Aliza’s father turned the moment Elias approached, eyes narrowing. “Mr. Becker,” he breathed. “What are you doing here?” Aliza hadn’t heard from her father since he had her evicted from her apartment and taken most of her belongings. She said that if she never heard from him again, it would be too soon, and Elias believed her.
“Dr. Kingston,” he said stiffly. “We need to talk.” He wasn’t sure that the two of them had anything to say to each other, but he was willing to hear the man out. If nothing else, he’d tell him to get lost and stay that way.
Elias motioned toward a quiet conference room. “Not here,” he insisted. “I have a private space where we can talk.” Becker followed him down the hallway, and they stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind them.
“I’ve decided I want to smooth things over with my daughter,” Becker said without preamble. “She’s been stubborn long enough. I’m willing to be the bigger person.”
Elias kept his expression neutral, although he could feel the smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “Wow, that’s big of you,” he drawled. “So, you came all the way over here to tell me that you want a place in your daughter’s life, but will accept no wrongdoing on your part?”
“Because there was no wrongdoing on my part,” Becker shouted.
“You threatened to ruin her life and practically did. You effectively made her homeless, and if I hadn’t moved her in with me, she would have had nowhere else to go,” Elias said.
“I was trying to teach her a lesson. Besides, I’d say you got what you wanted in the deal—my daughter, that is,” Becker accused. He made it sound like Elias was a greedy bastard, taking Aliza in when her father left her to live on the streets. It wasn’t like that at all, though—he wanted Aliza in his life, and honestly, he couldn’t imagine his life now without her. He had fallen in love with her, not that he was about to tell her asshole father that truth.
“You taught her that your love is conditional,” Elias said. “You left her alone as though you didn’t give a shit about what happened to her next. What kind of father would do something like that to his child?” He didn’t mean to say that last part aloud, but he did. He’d never want to be that kind of dad to his own child.
Becker bristled, “You’re not a father, so you wouldn’t understand,” he insisted. “I want your help. She listens to you, so make her see my side of things.”
Elias crossed his arms. “Aliza doesn’t need to be pressured to accept you back into her life. Especially now. She doesn’t want anything to do with you, Becker.”
Mr. Becker paused. “What do you mean by she doesn’t need pressure right now? Is she all right?”
Elias didn’t plan to say it, but it came out anyway. “She’s pregnant.” That information wasn’t any of Becker’s business, but he just couldn’t help but blurt out the news to Aliza’s father.
The words landed like a bomb. He watched as Becker’s face went red. “She’s what?”
“She’s pregnant, and it hasn’t been easy on her. You are not going anywhere near her while she’s in this state,” Elias continued calmly. “She’s been under enough stress. The last thing she needs is you storming in and demanding things.”
Becker let out a harsh laugh. “You got her pregnant?”
“That’s not the point,” Elias said. “The point is, she’s my partner and soon to be the mother of my child. I’m not letting anyone hurt her—including you.”
Becker shoved past him. “I will speak to my daughter, and you can’t stop me.”
“Mr. Becker—” Elias tried to shout after him, but it was too late—he was already gone.
Elias swore under his breath and reached for his phone. Aliza needed to be warned that her father was on the warpath and probably on his way over to see her. He had a feeling that she wasn’t going to be very happy with him for telling her father that she was pregnant, but he didn’t care. Right now, his top priority was keeping Aliza safe and calm. He’d just have to deal with the rest of the mess later.
He had tried calling Aliza over a dozen times, and every call went straight to voicemail. Panic clawed at his chest as he canceled his next appointment and shoved his phone back into his pocket. The thought of her dealing with her father alone, especially now when she was so fragile, made his hands shake. He needed to get home—immediately.
He was halfway down the hallway toward the elevators, calling her again as he walked, when the elevator doors slid open, and he ran straight into Jonnas. “Whoa,” Jonnas said, catching him by the arm. “What’s going on with you?”
Shit—of all the people to run into right now, Jonnas was the last one he needed to see. They hadn’t spoken since their argument about Aliza moving in, and Elias didn’t have the patience for another lecture from his so-called friend.
“I don’t have time for this right now,” Elias said, already trying to step around him.
Jonnas didn’t let go of his arm. “Elias,” he breathed, “what’s going on with you. You look about ready to murder someone.” He wanted to warn Jonnas that that was exactly how he was feeling, and that it would be in his best interest to steer clear of him right now, but he could tell that his friend wasn’t going to listen to reason.
“Just talk to me,” Jonnas begged. Something in his voice made Elias stop struggling to get away. “What happened?” Jonnas asked, eyes narrowing. “You look like hell.”
Elias dragged a hand through his hair and let out a sharp breath. “I just had a run-in with Aliza’s father. She hasn’t spoken to him since she moved in with me, and he had her evicted from her apartment. He wants me to convince her to talk to him, and when I told him that I wouldn’t, he threatened to go to my house and talk to her himself.”
Jonnas nodded, “Well, that might be a good thing, right. I mean, he is her father, and the two of them should talk things out after all this time. Kind of like what we’re doing right now.”
“That is not what we are doing right now. You asked what’s going on, and I’m telling you. And no, it isn’t a good thing that he goes over to my place to talk to Aliza. She just can’t handle dealing with him right now. She’s too fragile. I told him that Aliza is pregnant and that he had no right to upset her, but he wouldn’t listen to me. He only has the capacity to think about what he wants and doesn’t consider anyone else’s feelings.”
Jonnas stared at him. “She’s pregnant?”
