to my mouth.
My lips skim her knuckles, and she sobs softly.
“Fuck them all, Danielle. It’s us against the world.”