Page 21 of Falling for You

He’s in a three-piece suit, his blonde hair is slicked back by too much hair gel looking more like grease while walking around my parents dining table like he owns the place.

Jackass.

I look at him and state once again, for the millionth time, “I am not your future wife. We are not getting married, so let it go! I haven’t signed the contract, and I never will. Find someone else to boss around.”

Charles Andrews, Zane’s dad, narrows his beady gray eyes at my tone, I curl my lip at him, knowing full well he’s just like my sister’s husband, Harry, the bruises lining his wife Nora’s arms giving live proof of that.

Men like them believe women should be seen, not heard. Otherwise, they can raise their fists. They also think they can have a wife and several girlfriends on the side as long as they don’t produce any other children.

“What advice, Pen?” my dad asks carefully, I side-eye my sister, hating that we’re about to be torn apart. She won’t stand by me when I’ve always stood by her. Taking a deep breath and making eye contact with my dad,

I ask, “What does a woman need to do legally to get information to a man after every other communication attempt has failed, and even though you are based in criminal law, can you do what I need?”

He furrows his brows and asks, “Well, that depends on what kind of information we’re talking about.”

My pulse races, I try to swallow the lump in my throat, I admit “That a one-night stand is pregnant with their child but doesn’t want anything from them, only to allow them to be a father.”

Dad blinks in shock while Mom steps back, even though I’ve been treated differently to my sister growing up, not willing to bend to their will for how greedy they’ve become, basically selling their daughter, it stings. Her eyes that are so much like mine have shut off and I know she won’t be there for me, I know our already fractured relationship will never heal.

“A letter can be sent expressing news of the pregnancy, unless you're demanding compensation for the child or a DNA test, it would be in that person’s hands as to whether or not they’d be involved,” Dad answers me robotically already seeing where this is going. I nod and look at my sister, who smiles reassuringly.

I take a deep breath and look back at my father. I state, “I’m seven weeks pregnant with Taylor Evans’ child.” Nora interrupts and gasps, “Nico Evans' son, the center of the Red Lions who just won the Stanley Cup after three years?”

Well, someone’s a fan.

I ignore her, not breaking eye contact with my dad, and ask, “Can you send him that letter? I’ve tried with his agent, but honestly, I think she has a thing for him. She had me removed today when I tried to see him, then banned me from the arena. She’s even called the police on me when I tried to see him at his apartment and tried to enter the Bull where we met.”

My dad’s eyes mist and so many emotions radiate from him, from fear, pain, disappointment, resentment, and hurt, I know he’s about to disown me. The people he promised me to have just listened to me state that I’m pregnant, making it obvious I’m keeping it. I’ve embarrassed him by getting pregnant by a one-night stand and to keep his firm at the top, he needs the Andrews on the side and over the years, it has come apparent that money means more to my parents than me.

“I can do that for you,” he rasps, I tense as he finishes, “but then we’ll have nothing to do with you or the child.”

I lick my bottom lip as my mother chokes back a gasp, her eyes watering. For the first time, I see the love they have for me, just not enough to stand by me.

I nod once as Avery grabs my hand knowing disowning me also means she has to stay away, I know money also means more to her than I do as well.

“You ensure he doesn’t hit her again,” I demand, and dad nods, “and he doesn’t force her to have a child, and she finishes law school?” he nods again, pride shining off him because I’m putting my sister first.

I squeeze Avery’s hand as she lets out a sob and open my mouth to hopefully comfort her, but my head whips to the left, pain radiating from my jaw and lip, and knuckles hit me hard, nearly knocking me over.

I hear my dad growl, but he doesn’t jump in because, well, he’s just disowned me.

“You stupid little slut!” Zane-hole snaps close to my face, his spit spraying everywhere, his hazel eyes blazing with anger and embarrassment.

Guess he told everyone I was his, huh?

I raise a brow at him and state, “I wonder what the press would think knowing the precious son of Charles Andrews just hit a pregnant woman?”

His nostrils flare, but I ignore him, his parents, and my own. I turn to my sister, whose tears stain her cheeks, she doesn't move to say she'll stand by me, and a big part of me resents her, especially because I have always stood by her.

Shaking off the feeling, I gently kiss her cheek, ignoring my lip, I whisper, “I love you, little sister,” and she lets out a sob.

I kiss her again, then walk away without looking back, knowing I did what I had to for my unborn child. This issomething my sister and I knew could happen, even if we didn’t want it to, and now, I feel alone.

Chapter 8

Taylor– Seven Months Later

I run through the streets of New York, dodging one scowling pedestrian after the other with my brother right behind me, my eyes firmly on the redhead a block ahead of me.

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