Delicious Complication

by Sabrina Sol

  Why did she always want to prove how independent she was? This wasn’t about helping her with a referral. This was about a baby, their baby.

  “I’m not doubting that. All I’m saying is that you don’t have to. I grew up without a dad and it sucked. I want to be a part of this baby’s life.”

  “And you will be, I promise,” she said. “But just because we’re having a baby together doesn’t mean we have to live together.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you don’t love me. And if I stayed anyway, knowing that, then I’d probably resent you for not being around and sooner or later you’d resent me, too. I may screw up this mom thing eventually, but even I know that a baby deserves more than parents who can’t stand each other.”

  His gut twisted at the obvious pain in her eyes. He wanted to reassure her, take that hurt away. “I’d never resent you, Daisy.”

  “You don’t know that.” She shook her head and sat on the edge of the bed. “Look, I understand you need to be free to come and go as you want, and I don’t want to be the reason you have to think twice about working all night or taking off across the country, just because of some distorted sense of obligation or responsibility. I’m not your mother or your sister. You don’t have to give up everything to stay with me.”

  “So I can be in the baby’s life, but I can’t be in yours?”

  “Not if you’re only going to be in it because you think that’s what you’re supposed to do. Go to Miami, Brandon. Move there if you want. It doesn’t really matter to me anymore.”

  Irritation bubbled within him. Why was she being so cold? He was trying to do the right thing and all she could do was bring up Miami. “I already told you that I’m only going to be gone for a few days…or a week tops.”

  “And then what? You’re going to leave again a few weeks after that? What if I’m due around the same time the restaurant is going to open? Then what?”

  Frustration had tightened every muscle, every tendon. Finally, he snapped. “I don’t know, okay! This deal has been in the works before I even asked you to be my pretend fiancée! Obviously I had no idea there’d be a baby to consider after all of this. So what am I supposed to do?”

  “As usual, you’re missing the point.” She stood up then. Her eyes burned with anger instead of sadness. It had been a while since she’d looked at him like that. “I’m not asking you to do anything, okay? You don’t have to choose between being eligible bachelor Brandon Montoya or being a father to this baby. And you don’t have to be a husband, either. Happy now?”

  “Daisy, I didn’t mean—” He shouldn’t have raised his voice at her, but he was just so damn confused. And pissed. She’d dropped this bomb on him and then basically asked him to make decisions about the rest of his life right there on the spot. He couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t do that. His head throbbed with frustration.

  “I’ll let you know how things are going, and if you want to be there when the baby is born, of course I’ll let you. If you decide later you want to work out some type of visitation arrangement, have Dante call me. Oh, and just so you know, I’m going to keep in touch with Lorena and Alexa. It’s not their fault we couldn’t work things out, right?”

  He watched her pull the Tiffany engagement ring off her finger. She held it out in front of him.

  “I told you that was yours,” he said, shaking his head.

  “It was never mine. We both know that.”

  When he still didn’t take the ring, she shrugged and walked over to Alexa’s dresser in the corner and set it down. Then she walked out of the room.

  He knew the conversation was over. For now. They both needed time to think about things, and, so he wouldn’t snap again, he sat on his sister’s bed and waited until he heard her car leave. Then he headed back downstairs.

  Luckily, his mother and Alex were nowhere to be found, because he really wasn’t in the mood to answer their questions. So he grabbed his keys, got into his car, and started driving. As he navigated the winding roads leading up into the Santa Monica Mountains, Brandon replayed his conversation with Daisy over and over in his head and still couldn’t quite understand what in the hell had just happened.

  Because you don’t love me.

  Her words had sounded like an accusation. Still, she hadn’t said she loved him, either.

  Would it have made a difference?

  As he continued to drive, he thought about the question. There was no doubt in his mind that he’d grown to care for her. How could he not? She was sexy and funny and had taken care of his mamá as if she was really her family. He missed her when she wasn’t with him and relished every moment when he was. Daisy had become an important part of his life. And now she was going to have a baby. His baby.

  Holy shit. He was going to be a dad.

  His mouth grew dry and he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. How on earth could he be a dad when he was just about to dive into a new restaurant project? If his schedule was crazy now, it was only going to get crazier. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. That’s how it had to be for a project of this magnitude. And he owed it to himself and everyone else who had already worked so hard to make it happen to do whatever it took to ensure this restaurant was as successful as his others.

  Daisy had told him that he didn’t have to change his life because of the baby. Maybe not. But the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to. This project was going to take all of his time and energy but he would dig deep to find more for this baby.

  Perhaps if she had shown any hint at all that she cared about him the way he cared about her, he could’ve found a way to make it work between them, too. After all, they enjoyed being with each other in and out of bed. Why couldn’t that be enough?

  She kept talking about him moving to Miami as if he was the one abandoning her. But she was the one who seemed ready and willing to leave once there was no more reason to pretend to be engaged. If that’s what she really wanted, then he wasn’t going to try to stop her.

  Instead, he was going to focus on building his new restaurant and getting ready for the baby.

  He was going to be a dad.

  This time, the thought didn’t freak him the hell out.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It was true that Daisy had only planned one other wedding. But even she knew it was a bad sign when the bride was late to her own rehearsal dinner.

  That’s why she couldn’t lie to Christian when he asked her for the third time if Mira had called.

  “No, I’m sorry. But that doesn’t mean that she isn’t going to walk through that door right now.”

  They both looked toward the entrance to the winery. And as hard as she willed the doors to open, they stayed closed. “Listen, why don’t you go sit down, or have a drink and mingle? I’ll go wait outside for her, okay?”

  The worry in his eyes when he looked at her nearly broke her heart. Although Mira had become a good friend, Daisy cursed her at that moment. As she walked outside, she replayed last night’s phone conversation between them. She’d seemed off, distracted almost. When Daisy pressed, though, she’d insisted everything was fine. Then before they hung up, Daisy had made a joke about reselling everything she’d purchased after the wedding.

  Mira had laughed about it, but then said: “And, hey, if I became one of those runaway brides, you could probably get twice the money, right?”

  Although the comment had nagged at her, Daisy brushed it off.

  Because you were more worried about table place cards than your friend.

  Resigned to the fact that she was probably the worst wedding planner ever, she began walking down the winery’s long driveway. Cars lined each side. According to her last check of the guest list, nearly everyone had showed. Everyone, that is, except for the bride.

  Daisy pulled out her phone to check for messages one last time. There were none. She was just about to shove the phone back into her pocket when it vibrated and played the ringtone ver
sion of “Here Comes The Bride.”

  “Oh my God, Mira. Are you okay? Where the hell are you?”

  “I’m in the backseat of my car.”

  “Excuse me? Are you hurt or sick? Should I get Christian so we can come get you.”

  “No. Don’t get Christian. You come here first. I’m two cars down.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m here, Daisy. At the winery. My car is parked just a few feet away from you. The doors are unlocked.” The line clicked.

  Daisy looked up and surveyed the line of cars again. She took a few steps and then she saw Mira’s silver Mercedes. Peeking inside, she saw her friend lying down in the backseat. Daisy opened the front passenger door and slid in.

  “Why haven’t you come inside yet?” she asked without turning around. “Christian is starting to freak out. And quite frankly, I’m in the middle of a panic attack.”

  “I don’t know, Daisy,” Mira said. “I don’t know. I got here at four, like I was supposed to. But then I couldn’t get out of the car so I turned back around and left. I’ve been driving for the past hour or more. I couldn’t figure out where to go so I came back here and parked. I didn’t want anyone to see me so I’ve been hiding out here in the back.”

  “What’s going on with you, Mira? Are you having second thoughts about marrying Christian?”

  “I love Christian. I’m absolutely sure of that.”

  “And he loves you. You know that, right?”

  “I do. But maybe it’s not enough. Maybe we’re just too different to make this marriage thing work out.”

  “Or maybe this marriage is going to last forever because you are so different.”

  “What about you and Brandon? You told me you thought you guys came from different worlds and that’s why you broke up.”

  It had been nearly three weeks since Daisy had moved out of Brandon’s condo and back into her apartment. They’d been the hardest three weeks of her life. Her morning sickness was in full effect, which made wedding errands more difficult. She’d finally confessed everything to Mira, and fortunately she hadn’t fired her on the spot. They’d had a long talk over virgin margaritas, and Mira forgave her. Whether it had more to do with the fact that she hadn’t wanted to make a pregnant woman cry than really understanding why she’d lied, it didn’t even matter. All that mattered was getting the wedding over with so she could focus on getting her life back on track with or without Brandon.

  She hadn’t really talked to him since the day he left for Miami. She knew she had to eventually. She had a doctor’s appointment the next day, and she’d promised when he left that she’d keep him informed. He’d wanted to fly back for the appointment, but she told him it wasn’t necessary and he didn’t argue with her. It seemed like a hundred years ago that the only thing the two of them could do together was argue.

  And for a brief wisp of a second, she missed that.

  She used to tell herself that Brandon pushed her buttons because he was so different from her. But she’d come to realize that he pushed those buttons for other reasons altogether.

  “Is that what this is about?” she asked, still looking straight ahead. “Me and Brandon?”

  Her friend sighed. “No, it’s about me and Christian. But you have to admit, the circumstances are similar.

  “Look, Mira. Brandon and I didn’t work out because our relationship was fake. We were only pretending to be a couple. How can you have a future with someone when your past is a lie? What you and Christian have is real. You have to know that. Otherwise you would never have said yes.”

  “I’m scared, Daisy.”

  “Of course you are. I’d think you’re crazy if you weren’t scared. Although to clarify, I think hanging out in the parking lot while your rehearsal dinner is going on is a little wacko, too.”

  Mira laughed. “I’m so glad I stole a beer for you.”

  “Me, too,” Daisy said and finally exhaled. “So, does that mean you’re ready to go inside?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sure? Because, seriously, Mira, if you don’t want to marry Christian then just say the word and I’ll jump behind the wheel and drive us anywhere you want to go.”

  A hand reached between the seats and grabbed hers. “Thank you. But I’m good. I love him and I want to marry him.”

  “Awesome. Then let’s go.”

  Mira sat up and they exited the car together. Once they were both standing, she grabbed Daisy and gave her a hug. “You’re a good friend,” she said.

  “I know. Now, let me go and be an even better wedding planner.” Daisy started to walk away, but Mira wouldn’t let her go. “What’s wrong now?”

  “Christian says Brandon is miserable in Miami. But he doesn’t want to talk about it. Or you.”

  Daisy shrugged. “I can’t help what he does or doesn’t want to talk about. I’m not his fiancée anymore.”

  “That doesn’t mean you don’t love him anymore.”

  “I never said that I did.”

  “Maybe that’s why he went to Miami.”

  “Nope. Brandon went to Miami because he wanted to go to Miami. That’s what he does. That’s who he is. I’ve always known he’d never change.”

  “Did you ever ask him to?” Mira let her go finally and they started back to the winery.

  “Damn brides,” Daisy muttered. “They always think they know everything.”

  Two days later she pushed thoughts of Brandon out of her mind and focused on finishing her To Do list for the wedding. In between errands, she stopped at her dad’s house to deliver a spare suitcase.

  She had no idea she’d be treated to an impromptu fashion show as well.

  “Well, what do you think?” her dad asked and spun around in front of her.

  Could she think? Her fifty-seven-year-old dad was standing before her dressed in Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. In all her years of living, she’d never seen her dad’s legs or his knees. Old soccer injuries and multiple surgeries had mangled them enough that he’d always told her it was better for everyone if he kept them hidden away underneath his work pants, jeans, or his church slacks. It turned out that despite the assorted bumpy scars and chicken-like appearance, his legs weren’t that bad.

  God, did she just really check out her dad’s legs?

  After she shook that disturbing thought out of her head, Daisy found her way to the couch and sat down.

  “I know it’s not what I usually wear but Teresa says that this is what all the men wear on these cruises. I have two more outfits just like this, but in different colors,” her dad said with a wink.

  And that’s when she saw him—really saw how different he was, and it had nothing to do with his new clothes or his willingness to show off legs like a Rockette. Her dad was happy with Teresa. How could she not be happy for him?

  She got up and gave him a hug. “You look great,” she said while resting her chin on his shoulder.

  “Thank you, mija. Even if you’re lying through your teeth, thank you. Okay, are you hungry? I can warm up some pozole that Teresa made last night?”

  Seeing her dad beaming like a teenager had lifted her spirits and inspired her appetite. “Pozole sounds good. But aren’t you going to go change again? You leave for your cruise tomorrow and you don’t want to spill anything on your new clothes, do you?”

  He agreed and within a few minutes he was back in his usual jeans and soccer jersey and sat down with her at the table to eat. They chatted some more about his upcoming cruise to Ensenada. It was only for three days but it might as well have been for an entire month the way he described everything he and Teresa were planning to do.

  “I’m really glad Teresa talked you into taking this trip. I can’t even remember the last time you went on a vacation.”

  “Me either,” he said with a laugh. “We’re both disappointed we’re going to miss Mira’s wedding tomorrow She’s a nice girl. I’m glad she’s your friend.”

  “Me, too.”

&
nbsp; Her dad nodded his head. They ate quietly for a few minutes, and she allowed herself to enjoy the smoky and delicious stew made with pieces of pork and hominy. The deep red broth soothed her throat but also offered a kick with the combination of spices—dried chiles, oregano, onions and garlic. She’d been savoring the soup so deeply that her dad’s voice startled her from out of the blue, “So have you told your mother about the baby yet?”

  She swallowed hard, the pozole burning her throat on the way down. “Nope. I was hoping to wait until he or she graduated from college before having to break the news.”

  “Daisy…”

  “What? You were married to the woman. How do you think she’s going to react to the news that she’s going to be a grandma? She had a hissy fit last year when her travel agent asked if she qualified for the airline’s senior discount.”

  Her dad laughed and then his eyes widened. “I just remembered the last time I went on a vacation. I think you were three or four and we drove to San Francisco to visit your mother’s aunt. It took us about four hours longer than normal because your mother kept making me pull over to the side of the road.”

  “Really? I don’t even remember that.”

  “Well, it was a long time ago. After the driving part was all over, it actually turned out to be a very nice trip. We had a good time there. Even your mother.”

  It was hard to picture her mother like that. In fact, it was hard to picture the three of them doing something together as a family. For so long, it had been just her and her dad. Her mother didn’t belong in that picture.

  Had she ever?

  She took a breath and blurted out, “Why did you ever marry her?” He stopped sipping his soup, then wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at her. Immediately she regretted the question. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”

  Her dad reached over and patted her hand. “It’s okay, mija. It’s okay to talk about her. I know it’s been hard for you and I’m sure you had lots of questions, but you never asked them. So ask now.”