Page 29 of Daddy's Best Friend

ALAN

The long path that snaked from the driveway toward the Vance’s front door felt more like a gauntlet than a sidewalk. They weren’t expecting me because I’d given them no reason to. It was Friday night, one week since I’d realized Ella had gone home and not even bothered to tell me why. Each step I took closer to the door felt heavier, like I was walking into a gunfight and all I had brought was my cell phone.

I tried to be angry with Ella for flaking on work, not calling or showing up. She knew Rene was coming back though, and that we’d be in good hands. Every time I tried to look at it from a purely work-related point of view, I was reminded that I had allowed it to cross that professional line into something far too personal. I had led her on for the sex, then I’d fallen in love with her and refused to admit it to myself, let alone her.

The door loomed before me. I could hear a lawnmower in the distance, a dog barking, but nothing coming from inside the house. With any luck, Todd and Elaine would be out, and I could just talk to Ella alone. I knew we could never be together, but I didn’t want it to end this way. I wanted to at least apologize formy part in breaking her heart. She had to know that I was not like the guy who broke her heart.

I pressed the doorbell button and waited. A timid Cuban woman opened the door, smiling politely. She opened it and stepped aside, so I walked in.

“Come, come.” The maid gestured with her hand, leading me through the entry way past the stairs, through the family room and straight to Todd’s office. “Señor,” she said to Todd, smiling. The door stood open, and I could see him typing away furiously at his keyboard.

He looked up at me and scowled, flicking his hand at the maid. She nodded, smiled and walked away, half-shuffling. I watched her disappear into the kitchen down the hall and then I strolled into Todd’s office and planted myself in the chair across from him. I knew it couldn’t have been as easy as coming to see Ella and then leaving. My luck didn’t run that deep.

“Goddammit!” Todd scowled and heaved out a sigh, typing a bit more on his keyboard and then looking up at me and shaking his head. He sat back and rubbed his face with both hands; then his expression calmed, and he folded his hands over his stomach. “Sorry, Alan. I’m having a bit of a rough week.” He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a fifth of whiskey and two shot glasses, raising the glasses my direction. I shook my head.

“No, thanks.” I did not need to have any drinks in me for this conversation. I needed to be thinking clearly. Though, despite his obvious anger, he didn’t seem to be directing it at me.

“Suit yourself.” After putting one of the glasses back, he poured himself a drink and set the bottle aside. I’d never seen Todd reach for the bottle out of frustration, only at social events, sothis side of him was new. I wondered how he could judge Ella so strongly on her behavior if he was the example she followed. Though maybe he felt guilty for leading her astray, which would be reason enough to be so hard on her.

“So I suppose you’ve heard of Ella’s situation now.”

The statement took me by surprise. Given the fact that he was not tearing my head off, I assumed he did not know about what had happened between me and his daughter. So, this “situation” was news to me. I leaned casually on the armrest, crossing one leg over the other. I acted calm, but inside my chest was pounding.

“Situation?” If I pried, he’d tell me anything I wanted to know, but I didn’t know if I wanted to know. The only thing I had to go on was the fact that Ella had confessed her feelings to me and spent time daydreaming about us having a future. I had gotten up abruptly to avoid the conversation, then I’d spent three weeks focusing on work so much I knew she had to have felt neglected. What sort of situation was that?

“It’s an outright shame; that’s what it is. She had so much potential too.” Todd downed the drink and set the glass to the side. He rubbed his forehead and looked up to me. “She could have done so much, and now this.”

Puzzled, I tried to understand what he was saying. The only thing she could possibly have done to make him upset was the fact that she walked out on the job without even telling me she had quit. I understood that Todd took things a bit more seriously than I did on any given day, but this reaction to her quitting a job was a bit over the top. Even for Todd.

“Well, I’m not sure her actions warrant such a strong response. She is still learning, and she has her whole life ahead of her.” I was only trying to be helpful, and Todd reacted like I had spat in his face.

“Are you serious? Do you even know what this will do to her future? Her whole life ahead of her? Her life is ruined. Over!” He pressed his hands to the sides of his head and sank his elbows onto the table. “It changes everything.”

“Todd, I can’t help but wonder if you’re being a bit melodramatic.” My comment drew his ire. He glared at me, and I watched his nostrils flare.

“Your son is a real piece of work, you know?” He stood and picked up the bottle, pouring another shot out. I took the glass from him and downed it myself for his own protection, then stole the bottle. Todd began pacing.

“What do you mean my son?” Now I really didn’t understand what was happening. I’d have joined him in pacing, but I didn’t know what was so wrong that could cause him to be this upset or why it would involve Trevor.

“I told her to abort. I tried to tell her very clearly that the only way to deal with this was to nip it in the bud. She’d get her life back; Trevor wouldn’t have to take responsibility. We’d just make the whole pregnancy go away.”

“Pregnancy?” I sank onto the end of his desk, clutching the bottle and shot glass as my world began to spin. Todd rambled on about something, but my gaze no longer followed him. My eyes dropped to the carpet and my mind raced. “Pregnancy?” I repeated, in complete shock.

“Yes. Now you see why I’m so upset.” Todd plopped back into his desk chair and assumed a similar posture to the one he’d had before. “This is going to ruin her life.”

My tongue felt like it was swelling, my mouth dry. I barely held the bottle of whiskey up. It couldn’t be possible. She’d sworn to me that she knew when she was fertile. I made her promise me that this wouldn’t happen. God, how could I have been so stupid? I set the bottle down along with the glass and scrubbed my face.

“Fuck.” I shook my head. “Can I talk to her?” I rose, not even thinking about what Todd would say. I didn’t care. Ella was pregnant with my baby, and we had a huge mountain to climb. Once he found out it was not Trevor’s, we’d need to call an ambulance. He was going to have a heart attack.

“You may as well. I haven’t been able to get through to her. Maybe you can talk some sense into her. She’s in her room.” Todd gestured at the door and grabbed the bottle again. I didn’t even stop him. Maybe a few drinks would calm him down before he heard the truth.

I didn’t waste any time. I walked right to Ella’s bedroom and knocked on the door. When she called “Go away”, I walked straight in. She was curled up on the bed, holding a giant stuffed wolf. When she looked up and saw me, she leapt out of bed, nervously backing up to the wall. I shut the door and hurried over to her, wrapping my arms around her and holding her tightly to my chest.

“What are you doing here?” Her muffled voice in my chest was the sweetest sound I’d heard all week. “Dad let you in?” She pushed at my chest, and before she had a chance to protest, I took her face in my hands and kissed her. I kissed her becauseI had longed for her all week, because I knew how much she had to be hurting, and because she was having my baby and I couldn’t be happier about it.

When I pulled away, she looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, “Please, you need to leave.” She pushed at my chest, but I held her firm.

“I’m not leaving.” I kissed her again, to her protests. She cried, pounding my chest with her fists until I stopped kissing her again.

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