Hotshot (The Bennett Brothers 1)
“How about some compassion and support? Treat me like more than the woman you knocked up. You have no idea what this is like for me.”
Gail slices her eyes to mine, and I picture Bizzy and my mom in my head telling me to tread lightly. This is a hormonal woman. She’s liable to go off the rails, and I don’t want to be responsible for it.
“What would you like, Sasha? What are your demands? What did you have in mind?”
“We work together on this.”
“How?”
“I think it’s time we start getting to know one another better, introduce our families. My mom is offering to have your family over for brunch to break the ice.”
“Sasha…” I sigh and hang my head. “We will do all that, at some point. I’m not stupid. I know our families will be interconnected, but not now. I think emotions are too raw. Speaking for my family, they are still letting the news settle.”
“Believe me, Ren, my family is in shock, too. But for the sake of family and unity, I’m willing to put my anger aside and start fresh. A clean slate. We can handle the rest as it comes.”
The implications are once again there—she expects more from me.
“Are you dense?” I lash out, and Gail tsks me. I feel her disapproving stare, telling me to reign it in.
“I apologi
ze for that comment, Sasha. That was unnecessary. But I’m not sure you understand so I’ll lay it out clearly. Listen to what I’m saying. I want to be a part of this child’s life. My family wants that, too. It is my job to work with you and figure out a situation that works best once the baby is born. You are right about putting our anger aside and having a clean slate. However, there is no relationship between us outside of being parents.”
She stares at me intently for a few seconds and nods, standing up.
“I didn’t think you were this type of man. Is it too much to expect a little decency? You asked earlier what I wanted from you. Let’s start with respect.”
“You have to earn my respect, Sasha, and so far, you’ve done a poor job of proving that you can be rational. This is the second time you’ve burst into my office with your claws out. Not to mention, your explosions in front of our lawyers.”
“You’re hardly one to talk about being rational, but I’m done. Like I mentioned, the slate is clean. You can turn that off now, Gail. I’ll be leaving.” She walks to the door and turns to me as she opens it.
“I’ll leave you with this, Ren. After the initial shock wore off, I expected more from you. I didn’t think you’d be so callous and removed. But you’ve shown your true colors. Regardless of your grand plan, with your lawyer and your custody agreements, you need to remember I’m the mother. I have lawyers, too. It’s time you man up. This emotionally unavailable act won’t bode so well in front of a family court judge.”
She walks out, and I sigh in relief, sinking into the closest chair. I almost forget Gail is still in the room until she comes over and lays a hand on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry about that, Gail. Thank you for coming to help.”
“It’s fine. I’ll look into how she got up here.” She pauses, and I know she wants to say more.
“What is it, Gail?”
“Shaw, I say this because I care, and because I’m a mother and grandmother. Sasha is right. You are coming at this pregnancy very clinically and calculated. It’s smart what you’re doing with Caldwell, but I do think you’re avoiding the emotion attached with this. Sasha may be a bitch, but she’s still a pregnant woman. There are a lot of things you can’t understand. The hormones, the aches, the uncontrollable changes to her body, not to mention the impact on her emotional state. Her body is no longer her own. She’s growing a life inside her. It’s a beautiful thing. I was lucky enough to have a man who loved me by my side.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“That you need to be aware she’s no longer a woman you slept with out of convenience. She’s now the mother of your child and, bitch or not, she is giving you the greatest gift in the world.”
“Jesus.” I bend over and drop my head into my hands. “Gail, you don’t understand. I lay in bed at night and think about how disappointed everyone is with me and the mistake I’ve made. Then, I close my eyes and hold Bizzy close, praying she’ll stick by me.”
“That’s the problem. You’re still thinking about you, not the child. There’s no doubt you have no feelings for Sasha. She’s manipulative and evil—a very bad combination. Do you really want your child to grow up hearing how you avoided everything, and know you think of them as a mistake? Because Sasha is the type of woman who will tell this child all the ugly.”
“What the hell do I do? Tell me.”
“I can’t tell you what to do. I can only tell you to be careful how you proceed. That woman is in love with you. It’s obvious she wants more.”
“I can’t stand her. I can’t even look at her and not feel hatred for what she did to Bizzy. To know my child will have her DNA is sickening.”
“Too late.”