Page 30 of Knocked Up By the Silver Fox

"It's not like it didn't go viral. It has twenty thousand likes already." She stood too, rolling her eyes. "And I won't take it down. She can't just come in here and?—"

"Abigail!" I shouted, and she jumped. The minute I saw the fear in her eyes I felt like a horrible father. Tears streaked down her cheeks and she shook her head. She wasn't afraid of me, but I had startled her.

"I want to go stay with Uncle Alex over Christmas…" Her teary eyes and the hurt way she said that just upset me more.I knew we had plans to go to Boston and it gutted me that I'd upset her so much that she'd rather stay with my brother than be with me, but I was so angry I knew things would go really wrong between us if she stayed around here. "In fact, I want to go now. I can do my school online."

"Fine, go," I told her, "but take down the post first."

I watched her walk away feeling really guilty and upset. She shut herself into her room and I paced until I knew she'd had enough time to remove her post. Then I pulled out my phone and checked my socials to make sure she'd done what I told her. She had, but I had a strong sense that the damage was already done.

My heart ached for the two women I loved, and I felt desperate to find a way for them to get along. I knew Beth would have no problem seeing eye to eye with Abby, even give her more space if need be, but I didn't think Abby would ever come around.

Still I had to try. I dialed Beth's number and waited for it to ring. I held the phone to my ear as I paced, but she never picked up. It disappointed me, but I wasn't going to be too discouraged. I knew she was working, so I left a voicemail.

"Hey Beth…" I sighed. "I was thinking maybe you could come over for dinner tonight. I'd like to have a talk with Abby, and I thought maybe you'd join me and the two of you could get to know each other a little…let me know."

Frustrated, I locked my phone and walked back to the table, collected my glass, then headed for the bottle of whiskey I left sitting on the kitchen counter. One more glass wouldn't hurt, but what I really needed was to sit and process my thoughts and think about a way to reach my daughter.

As I sipped my second glass of whiskey my phone chimed. I wasn't expecting Beth to respond so quickly, but she sent a text. I swiped to answer it only for my heart to feel even more crushed.

Beth 3:15 PM:Hey Will. I'm sorry…I'm just frustrated. I think maybe we need to apply the brakes for now. Especially after what happened on social media. Please don't be upset…I just need space.

Rage surged in my chest and I wanted to scream at Abby but I couldn't. I knew she was just going through something. She wasn't handling it the right way, but she was hurting too. She was my first priority though, and while hurting Beth made me so angry with my daughter, I had to make sure she was okay first. We had to talk, because right now Beth was just asking for a break, and some space, but it could turn into something worse, something I didn't even want to think about.

21

BETH

Christmas was tough. Mom came to town to celebrate, just in time to see me open a gift that came by courier. I knew the instant the guy knocked on our door and I opened it that the gift had come from Will. We had exchanged a few text messages where he was deeply apologetic for his daughter's social media posts, and he had invited me to Christmas dinner—which I declined. But my decision to use my paid time off and holiday time to give myself space to think was good.

Now back at work the Monday after New Year's, I felt calmer but not more in control of the situation. I didn't even have clarity about what to do or how to tell Will I was pregnant. My withdrawal for my own sanity probably looked like an attempt to hide from him and push him away after the social media storm, but it wasn't about that. I didn't care what Abby's friends said about me. I cared what Will would think when he learned I was pregnant.

I came in early this morning because I knew I was behind. I checked on my emails last night and saw the major load of things to catch up on and decided an early Monday start was the best option. After sending Will that text that I needed space fora while, he had been respectful, but we hadn't seen each other at work. This morning would be a test of my ability to maintain my composure.

The door creaked open and I looked up, expecting to see Will's face and a cup of coffee in his hand, but instead I saw Allen Reithman, COO, and Will's friend. He tapped on the door with his knuckle and poked his head in.

"Is now a bad time?" he asked, and I shook my head nervously.

"No, come on in." I swallowed the immediate lump in my throat and sighed hard. It was one thing to face off about work issues with my boss and the man I was falling for. It was another thing entirely to speak with his equals about work issues, and this didn't look like business, based on Allen's expression.

He walked in and glanced out into the hallway then shut the door and took a seat across from my desk. It was one of the chairs Will typically sat in, and it felt odd for him to use it instead of Will.

"Ms. Reid, I'm not going to lie, this isn't a business visit…" He pressed his lips into a thin line and I could see the tension on his forehead. "I'm here as a friend of Will's."

The nausea swirling around my gut made me wish I'd have had a few more crackers this morning. But I knew it wasn't the morning sickness plaguing me this time. I knew it was anxiety.

"Okay?" I said hesitantly. Whatever he had to say made me feel really on edge.

"Beth…can I, uh…can I call you that?" Allen seemed as hesitant as I was, and I nodded to put his mind at ease. He wasn't here to bite my head off so that was good. "Beth, the board isn't very happy about you dating Will."

"I see," I said, cautiously. I wasn't sure what Will had told them, but I knew the rumors going around. I hadn't gotten anemail lately, but I knew people were talking, or at least Will said they were.

"They think it's a conflict of interest. Will denies any issue and he's pushing them to stay off your back, but honestly…" Allen looked frustrated, like he wanted to say more but he was holding back.

"I know…It doesn't look good. I told him." My head hung and shamed washed over me. The last thing I wanted was to get Will in trouble. But now it was more than that. I had a secret that would really upset the board if they knew, and I had no idea how to tell him.

"Were you meeting with Nevil Banks?" he asked, and I felt like I was slapped in the face. The question came out of left field. I wasn't prepared for that. I was lost in my head trying to find a way to make my relationship with Will not look bad for either of us.

My eyebrows rose and I felt the color drain from my cheeks as I bit my lip. "Honestly, no—I mean. Well, yes…But it's not bad." I felt like a fool as Allen narrowed his eyes at me. "I swear. He was just trying to get me to work for him. I refused the job offer even though right now I could really use the higher pay and stuff. Please don't get upset with Will about that. I told him right away and he knows. Mr. Banks just wanted me to work for his firm."

---