“You’re sleeping with him, Vienna? He’s your boss and so much older than you. Why would you do this?” Dad demanded of me as tears slid down my cheeks. “I thought you got the job to pursue your degree, but you were there to just be with him, weren’t you? You just wanted to do what you did in his office. I thought more of you.” Dad’s words hurt and I looked down as I struggled with a response.
“I’ve always loved Payne, Dad. It’s transitioned over the years and now it’s in a way that I can’t be without him. It was never an agenda with me as far as the job, but it reminded me how much I did want him in my life. I’m happy, Dad. Just let it be.”
“There’s more, Matt.” Payne looked at me for a long moment. “We’re having a baby.”
“Holy shit. I can’t believe this.” Dad finished his beer and stood as he glared at both of us. “What the hell are you thinking, Payne? She’s barely out of college.”
“I am an adult!” I yelled as everyone around us stopped talking. Dad sighed and set his empty beer bottle down before he left us there, and I started to cry. I wanted him to be involved in my life, our lives, the same way that he always was. He’d seen me through every first and took to the challenge when Mom left us. We grew close due to the circumstances and my heart was breaking right now, but I prayed that he came around.
Payne calmed me down and we managed to pick at our meals as I listened to him talk about how good things were going to be. It sounded like a bright future though a lonely one without my Dad involved and I went to Payne’s that night to stay. I slept in his arms worrying about everything as he soothed me and told me that our baby needed me to rest. I had some clothes over there in anticipation of the dinner going wrong, so I could manage work and life.
He didn’t call Payne or me for weeks and I grabbed clothes while my house was empty in that time. I was living with Payne and loving it as we looked at houses online after work, but I missed Dad. We ate out and I cooked at the condo and slowly started to act like a couple out in public.
The doctor confirmed that I got pregnant before we started with the pills, during one of our careless moments. I was two and a half months along when I found out and it seemed like forever until the baby was here, even while it flew by. Payne went to every appointment with me and soaked up every bit of information like a sponge, buying all the books that he could to read.
EPILOGUE
It was one of the most exciting times of my life, yet I felt alone until I saw Dad’s name on my phone. I sat down at my desk and answered softly, scared to hear his voice. “I’ve already spoken to Payne,” Dad said as I frowned and glanced at the closed door to his office. “He explained a lot of things to me, including how much he loves you and the baby. He’s jumping in more than I have seen him do with anybody before you, Vienna. I won’t say that I’m not upset, but I am willing to see this through. I don’t want to be without either of you and I miss my daughter.”
“I miss you, Dad. It’s been so hard not talking to you.” I wiped a tear from my eyes as I heard the door behind me open. We talked about coming over for dinner this week and the houses that Payne and I were looking at. We both cried when we talked about my moving out, at which point Dad said he might look for something with Lauren. They were getting serious and I was happy for him, since he’d dedicated so much of his life to me.
I hugged Dad when we arrived for dinner, crying all over again. I made a roast and vegetables in the oven as the guys kept me company and we just talked about everything. It was all out in the open now. That felt good as we laughed and spoke freely in the room.
I kept working at the firm since I was as addicted as Payne and my dad to law. I still took good care of myself and got a lot of sleep, which was easy when I was going to bed with my love every night. We made love easily, knowing that I didn’t have to leave anymore. I was as happy as I’d ever been.
We found a house that overlooked the ocean in about six months. We wanted it before our daughter was born and I fell in love with it just looking at pictures. Payne took care of all the moving and made me rest, which wasn’t hard with my growing belly and increasing fatigue.
He proposed on our first night there, right in the master bedroom that overlooked the water. I cried and accepted as I pulled him into my arms for a long kiss.
Our new home was four bedrooms and three bathrooms with a large garage. The nursery would be upstairs with us and the other two bedrooms would be on the first floor. Dad and Lauren came over for dinner to celebrate the engagement with us, showing us pictures of the homes that they were looking at on our laptop.