Page 23 of Fighting For Light
First, shower, then I’ll feel prepared. Yes. I nod to myself and open the door.
“Hey, sweetheart, I was wondering where you went,” Dad says.
“Oh, uh, just hanging out with Kai.” Dad nods and takes a drink of coffee. I look out the window and see Kai doing his squats with his kettlebell. I stare at him for a moment. “I’m going to go shower,” I mumble. Dad doesn’t say anything, so I go into the back and grab my towel and robe.
***
I stare at myself in the mirror while I finish brushing my wet hair.Okay, you can do this, Cordi. You’ve got this. Everythingis going to be fine. You’re smart, you can figure this out. You’re going to be a good mom. You have to be.
Dad isn’t in the trailer, so I grab my sandals and go looking for him. He’s not outside or at the truck, either. I hear his laugh and spin around, spotting him talking to Kai. Alright, then. I guess this won’t be so bad if Kai is here. It might help a little.
My sandals slap against my feet as I make my way over to my two favorite men. “Hey, Dad?” I call. He turns, and Kai drops the dumbbell he was lifting.
“What’s up?” he asks.
“Can we talk?” I ask him, shifting on my feet.
“Yeah, sure, honey. Come on, let’s go,” he says, putting his hand on my back and guiding me back to our trailer. He opens the door for me, and I stand in our kitchen area, fidgeting and wishing Kai was here while Dad sits down at our table. “What’s going on, Cordi?”
My heart thuds in my chest. I just have to come out with it.
“Dad, I’m pregnant,” I say with as much confidence as I can.
His mouth drops open, and his brows furrow. Shock is written all over his face, and I don’t know what to make of it. I watch him filter the information and maybe come to terms with it. “How—“ He lifts his hand to stop me. “Don’t tell me how, but …Cordelia…I don’t know what to say,” he says, looking at me. Tears well in my eyes, and I don’t know what to say, either. “Do you at least love the man you made a child with?” he asks sternly, and I shrug. “Really, Cordelia? A one-night stand?” He leaps to his feet and paces in front of me. “You know that’s why your mother and I got married. I …had hoped you learned from us. I loved your mom, but…”
“I know, Dad,” I whisper. Mom never let me hear the end of it because the good times didn’t matter to her. And now…I’m just like her.
“Do I know who he is?” he asks, and I look away.
“Tell me!” he roars. I shake my head no. “Do you know how this looks, Cordi? You look like a groupie. You know how these guys are, and yet you still…” He trails off and stares at me for a moment, then throws his hands up and storms out of the trailer.
“Dad!” I yell. “Please! Can we—please, Dad!” He keeps stomping away from me, and Kai stands there looking between me and my father. “Fine! I’ll tell you!” I yell across the street. He stops and turns around. I don’t want to yell this, but my feet are frozen to the ground, and I can’t get closer to tell him quietly. Rafe, Casey, and Deacon are on the other side of the road, watching the show with wide eyes. Dad is an even-keel guy until he’s not. And right now, he is not. I open my mouth to tell him it was Rafe, but there are rocks lodged in my throat.
“It’s me,” Kai yells.
I whip my head towards him, and I suddenly think I’m going to pass out.
“Dad, no—“ I glance at Rafe, and he looks entirely unbothered.
“Really, Kai? My daughter!” he yells.
I scream for him again, and Dad takes long steps to Kai and punches him in the face.
Kai catches himself, stumbling back a few steps. He winces, putting his hand to his face. I run over to them, and Dad lifts his arm to punch him again before I step between them. Kai wasn’t going to fight back.
Dad drops his arm, and I grab Kai’s face to look at the damage, then spin to glare at Dad.
“Why did you do that?” I yell at my father while simultaneously confused as to why Kai would say it’s him. In my opinion, Rafe should get kicked off the team, at the very least. He’s a generally crap human.And who you slept with, but semantics, right?
“He knocked up my daughter, that’s why!” he yells.
“I’m going to marry her, Reece,” he says. Now I really am going to pass out. I stare at Kai with wide eyes. I want to ask him why, how, and what in the world he is thinking, but my tongue feels like it’s swelling up in my mouth. When I went to him last night, it was not a ploy to get anything from him. I needed my best friend, and he was exactly that for me.
“Good, because I’d kill you if you didn’t. It would have been nice if you told me you were dating.” He turns and looks at me, and disappointment fills his eyes. “I thought you trusted me, Cordi.”
My jaw is unhinged, and I say the first thing that comes to mind. “I do, Dad, which is why I’m telling you now. We …”
“We wanted to go easy, Reece. We knew this would be a lot.” I look at him with pleading eyes, begging him to shut up. This is getting worse every second it goes on.
