Page 31 of Interference
Daddy’s jaw clenches, but he nods as he gets up.
When the door shuts behind her parents, she sobs.
“I don’t know what I was expecting. I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty, but that was worse than I thought it would be,” she tells me through tears.
Standing, I pull her out of her chair and hug her. Before I can apologize, her hand finds the back of my head and pulls it down to hers.
Over the years we’ve kissed each other softly, frantically, passionately, and a bunch of other adjectives I can’t think of, but never like this.
Only when she gasps do I pull away and rest my forehead on hers, and I can’t help but smile when she leans in, trying to kiss me again.
“Now, now, Miss Monroe. No funky business. Not after that, or I might feel like you are taking advantage of me,” I tease, feeling a little raw.
A look I can’t quite name crosses her face. “D-do you not want me anymore? Now that I’m pregnant?”
No, fuck that.
Not want her? Is she fucking crazy? Of course I want her. I’ve always wanted her. It’s she who hasn’t wanted me.
Does she really not realize that?
My hand moves from her waist to the side of her face. I tip her head back, forcing her to meet my eyes.
“Emery, I always want you. Always.”
Disbelief with a hint of insecurity still covers her face, so I grab her hand and move it to the front of my jeans. Instinctively, she squeezes my cock, making it jump in her hand.
I raise a brow. “Does it feel like I don’t want you? Is that proof enough?”
She squeezes again, and I reluctantly pull away from her. This isn’t the time or place.
No, before Emery and I fall into bed again, she needs to know where I stand.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, hoping for a different result. For two years, I’ve waited for her to wake up and realize that I’m right in front of her.
Only, I don’t think it will happen. Not unless I force her hand.
“I want you, Emery. I’ve always wanted you. That’s why I told your parents I was your boyfriend. Hell, I’ve considered you my girlfriend for the last two years even though you didn’t know it. It’s only been you, and if I have my way, it will continue to only be you.” She opens her mouth, but I continue on before she can say anything. “I want more than your body, though. I want your heart, mind, and soul. I want every fucking part of you. I want us to be together, really be together. I want to build a family with you that I’ve only ever dreamed about. I want to build a life with you. I want to raise our baby together, maybe a few more when we are ready, and after you’ve accomplished everything you want in life, grow old together.”
Tears roll down her face. “Brett…”
“You don’t want me, though, and I get it. Honestly, I fucking suck, so I get it. I won’t force this relationship on you, though. I won’t take advantage of this situation and make you feel like you have to be with me when you don’t want to, but I can’t keep sleeping with you knowing that it means more to me than it does to you. Our child deserves better than that. So if you don’t wantme, then I will co-parent with you and be the best father to our kid, but I can’t be your part-time lover as well.”
“I never said I didn’t want to be with you,” she says, cutting me off.
I give her a sad smile. “Baby, you’ve made it known from day one that you never wanted more than my cock when it came to me.”
She laughs and slaps my chest. “Brett, you were a cocky fucking eighteen-year-old man whore when we met. Of course I didn’t want more! Besides, dating wasn’t even on my radar. I was laser focused on my sport, and I wasn’t about to let some guy get in the way of that.”
Just like Clay was, but even he woke up and realized a good thing was in front of him when he met Grace.
“I was, but I changed. I changed because you made me want to be better. It was like one day I woke up and I realized what was in front of me. I realized what we could have together, but you weren’t interested. You didn’t realize how you had me wrapped around your finger.” Taking a step back, I run my hands through my hair as I laugh. “Do you know why I ran into you that day you told your coaches why you were pregnant?”
“Because you were on your way to hockey?” she asks, a cute little line forming between her brows.
“Yes, but no. Every day, before practice, I stop over at your rink to get a look at you. I would stand there and watch you skate, completely fucking mesmerized while you had no idea. Even when we weren’t officially dating, I would go over there just to catch a glimpse of you. Do you even realize that you smile when you finish a routine and you’re happy with it? I swear to Christ, when you do it’s like the lights in a dark room have turned on. For years, I sought you out any chance I could get. You were the one I wanted when I got hurt, then when I had surgery. Shit, my nurses kept asking me when my girl Emerywas coming to visit because I kept saying your name while under anesthesia. It’s you, Emery, it’s always been you.”
“Brett…”
