The Baby Contract

"You're right. I lived in that weakness, in that pain, pushing you away for so long that I had lost the part of me that was your father. The part of me that loved you. That is until you said you were pregnant, and a wave of fear hit me. A part of it was a fear of knowing I would have a grandchild in the world but not be able to know him or her. Fear that when I died, if I saw your mother again, she would never forgive me for the way I treated you. But maybe the biggest fear was that if something happened to you, it would destroy me."

"You're so full of bullshit, George. And don't you come in here talking about Anne suffering the same fate as your wife. What's wrong with you?"

I put my hand over Bran's forearm to stop his tirade.

"Why are you here?" I asked my father.

"I'm here to beg for your forgiveness."

I looked into his eyes and saw a man who was deeply regretful. I never knew my father to be manipulative, at least with emotions. So, looking at him now with tears running down his cheeks, I believed him. Or at least, I wanted to.

"I know that you might not forgive me right now, but I'm going to make it up to you.” He looked down in shame. "You have a sizable trust from your mother."

I stared at him in disbelief. "What?"

He lifted his head looking at me again. "When your mother died, she left both you and your brother a sizable trust. I… I kept it from you. You were right when you accused me of wanting to hurt you for taking your mother away. I hid the money and made you struggle in life. It was wrong, Anne. So wrong, and I'm ashamed. But I have all the information for the trust which has accumulated a great deal of money over the last twenty-something years. I have also done some stock reallocation so that you have a vested interest in the business. You and Peter now hold the same amount of stock.”

He glanced around the showroom. “I can see that you don't need a job. I imagined the shop of yours is going to be very successful. But there is a place for you on the company board so that you can be part of the business."

I stared at him stunned.

"Don't you think it's too little too late?” Bran’s arm tightened around me.

"Maybe. But I'm not going to stop trying to make this right."

I appreciated Bran's stepping up to protect me, but I didn't need it. I stepped out of his arm and walked toward my father. I wanted to get a closer look at his eyes, to make sure he was sincere.

"I can't imagine Peter's very excited to hear any of this,” I said to him.

"Too bad for him." My father said it in the way that he often would say it about me. "Peter has everything that he needs. I haven't taken anything away from him. I've only restored what is rightfully yours."

I wanted to believe him. There was a part of me that thought I was dreaming one of those sweet revenge dreams where you get back at somebody through mega success.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a watch. "Peter told me that you asked about this. It had been your mother's. She had gotten it from her grandfather. He’d meant a lot to her so the watch was important. It doesn't work, but maybe you can fix it. It’s yours, if you still want it."

I took the watch from him, studying the exquisite detail and thinking about how it had been something my mother had held. My father wasn't a generous or open man, and I knew for him to come here and do this, he had to mean it. I held my arms out and pulled him into a hug.

"We can start over again," I said.

He looked at me. "You're a sweet and caring woman, just like your mother was." Then he turned and left the shop.

Bran’s arms came around me. "He’s right. You’re a sweet and caring woman. You’ve given him more than he deserves.”

“Maybe.”

“Are you okay?"

I turned in his arms. "I am okay. Better than okay. I have a family now."

"Anne, you already had a family with me and the baby."

I gave him a kiss. "I know. And if that's all that I could have, it would be more than enough. But I can't deny that I'm happy that I'll be able to connect with my father and the baby will have a grandparent."

Bran nodded. He put his hands over my belly. "This baby is going to have an interesting extended family between your father and my sister.”

I smiled. “And us.”

He gave me a kiss. “You know Dane and Bridget got it right when they had twins because already I'm eager to give this baby a sibling."

I laughed and shook my head. "Let's start with one baby first. But after that we can have fun trying for a sibling."

Bran took my hand and led me back to my office. "Maybe we should start practicing now." He shut the door to my office and pulled me into his arms, kissing me deeply as he lay me back on the daybed.

Yes, dreams did come true. With Bran I was living the dream. Not because of the money or status, but because of the love that flowed between us. I would spend the rest of my life basking in his love, starting right now.