“Favorite pain in the ass, maybe. Who’s the one Mom’s always begging to come home though?”
“Oh yeah? Watch this…” She puts a hand to her mouth. “Mom, T just pushed me,” she calls.
“Trevor Anthony, you better not.”
“She pushed me first!” I defend myself, somehow transported back to childhood. Maya jogs to catch up with them.
“You’re twice her size. We’ll vote you off the island, Trevor.”
“What is this island?” I ask.
“It’s from a show,” all four of the women inmy life shout back at me. Laughing, I quicken my steps to catch up to them, feeling that light inside me glowing brighter by the second.
Once we get back to the house and say our goodbyes, Willa pulls out her phone. “I think I’m going to meet up with my parents tomorrow,” she says.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I had a talk with your mom today, and she told me laying out my ground rules with them now, before the baby comes, was something she wished she did with her parents. I think she’s right.”
My grandparents were definitely the steamrolling type, so Mom’s advice makes complete sense to me. “Whatever you want to do, that’s what you should do, Gem.”
“Yeah…but could you maybe come with me?” She bites her lip, and even though she’s holding her phone, she still manages to strangle her fingers.
I slip my hand between hers and pull her toward me, right into a kiss. “Of course, sweetheart. I’ll go with you anywhere.”
She presses another quick kiss to my lips, takes a deep breath, and scrolls through her phone while walking toward the bedroom. I watch her, feeling like the luckiest bastard on the Pacific coast to have landed her. Stopping at the door, she gives me a sultry look. “Don’t think I forgot about being your good girl tonight…” The hooded look in her eyes and the bite of her lip spring my dick into action. I don’t know why she keeps leaving me in the entryway with a hard-on, but this better be the quickest damn phone call of her life.
CHAPTER FIFTY
WILLA
“Gem…” Trevor turns to me after parking his SUV, leaving the engine running. We pulled into Honey Brunches thirty minutes early so I could feel like I have the upper hand with whatever is about to happen. Dark storm clouds rolling in over the half-full lot seem like an omen, but I’m trying to ignore it. When my parents arrive at ten, there should be enough people inside to stave off any potential of Mom making a scene. He turns down the comfort playlist he made for me, then grabs my hand. “I’ll support you either way. If you still want to go in there and say your piece, I’ll be right by your side, giving them the stink eye until you’re finished. But if you don’t want to do this anymore, if it’s too stressful right now, that’s okay too. You don’t owe them anything, and you’re allowed to change your mind.”
Changing my mind has been villainized for so long, his reminder gives me more courage than he’ll ever know. Giving him a small smile, I squeeze his hand. “Thank you. But I want to get this over with today.”
He leans in and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Then let’s do it.”
As we walk hand in hand toward the brick café, my other hand settles protectively over my belly. I’m only doing this for mylittle girl. She deserves a support system that will show up regardless of whoever she decides to be. I’m willing to give my parents the chance to be a part of it, but some things drastically need to change.
Trevor and I have time to order and finish half of our breakfast by the time my parents walk into the brown and black accented café. Bronze pendant lights hang from the ceiling over wooden bistro tables. The whir of coffee grinders mixes with the easy jazz playing softly. Dad trudges past the dark vinyl booths lining the windows, looking worse for wear as he drags Mom behind him. “Hey, Willabean. Trevor.” His tired smile barely reaches his eyes. I haven’t heard that nickname since I was a kid, and it hits me right in the chest.
“Hi, Dad.” I return his smile, and he takes a seat. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hay is for horses, Wilhelmina.” Her eyes narrow on my plate as she sits in the wooden chair across from me. “My grandbaby’s going to come out as big as a house if you keep feeding her bacon and pancakes.”
Everything in me tenses, but Trevor squeezes my thigh, bringing me back down immediately.
“Enough, Jackie!” Dad snaps, and I tense again. “You’ve been running your mouth since we landed on Friday. Bequiet.” My eyes shift between them cynically. Never in my thirty-one years have I seen him stand up to Mom. She purses her lips, fixing her eyes on the black condiment caddy. “Willa, I’d like to apologize for Thanksgiving. It was out of line for us to question your choices like that, and I thinkwe”—he glances at Mom who sits still as stone—“have forgotten.” The lines around his dark brown eyes crinkle as warmth fills his expression. “I’ve spent the last few days researching everything you’ve accomplished out here. Your partnership with TAILA, the studio, your home—you’ve really made a name for yourself.” He reaches for my hand and gives a squeeze. “I’m proud of you.”
What the fuck is happening right now? I blink away mysurprise. “Uh…thank you? Um, I just wanted to set some expectations when it comes to the baby.”
Mom chuffs, patting her afro, and Dad’s jaw hardens. “Jackeline,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Oh,I’m allowed to speak now?”
“Don’t start.” He sighs.
“She’s talking to us like we don’t know how to raise children, Robert. It’s insulting.”
