Page 53 of One Night With My Grumpy Professor Daddy

I shoot a puzzled look from my mom to my dad. Without waiting for me to voice my confusion, Mom grabs her glass and beams, “Let’s have a toast.” My father raises his glass and gestures that I do so, too. I hesitate, eyeing my glass of water before reaching for it. My mind is racing. My parents are trying to be supportive, but I still don’t feel right. Not when I know there is more that they don’t know about. The one thing that could change everything.

“We’re proud of you, Ava,” my dad says softly with a smile, “And regardless of anything, we’ll always be here for you; we love you.” We clink glasses, and while my parents take swigs of their drinks, I place my cup back on the table. This is what I want, right? For my parents to be proud of me and to fix my mistakes. So why do I feel like an imposter? A fluke? A fake? I’m still in my head, so I don’t hear a comment my mother makes, but it makes her laugh out loud, and my dad smirks beside her. My mother has always been the easier going between the two. She’s most likely trying to diffuse the situation with a joke. As the laughter and chatter continues, I find myself struggling to be present. My hand instinctively touches my belly, a reminder of the life growing inside me. Guilt gnaws at me like an ulcer eating into my intestines. Just like at the dinner the other day, I feel like I’m going to explode.

I know I won’t be able to keep up the charade for long. Even though all I’ve ever wanted was for my parents to forgive me for my mistake and for things to go back to how they used to be before the scandal, I can’t just sit here lying to them, pretending.

“Um, they don’t want to know about the father?” I don’t realize I’m speaking till my parents turn to look at me.

“That’s irrelevant, who cares about the father? Honey, if you don’t want to tell us, that’s fine. We’re here whenever you’re ready. Besides, we’re family, and that makes the baby our family, your father and I-”

“It’s Drake Armstrong,” I blurt out before she makes a statement she won’t be able to take responsibility for later. “Daniel Armstrong’s son —is the father of my baby.”

A stunned silence hangs in the air, and I see their expressions shift from confusion to shock and disbelief. My father’s expression says it all.

“Daniel Armstrong’s son?” His voice is stern and somber.

“So, you two… I was right. Oh, what in God’s name are you trying to do to us, Ava? Are you absolutely positive— I mean...?” My mom splutters. An apology lies at the tip of my tongue. I want to tell them it was a mistake and I never meant for this to happen, but I can’t. No matter how shocked and disappointed they look now, I can’t bring myself to consider the life growing in my stomach as a mistake. I’m suddenly hit with a wave of nausea. I don’t know if it’s the food or all that’s happening around me. I bolt to my feet.

“Excuse me.” I race blindly in the direction of the bathroom to empty the contents of my stomach. I splash some water on my face and look in the mirror. My eyes are red, my palms are shaking, and I take a deep breath. Finally, I don’t have to hide anymore, not my baby or who the father is, like it’s some dirty secret. But behind my closed eyes, an image of my parents’ startled expressions flashes, and my eyes shoot open. I don’t think I can face them. Even though what I wanted was for my parents to accept me, mistakes and all. I don’t think I can handle the look on their face if they don’t. At least not right now. My heart racing, I take the cowardly way out and rush out of the restaurant. I don’t stop, even when I hear calls of “Ava” behind me. I hop in the back seat of a cab and go home. My pregnancy emotions are taking a toll on me. Maybe I’ll have the strength to face them another day, but for now, I feel like I can’t withstand any more disappointment… I know it’ll break me.

I get to my apartment, spent and weak. Telling everybody has taken everything out of me. I think about Drake, trying to figure out how I’m going to tell him, too. And as though I conjured him, he’s waiting outside my apartment door. My nerves are having a field day. And for an instance, a sense of relief washes over me, followed by worry at the serious look spread over his face. But the overall emotion I’m filled with, Something I don’t think I should be feeling, especially for someone I can’t be with.

Love.

“Ava.” Hearing him call my name since that night when I walked out of his house sends goosebumps down my spine. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

“We need to talk,” he says, taking a step closer.

I shove my hand into my pocket because I’m scared I might reach for him. These hormones are making me do a lot of unpredictable things lately. I don’t think I can honestly blame everything on them, though, when it comes to Drake.

Without a word, I open the door.

As soon as we get in, he turns to me and goes straight to the point. “I know your secret.”

My heart stops beating.

How does he know?

Heat wells up in my chest, and my face goes numb. Did my mother call him? I shake the thought—she wouldn’t be caught dead interacting with anyone from that family.

His gaze travels down my length, assessing me. I guess he can see the slight weight I’ve put on these past weeks or the bags I tried to cover with makeup under my eyes. I take a step back, not ready for this conversation. “Drake, I—”

He shakes his head.

What does that mean? That he doesn’t want the baby?

Instinctively, my hand flies to my stomach protectively. “Drake. I’m keeping this-”

“You don’t have to be so hard on yourself, Ava. I see how much you’ve tried to redeem yourself; you don’t have to spend the rest of your life making up for past mistakes. And you don’t need to end us.”

My eyebrows crease in confusion. What are you talking about?

“I saw... a file.” He shakes his head and continues. “The point is, I know the role you played by helping Daniel Strong gain ammunition against your father’s law firm. I understand why you feel so damned guilty all the time, and I now know why being with me is hard for you.”

My brows crash. “That’s what you think my secret is?”

“Ava, listen, if there’s more that I don’t know, trust I’m going to be there for you. And anything you think you need to hide —I already love you through it.”

“Drake,” I whisper, barely holding it together.

---