Page 73 of The Omega's Secret Baby
“You’ve always been a bit of a free spirit. I’ve watched you sneak out of the house as soon as you could. You did what your parents asked of you, but I never got the feeling that you really agreed with all of it. Or any of it. I thought you’d eventually pursue another path in life than the one your parents were laying out for you.”
“I… never really thought about it that way.” Eli had told me that he wanted Jake to be able to go after whatever he wanted, and I’d kind of just brushed him off. My parents had always assumed they knew what was best for me, and I was starting to act exactly like them.
“You know… This might be a bit personal, but I kind of always felt that you were trying to please your father too hard. Broke my heart to see you go ignored so many times.”
I squinted, trying to remember what exactly she was talking about. Sure, there had been times when I was a child when I’d wanted to play with my father, but that was only because I didn’t know better then.Oh God.I rested my head in my hands. Had I really spent my life trying to impress a man who could never give me the time of day?
“I’m sorry,” Frederica said. “This must be a difficult topic for you, so soon after his death.”
I took a deep breath. For a moment there, I’d completely forgotten that my father had passed away. Was I now trying to impress a dead man by taking over business? Was that what I was doing with my life?
No, that wasn’t all I was doing. I had a good job. Ilikedmy job. But Frederica had a point. Even after my failed marriage, it was still difficult for me to envision a life that went off the rails my parents had laid down for me.
“What did you think I was going to be?” I asked Frederica. “If not head of this business.”
She shrugged. “Whatever you want to be really. You got a good head on your shoulders, an excellent education and all the money you could ever need.” She smiled and took a sip of her tea. “Really, sometimes, it’s like you don’t even know how lucky you are!”
I looked up at her. “I guess I really don’t.”
“You have a really sweet kid with a man you love. Go and make it right.”
“You know what? I will.” I stood.
“Hey, I didn’t say you don’t have to finish your tea first! Don’t just leave me here.”
I stopped. “Oh, I’m sorry, I—”
She laughed and waved her hand. “Go, go!”
Seriously, this woman… She did have a point, though. I had to go and see if things between me and Eli could be fixed.
33
Elias
“Canyou go to the drugstore for me?” I asked Griff. I couldn’t go myself. The whole town would be talking about my new pregnancy before the day was over. Sending my brother wasn’tmuchbetter, but at least a little better.
“You want me to go buy a pregnancy test for you?” Griff bit his lower lip. He obviously wasn’t in love with this idea.
“I’ll make it up to you. I just really need to know.” Especially now that I remembered the odd nausea I’d been fighting with last week.
Oh God, I couldn’t be pregnant again. Not now. Not like this.
Deep breaths, Eli. Don’t panic just yet. Maybe it’s nothing.
Yeah, right. Like I was going to be that lucky. I still remembered when I’d first noticed pregnancy symptoms with Jake. I hadn’t wanted it to be true then, either. But that hadn’t changed reality.
At least this time I wouldn’t have to pee on a stick in a college dorm’s bathroom that smelled faintly of vomit.
Yeah, this time was going to bemuchbetter.
Oh, who was I kidding?
“Okay,” Griff said. Maybe he noticed my distress. “I’ll go. But you really owe me for this.”
“Yeah.” I owed him so much already. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He gave me a small smile. “Anything else you want from the drugstore while I’m there?”
