I look between them both, my buddy’s smile wider than I’ve ever seen. And then I notice it…the way Tessa’s hand is resting on her stomach.
“Wait,” I say. “Are you?—”
“You’re going to be a grandpa,” Holt interrupts me.
All at once, a million thoughts and feelings flash through me. A grandfather? Me?
Holy shit.
“Wow.”
Tessa laughs. “Is that all you can say?”
“Yeah.” I run a hand over my face and tug at my beard. “I think that’s all I can say.”
And then I’m laughing, too, and shaking my head. “Wow,” I say again. “That’s…that’s incredible,” I say honestly, the reality finally registering. “A baby? Wow.”
I give up on finding suitable words and pull my daughter in for a hug. “Congratulations, Tessa,” I say. “You’re going to be an amazing mother.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
When I turn to Holt, he’s watching me with a question in his eyes, like he’s unsure how I might react to the news that he’s knocked up my daughter. “And you…” He nods once. “Congratulations, man,” I say with a chuckle and give him a man hug, too.
“Thanks, Luke,” Holt says. “It’s not exactly how we planned it, but then again, we weren’t exactly planningnot?—”
“I don’t want details.” I shake my head. “Dammit.”
It’s Holt’s turn to laugh. “What I was going to say was, we planned on getting married first. But?—”
“We’re engaged!” Tessa thrusts her left hand between us and wiggles the ring on her finger.
“Aren’t you supposed to ask my permission for this kind of thing?” I glare at my friend. I might have come to peace with their relationship, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still her father, and I expect the respect that the role comes with.
Holt shrugs his apology. “Things happened a little fast.”
I swallow back my retort, because it doesn’t matter anyway, and take a deep drink of my wine. “If there’s no other big news you’re keeping from me, maybe we could eat. I’m starving.”
Lilly
As long as I could remember, saving myself for marriage had always been important to me.
Three days before my wedding, I learn that I was the only one it was important to. Not only has my fiancénotbeen saving himself for marriage, but he clearly never thought I was worth waiting for.
The key to our shared apartment that I moved into only three days earlier in preparation to share our life together is still in myhand when I hear the noises coming from the bedroom.
Noises that even with my next to zero experience with sex, I recognize for what they are.
I follow the trail of clothing to the bedroom, and that’s where I see them. My fiancé, Barrett, on his back on top of the comforter I just bought, with his long-timefriend,Sarah, straddling him.
His eyes are closed, so he doesn’t see me right away.
A wild riot of feelings flashes through me, seeing them locked in their passion.
Anger. Shock. Disgust.Relief.
Logically, I know I shouldn’t be relieved to catch my fiancé in a compromising position, but I can’t deny that the overwhelming reaction I’m having is thatI’m free.Especially considering I’ve just spent the last six hours psyching myself up to tell Barrett that I didn’t think I was ready to get married and that the closer the wedding date got, the more convinced I’ve become that we want different things.
For example, I want to pursue a career in finance instead of becoming an executive’s wife. And Barrett obviously wants to sleep with other people.
