The Virgin Secret (A Dad's Best Friend May December Romance)

by Lila Younger

  “Sounds like you’re ready to come back home.”

  “Yeah, but you know Daria convinced me to stay an extra few days in Venice.”

  Hailey’s parents decided to do a transatlantic cruise for their anniversary, sailing across the ocean and up the coast of Africa, through the Mediterranean, and ending in Venice. It was the trip of a lifetime, promised by Keith to Daria for years and only taken now. To be honest, I’m surprised that a guy as dedicated to his work as Keith is would take almost a month off of work, but then again, he probably has years of vacation time saved up.

  “Well, Hailey and I are doing just fine here. She’s no trouble at all.”

  “Good, good,” Keith says. “So you’re okay with us staying for a few days while we find her a place?”

  “Of course.”

  We talk a little longer about his trip, my stomach churning with guilt the whole time. I hate lying, especially to my best friend. The only thing that keeps me slogging through the conversation without blurting the truth is that I know how he is. If we can’t talk it out face to face, Keith will stew, and Hailey will get the brunt of it. The last thing I want to do is damage her relationship with her parents, so I sit tight.

  As soon as I get off the phone it rings again, and this time it is Ben. We make small talk: his twins are entering junior high, I recently had a successful gallery show. We get down to the nitty gritty. Ben’s happy to help me out. He can’t promise anything, especially since they’ll be handing out acceptance letters by the end of the week, but if Hailey’s able to put together a portfolio quickly in the next day or two, he’ll pass it along. I thank him profusely. When he asks about my schedule, I let him know that I’ll have time to teach two classes, no more.

  “Excellent,” Ben says. “You must really like this Hailey. Last time I talked to you you wouldn’t even consider being guest lecturer for a night.”

  He’s not wrong. In fact, I think I might be falling not just in like, but in love with her. The thought doesn’t even terrify me one bit.

  That night, after dinner is finished and Hailey pulls out her books, I casually bring up the subject of art school again. Was she still interested in going?

  “Of course,” she says putting down her pencil. “But you know that admissions intake is over already. I’d have to wait a year anyways.”

  “And if you don’t?” My job is to clean up dinner, since Hailey is the one who cooks. Even though I have a dishwasher, some of the stuff, like the nonstick pan, has to be hand-washed. A lot of stuff actually. If I ever hire another decorator, I’m going to specify that it all has to go into the dishwasher.

  “But I do,” she says frowning. “So what’s the point in wondering?”

  “Well, I know someone at Westchester who’s willing to pass along your portfolio if you have one.”

  I’m pretty happy with the announcement, but when I look over at her, I don’t see a smile. In fact, I don’t see much of anything on Hailey’s face. Doubt creeps in. Maybe she wouldn’t appreciate me meddling like that. Hailey is independent, used to figuring things out on her own. My help could be mistaken for nepotism.

  “It’s only to get it in front of the admissions panel,” I say quickly. “The rest is all you. They might decide to not let you in if they feel you aren’t ready, but I figure at least then you won’t be so conflicted. I’ve seen how much you’ve enjoyed picking up a pencil again and how often you check the school website so I thought-”

  My words are cut off, because there’s a flurry of movement and Hailey is barreling into me, kissing my mouth as hard as she can. I’m so surprised that I almost fall over backwards, but I recover enough to let go of the dishrag and pull her close to me.

  “Does this mean you aren’t upset with me?”

  “No of course not!” she cries out. Her eyes are shiny with tears I think, and her cheeks are rosy and flushed. “I just can’t believe you would do something like that for me. I totally didn’t expect it at all. I’m- I’m really grateful. These are happy tears by the way. Totally, completely happy tears.”

  “Good,” I say with relief. “Because you need to get that portfolio in by tomorrow if you can. They’re almost done with the admissions process.”

  Her eyes widen and she releases me. Her hands run through her hair.

  “Tomorrow! But I don’t have anything prepared to show them!”

  “Show them what you already have. It’s good, believe me. And whatever else you can find. You’ve got a good eye, and that will show through. They’re not looking for the most advanced techniques Hailey. They’re looking for raw talent, and you have that in spades.”

  “I have to go back over all my sketchbooks,” she says. She hurries out of the room, then runs back and gives me another kiss. “Thank you Mark! Thank you thank you thank you!”

  She runs away again, and I hear her taking the stairs two at a time. I forgot to tell her about the other call I got today, the one from her dad, but I think that can wait. She’s so excited and happy, and I would hate to ruin it all. I just have to make sure I remember to let her know tomorrow.

  Chapter 9

  Hailey

  I checked my email a million times since I’ve submitted my portfolio to Westchester. Never have I been this anxious about anything in my life, and by the time Friday rolls around, I’m pretty much a wreck. To take my mind off of things, Jen and Lexie decide that we need to go shopping for the convocation ceremony. I agree mostly because it’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to catch up. I miss having them around to confide in, even though I wouldn’t trade living with Mark for anything. We’re definitely a couple by now, and as each day passes, I can see myself more and more with him for the rest of my life. I might have started it all with my defenses up, but he’s worn them down with how he takes care of me.

  Shopping doesn’t take my mind off things at all. While Jen and Lexie happily try on one thing after another, I just can’t find it in me to be interested. Instead, I sit outside the changing room refreshing my email over and over. I know that doesn’t make it come any faster, but I can’t stand the idea of missing out on when it appears.

  “What do you think?” Jen asks, waving her hand in front of my screen.

  I look up and see that she’s in an emerald green cocktail dress. It’s strapless, with a big bow in the front.

  “I don’t think so,” I say. “That bow is way too big.”

  Jen sighs as I refresh my email again and sits down beside me. Nope, nothing.

  “So are you really going to ditch medical school for art school?” she asks, her voice more serious.

  “If I get in? I think so.”

  “And your parents are going to let you?”

  She’s concerned, and I totally get why. Jen and Lexie have met my parents, who actually sat them down and ‘interviewed’ them to make sure that they wouldn’t be a bad influence on my studying before letting me sign the lease to live with them. Everyone in my family is a doctor, and that’s a point of pride. If I go to art school, I’ll probably give my dad a heart attack. Cousin Howard became a chiropractor and mom still looks at my uncle pityingly at family holidays. But I’ve given pre-med a try. I’ve done all that they asked of me so far, and I know that my life lies in another direction. At some point I’m going to have to do things for myself. It might as well be now.

  “I’ll figure it out,” I tell her. “At least Mark’s supportive.”

  “And do they know about Mark?”

  “...No.”

  Jen shakes her head.

  “Girl, when you rebel, you rebel in a big way huh? I don’t know which is going to piss your parents off more, him or school.”

  Lexie comes out of the changing room in a form fitted grey silk dress. I think it looks fantastic, but I can already tell by her look that she doesn’t agree. She turns in the mirror a few times and comes over.

  “Let’s forget about trying on dresses,” she says glumly. “I forget how much water weight I retain when I�
��m going through PMS. I feel terrible.”

  Jen nods.

  “I know what you mean. Why do you think I chose this pouffy thing?”

  Lexie peers over at my phone.

  “No news?”

  “No,” I say.

  Something occurs to me. We’ve lived together for almost two years, and of course in that time, we’ve synced up. It’s usually me first, followed by Jen, then Lexie. It’s so predictable in fact, that as soon as I get it, we stock up on chocolate and tylenol because their’s will follow right after. But I haven’t had my period yet.

  “Hey guys,” I say. “When did your period start?”

  Jen tells me three days ago, while Lexie’s was yesterday. Exactly as usual. They look at each other, then at me.

  “Why? Don’t tell me... your’s hasn’t?”

  “Nope.”

  “You use birth control right?” Lexie says, gripping my arm. “I mean, I know you haven’t had a boyfriend in forever, but you know what to do?”

  “Lexie of course!” I say, annoyed. I’m not actually mad, more like afraid. There were a few times when we hadn’t, before I went on the pill. What’s Mark going to say when he finds out? A baby is going to change everything.

  “Come on,” Jen says standing up. “No point in wondering. There’s a CVS here. We’ll go buy you a test.”

  They go and change while I sit there, shell shocked. A baby. Mark’s baby. I look down at my stomach and pat it gingerly. Could it be?

  The three of us head straight to CVS, beelining for the pregnancy tests. There are way more than I expected. Packs of five, blue ones, pink ones, fertility checking ones and digital ones. I’m not sure which ones I’m supposed to go with, so Lexie grabs a few and heads up to the counter. I pull her back though and pile a few more items into the cart, like a magazine, a giant pack of twizzlers (for Jen), and a bottle of shampoo to disguise the purchase. Once we’re back out in the mall, Lexie marches us to McDonalds, the only place with a private bathroom and salty fries. Normally I’d be too icked out to eat in a bathroom, but Lexie’s fearless.

  My hands are shaking as I try and figure out the instructions on the package. The wand is huge, the designs curved so that I don’t splash myself. I quickly do my business, then I put the test on a paper towel, wash my hands, and open the door for Jen and Lexie.

  “Did you set a timer?” Lexie asks. She’s got a Mcflurry as well as fries, and she’s dipping them into the ice cream before popping it into her mouth. It sounds gross, but it’s delicious, especially when the hormones are raging through our system.

  “Oh, right,” I say. I open up my phone and there’s a notification telling me I got an email from Westchester. “It’s here!”

  Lexie and Jen crowd around my shoulders. After a few seconds, Jen speaks up.

  “Well, aren’t you going to look?”

  I shove the phone at her.

  “You do it. And don’t tell me what it is. Unless it’s good news.”

  “Wouldn’t you know either way then?” she asks, but takes the phone out of my hand.

  “Yes, but I don’t think I could handle it if I saw ‘sorry we don’t want you’. This way you can get the full force of the rejection, and you’ll soften it for me.”

  “You need to clean out your inbox,” she says.

  “Okay, now’s not really the time Jen.”

  After another moment she looks up with a big grin.

  “You’re in!”

  “I’m in?”

  “You’re in!”

  My friends hug me, cheering. The sound reverberates in the small bathroom, and we have to quickly stop.

  “Hey, how are you going to go to school with a baby?” Lexie asks. “It’s going to be hard.”

  “Not as hard as medical school,” I say gleefully. My heart is like a helium balloon. Nothing can get that sucker down.

  “That’s true,” says Jen. “And you know, your kid can be my very first patient.”

  She’s going to be a pediatrician. A great one, I know it. And I’m going to go to art school! I feel happy and giddy, and I’m about to turn to Lexie but she’s over by the counter. Suddenly I become solemn again.

  “What’s it say?”

  “Well,” Lexie says slowly, “it says Hailey is going to be a mom!”

  **********

  Jen and Lexie were ready to go shopping again, this time for baby clothes, but I convince them that it was time for me to head home. After all, I have two really big pieces of news to share with Mark, and I don’t want to waste another moment. They agree, but they make me promise to go out next weekend. Jen drops me off, and I smile as I wave goodbye, but a part of me is also very apprehensive. After all, a baby is a big deal. It would change our lives forever. Even though Mark and I fit together so well, and we’ve meshed our lives together, it’s still early. I don’t have doubts that we could survive it, but it does throw a big wrench in our plans.

  I just hope Mark doesn’t think I got pregnant on purpose or something. He wants to take me traveling to all sorts of places, and a baby will definitely mean that would be put on hold. And this neighborhood, while exclusive, isn’t exactly close to a school like I would want to be. And my parents... there’s no way we could hide my pregnant belly for long, to say nothing about a baby. We were going to have to tell them. I just hope that they will understand. But which piece of news first? The fact that they will have a grandchild, or that I wouldn’t be a doctor?

  “Mark?” I call out once I get inside.

  “I’m in the study,” he calls back.

  We meet in the kitchen. He has a cautious look on his face, waiting for my news, but when he sees my smile, he rushes forward to me.

  “I’m in!” I say with a laugh. “All thanks to you, I’m in!”

  He kisses me, a tender kiss that melts my heart.

  “No Hailey, you got in all on your own. They loved your portfolio. All I did was give them a chance to see it. Now, let’s celebrate! I think I’ve got a bottle of champagne in the fridge.”

  Mark starts to move towards the fridge, but I pull him back by the arm.

  “No champagne tonight.”

  I take him in, all of him as I try and figure out how to tell him the news. His gorgeous eyes with the beginnings of their laugh lines, the handsome profile of his face, and of course, that broad chest that doubles as my pillow every night. Our kid is going to look so good! I think. And he, or she, is going to be so lucky to have him as a dad.

  “I have more news,” I say slowly. He looks at me quizzically, so I take a deep breath and say it fast. “I’m pregnant.”

  My eyes scan his face as it transforms from confusion to surprise to joy. Not once was there terror or doubt, and I release my breath. I hadn’t realized how much I want this baby until now.

  “Hailey,” he says, drawing me close and putting his forehead against mine. “You’re going to have my baby?”

  “I am,” I say stronger now. “We are going to be parents.”

  I felt a surge of love for Mark, bigger than anything I’ve ever felt before. The fact that he wants this as much as me loosens the worry lodged in my chest. I can’t imagine getting rid of the baby, and I definitely don’t want that. My hands go towards the front of his shirt, undoing the buttons one by one. I can feel his erection tenting his jeans in anticipation. I’m still in awe of the fact that it’s me that can make him so hard when I’m still learning all about sex. Mark’s kisses come faster, more urgent and hungry for me. I can feel my body reacting to him, my nipples hardening into pink buds for his mouth and my pussy becoming slick and wet.

  He pulls off my shirt for me, and then my bra, drawing my delicate breasts into his mouth. His touch is fire, burning me as his hands move over my body, drawing me close. Mark dips his head down, spreading kisses as he goes across my skin. Even now, there’s nobody else that can turn me on so easily, so quickly. I arch my back into his mouth, his tongue sucking hard on my nipples. His mouth sends bliss through me, straigh
t down between my legs. I gasp as his fingers pinch and roll my nipple, playing pain against pleasure. With his other hand, he tugs at my jeans, opening them just wide enough for his calloused hands to slip beneath my panties.

  “Oh yes Mark,” I murmur in bliss, but then he releases me. “What’s going on?”

  Instead of answering, he hoists me up onto the kitchen table.

  “Don’t want to wait that long,” he growls, before capturing my mouth again with his.

  He pulls off my jeans entirely, hands pushing aside the soaked panties I’m wearing, spreading my legs apart. His mouth is on my breasts again, his tongue flicking against my swollen nipples, sending me back onto my elbows. He traces the outline of my folds, teasing me as he strokes me up and down. I want more, and I try to jerk up my hips, but doesn’t give in. His thumb presses and rubs my engorged clit, pushing my pleasure up another level. I close my eyes, sinking down against the table. It’s a good thing there’s something there, because the pleasure he’s stirring in me is making it hard for me to hold myself together. Just when I don’t think I can last any longer, he hooks my panties in his finger and pulls it off.

  I hear the clink of his belt, the zip of his jeans, and then he’s naked too, stroking away at his erection. I’m ready for him, but he doesn’t come forward so I have to sit up and look. Mark is amazing, all muscle and sinew, lean and hard and gorgeous. Love bubbles up inside of me, knowing that he’s mine now and always. I bite my lip when I catch him looking at me the same way, his eyes dark and hooded.

  “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world you know?” he says, his voice husky and low, fueling the arousal I feel for him.

  I want to freeze this moment, this unexpected intimacy between us, but he’s all over me again, his fingers circling, ghosting over the soft skin of my thigh and driving me insane with excitement. Finally they part me and slide deep inside of me, making me moan out loud. I let him loosen me with his fingers, smearing my own wetness against my clit, sending little zings of pleasure straight to my brain. He makes me forget about everything but his fingers working against me, sliding in and out. The ache I feel is so much more than that though, and it’s like he can read my mind, or the way my body responds, because his cock is there, pushing against me, spreading me wide and taking me to the hilt.