Page 24 of CEO's Baby Scandal
“What the hell am I supposed to do?” I pinched the bridge of my nose and rubbed my face.
“I think love is love, and if you’re really in a committed relationship with her, then you make it work and those guys will get over it. What is love without a little conflict? And besides,you’re the head partner. What can they do?” Benjamin patted my shoulder.
“Thanks for not letting me do something stupid, Ben.” I sighed and let the tension fall off my shoulders.
“Of course. Now just go home or something. Give yourself some time to cool off too.” Ben left, and Olivia got up sheepishly, collected her paperwork and his, and wiggled her fingers in a goodbye before following him out of the conference room.
I didn’t understand why they were so upset about my relationship. I could see they were concerned, especially Michael after what Keri had done and the way the firm had to stand behind me, but Emily was different, and they refused to get to know her.
The chair behind me became my refuge for the next forty minutes while I stewed over Michael’s attitude. He’d been against this from the beginning with the same concerns about Emily, but if she was going to file suit against us, she’d have done it ages ago. We were in a good place, though I knew she’d been emotional lately, but I honestly felt like things were going well for us. When she voiced her concerns about wanting more than just “office sex”, as she’d called it, I took it seriously.
I reached for my phone, dialing her number. I wanted to see if she would join me at my house tonight for dinner. After a frustrating afternoon, I didn’t really want to dine alone, and I could think of no better company than her. Only the line rang straight through to voicemail. I didn’t leave a message. If she was still embarrassed or upset by the way Michael had treated her, I knew she probably needed space.
So I sent a message to my driver to pick me up and took my paperwork back to my desk where I collected my wallet and keys. Walking out through the outer office felt like playing Russian roulette, not knowing if I was going to run into Michael or not, but he and Grace were speaking in hushed tones in her office as Ipassed. It was better that way. I knew if he started shit again, I’d just punch him and regret it. Olivia was already gone, and Ben was nowhere in sight, so I rode the elevator to the ground floor with a janitor and his mop bucket.
When my driver finally pulled into my drive, I noticed my parents’ car in the driveway. It was the last thing I expected, to have surprise visitors, but there was no pretending I wasn’t home or hadn’t seen it. Dad stood on the front stoop smoking a cigar. He never smoked in the house because Mom wouldn’t allow it. He’d seen me pull up. I waited until the driver opened the door for me and slowly climbed out. I just wanted to relax, not have more lectures about Emily and her status or value, or whether I should be with her.
My shoulders squared, I strolled up to the front door and nodded at Dad as I did. He puffed out some smoke and dropped his cigar, stamping it out on the cement. He kicked the half-burnt butt into the landscaping and turned to follow me as I reached for the door.
“Well, son, your mother and I wanted to chat with you. Your maid let us in. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Yeah…” I muttered. What else could I even say? I could tell by the tone of his voice that he intended to grill me, and it hardened the edge I’d had since about three-fifteen this afternoon.
“Oh, Daniel,” Mom squawked when I walked into the den, “you’ve had that woman to your house?”
Confused, I paused just inside the door, and Dad bumped into my back. I glanced around the room, finding my maid standing by my liquor cabinet. Her cheeks were red and her head was down. Leave it to Mom to badger my staff into divulging things they should otherwise never speak of.
“Yes, I have,” I said, glaring at the maid. “Remind me to find more faithful staff.”
Mom scoffed and waved her hand, and the maid curtsied and said, “I’m sorry, sir.” She scurried out of the room after handing me a glass of scotch she poured for me. She probably knew I’d need it for this. I downed it in two swallows and set it on the coffee table before pacing in front of the bookshelves.
“Daniel, your mother and I are quite concerned. We know you’re looking for someone to spend your life with, but you need to find someone who fits you.” Dad spoke as if he had someone in mind. I heard him snapping his fingers and looked up, turning to see him waving someone in the room. She was gorgeous—tall, blonde, curvy—but not Emily. “This is Bethany. She is a fourth-year law student at Harvard. She’s the daughter of one of my colleagues, comes from a wealthy family. She’s closer to your age, Dan. She’s almost thirty, and yes, she went back to college to get her law degree, but that was after earning her Ph.D.”
My chest tightened. As much as I wanted to scream at him how stupid he was, I didn’t want to drag this poor woman into my family drama. I walked over to her and extended my hand. “Hello, Bethany, it’s very nice to meet you.”
“Same, Daniel. Our fathers have been friends for a while, so I’ve heard about you over the years. When your father offered to introduce me to you, I was flattered.” She blushed as she retracted her hand and clutched her black purse in front of herself.
“If you will excuse us for a moment, I think I have something I need to discuss with my parents alone. It was really nice meeting you.” I gestured toward the door, and she nodded, looking disappointed. As soon as she was out the door, I let it rip.
“What sort of maleficent bullshit are you trying to pull!” I glanced between Mom and Dad. Irate didn’t begin to explain how I felt. “I am in a relationship. You are not Cupid. You can’t just bring other women into my home and announce them as if you’ve found a match made in heaven.”
“I’m sure once you calm down, you’ll see that Bethany is a far better match for your personality, your financial status, even your education.” Mom stood and hooked her purse over her arm and sauntered toward me. “She’s even far prettier than that bimbo at work.”
“Emily is not a bimbo!”
“Oh, Danny, you know we only want what’s best for you.” Mom patted my cheek and smiled at me. I politely took her by the wrist and removed her hand from my cheek.
“You don’t want what’s best for me. You want what’s best for you. You think my dating someone you perceive as beneath you is bad optics. Well guess what? I’m dating her, and we’re an item now.”
“You can’t be serious,” Dad interjected. “That’s ludicrous.”
“Get out of my house.” I pointed at the door, glaring at both of them. “Now. Get out. I’m done with this conversation. Thank Bethany for coming. I’m not interested.”
I turned my back on them, picking up my glass on the way to my liquor cabinet, and heard the door shut as I poured a drink. God, I wished Emily were there for me to prove to them how amazing she was.
I drank the glass and poured another, then slumped onto the sofa in my den. They were wrong. All of them were. I would never jeopardize my job or my future if I thought Emily was out to play me. I would fight tooth and nail to prove her worth and my love for her because I loved her. Even if she had responded to my advances with ulterior motives, I knew she had a pure heart now. There was no way she was playing me.
I sipped my whiskey and closed my eyes, laying my head back. But as I took another sip, memories of Emily flooded my mind. Memories of her laughter, her touch, her soft curves pressed up against me. I felt my body stir with desire, and I knewthat I needed her. I needed her more than anything else in the world.