Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
She holds it out, her arm steady while the rest of her trembles with anxiety. “We have…something to show you.”
Katherine’s hand flies to her mouth, her eyes shining with shock. She’s overwhelmed as she backs up into the heavy thud of footsteps pounding the floor behind her. My dad emerges, a towel over his shoulder like he was just drying dishes. He takes one look at us—Lily holding out the test and me behind her—and his whole face turns to stone.
My dad’s never hit me before in my life, but for a split second, I wonder if he’s about to.
He doesn’t. He doesn’t slam the door in our faces either, and that means something.
He brings his eyes to Lily, who is standing in front of me. But I move right up beside her, showing him, and the world, that I’m the man who loves this girl. I’m the man who got her pregnant, and I’m not going anywhere.
She belongs to me. My eyes project the message.
“I love her,” I tell them both, my voice steady and low. I don’t babble or go into some long speech. “I’ll take care of her, of our child. I’m not asking for anything from you other than a chance to prove we can make this work.”
Katherine squeaks like a broken hinge and pulls her daughter into her arms like she’s eight years old again. She hugs her close, tighter than before, running her fingers through her hair. Despite the tension of the moment, she’s excited for her daughter.
“Oh, baby,” she whispers as the tears begin to fall. “You should have told us sooner!”
“I just found out myself,” Lily cries back. I hear the relief in her voice. Acceptance from Katherine’s. “I didn’t do this to hurt either of you. But I love him, Mom. I chose him.”
Dad’s eyes snap to mine. He’s still tense as he walks past me. “Outside. Now.”
I follow after him as Katherine leads Lily into the kitchen, both of them happily crying together.
The porch boards creak under our weight. Dad walks to the rail and grips it tightly with his hands, staring out at the water. I move beside him, but not too close. He may look calm, but he’s still a dad whose son just knocked up his future step-daughter, and I’m not about to crowd him.
For a moment, we just stand and listen to the lake.
“I told you to watch out for her,” he says finally. “Not…do what you did.”
“I tried not to—”
“You are the adult, Colt. You should be able to control yourself.”
“I’m not going to make excuses,” I say firmly. “I did what I did. You can be mad at me forever, or you can accept that we love each other.”
He shakes his head. “But why her? You’ve never had a problem getting women, Colt.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t want other women. I want her. She’s mine.” The truest words ever spoken in my life. “You saw—I tried to walk away, but I couldn’t.”
“Yeah, especially now,” he scoffs, clearly referencing the pregnancy test. He turns, staring at me like he’s searching my face for a lie. But he can’t find one. I’ve never been more resolute. Lily is the future mother of my children, and nothing will change that.
“I know this may make things awkward, Dad, but I promise you I love her. And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that to you and Katherine. If you can’t accept that today, I understand, but I’m going to marry her. I’m going to raise our child and work every day to make a perfect life for us.”
Dad’s jaw moves side to side as the gears in his mind work. Slowly, I can see the fight in him draining away, not because he suddenly loves the idea of me and Lily being together but because he knows a brick wall when he sees one. And right now, that wall is me. I’m not budging.
“You know what people will say, right?” he says finally.
“I do.”
“You’re gonna take some heat for this, same as me.”
A faint smile twists my lips. “I can handle it. Can you?”
He finally breaks, exhales long and heavy, then grins back at me. “You’d better make sure this ends right. Or we’re in deep shit.”
“It will,” I chuckle. “Don’t you worry.”
“That girl means the world to Katherine.” His eyes cut sharp and deep to me, delivering a clear warning. “You hurt her, Colt—if you had seen her crying when you were gone—”
“It’ll never happen again,” I interrupt. “Never. I’ll never run out on that girl again. She’s mine, and I’m hers. We’re having a baby together, and the world can accept that or not, I don’t care.”
He studies me with his eyes for another beat, then sticks out his hand. I take it, and we shake. It’s not warm and fuzzy, not a hug. It’s a man-to-man thing, and I squeeze hard and firm, letting him know how serious I am.