Page 62 of Beck and Call

"Better start some coffee and I'll order us some food. We've got some thinking to do," she said, digging her phone out of her giant bag.

* * *

Evie

"You aren't coming back to work are you?" Colter, who I wasn't ready to think of as Dad, asked.

"Jana wants me to join her marketing team. It's actually what my degree is in, so it does make sense."

Jana came in from the kitchen and handed me a bottle of water and a large pill. "It's always made sense. I've seen your portfolio and have always wanted you on my team, but you didn't believe me. I pride myself on scouting the best talent, especially the undiscovered ones. Then when I win awards for my advertising campaigns, it's so much sweeter."

I held the giant horse pill in my hand, wondering why she thought I needed to swallow something that large. "What is this?"

"It's your prenatal vitamin. I called my OB and got you an appointment for tomorrow. I may have forged your signature on a medical release so she could get the results from the clinic."

She pointed at Colter. "I see that side eye, gramps. She was napping, and Dr. Ramsey had an opening. She doesn't have another one for months. That obviously won't work. She's the best in the state. Would you have had me pass, or wake her up?"

"Thank you for taking care of that for me. All of this is so overwhelming. How–"

Jana put her hand over my mouth. "Do not ask how you’re going to do this alone. I'll cut you. I don't care if you're pregnant."

"Where did you learn to be a lady? The docks?" Colter quipped.

"Don't superimpose that misogynistic bullshit on me, grandpa. Just because I have a vagina doesn't mean I give a shit about which fork I'm supposed to use, or how to serve tea. I'm a businesswoman in a world run by men."

"Why do you insist on calling me grandpa?" he snapped.

She blinked up at him. "Would you rather I called you daddy?"

"I think I threw up in my mouth," I muttered.

"Move in with me," Colter blurted out. "I missed out on years, and I'd love for us to have some time to be a family."

A nervous chuckle burst past my lips. "I think I'm a little old to move in with my dad."

"Don't worry, he isn't really upset, he just wants to spend less time around me." Jana winked at me. She grew more serious and studied me for a few moments. "I honestly don't know how I didn't see it from the beginning. Evie, you look just like him."

My mom was fair, blonde, and had the palest blue eyes I'd ever seen. She looked like a fairy princess from a cartoon. My grandmother had gone mostly gray by the time I was in school, but she had the same light complexion as my mother. Her eyes were a little darker, and her skin freckled from the sun, but it was clear where my mother got her looks.

Then I came along with thick dark hair and hazel eyes that seemed to be either dark brown or dark green when the light hit them. My skin was the only thing that I seemed to have inherited from my mother, because Colter seemed to have a perpetual tan despite the sun hiding behind clouds almost constantly since September.

I put my hand on my belly. "I wonder who my baby will take after."

His jaw clenched. "As much as I hate it, we can't shut him out forever."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up his hand. "I'm not by any means telling you to go back to him. If you decide you want to, I'll support you, but not until he crawls. But, he is the father of your baby. I'd have liked all those years with you. And I have to see him because I work with the bastard."

"Tomorrow night is supposed to be my engagement party."

He shook his head. "I can tell Grace and Fitz to pass along your apologies and tell everyone you're ill."

"I can't do that to them. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, though. What happens if the rest of Beckett's family learns our engagement is off?" I asked.

He exhaled. "Then they are going to try and seize control of the company. Once they have the majority vote or can manage to form a consensus against Beckett, both he and I could be cast out."

I chewed on the corner of my lip. "So, how do I go to this party and pretend to be engaged to a man I'd like to strangle?"

Jana smiled. "I'll show you what I do when Marjorie tries to set me up with a son of a business partner or to convince me to join the Junior League."

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