Page 66 of His Secret Virgin
Chapter 27
Christopher
Walking into my home, I let out a huge sigh of relief to finally be in my safe haven. I’d hardly had time to worry about Emma’s car not being where she’d parked it the evening before—she probably went to grab a bite to eat, I’d told myself—when Lisa had shown up in the driveway.
The girls had obviously told her about Emma and the baby, and I suspected Emma’s parents might’ve even spoken to her as well. I don’t know why they thought she’d be able to help, but it seems they’d sent her my way as a last ditch effort to separate me and Emma. That, or Lisa had decided on her own to come over and try to mess with me one last time.
Lisa had spouted some bullshit about wanting to get back together. Even now I wasn’t sure if she actually felt that way, of if she was just doing it for our daughters’ sake; she had always been a great actress. She’d pleaded that it would be best for our daughters if we were back together. Why she thought I’d choose the welfare of my adult daughters, who could fend for themselves, over that of my unborn child who would need a father, I have no clue.
Wanting her to leave as quickly as possible, I’d told her in no uncertain terms that I would not be leaving Emma and our baby, and that I could never love her again. Thankfully she hadn’t put up too much of a fight, likely because it was more of an act than an actual plea to get back together, and I’d watched her as she’d gotten back into her car. She’d only slammed the door a little, and with a flip of the bird to me, she’d driven off.
There was no way I was going to let my ex-wife ruin my newfound happiness. Emma and I had enough obstacles as it was without having Lisa come over and screw everything up.
Besides, the talk I’d had with Sebastien and Celeste had only served to cement my decision of what I needed to do with Emma. Now that all the unpleasantness was dealt with, today would be one hell of a great day. Or at least I hoped Emma would think so.
First, I needed to make sure my daughters clearly understood things. They’d retreated to their rooms after our conversation the night before. The fact that neither had packed up and left had led me to believe that they’d abide by my wishes where Emma was concerned, but after Lisa had shown up, I wasn’t so sure. I wanted certain they hadn’t told their mother to come over and that they were accepting of my desires before I went any further.
Heading into the kitchen, I found the girls eating breakfast. The cook was there, so I knew I’d catch them eating at home that morning. Their smiles put me at ease as I came in. “Good morning, you two. It’s nice to see those pretty smiles on your faces this morning.”
Ashley patted the seat next to hers. “Come, sit down and have breakfast with us, Daddy.”
I took the seat then kissed her on the cheek. “I hope this means you two are happy for me and willing to be civil at the very least.”
Lauren filled my coffee cup. “We are, Daddy. We know we were being selfish yesterday. If that girl makes you happy, then that’s all that matters.”
“I’m glad you feel that way.” I took a sip of the coffee. “I wasn’t pleased about you calling Emma’s father last night. That was a battle we weren’t prepared for. And I just had an unpleasant chat with your mother—I assume that was your doing as well?”
Lauren dropped her head. “Sorry, Daddy. We were just really upset and worried about you.”
“There’s no need to be worried about me.” I pulled the silver dome off the platter in the middle of the table revealing scrambled eggs and bacon, and I helped myself. “I don’t suppose either of you has seen Emma this morning?”
“No,” they both said.
“Why do you ask that? Is she not here?” Ashley asked.
“Her car’s gone.” I shrugged. “I think she went to get something to eat. I wanted to make sure things were smoothed over with you two before I called her. Being able to deliver good news to her would make me happy.”
Lauren’s smile seemed a little off as she said, “If she’s gone, do you think maybe she went to her parents?”
I hadn’t thought that at all until she mentioned it. “Maybe I should go ahead and give her a call now.”
Ashley put her hand on top of mine to stop me from getting the cell out of my pocket. “Eat first, Daddy. I don’t see the need to rush anything. Unless you’re worried she might not want to live here with you. At least not yet.”
Lauren nodded. “Yeah. I mean, we know you two have been staying together every weekend for the last couple of months, but that’s not full-time living together. It might be freaking her out some. Girls that age aren’t very mature yet. She may want to live with her parents. At least for a little while. You don’t want to push her, do you, Dad?”
“Of course not.” But I did want to talk to her. “You guys don’t know her yet. She hasn’t had the easiest time living with her parents so far.”
Wanting to get off the topic of Emma moving back in with her parents, I changed the subject to one I’d been hoping to talk to my daughters about for a while. “Girls, I want to introduce something new to you both.”
“More new things, Dad?” Lauren asked.
“Yes.” I tried to think about how to word what I wanted. “You see, most people in this world have some type of job.”
“Oh, here we go again,” Ashley whined.
“Dad,” Lauren chimed in, “we’ve talked about this before.”
“Well, we’re talking about it again. You two need to be better role models for the newest little Taylor.” I thought I’d try to get them involved with, if not even a little bit excited about, the addition to our family. “As role models, I’d like you both to find something to do. I don’t care how much money you make, or even if you make any money. Volunteer for all I care. But get up each day and go do something you care about. Become responsible adults and citizens.”
