Page 79 of Accidental Baby Daddy

“I didn’t see them, son. I just... I suspected it.” He spread his hands wide, in a defensive manner. If he wasn’t my father, I think I would have hit him.

“You suspected it? You blew up my whole life based on suspicion?”

“Girls that age aren’t known for their loyalty,” he said, clearing his throat, trying to defend himself. “And you were so blindly in love, Ollie. You thought you were going to marry her.”

“I would have married her,” I said fiercely, gritting my teeth. “I would have married her, but you ruined that! How could you do that to me?”

My father leaned forward and put his head in his hands. “I’m so sorry,” he choked out. “Your mother and I, we’ve been fighting about this ever since it happened. She suspected that I lied, and she told me I was playing God with your life, but Oliver, I just wanted to protect you.”

“Protect me from what? Marrying the love of my life?”

“It would have been a mistake,” he said firmly. “She wasn’t right for you. You were too young. It wouldn’t have worked out.”

I stood up, pacing around in a circle to try and keep myself sane. “That wasn’t your decision to make! You should have never lied to me. Not only did you ruin my relationship with Lexie, but you also destroyed my friendship with Tristan!” I breathed in deeply. “As a matter of fact, you’re still ruining it. You’ve lied to me all these years, and for what?”

“She wasn’t good enough for you!” my father burst out, and I stared at him, unblinking.

“Why, because she didn’t come from money? Because her parents didn’t give her a trust fund?”

“It’s not like that, son. You know I worked for everything I had?—”

“Sure, with help from a loan from your daddy to get started,” I snarled. “You always had what you needed growing up. I’m not saying you didn’t work hard—you did, and so did I—but we always had help along the way and plenty of support.”

“Lexie didn’t have that and neither did Tristan,” my father said. “They would have only brought you down with them.”

“Youbrokemyheart,” I said, tears burning at the backs of my eyes. “You ruined everything. How am I ever supposed to forgive you?”

“It was years ago,” he said shakily. “You don’t have to dwell on it, Oliver?—”

“She's pregnant. With my baby. Your grandchild.”

He gasped. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m dead serious. All this time, we could have been together, and now you might have ruined everything forever.”

“I didn’t realize what I was doing,” he backtracked. “I didn’t realize what heartbreak was, not until your mother left me.” He paused. “I’m sorry, Ollie. I’m so sorry.”

“You should be,” I hissed. “Because I don’t know if I can ever forgive you or if I’ll ever even talk to you again.”

My head was spinning and I didn’t know which way was up. I managed to make it back to my car and headed straight to my mother’s place.

She’d left my father because of this fight.She’d been on my side.

When she opened the door, blinking sleep out of her eyes, she didn’t say a word, just pulled me into her arms.

I pressed my face against her neck, breaking down, and she held me, patting my back.

“Oh, Oliver, I’m so sorry,” she murmured. I knew that she knew that Dad had come clean.

After a few moments, I got myself together, and once again we sat down at the kitchen table with a pot of tea.

“Your father didn’t understand young love. He and I met when we were older, and he didn’t get it.”

“And you did?” I asked, curious.

She smiled. “Your father wasn’t my first love, Ollie. I, too, had a high school sweetheart I was crazy about. But he went off to college and broke my heart. Your father never understood how that felt.”

“Not until now,” I said quietly. My mother’s eyes widened. “He said he understands, now that you’ve left him.”

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