“Yeah,” I said. “We need a plan. We need a plan that is seriously drastic. She’s not going to want to talk to me easily, and her family will do everything they can to keep her from talking to me at this point. They think I’m a bad guy. They don’t know I love her.”
“But what are we supposed to do then?” Cooper sighed. “I mean, if you can’t call her or video chat with her, how are you ever supposed to tell her how you feel? She isn’t in Boston anymore.”
I sat there thinking about it. It was obvious Aly wasn’t going to pick up the phone any time soon. It was obvious her brother, my best friend, wasn’t going to be the least bit helpful in getting me in touch with her. I couldn’t wait to tell her how I felt. I’d waited too long already. I didn’t want so much time to pass that she just gave up on us. She was the woman I wanted, and she had our child growing inside of her. We needed to fix this before it was too late. I wanted us to be a family, the four of us, and I knew Cooper wanted that too.
I stood up and started pacing the floor, running through ideas in my head. I could contact her on social media, but that was not only tacky but unreliable at best. It was as easy to ignore me on there as it was to ignore a phone call. I could call her parents, but I was pretty sure neither one of them was going to let me get within ten feet of her. They weren’t going to understand. They were just going to see me as this older pervert who knocked up their daughter. No, none of those were going to work. I had to reach her, and it wasn’t going to be possible from Boston. I stopped and looked over at Cooper.
“How would you like to see California?” I asked.
34
Aly
I stood in the doorway, staring out at the street, the bridge far in the distance. My heart was aching, and my body felt like it was falling apart at the seams. I had told my parents when I got home, and instead of chastising me, they were actually very comforting. Even my hard-nosed father had hugged me tightly and told me everything would be okay.
“Come here, sweetie,” my mom said, touching my shoulder.
I turned and leaned into her, resting my head on her like I did when I was a kid. I looked up at my sisters, all hovering in the doorway, looks of pity on their faces. My mom had her arms wrapped tightly around me, rocking me back and forth.
“Mom,” I said. “I’m okay, I promise.”
“You’re right, dear,” she said, not really listening. “Everything will be okay in the end. We’ll have a beautiful little baby, you’ll get your education, and you’ll make it out there. Not every child grows up with a father, and most of them turn out just fine.”
“I’m not keeping the baby from him,” I groaned, feeling her squeezing even tighter. “Mom, I can’t breathe.”
Finally, she let go of me, and I gasped for air, putting my hand to my chest. My whole family was indignant about the situation, making plans for Blake’s demise. I just shook my head, thankful for the support but hopeful they would lighten up a bit. Then my mother spoke.
“Screw that sonofabitch,” she said. “He took advantage of a young, beautiful woman, played you, broke your heart, and knocked you up. He doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near you or that child.”
“Mom, please,” I said, putting up my hands. “As much as I appreciate the solidarity, don’t curse him like that. That man, whether you like it or not, is the father of your grandchild. Besides, he didn’t take advantage of me. I went into the relationship with my eyes wide open. I wanted it as much as he did. We just weren’t very smart about it from the beginning. We took a chance and threw caution to the wind, and this is what came out of it. I left on my own accord, and up to that moment, things were really amazing between us. We just didn’t tell anyone because we didn’t know where it was going to lead, and until we did, we didn’t want Cooper to get his hopes up. He’d lost too much already, and we didn’t need him to be hurt if things didn’t work out. Though I have to say, we kind of screwed the pooch on that one because he got hurt anyway.”
“I don’t understand how you can be so calm about this,” my mother said. “He let you and that baby walk right out those doors.”
“I know in this situation you want to have someone to be angry with, and you don’t want to be mad at me,” I said. “But I’m not mad at anyone, not even Blake. He never made us out to be more than what it was. He never pledged himself to me, he never told me he loved me, and he never led me to believe we had a future. I know that kind of relationship is hard for you to understand because you have Dad, but it is what it is. Being mad at him is only going to make things harder during this entire process. I haven’t decided how much I’m going to offer him to be a part of it, and I don’t know how much he wants to be involved. But try to see this as a situation I got myself in as much as he did. This doesn’t need to be a war.”
“I will respect your feelings and try to keep my opinions to myself,” she said, straightening my hair. “But just know that we’re here for you, no matter what, even if he does turn into the man we all think he’ll become.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I sighed, shaking my head.
I watched as my mom walked out of the room, summoning my sisters with her. Jackie stayed behind and walked in, shutting the door behind her. She rolled her eyes and chuckled at how our mother was behaving.
“I swear it’s like she’s ready to don her battle gear and walk into war,” Jackie laughed. “I guess it’s better than them guilt tripping you over it.”
“Yeah, right now. Who knows what will happen ten minutes from now?” I said.
Jackie sat down next to me on the bed and let out a sigh. I pulled my hands up and buried my face in them, trying to get my head on straight. I couldn’t believe everything had turned out like it had, but it had been my choice to get up and leave. I knew I would end up back at home eventually, sitting here listening to my family go nuts over everything, but I was hoping it would be a bit of a better situation than that. Jackie reached over and patted me on the back.
“Don’t freak out,” she said. “Everything’s going to be just fine, and if not, you know you have like five people out there ready to go straight ninja on his ass.”
I laughed and picked up my head, closing my eyes and leaning my head back. I let my body follow and lay back on the bed staring up at the ceiling. Blake’s and Cooper’s faces ran through my mind, and for a moment, I really missed them.
“I know it’s going to be okay,” I sighed. “Not once during this whole thing did I think my life was over. Well, maybe the first few minutes after I saw the test results and ran around looking for a hiding place for them. But other than that, I knew I would be okay. I can finish college online while I take care of the baby. If I can be a nanny and still get through school, I can be a mom and do it too. As far as financial stuff, I’m not the least bit concerned. I’m positive Blake will make sure I’m financially sound. Just because he doesn’t want to raise another child doesn’t mean he won’t support one.”
“Well,” she said, slapping my leg and standing up. “At least he doesn’t sound like a complete tool bag. I’m gonna go grab a snack, you want to come?”
“No, I’m just going to lay here for a bit and rest,” I said. “I’m tired of everyone staring at me like I’m infected with a deadly virus.”
“I mean, that is my view on children, but to each their own.” Jackie laughed. “I’ll be out here if you need me.”
“Thanks.” I smiled.
When Jackie left, I continued to lay there, still staring up at the old glow in the dark stars I had put on my ceiling when I was no more than eight years old. Just the same age as Cooper. It was the same room I had grown up in, lay thinking about my first kiss in, gushed to my sister about my first love in, and cried over my first heartbreak in. I had grown up right there, and I knew it was time I moved on. I loved my parents, I really did, but I could already tell they were going to drive me absolutely nuts. Why did I have to be the first kid to pop out a grandchild? I was going to be like birth control for the oth
ers after seeing how psychotic my mother got over the baby. I guess I shouldn’t complain, though. I had a really strong support system with more love for my child than it would ever need or want.
Still, I needed to find my own place before the baby came. There was no way I was going to survive living there with my child and my mother. She would suffocate the hell out of both of us. I could see it now, my mother pointing out every wrong thing I did from how to hold to how to nurse. She would become the mother hen I wanted to choke out, and our relationship would ultimately be hurt by it. No, it was time I stepped out on my own and raised my little family, even if it was just the two of us. Then, at least, I could start moving forward.
My sisters could come visit, my brother could come torture me, and if Blake wanted to see the baby, he would have a safe place to come and not be attacked by my parents and siblings. It was a no-brainer. I would start looking for a place as soon as I could, or at least as soon as I figured things out with Blake.
I sat up on the bed and shook the dizziness from my head. I had only been there for a day, and I was already bored out of my mind. I walked over and picked up my phone, turning it on for the first time since I had left. I knew Blake would try to call, but I was not in the right kind of mindset to deal with it when I had to deal with my entire family first, especially when my mom called a family emergency over it.
When my phone had loaded, the voice mail beeped, showing me I had two missed messages. I didn’t know how many times he called, but I was surprised that there were only two messages in the box. I pressed send and put in the code, putting the phone to my ear and grimacing. I wasn’t sure what I was going to hear.
“Aly, please call me back. We really need to talk,” Blake said, sounding sad
I took a deep breath and waited for the next one to load. It made me wonder how he was doing over there in Boston, how he was faring with me leaving like I did, or if it even affected him at all.
“Aly, it’s Blake. I’ve tried to call you several times, and I understand you’re taking a step back, but I’m not going to let you walk away like this. It’s too important.”
35
Blake
I smiled at Cooper as he gawked out the window of the plane, mesmerized by the clouds passing by the window so quickly. We were on our descent into San Francisco Airport after a very long flight from Boston. It was the first time Cooper was flying out there since our lives had been so busy back home. He had obviously gotten to know my parents, but it had been from them coming to see us in Boston. I would be pretty excited to show Cooper around if it weren’t for the circumstances.
When we got off the plane, I rented a car, and we headed off to my parents’ house in the hills. They lived right beyond the city limits of San Francisco now, having moved from when I was a kid. Cooper was excited to see them and even more excited when he got off the plane and the sun was shining. It was still pretty chilly out here but nowhere as near as bad as Boston was. When we pulled up at my parents’ place, I took a deep breath, knowing I was going to have to explain everything to them. They weren’t necessarily judgmental people, but they had their thoughts on the way things were supposed to be, and in their old age, they weren’t wavering on them.
I pulled up out front and parked the car, watching Cooper hop out, run across the driveway, and jump into his grandmother’s arms. I slowly got out and stretched, walking over and shaking my father’s hand. My mom walked up and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me tightly.
“It’s really good to see you, son,” she said. “You look so good, like you’ve been eating again.”
“I have.” I chuckled.
“I do have to say I’m very disappointed it took this long for you to bring Cooper out here to San Francisco,” she said.
“Leave him alone, Joyce,” my father said. “He’s a bigshot out there. He owns a huge company, and he has some serious responsibilities. I don’t mind Boston, anyway. They have good chowder.”
My mother shook her head as we walked arm in arm into the house. It was big, a lot bigger than the one I grew up in, and I was glad to see my parents were doing well. We walked into the living room and I set down the luggage, smiling over at my mother.
“I’m sorry we don’t get out here more often. Things have been up and down the last couple of years.” I smiled. “But I do appreciate you putting me and Cooper up on such short notice.”
“Don’t be silly,” my mom said, hugging me again and then Cooper. “You’re my boys. You’re welcome here anytime. You can just show up even. You don’t even need to call.”
“Come on,” my dad said, picking up the luggage. “Your room is in the basement. I had it converted into a guest room and study area. I do all my great thinking down here.”
Cooper giggled, and my mom rolled her eyes, throwing her hands up in the air. Besides the fact they had aged quite a bit since the last time I saw them, nothing really had changed. I had to admit it was nice to be around family again, something I’d pushed away when my wife died. They understood, but that didn’t make it right. I should have been there and let them be there for me. Either way, I was here now, and I had some seriously important business to attend to.
Cooper and I got settled into our place for the evening and then went upstairs to have dinner with my parents. My mom overcooked as usual, but Cooper was in the seventh heaven with a giant plate full of homemade macaroni and cheese. As we sat and ate, I knew the question was coming, and I was trying to formulate what my response would be ahead of time.
“So, why are you coming to San Francisco on such short notice?” my mom asked, right on cue. I had no choice really but to get it all out and quickly before I lost my nerve.
“Well, it’s a tricky situation,” I said, wiping my mouth. “I hired Hollis’s little sister, Aly, to be Cooper’s nanny.”
“Aly,” my mom repeated. “Oh, yes, the baby. How old is she now?”
“Twenty-three,” I replied. “Anyway, while she was there, things happened, and I fell in love with her. Last week, during dinner with Hollis, we found out she was pregnant.”
“What?” my mother said, dropping her fork.
“Yeah, but I screwed it up, and in the end, she ran off back here to San Francisco,” I said. “I never told her how I felt about her, and I guess it seemed to her like I really didn’t care about her, which isn’t at all true. She was the best thing that’s happened to us in a long time. So, I’m here to fix things, to make things right, and to make us a family like we should be. I’m going to be a dad again and Cooper a big brother, and I can’t let her just run off.”
“Well, this is more than a surprise,” my mother said, leaning back. “But I’m proud of you for stepping up and admitting when you’re wrong. Now, I’m not too happy you’re messing around with such a young woman, but I’m old-school in that way. Nonetheless, with a baby on the way, and if you truly love her, I stand behind you. God knows, after everything you’ve been through, both of you, you deserve a little sunshine in your life. How exactly do you plan on getting her back?”
“That I haven’t exactly worked all the way out,” I chuckled. “We just knew that for me to do it, I had to come here and see her face-to-face. She wouldn’t answer my calls, and her brother won’t let me talk to her, so I didn’t want this to go unchecked for too long. I need her to know I love her, and I need to make things right between us, not just for the baby but because I want her in our lives.”
“How do you feel, Cooper?” my mom asked.
“I love her. She’s awesome,” he smiled. “And her and my dad, make a really good team. She brought him back from the dead.”
Everyone laughed at Cooper’s explanation of how I was, but in reality, he was pretty spot on. I was barely breathing at that point, just trying to make it through the day so I could go back home and sulk there instead of in my office. It made me a little sad that my son saw all of that, but thankful that I wasn’t in that place anymore.
“He’s right,”
I said. “Aly breathed life into our home, into mine and Cooper’s relationship, and into my own self.”
“You know,” my dad said, winking at my mom. “Jewelry always works when you’ve messed up bad. Trust me. I speak from experience.”
“He sure does. I had to buy a third jewelry box last year.” She laughed. “But I love him to the ends of the earth anyway.”
“Noted,” I said, shaking my head. “It was actually going to be my first stop in the morning when I head over to see her.”
We sat and finished dinner, talking about the weather, about the family, and all the other things we tried to catch up on when it had been a long time between visits. Cooper told them all about school, his robotics team, and the lock-in he went to a couple of weeks back. It was a really good visit with them, and I was thankful I had them around. Around eight, my parents retired to their bedroom to watch “their shows” and go to bed. Cooper and I went downstairs and unpacked before lounging on the bed and flipping on the television.
“Dad?” Cooper asked.
“Yeah, bud,” I said, muting the TV.
“So, if you go tomorrow and Aly forgives you, and she feels loves you too, then what will happen next?” he asked.
“Well, that’s hard to say,” I said. “She might come back to Boston with us, she might want us to come to California, or we might figure out a back and forth until we get settled. Ideally, I would want her to stay with us, no matter what the location is.”
“Will you two get married?” he asked.
“I was thinking about it.” I smiled. “That was one of the pieces of jewelry I was thinking about buying tomorrow. Why? How would you feel about that?”
He was quiet for a moment before answering. “I really love Aly like a mom. I would be okay with her being my there every day with us. I know she’s not my real mom but I think my real mom would be happy that Aly loves us.”
Men in Charge: A Contemporary Romance Box Set Page 18