CHAPTER THIRTEEN — CHLOE
My eyes widened, and my face went pale as I stared at Conner. For a moment, I thought he would pull away from me as if I was on fire at my Dad’s presence, but he didn’t. Instead, he just stood there, holding me the way he was and staring into my eyes with a calmness that was surprising considering the mess he had been earlier. It was an interesting change of events, but one that I liked and made me feel safe.
After a brief smile at me, he turned to face my Dad. I turned along with him and was shocked by the anger and disgust I saw plastered on my father’s usually kind face. With deep breaths, I tried to pull away from Conner to make the situation a little easier, but he tightened his grip on my waist so I couldn’t move.
“This wasn’t how I wanted to tell you, but I was going to tell you,” Conner said in an honest tone, his eyes locked on Dad’s.
“Tell me what? That you’re fucking my baby girl?” my father yelled, his face red with anger. “By the way, get your hands off her, asshole.”
Despite my father’s rude words, Conner surprised me by remaining steady as he only shook his head and said, “This isn’t just another fling, Alex. I love her, and she loves me.”
His words and the proud, confident way he said them made me smile and melt. My father’s reaction, however, was pretty much the opposite. His already red face turned almost purple, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. Before I even realized what was happening, he lunged at Conner from across the room.
Conner pushed me behind him as I gasped in shock at my Dad’s words and closed fists. Knowing Conner’s temper as well as I did, I half expected him to ball up his hands and match my Dad’s insanity punch for punch. However, this was apparently crazy-day at the Jones residence, because my calm, funny, easy going father threw a punch right at Conner’s mouth while my hot-headed, alpha boyfriend only stood there to take it.
“You stupid piece of shit,” my father yelled. “Neither of you even know what love means. She’s young and impressionable, and you’re a womanizing son of a bitch.”
“Don’t be a patronizing jerk, Alex,” Conner said though his split lip, letting a bit of his temper show through. “She’s a grown woman. As for me, I fucked around because I was a widower with no one I truly cared about. We both know I’m loyal as a dog when I love someone.”
With a raised brow, Dad huffed. “Yeah, I’m prime example of your loyalty. I trusted you with her, and this is what you do? She’s a kid,” Dad continued as he pulled back his hand for another punch, but that was enough for me.
Stepping around Conner, I stood between the two of them. “Stop! Look at me, Dad. I’m not a kid.”
As I knew he would, Dad instantly lowered his hand and rolled his eyes. “Yes, you are, Chloe. You’re my kid. Now move away.”
“No, I’m not moving,” I said in a stern tone. “If you want to hit Conner again, you’ll have to go through me, and risk your future grandchild as well.”
My father’s face went from purple to white in less than a second. Blinking a few times, he staggered backward.
“What?” he asked, and the question was echoed by Conner.
I took a deep breath and, deciding that this had nothing to do with my father, I turned to look at Conner. This wasn’t at all how I had planned to tell him, but things were what they were.
“I’m pregnant,” I started with a tiny smile as I touched my belly. “I found out after you left today.”
Despite the cut, Conner's lips curled up into a monumental smile as his hands covered mine, and he leaned in to kiss my forehead. I could see in his eyes that he wanted to say something, but before he had a chance my father’s voice echoed through the kitchen once more.
“This is . . .” he started.
“Not ideal, Dad,” I interrupted, annoyed at him for ruining such a happy moment for me. With a sigh, I turned to look at him. “My pregnancy, right now, is not ideal, but I’m happy—really, truly happy—so stop.” He frowned and opened and closed his mouth a few times, but I just continued, “I wasn’t an ideal baby either, and neither was Lucas considering what happened to Quinn, but we’re okay, and you love us. You’ll love this nugget too, and you know Conner will be a good father. So please, Daddy, try to understand and support this. If not for Conner or me, then for your grandchild.”
Dad paced back forth while rubbing his right hand across his lips. His eyes shifted from me to Conner to my stomach, and I could see the conflict in them. He loved both of us, and I had no doubt he would love my child as well, but I also understood how hard this was for him. He would need time to adjust, and I would do everything I could to allow him that time.
“This wasn’t what I wanted for you, Bumblebee. You deserve so much better than him.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but Conner beat me to the punch. “She really does. I’m an old, fucked up, basket case and Chloe is so much better than me. She’s so much better than pretty much every man in the world, and we both know it. I think she even knows it, but for some reason she loves me. I’ve tried to fight this. You can ask her, if you want, but she’s chosen me, and I promise you, as your best friend, that I’ll take care of her, love her and protect her for as long as I live. I’m gonna walk the line and prove to you that though I’m not worthy of her, no man will ever love and honor her more.”
“And you’ll do right by the child?”
Conner chuckled. “Seriously, Alex? Of course, I will. I’ll love this baby just as I love Lucas and I’m going to give him or her the best life I can possibly give.”
Touched by Conner’s words, I curled my fingers a bit tighter around his and pulled him closer to me. He looked down at me with a smile on his lips and gave me a sweet kiss on the forehead.
In a heavy silence, my Dad watched us with a weary expression on his face. A few seconds later, he moved his hand to massage the back of his neck and sighed. “Do you really love that asshole, baby?”
Despite the expletive, I couldn’t help but smile at Dad’s softer tone. With a nod, I replied. “Yep, I really love this asshole.”
“Okay, then,” he muttered, and both Conner and I raised our brows. “But if you hurt her, I swear I’ll cut your dick off and feed it to you.”
Conner laughed. “Duly noted.”
With a huff and a more accepting expression, my Dad turned around and left the kitchen. Once we were alone, Conner turned and pulled me close to his chest. His smile was the biggest I had ever seen, and it filled my heart to the point of exploding.
“You better keep those promises, you know. The only one allowed to do anything to your dick is me.”
“I won’t argue with that,” Conner said between laughs. Once his chuckles died, he gave me a quick peck on the lips and raised a brow. “So, a baby, hmm?”
I nodded. “Yep. Scared?”
He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Scared? C’mon, Angel. Considering how mad you were at me, I was kind of hoping you’d get knocked up. What better way to guarantee you’ll marry me?”
Despite the butterflies in my stomach, I couldn’t help but laugh at his awful proposal. “A better way is to ask. Preferably, in a romantic setting and with a ring. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Conner Wilkes. You better not disappoint.”
With his blue eyes locked on mine, he gave me a long and passionate kiss and then whispered, “Have I ever?”
“No,” I whispered back, because that was the truth. From the moment I had walked into his kitchen, Conner had surprised, shocked, overwhelmed, and amused me, but he had never disappointed me. And deep down, I knew he never would.