I felt like I needed to sit down. It was the news of a lifetime. Pregnant. I was going to be a father one more time. But before I could say anything, a booming voice cut through the kitchen.
“You’re what?”
We both turned in the direction of the words, and I steeled myself for what was to come next.
To call the expression on his face “anger” would be the understatement of the damn century.
We were fucked.
Chapter 22
Cindy
The dish in my hand fell to the floor, shattering into a million white shards. But the noise sounded like it was a million miles away. I didn’t give a damn about that dish – all my attention was focused on my dad.
I’d never seen him that angry before. His face was twisted into an expression of pure rage – rage mixed with shock and hurt and betrayal. I had no idea what he was going to do, and the idea scared me.
“What’s going on in here?” Alexa stepped behind Dad, Kyle at her side. She took a look at each of the three of us and quickly surmised what was going on. “Um, Kyle! Let’s go get some ice cream!”
“But we have ice cream here! And pie!”
“Yeah, but the ice cream store has, um, lots of other kinds of ice cream. We can try the new Christmas Candy Cane flavor!”
“Go with Alexa,” Craig said, his voice odd. “Get some more ice cream.”
“Alright!” Kyle didn’t seem to pick up on the fact that some serious shit was going down between the adults. It was better that way. Alexa hurried him out of the house, and moments later I heard the car taking off.
The silence returned – that horrible, horrible silence. But as much as I hated it, I didn’t want to hear any words. I knew all of them, whatever they were, would be bad.
Finally, Dad spoke. “Did I hear you correctly?”
Fuck. Any chance that he’d only guessed there was something going on with me and Craig was gone. He’d heard everything. And there was no sense in lying to him.
“You did. I’m pregnant. And the baby is Craig’s.”
Dad’s eyes, burning with hate, snapped from me to Craig. Without saying a word, he strode over to Craig, pulled his fist back, and drove it right into his face. I let out a scream, the sound of fist-on-flesh filling the air. Craig stumbled a bit at the impact, hitting the counter behind him. He was still standing, the punch not nearly enough to bring a man like him down. But seconds later a trickle of blood issued from his nose. Craig took a slow, deep breath before grabbing a washcloth and wiping it away. He appeared to understand that he deserved it. He didn’t try to fight back or say a thing. But I could tell by his expression the way he felt inside was far worse than what a punch could do to him.
“Still got a mean swing,” Craig commented.
Dad pointed his finger in his face. “Don’t say another fucking word. I don’t want to hear anything out of your fucking mouth.” He turned to me, making me feel small, like a scared kid. “What the fuck has been going on?” He closed his eyes and waved his hand in front of his face. “Actually, you know what? I don’t want to hear a single word about what the fuck has been going on. You’re pregnant with his baby, that tells me everything I need to know.”
“Drew, buddy—”
Dad’s eyes bored into Craig. “Some fucking nerve, calling me buddy like that. You really think that’s how I’d fucking describe you after what I just learned?”
Craig nodded, as if understanding the point. “Drew, I don’t know what to say. I hate that you had to find out about it in this way.”
“Find out about it?” he yelled. “All this time, you two have been running around doing God knows what behind my back. Playing me for a damn fool. My own best friend screwing my fucking daughter! How the hell is a man supposed to react to something like this?”
“You hit me,” Craig stated. “I deserved it. Damn certain I did. And I’d deserve it if you did much worse to me.”
“Don’t you tell me what I ought to do to you. Don’t you tell me that I’m doing you a favor by slugging you in your fucking face. You think that’s helping? It sure as fuck isn’t.”
Craig held up his palms in a gesture of surrender.
Dad shook his head, total disdain on his face. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m gonna do with you two. I ask you to watch over my daughter and this is what you do? You knock her up?” He turned to me. “And I thought I raised you better than this!”
I was confused. “What?” Craig and I both said the word at the same time.
“Oh, come on – you know what I mean. Craig, you’re no more than a womanizer.”
Craig nodded, knowing there was nothing he could say to that.
“And you’ve always been one – even before you were married. And when she died, I thought you’d be a new man coming out of the whole thing. But you weren’t. You went right back to your bullshit and dishonored Quinn’s memory by it!”
Craig stepped forward, and I could see that Dad had crossed a line. “Now hold on a damn minute. You think I’m gonna stand here and let you talk to me like that?”
But Dad was unmoved. “And it’s one thing if you want to screw anything in this town on two legs, but you had to go and make my own damn daughter another one of your fucking conquests. You couldn’t keep it in your pants with her, could you? This fucking girl you’ve known since she was in braces – that doesn’t seem sick to you? Like something a man who’s not right in the head might pull?”
“That’s exactly how I thought about it,” Craig confessed. “I thought there was something wrong with me. And Drew, you have to know this has been tearing me up inside, knowing what we were doing and not telling you about it.”
“Nice fucking way to say you’ve been lying through your teeth at me. This whole fucking time, playing me for a damn fool. Screwing my girl and hanging out with me like nothing’s the matter. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Dad!” I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, only that I had to say something. “I love him!”
Dad had his head in his hands but lifted it to stare at me. I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction I’d expected, but all I got was more anger.
“You love him? You think that makes any of this better? You’re like some kid running off with the worst guy at high school, telling me you love him as if that solves everything. It doesn’t! It makes it fucking worse.”
Craig and I exchanged a nervous glance. I still couldn’t believe what was happening. Dad finding out about me and Craig was the worst possible scenario, and it was happening right before our eyes. I had no idea what to say or do. Dad seemed on the verge of a breakdown. It was scary to watch.
“Drew, I know we screwed up.” Craig’s voice was calm and even. “And I know there’s no reason for you to ever trust me again. But your daughter and I…we’re in love. That’s the cold, hard truth of the matter. Neither of us expected this to happen, but it did. I know you’re pissed, and I’d be pissed too. But you know damn well that all we can do is figure this out now.”
“How do you expect to figure it out?” Drew asked. “What’s there to figure out?”
“How about the fact that your little girl’s pregnant?”
Dad said nothing, and I could sense that even as angry as he was, me being pregnant made this issue something we couldn’t ignore. I was still wrapping my head around the whole thing myself – I’d only found out a short time ago, after all.
“She’s pregnant. She’s pregnant with your kid. You two were screwing around and this is what happened. She couldn’t have found a nice guy her own age, date him and marry him like a normal twenty-three-year old. Cindy, you had to pick just about the worst man in town to get knocked up by.”
“Dad, he’s not the worst. He’s kind and sweet and…” I wasn’t sure where the hell I was going with it – for all I knew Craig wasn’t planning on helping me raise the baby. “And we’re in love!” I couldn’t believe I’d said it again. But it came out, even though I knew it might
piss Dad off all over again.
“You think this jackass is going to stick around and help you raise the baby? He’s more interested in fucking random women at the bar than something like that.”
“Hey, now,” Craig said. “I’ve got a boy and I take damn good care of him. Why would you think I wouldn’t do the same with this baby?”
I could tell Dad knew he had a point. He was a great father to Kyle. And it put me at ease.
“You mean it?” I asked. “You’ll help with the baby? You’ll be a dad for her? Or him?”
Craig’s expression softened like I’d never seen before. He stepped over to me like there was nothing in the world to be concerned about. When he was close, he took my hands in his, wrapping his fingers around mine.
“You bet your ass I’m gonna stick around and raise this kid. This is the best Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten. I love you, Cin. Hell, I’ll marry you tomorrow.”
I was stunned. Totally freaking stunned. He’d marry me? I hadn’t even had time to think about the matter, but now that he’s said it, it was all that I wanted.
My hands still in his, Craig turned to Dad. “Drew, I fucked up. We both fucked up. And like I said, there’s no reason for you to ever trust either of us again. But I’m standing here in front of you telling you that I love your daughter so much it fucking hurts. And we’re going to have a baby together. I’m going to do what’s right by her, whatever that might be. There’s nothing more I’d love than for you to be a part of it.”
My heart felt as though it might pour out of me. I didn’t know what to say, only that I was happier in that moment than I could ever remember being.
“What do you say, Cin?” Craig asked. “Will you be my wife?”
I couldn’t even speak the words. Tears stung my eyes as I nodded my head before throwing my arms around him. We hugged tenderly, lovingly. After a few moments, we let each another go, still holding each other’s hands.
“Yes! Yes, I do!”
I wanted to kiss him right on the lips. But I knew with Dad standing there, likely still steamed; it was probably not the best idea. Together we turned to Dad.
“Drew, I want you to be a part of this. Your daughter wants you to be a part of this. And I know, I know deep down, you want to be a part of it do. What do you say? You ready to be a granddad to this baby?”
Dad’s eyes tracked down to our hands before moving up to Craig’s face, then mine. Like some kind of miracle, the anger seemed to melt away from his features. “I don’t know. I mean, I’m mad as hell. But you two, you’re really in love, huh?”
“Really in love,” I promised.
Dad dropped into one of the chairs of the small kitchen table, shaking his head. “I’m gonna need time for this.”
“You’ll have all the time in the world,” I said. Slowly, I stepped over to Dad and placed my hand on his shoulder. “I love you. Dad, you mean the world to me, and you know it.”
Dad said nothing, staring off into space. For a second I worried he might not say anything at all. Instead, he reached up and took my hand. “And I love you, baby. No matter what dumbass you decide to shack up with.”
Craig chuckled. “Hey, I’ve been called worse.”
“Just give me time. I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you, Drew,” Craig said. “You have my word I’ll take care of your girl. And our baby.”
A car pulled up in front carrying Alexa and Kyle. Moments later they came in through the front door. Alexa appeared worried, but Kyle, with his big ice cream cone in his hand, was as excited as they came.
“Is everything cool?” Alexa asked, hesitantly stepping into the kitchen.
“We got ice cream!” Kyle said, all smiles.
Craig hurried to him and put his hand on his head. “I see you did.”
“Is everything cool?” I said, repeating the words.
All eyes were on Dad. He looked at me and then Craig and then me and then Craig again. Everyone waited for what he had to say. Finally, he rose from his seat. After a moment of uncertainty, he opened his arms and pulled me into a big hug. A tear streamed down his face and onto my cheek, mixing with one of my own. He let me go and spoke.
“Everything is cool.”
Craig put his arm around me and pulled me tight. “Alright, everyone. Have a seat, because we’ve got some big freaking news.”
It was the start of something wonderful. I could feel it.
Epilogue
Cindy - Eight months later…
It was a beautiful day, and I didn’t want to get out of bed. Not only because I was comfy as hell, but because with my belly as big as it was, moving around was a pain in the butt.
The sun poured in through the windows – a gorgeous summer morning. And having the man I did in bed next to me only made it sweeter. I smiled, reaching over and placing my hand on his bare, hairy chest. I still couldn’t believe my life was what it was, that Craig was the man I was going to marry.
The wedding would be something else, maybe the biggest the town had ever seen. Part of me had wanted something simple, but Craig wasn’t having any of that. “Only the best for my girl,” he’d say. And hell, if he wanted to treat me, I wasn’t going to stop him.
I scratched his chest, and eventually he rolled over and looked at me with loving, sleepy eyes. I adored the way he looked in the morning, almost like a big teddy bear. And the best part was he was mine, all mine. Now and forever.
Dad had come around, like I’d hoped he would. It had taken time, but he’d slowly warmed up to the idea of Craig and me being together. It was weird as hell, I had to give him that. But Craig was a good man and took care of me. I couldn’t wait for him to walk me down the aisle.
“Morning, gorgeous.” His usual morning greeting. And I loved it.
“Morning, handsome.”
He leaned in and kissed me, tenderly, softly. But I could tell there was something on his mind.
“What’s up?”
He cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“Come on, big guy. You don’t think after almost a year I can’t tell when you’ve got something on your mind?”
He let out a snort of a laugh. “You got me. But it’s kind of dumb.”
I traced figures on his chest with my fingertip. “Ok?”
“I had a weird dream. It was us, together, sitting on the porch. Then out of nowhere, you got up. Said you needed to get to your job in New York. Then you walked away and were gone. And I knew it was for good.”
I shook my head. “Never gonna happen. You know I’m here for keeps.”
“I know. But sometimes I wonder if I kept you from something. Like in the back of your head you’re thinking about what things would’ve been like if you’d gone back to New York like you planned.”
“No way. This is what I want. Never ever would I think of going back, not with you here. This is all I need, not some stupid city that didn’t care one bit about me.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” A sly smile formed on his lips. “I had another dream, too.”
I could tell what was on his mind and felt myself getting wet at the mere thought. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“Much nicer dream. But I’d rather show than tell.”
“Please do.”
The smile still on his lips, he moved down the bed between my legs. Once there he slowly rolled my panties down my legs and began kissing my thighs. Yeah, I was going to like this dream.
“You know,” he said between kisses. “The only thing I don’t like about you being pregnant is that I can’t see your face while you cum.”
I laughed. Pure Craig. “You will soon enough.”
He went back to it, his mouth on my pussy. Craig licked me slowly, his finger moving inside me. God, it felt so good. He’d been a great teacher, letting me know all I needed to about pleasing him.
“Yeah, like that. Just like that.”
I felt his tongue gently move over my clit, soft and warm, licking
me with even strokes. He was a fucking master, always able to make me cum when I wanted, in exactly the way I wanted. I closed my eyes and focused on the pleasure, his fingers curled and perfect inside me. It wasn’t long before the orgasm arrived, shooting from my pussy all through my body.
“Oh, God, baby – I’m gonna…”
It happened, and it happened hard. Ecstasy took hold, my legs wrapping around his head as he ate me through the orgasm. When I was done, I let my limbs fall to the bed, my chest rising. He pulled away, scooting up the bed to lay next to me. We kissed, and as usual, I relished the taste of myself on his lips.
“How about another one?” he teased, reaching down to pleasure me with his fingers. “Damn, you’re wet.”
“I know – you do that to me.”
“No, I mean you’re…really, really wet.”
Before I could answer, something twitched inside of me. I knew what it was. My water had broken. I looked at him; he’d lifted his hand away to run it over my belly. “Craig.”
The tone of my voice struck him, and he looked up at me. After a brief moment, his eyes popped. “Oh shit. It’s time, isn’t it?”
“It’s definitely time.”
“Then let’s move.”
We hopped out of bed and threw on some clothes. When we were dressed, Craig opened the door, and Kyle in the hallway heading downstairs. He looked at his dad and me, his eyes widening when he saw the hospital bag in his father’s hands.
“Is the baby coming?”
“Baby’s coming,” Craig said. “You wanna ride with us?”
“I get to meet my brother?”
“You sure do,” I said.
Together the three of us hurried down the stairs and outside. The day was beautiful, perfect for meeting my new baby boy. But before we stepped off the porch, Craig wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into a kiss.
“What was that for?” I asked.
“Because I love you. And I always will.”
“And I love you. So damn much.”
Mistoletoe Surprise: An Older Man Younger Woman Christmas Romance Page 16