by Rachel Burns
“I’ll be right down.” Elise went into her bathroom and washed her face. She regretted not putting more effort into looking good this morning. She was nervous and scared.
It was clear that he wasn’t going to take her into her arms and tell her he loved her and the baby. Instead, he was going to be mad and yell at her.
She decided she would take whatever tongue-lashing he dished out. She deserved it. Chances were she would never get to see him again after he left today. This would be just another burnt bridge. The sad thing was she’d burned the bridge for her baby too.
Elise was so nervous that she decided to go to the bathroom one more time before she went down to face the music.
She made sure her clothing covered up as much of her as possible. She knew she didn’t look good.
Elise made her way down the stairs. She couldn’t see her feet, so she slowly descended them, afraid of falling down them.
Elise joined him in the living room. He was standing by the window looking out. He looked good in her house. She wished he would move in with them.
No, that wouldn’t be a good idea. Ashton also lived here, and she didn’t want to watch Derrick staring at her and wishing he could be Ashton’s boyfriend at home too.
“Thank you for coming.” Elise spoke up, so he would know that she was there.
“Well, I didn’t have much choice in the matter, did I?” Derrick turned to look at her. She was standing behind a thickly upholstered green chair with her hands grasping onto the back of it.
Elise looked into his eyes for a second but then looked away. He was furious. “I’m really sorry about everything.”
“I doubt that. But you will be. When the baby is born, he’ll be tested. If he’s really mine, I’ll marry you. There is no way my son is going to grow up to be like his mother.” Derrick couldn’t stand the sight of her, so he left the house, slamming the front door shut behind him as he went.
Elise stayed where she was, not sure what had just happened. Tears started to pour out of her after a few minutes had passed by. He hated her, and he felt stuck with her.
It was no more than she deserved. She went up to her room to lie down.
Marshall was informed that Derrick had visited Elise the moment he stepped into the door. He knew the visit had been extremely short and that Elise had gone to bed right after he left.
Marshall went up to Elise’s room to talk to her. He didn’t want Ashton to know what was going on. That would only cause problems.
He found Elise asleep in her bed. “Elise, tell me what he said.” He hated waking her, but he needed to know. The worries were eating him up too.
“Hello, Daddy.”
“Tell me what he said. I want to know before Ashton comes home.”
“He said he wants to marry me.”
“Really?” That wasn’t what Marshall had expected.
“Yes. He wants the baby tested to be sure he is his. And then he wants to get married.” Elise left out that Derrick hadn’t seemed thrilled about everything. In fact, it had been obvious that he hated the thought of marrying her.”
“That’s fantastic, Elise. He can move in with us, and you three can be a family. With time he’ll learn to love you for you. Everything worked out fine.” Marshall was about to gain a son as well as a grandson. This was perfect.
When Marshall had noticed that Mr. Davis had feelings for Ashton, he had hoped that she would like him back. Mr. Davis had a good head on his shoulders. He was the type of man he wanted as a son-in-law. That he wanted to marry Elise despite what had happened also spoke well for him.
Elise said nothing more. “I’d like to go back to sleep. I haven’t been feeling very well today.”
“Of course, darling. Rest up for your big day.” The doctor had said that Elise could have the baby any time. Marshall kissed her forehead and let her fall back to sleep.
Derrick had just assured himself a permanent position at the company. Once they were living together, Derrick would fall in love with Elise.
Everyone loved her.
Chapter 19 – A Name
Elise woke in unbearable pain. She got up and walked around her room, trying to walk off the pain. It wasn’t helping. She wanted to cry, but she knew no one would feel sorry for her if she did. She’d done something terrible to get into this situation. They would tell her the pain was her just deserts for sleeping with a guy so young.
She took a shower, wanting to be clean in case this was the real thing. She wasn’t sure.
How did a person know when they were feeling real contractions?
Her doctor had said that she would know.
Elise didn’t know.
She paced in her room for a couple more hours. She timed the pains she was having just in case. When she was having one every two minutes, she went to her father’s room and knocked softly on his door.
When he didn’t answer, she knocked louder. “Daddy?”
It was dark and cold in the hallway. She went into his room and saw him sleeping in his bed. “Daddy, please wake up.”
“Elise?” He awoke, startled.
“I think the baby is coming now,” she told him in soft whispers.
“Are you sure?” he asked. “It might be a false alarm.”
“It might be. I don’t know.” Elise was panting in pain. She laid her forearm on the wall and pressed her forehead into her arm.
“That sounds like the real thing.” Marshall got dressed in record time. He took hold of Elise and walked her down the stairs. It was clear that she’d been suffering alone for a long time already. “You should have woken me sooner,” he told her.
“I wasn’t sure. Will you be mad if this is a false alarm?” she asked.
“Of course not. I’ll call Derrick, so he can meet us at the hospital,” Marshall told her.
“No, that’s okay. I think he meant he would first show up after the test was finished.”
“He’ll want to be there when his son is being born,” Marshall assured her.
Marshall got Elise into his car and took off. He spoke with his built-in phone, telling it to call Derrick Davis.
It took awhile for Derrick to answer the phone. “Hello?” It was clear he didn’t appreciate being called in the middle of the night.
“Derrick, I’m driving Elise to the hospital. If you’d like, you can meet us there.” He gave Derrick the information he needed to join them at the hospital.
Derrick hadn’t said anything.
Marshall hung up and looked over at Elise. “He’ll be there. You’ll see.”
“Why would he come?” Elise asked. She wished her father hadn’t called Derrick.
“Elise, you have to understand that he needs time to adjust to the idea of being a father. This came very sudden for him. A normal man needs nine months to get used to the idea of being a father.”
“Really?” That meant she’d done everything wrong again.
“He’ll come around. I’m sure he’ll be there for you.”
“I don’t want him there.” Elise was fighting against screaming as it was.
The phone rang.
“That’s probably him.” Marshall told his daughter full of confidence. “Hello.”
“Daddy, where are you and Elise?” It was Ashton.
“We’re on the way to the hospital. We didn’t have time to wake you, darling,” Marshall told her.
“I’ll be right there.” Ashton hung up so she could follow them as quickly as possible.
Elise was twisting in her chair. “What if it’s just a false alarm?”
“It isn’t, honey. I have a little experience in this area.” Marshall drove faster, speeding through the empty streets. He could tell the baby would be born soon, changing Elise’s life forever. He hoped for the better.
Everything blurred as Elise was brought into a room and told that she should push.
“What already?” Elise looked at her father, uncertain. “We just got here.”
Marshall t
ook hold of her hand. “I told you this was the real thing.”
Elise pushed, but she wasn’t making any headway.
Marshall asked for something for the pain and was informed that it was too late.
Ashton came in and grabbed onto Elise’s other hand. Still, it took forever for the baby to be born. Elise wanted to scream and cry and beg for help, but she was too ashamed to do so.
She knew she deserved the pain.
Derrick stood outside of the door and waited. They didn’t know he was here. He didn’t feel he had the right to go into the room.
He could hear Elise whimpering. It sounded like something she’d done when he was making love to her. She was just a little kid, and now she was having his baby.
He paced up and down and listened. Then he heard a baby cry.
He sighed relieved. It was over.
He wasn’t sure what he should do now. Should he go home?
He was surprised that they didn’t have a room where you could look at the babies. He wanted to be able to see the baby without anyone knowing how long he’d stared at him.
When Derrick’s mother gave birth, they always went to the hospital to see their new family addition. He remembered asking his father ‘Which one is ours?’ The sibling was immediately loved and considered part of the Davis clan.
Would he get a feeling like that when he saw his son?
The door opened, and Mr. Montfort came out holding a baby in his arms. “I knew you would be here.” He laid the baby in Derrick’s arms.
“How is Elise?” Derrick asked.
“She’s sleeping. She was in labor all day, but she didn’t tell anyone because she didn’t want to make us come to the hospital on a false alarm. She’s such a sweet child.” Marshall hoped Derrick would agree with him.
Derrick wasn’t listening. He was staring at his son’s eyes. He had such blue eyes.
Derrick always forgot how blue baby’s eyes could be. His son was beautiful. He had a bit of blond hair. It was long for a baby.
The blond hair was clearly from Elise. The rest was him. The men in his family all looked similar. They had the same face. Still, he would insist on a blood test, just to be sure. It would give him peace of mind.
Ashton stepped out to see what her father was doing with the baby so long. When she saw Derrick, her jaw dropped. “What is he doing here?”
“He’s the father. Elise and Derrick have been secretly seeing each other. They feared I wouldn’t approve because of the age difference, so they kept things a secret.”
Ashton didn’t know how to respond. Then she had to laugh. “The flowers that day were for Elise. No wonder she kept them and put them on her nightstand next to her bed. I thought you had gone mad. It was all a show. Of course, it was. It’s so obvious now. You two are great actors.”
“I’ve given my blessing and everything is fine now. They’re a family. I couldn’t say no to that.”
“No, if only we had known sooner, you could have been with Elise.” Ashton hated that he was so much older than Elise, but if they were sincerely in love, and they had a child together, then they should be together.
“She’s sleeping now, but you can see her.” Ashton wanted Elise to get married and have a happy family. It felt like the worries Ashton had for Elise were melting away.
Derrick wanted to see Elise. He didn’t know why, but he needed to get a good look at her when she couldn’t look away.
He stepped into the room and saw her lying in the hospital bed. She was covered with sweat and her hair was soaked. She truly had gone through hard labor. Her face was red but relaxed.
“Mr. Davis, I heard you wanted to have a paternity test done?” A doctor came in and asked.
Derrick had mentioned it when he asked in which room Elise Montfort was.
“I beg your pardon?” Ashton pressed her lips together.
“This is common practice when a couple isn’t married. This way Mr. Davis has proof that the child is his.”
Ashton sighed relieved. “I’m sorry, I thought –”
“Nowadays, it’s the father’s who have to fight for their rights.”
“Also because of insurance reasons.” Marshall stepped forward.
“How long will it take for the results to arrive?” Derrick asked, handing the baby back to Mr. Montfort, so the doctor could swab his mouth with a big Q-tip.
“Around six weeks.” The doctor congratulated Derrick and left with his samples.
“The wedding will take place then.” Derrick held his arms out, so he could take his son again.
“Ashton, let’s give them a moment alone.” Marshall grabbed hold of her sleeve and pulled her out of the room.
Derrick walked around the room and looked at the baby, his son. Thousands of things went through his head. This was such an emotional feeling.
He was a dad.
Derrick visited the hospital every day. On the second day, they picked out a name. Ashton stood next to Elise’s bed and beamed. She looked thrilled about everything. It was Ashton’s one redeeming quality. She loved her family.
“I think he looks like a Daniel,” Ashton announced.
“I’d prefer the child not to have a name that starts with ‘D’. I get lots of mail for D. Davis. I’d like to avoid confusion.” Derrick told her.
“That’s a very practical thought, Derrick.” Ashton teased him, thinking that men were so unemotional.
Elise lay in bed watching them. Ashton was holding onto the baby and walking around with him. Derrick only had eyes for Ashton. Elise had a feeling like she didn’t need to be here. They were getting along fine without her.
Ashton laughed. “Is there a letter you’d prefer?” She was teasing Derrick playfully. Elise knew she wasn’t flirting with him, but Derrick was smiling at her and enjoying the attention he was getting from Ashton.
“Why not something interesting like a ‘Z’?” Derrick teased back.
“That would mean Zack. Zack Davis doesn’t sound good. It sounds like one of those energy drinks.” Ashton wrinkled up her nose. “What do you think, Elise?”
“I wanted to name him Patrick,” Elise answered. She liked that the name had ‘Rick’ in it, exactly like in Derrick’s name.
Ashton felt Elise had said that in a way where she feared they could say no. If that was what Elise wanted, she should get that name. “I like that. I really like that. What do you think, Derrick?”
Derrick wanted to say no simply because Elise suggested it, but Ashton would get upset if he did. This wasn’t worth the fight. He would have time to let Elise know that he wasn’t pleased with her. “Yes, that’s a nice name,” he said.
“I hate to admit it, but you two make such a lovely couple. When is the wedding going to be? Now that you have father’s blessing, you should be quick about it.” Ashton was feeling a little jealous. She’d been dating Fletcher for a while now. He hated it when she brought up the idea of having a child.
“We’re waiting for the test results,” Elise told Ashton.
“And for you to recover,” Derrick corrected her. Correcting Elise was something he planned to do often. He wasn’t going to live with a spoiled brat. Wait until I get you home, he thought.
“That does give us a chance to plan.” Ashton was already making plans in her head. “Where did you want to hold the reception, Elise?”
“There isn’t going to be a reception,” Derrick stopped Ashton. “It will be a quick city hall wedding and then a meal.”
Elise frowned. Of course, it made sense. He wouldn’t think that their marriage was worth celebrating.
“That’s the most unromantic thing I’ve ever heard. How do you put up with him?” Ashton looked at her sister and saw the frown. “Derrick, you’re going to make her cry. After all of that sneaking around and hiding your love, I’d think you two would want to shout out to everyone that you’re getting married.”
“Whatever he wants is fine.” Elise tried to smile, but she couldn’t. She wanted to ho
ld her baby and be left alone with him. She felt that Derrick wasn’t here to see them anyway. He’d come to see Ashton.
“No, a Montfort doesn’t get married at city hall. If you want to keep it small, I understand. However, the wedding will take place in a church. You could have one of those modern weddings and baptize Patrick the same day. The only thing you would need is a godparent for little Patrick. Do you two have anyone in mind?” Ashton put on her best smile, which radiated at them, hoping they would choose her.
Elise didn’t want to decide something like that in case Derrick would get mad. She would need his permission, but she would love to choose Ashton.
Derrick smiled back at Ashton. “We were hoping you would be the godmother. Elise is still very young, and she could use help from someone older and more mature.”
Elise felt insulted by his words. She knew he had every right to be mad at her, but still, the words hurt her.
Ashton gave an excited yelp. “Thank you. I’d be glad to. You two aren’t saying that because I practically begged for the job just now, are you?”
“No, as the aunt you’re the obvious choice. It’s clear to see that you love Patrick.” Derrick couldn’t believe how good a baby looked in Ashton’s arms. It was clear that she wanted a child of her own. He wished he’d given her one – and not Elise.
“Are you picking someone from your side to be the godfather?” Ashton asked Derrick.
Derrick had no intention of informing his family that he was now a father, and that he was going to marry a nineteen-year-old kid. That was something he would push off as long as he could.
Besides, after hearing what had happened, they would automatically hate Elise. He wanted to teach her how to be a normal person before he introduced her to them. “I was thinking your father would be a good choice.”
Ashton was surprised, but she’d seen a pained look on Derrick’s face. Maybe he’d had a falling out with his family because of Elise’s age. “Of course. That’s a lovely idea.”
Ashton decided to be extra nice to Derrick to make up for him losing his side of the family because he loved Elise.