“Yes,” Elias said, his voice breaking just slightly. “And her father lost his damn mind when I told him about the baby, and he stormed out of the hospital. Now, I can’t get ahold of her, and I’m worried that something’s happened. I need to grab my car keys and head over to my place to check on her.”
Jonnas swore softly. “Jesus, Elias.”
“I should’ve kept my mouth shut,” Elias muttered. “I should’ve never told that asshole about the baby.”
“No,” Jonnas said firmly. “You did the right thing. He doesn’t get to control the situation anymore. He would have found out about the baby sooner or later, but you are right about one thing—you need to get over to your girl and make sure that she’s all right. I’ll drive; I have my keys right here, and it will save you time.”
Elias let out a harsh laugh. “After we haven’t spoken for months, you want to help me?” he asked.
Jonnas didn’t hesitate. “I’m coming with you because that’s what friends do. I don’t care about all that other crap that happened between us—we can hash that all out later. Right now, you need to move your ass.”
Elias blinked at him, feeling a bit out of sorts. He didn’t know if he wanted to punch the guy or pull him in for a bear hug. “You don’t have to?—”
“I know,” Jonnas interrupted. “But I am. If her father’s there, you shouldn’t be dealing with him alone. And frankly? Someone needs to make it clear that he doesn’t get to bully his way into your and Aliza’s lives anymore. I could use a good fight right about now.”
Something tight loosened in Elias’s chest, and he felt that he could breathe for the first time in months. “Thank you,” he said quietly.
Jonnas clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re my friend. Even when you’re an idiot who moves a woman in after five days, you’re still my friend.”
Despite everything, Elias snorted. They stepped into the elevator together, the doors sliding shut as they rode down to the parking garage. “I’m going to be a father,” Elias said softly, like he was still trying the words on for size.
Jonnas smiled. “Yeah, you are.” As the elevator descended, Elias checked his phone again—still no missed calls, and no texts from Aliza. His stomach churned with worry. Whatever was waiting for them at his house, he was ready. He wasn’t just fighting for Aliza anymore; he was fighting for his family. And he’d do just about anything to protect his family.
Aliza
The knock at the front door startled her awake. Whoever was on the other side wanted to get her attention, and he or she definitely had it. Aliza froze on the couch, one hand resting unconsciously on her stomach as though testing to see if the sudden movement of sitting up was going to make her hurl again. Cat lifted his head, his ears twitching as though he was waiting for the verdict, and when she nodded her head and told him that she was good, he lay back down to continue his afternoon nap.
“Some guard cat you are, Cat,” she whispered. He didn’t bother to acknowledge her as his eyes closed.
She looked around the house, trying to find Elias, only to remember, as her brain fog lifted, that he was at work. The knock came again—harder this time.
“I’ll get it,” she said to Cat, as though there were any other option. She didn’t know how she knew that something unwanted, or in this case, someone, waited for her on the other side of the door. Her heart was already pounding as she opened it to find her father standing on the porch.
His expression was thunderous, his jaw tight, and his eyes sharp with anger and disbelief. For a split second, neither ofthem spoke. “So it’s true,” he said, looking her over. “You’re pregnant.”
Aliza swallowed. “You shouldn’t be here.” Those words were the only ones playing through her mind, and apparently, the only ones that she could choke out at the moment.
“You’ve ruined your life,” he snapped. “All that education, all the money that I spent, all that potential—and you throw it away for a middle-aged man and a bastard child?”
“You don’t get to say that about Elias or my child,” she spat, protectively covering her tummy with her hands, as though trying to stop her father’s vile words from reaching her baby’s ears.
Her father ignored her. “You had everything. And now you’re going to be tied down, broke, and ashamed of the life that you’ve created.”
Aliza’s hands curled into fists. “You know what? I’m done letting you talk to me like I’m nothing.”
His eyes narrowed. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I do,” she said. “I’m done. I don’t want you in my life if this is how you are going to treat me. Elias and this baby are my family now. You can go try to control someone else’s life, Dad, because I’m done letting you control mine.”
He scoffed. “Fine. Then don’t expect anything from me ever again. You are a complete disappointment to me, Aliza.”
“I won’t,” she said. “And for the record, I feel the same way about you, Dad.” Silence fell between them, thick and final. He turned and walked away, and she shut behind him with a quiet, devastating click.
Aliza walked back over to the sofa and sank into it. She was shaking, and she knew that she needed to calm down—not for her sake, but for her baby’s. She grabbed her cell phone from the cushion next to her and saw that Elias had tried to call her over a dozen times.
“Shit,” she whispered to herself. “He must be so worried.” She was about to call him when the front door flew open, and one very pissed-off man stood in the doorway, with Jonnas standing behind him. Both looked like they were ready for a fight, but she had already taken care of that for them. The question was—how did Elias know that her father paid her a visit? Actually, the better question was—who told her dear old Dad that she was pregnant? She had a feeling that the answers both lay with the pissed-off man staring her down.
Aliza was still shaking when Elias walked through the front door. She’d been sitting on the edge of the couch, Cat curled tight against her thigh like he could sense the storm inside her. Her father’s words echoed over and over in her head, each one sharp enough to cut her from the inside out.
