I didn’t really say why I’d stopped showing up at work, just that I had some things I had to take care of. They got the point that it was something I didn’t want to share, and they pointed me to Dad’s trailer.
Things hadn’t started well. No sooner had I gotten inside than my dad began immediately making offers to me, hoping that I would be desperate enough to accept.
“Or, I can totally forgive the money I wasted on your last semester and pay for you to go back to school, where you can still pursue your sports career.”
I shook my head. “I don’t need money to go back to school. I already have a scholarship offer from Coach Carter back at South State.”
My dad gaped at me incredulously. “You have an offer like that and you haven’t taken it?”
“No.”
“What the hell is wrong with you, boy?” my father demanded. “Being a professional athlete has always been your dream. Why would you turn down a second chance?”
I clenched my jaw. “You know why. I might, just maybe, be able to juggle being a father and a college student. There’s no way in hell that I can be a good father, a student, and a sports player.”
“And? Though I’ve never seen a future in sports for myself, I knew you were different. I’ve seen you play. You are absolutely amazing. You could be the next big thing, Stefan.”
My dad was totally stroking my ego. On one hand, I dismissed what he was saying outright, but a part of me, my egomaniac side, was sucking up his lavish praise.
Coach Carter’s words replayed in my head.
We need you, Stefan. I’ve never seen a kid play as well as you.
I shifted in my seat and glanced at my dad’s cell that he had sitting in front of him. I wondered if it was the same cellphone he used to text Veronica dirty messages. “I just don’t see how you can expect me to do what you want. We're talking about your grandchild, for crying out loud.”
“I'm looking at the bigger picture, Stefan. You're my primary concern. You guys still have a chance to set things right. I think you should forget about Bella, forget about having a baby. I mean, why is it so hard for you to understand? You two can’t be together. I think you are both just young and confused. Give it some time, and you'll see. You’ll grow out of it.” My dad leaned forward in his chair. “Come work for me or go do the sports thing. I don’t care. Just don’t have that baby.”
My dad had some nerve. What did he expect me to do? Just abandon Bella after I promised her that I would be there for her? If I accepted my dad’s offer to work with him, or Coach Carter’s, I would be abandoning Bella.
“Stefan, most guys your age would jump at the chance to get out of a situation such as this.”
“Most guys my age don’t love the girl they have sex with either.”
My dad’s face twisted with disgust. “You can’t really believe what you’re saying.” My dad paused to take a deep breath. “Look, we’re just going in circles here. I’m giving you a way out of this situation. Take it. Convince Bella. Her mother will help her through the entire process.”
Anger coursed through me. I was mad because I felt like I was finally standing up and becoming the man they’ve always said they wanted me to be, and my parents wanted to kill the life Bella and I had created. To kill the man I was becoming.
“Sorry, Dad,” I said finally. “I can’t—I won’t—do it. And this will be the last time we talk about the issue, so don’t bother calling me anymore unless it’s to give me and Bella your blessing.”
My father balled his hand into a fist and slammed it against the table, his face red with rage. “You stubborn little shit!” he yelled. “You’re ruining everything that I have worked so hard for!”
I rose to my feet, holding back the violent urge to jump across my dad’s desk. “This is the last time we’ll discuss this issue,” I said with a face blank of emotion, and then I turned and walked out of his office.
The last I heard was my dad yelling, “You’re making a mistake, Stefan!”
Maybe. But I’d make a bigger mistake in doing what he wanted.
Chapter 37
Bella
"What did he say?" I asked when Stefan returned later that day.
I was in the midst of dusting the furniture, still dressed in those shorts that always got him going. It helped me deal with the stress of everything, keeping the apartment clean, and I knew Stefan liked it when I cleaned up in skimpy outfits. Besides, his eyes roaming over me reassured me and helped me feel sexy.
“What I expected,” he said, walking over and flopping down on the couch. He looked exhausted, and I could understand why. “I'm ruining my life, your life, his and Evelyn's, and I'm going to regret it, blah, blah, blah. That shit.”