Page 30 of Bad Teacher

He watched Brit and Damian leave the altar, followed by Nikki and Lara, the bridesmaids. He’d had a chance to meet Nikki and Brit earlier at lunch, in passing, and get reacquainted with Lara. They all seemed great friends, but he had no rapport with them to ask about Violet’s sudden change of mood. Besides, that was his problem to solve.

He nudged her elbow so they’d leave the chapel along with the other twenty guests who had flown from California to the event.

“Violet,” Lara asked behind them. “Can I ride with you to the hotel?”

“Of course,” Violet said.

The drive to their hotel, where the reception would take place at one of the nice ballrooms, was longer than ever. Lara small talked and he joined in, giving an effort to sound interested and not too detached. Violet, on the other hand, looked out the window for the most part, barely adding a word or two to the conversation.

When they made it to the hotel, he opened the door for the women to get out. Discreetly, he nudged Violet aside and let Lara enter the ballroom. “Hey, we need to talk.”

Violet nodded. “Can it wait until after the reception? I want to talk to you, but if I skip the reception, everyone will notice.”

Skip the reception? What news did she have for him that’d make both of them go to their room? His gut clenched tighter. These weren’t his friends so he didn’t care about ruining their night, but she would. “Sure.” He choked out.

They walked into the area decorated with candles, sultry golden drapes and violinists on each corner. The atmosphere was intimate and romantic, but he could barely notice anything other than Violet by his side.

Brit and Damian stood, talking to a couple of people, when Violet greeted them.

“You look gorgeous,” she said to Brit. Then she turned to her husband. “Congrats again. Didn’t the kids do amazing?”

“Thanks, Mommy.” Amanda, who stood next to her dad, jumped and hugged her.

“And this is Theo Brodeur,” she said, gesturing between him and Damian.

Damian stretched out his hand. “Pleasure to meet you. So glad you could make it.”

“Thanks, and congrats.” He reciprocated the firm handshake. He’d expected to dislike Damian, but now, the look in the man’s eyes spoke of kindness. Besides, though he suspected, he wasn’t sure Damian was the reason why Violet had changed her mood.

Damian patted him on the back. “We need to get together sometime. Call Cole and have a drink.”

“Sounds good,” he said.

Violet exchanged more pleasantries with Brit, then they found their seat and sat. Even though small, the reception had been carefully organized. The food served tasted exquisite, the music good and the guests, compelling.

Damian danced with his daughter, and also Brit’s daughter Libby. Violet kept Trevor with her at most times, unless they wanted him for pictures to give the couple more room to enjoy the party.

“Come here. I asked Lara to keep an eye on the kids while we talk,” she said after a couple of hours they had been there.

She took him to the winter garden of the hotel, a lush area filled with a Japanese flair and several cherry blossom trees making a circle. Thankfully, not many people were around them, most tourists opting to take pictures of the lobby.

“Shoot,” he said, perching his hands at his wait, unable to wait a second longer.

“I’m sorry I’ve been weird the entire day.” She glanced at him, threading her fingers together, then took a deep breath.

He stretched to his full height. “Tell me. What’s wrong, Violet?”

He chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m pregnant.”

His heart skipped a beat, only to resume a nanosecond later like it was about to part from his chest. “Pregnant?” he repeated, like he pronounced a foreign word for the first time. How could she be pregnant when she’d been on birth control?

She sat on a bench, regarding him. “Yes. I took a test this morning.”

“You told me you were protected,” he said, and a second later, hated himself for his accusatory tone. Emotions jumbled his mind, and he could barely focus. He paced in front of her, too restless to stay still. Did she lie to him? No, why would she? He brushed that bitter thought aside.

She touched her neck, her fingers tapping her skin. “I am protected. I have had an IUD for over a year, but somehow you broke through. I guess it’s not 100%.”

He ran his fingers down his face. “Fuck,” he said in a low voice.

She shot him an ugly look and shook her head. “I don’t expect anything from you. I’m telling you so you know.”

He came to a halt, but his blood continued to throb in his veins. “You don’t expect anything from me? What do you think, I’m a monster? I’m just going to go about my day and ignore the fact there’ll be a child in nine months?”

She crossed and uncrossed her legs, visibly nervous. “I don’t know what to say. This is news for me. I thought about it the whole day, but can’t seem to—”

Don’t upset her.He inhaled, then exhaled slowly, trying to digest the news and think about the best outcome. His father would laugh at him right now. Look at you.Got the woman pregnant and now you’re acting like a savage. You just can’t get it together, can you? “Violet, you have two children, a new job and you’re still recovering from a major event last year. It’s a lot for you,” he said, hoping his voice would outdo the one in his head.

She looked up to him, tilting her head. “What are you suggesting, exactly?”

“Let’s get married.”

---