For the first time, I saw something approaching madness in Tessa’s eyes. “She never told me anything. We’d only met a handful of times in passing, never really spoke to each other.”
“So wait, how come she never knew how you found out? Didn’t you two ever talk?” I asked the two of them. Jared didn’t say anything for a while, and Tessa just started crying.
“That day, I slipped back out of the apartment. The fact that I wasn’t too broken up about it was telling, but I hatched a plan to get back at her all the same. I gave her some story later that night about wanting to have the ring engraved. Then I told her I was going to be gone for a few days, so she shouldn’t come by.”
“I took the ring back and paid the remaining four months on the apartment lease and ghosted her. I never spoke to her again after that. It was only yesterday that it came to mind that maybe she blamed her friend for telling me.”
“Vicious nerd. I like it. Let’s go; mom’s about to have ten kinds of fits if we don’t get in there and help her cook.”
Sam started to drag Deidre away and then stopped. “Hold up, what are we doing with that?” Sam pointed at Tessa and looked at me, but Deidre gave me the first taste of hope I’ve had in a very long time.
“You let’s go. You have a lot of making up to do. I’m not ready to forgive you yet, but it’s high time my kids get to know their dad.”
“Jared, if you even think about helping her, she’s going come up missing.”
“You lot go on ahead; I’ll deal with this.” I didn’t feel too cowardly rushing off to join Deidre and leaving my dad to deal with my screw up. If I stayed around Tessa another second, I just might hurt her for all the pain she’s caused.
* * *
JARED
* * *
Dinner was over, and things were calm once more. My woman was laden down with gifts, I impressed my in-laws, down to the little ones, and all was right with my world. I don’t know what my father in law did with Tessa, and I don’t care, though I’ll be sure to keep an eye out just in case she tries to start shit again somewhere down the line.
My parents had called, and the mothers were already talking weddings since my bride cried foul and said it’s woman’s work and she wants no part of it. I guess I’m going to have to man up and take care of things on that end. She was in the shower doing who knows what while I waited for her in bed, horny as hell.
The bathroom door opened, and she came into the room naked as the day she was born. I watched her as she crossed the room, counting my lucky stars once again that she’d found me. With all my billions, I didn’t know true happiness until the day she waltzed into my office and captured my heart.
“What are you up to?” She straddled my hips, grabbed my cock, and sat on it with an ‘oomph.’ “It’s time for your present.” She held out an odd-looking plastic stick that didn’t look like anything I should know. “What is this?”
“Might be a boy, might be a girl, we’ll know in six months…daddy.”