I wanted them to know their grandchild. I wanted them to be there through the various stages of pregnancy. Already, they had missed out on so much and it was just the beginning. My father was stubborn though, and my mother often stayed by his side on most everything, but I still had hope that we could make up before the baby came. I needed that.
The stress of everything was eating away at me, and I didn’t want it affecting the baby. I wanted everything to be peaceful and healthy for him or her. My life was in shambles though, with a father who probably wanted to disown me and Chandler who wanted nothing to do with me or his baby. I wasn’t sure if my hopes for a stress-free pregnancy were all that realistic.
“Whatcha thinking?” asked Juliet as she gently nudged me.
“About how much I love this baby,” I said, putting a hand over my stomach. “And how much I want everything to be perfect for him or her.”
“It will be,” said Juliet with a reassuring nod.
Chapter 36
Chandler
I set the dumbbells back on the rack and wiped the sweat from my brow, before sitting down on the black bench. The gym was crowded with the afterwork rush, a time I usually avoided, but I needed to blow off some steam. I had found myself here a lot lately, trying to find a healthier way of dealing with my life than beer or whiskey.
It had been a few days since I had left my position of CEO at Harold Enterprises. I hadn’t read anything in the press about it yet. I wondered if Mr. Harold had kept it under wraps for now to avoid the speculation surrounding my sudden departure. As much as he despised me, and as much as he was upset with Gabriella, I doubted he wanted anything about our relations coming to light.
This had me wondering about the board member who had come forward and so blatantly put our dirty laundry out there. I tried to rack my brain about who it could have been and why I hadn’t heard about it from anyone else yet. There was a good chance Mr. Harold had them sign an NDA, or maybe they had some trick up their sleeve. Either way, I kept waiting for the shit to hit the fan.
On the bench beside me, my phone buzzed. I wiped my hands on the slick fabric of my track pants and picked it up. It was Nathan. I sucked in a breath, wondering if this was something I wanted to deal with now. Or ever. I hadn’t talked to him since the disastrous family dinner where Greg and I almost came to blows.
But I didn’t like being on the outs with my brother, so I picked up the phone.
“Hey,” I said, my voice clipped.
“Didn’t think you’d pick up,” said Nathan, surprise in his voice.
“Almost didn’t.”
“What are you doing?”
“Working out.”
“Can you grab dinner?”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
I looked up at the large, silver ceiling fan spinning quickly overhead, wondering if spending the night having an assumed heart-to-heart with my little brother was something I wanted to do.
“I can meet you in an hour,” I said finally.
“Great. 7thStreet Burger?”
“See you then.” I hung up.
I grabbed my towel from the bench next to me and wrapped it around my damp neck. I was pretty much done with my workout, anyway. I stood from the bench and headed for the locker rooms. I stripped out of my gym clothes and into a steaming shower, washing away the sweat and stress of another day of unemployment. I didn’t like the anxious feeling I had without an empire to run. It wasn’t like I was strapped for cash. I was more than well off, but it was in my nature to work. To run things. To succeed.
After my shower, I rummaged through my gym bag for the extra set of clothes I often packed for after my workouts. I pulled on a pair of faded jeans and a white t-shirt over my head. I didn’t bother with my hair, figuring it would just air dry on the drive tothe restaurant. It wasn’t like I had anyone to impress. It was just Nathan.
Twenty minutes later, I pulled up to the restaurant, luckily finding a metered parking spot across the street. I clicked my fob, the chirp of my sports car beeping behind me as I crossed the street to the familiar brick and forest green building Nathan and I often frequented. They had the best burgers in town, and burgers were Nathan’s favorite food. Always had been.
I found him in a corner booth toward the back, sipping on a beer. I signaled for the bartender to grab me one before settling in across from my brother. He looked relieved to see me, as if he didn’t think I would show. He ran a hand through his light brown hair, and gave me an easy smile.
“Hey.” He nodded.
I wordlessly nodded back as I picked up the menu in front of me.
