Page 39 of The Decoy

An absolute silence falls over the room.

Bryan’s eyes are wide, and I can tell he’s trying to hold in a laugh. He looks between me, Brody, and our father.

“Oh shit,” Bryan says.

My dad clears his throat, his pulling into a bewildered expression as his gaze flickers between my face and my stomach.

“What the hell is going on here?” he demands, his voice echoing through the room.

I feel Brody’s body go rigid beneath me. For a split second, I worry that this situation could escalate into something bad if I don’t defuse it quickly. Not because I think Brody would do anything, but I want to handle this my way.

I squeeze his hand, and then Brody lets out a breath. His hands don’t drop away from my body, though. Instead, he keeps me firmly against him.

“Dad,” I say, my voice surprisingly steady. “Why don’t you come in?”

My father stares at me for a few seconds, then without taking his eyes off me, he steps out of the doorway.

Bryan clears his throat but follows my dad into the room. “Maybe I should…”

“Stay, Bryan,” my father commands. He stops a few feet away from us and folds his arms across his chest. “Ellis. Would you like to explain why Brody Vaughn is holding you on your office couch like he’s more than just a brand partner?”

I sit up straighter, though I stay on Brody’s lap. Then I look my father in the eyes, feeling a calm wave settle in my chest. I can’t hide this anymore. It’s time to tell the family.

“Brody is here because our baby just kicked for the first time, Dad,” I say clearly. “And I wanted him here to feel it.”

Bryan coughs and turns his head. He knows Brody isn’t the father, and I’m thankful he didn’t correct me.

But I feel like explaining the real situation would just make this awkward moment more…awkward. So I’ll stick to this for now, explain later, and hope Brody isn’t mad that I called the baby ours.

My father looks a bit frozen, and I notice the color drain from his face. Again, he looks down at my stomach, then at Brody.

“Your…baby?” my father echoes, like he just can’t believe I said it.

“Our baby,” Brody confirms, and I turn to look at him, staring at my dad with zero fear. He shifts and gently helps me off his lap to stand, then he stands next to me. He reaches for my hand and weaves his fingers through mine. “We’re having a baby.”

My father stares at Brody’s hand interwoven with mine. Then he turns and looks at Bryan, who nods once.

For the first time in my life, I see my father completely speechless.

Slowly, the tension in his shoulders breaks. He lets out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well,” my father mutters, shaking his head as his eyes soften. “I guess we’d better get your mother involved.”

Bryan lets out a bark of laughter. “This’ll be fun.”

Brody’s hand tightens around mine, a confident smile breaking across his face. “I’m ready, sir.”

My dad looks between the two of us one more time before spinning on his heel and walking back toward the door. “Clear your schedules for dinner. All of you. Including you, Bryan. I’m going to need a stiff drink and an explanation of how this happened.”

“Dad, I don’t think we want to know how it happened, do we?” Bryan teases.

“Bryan, not now,” my father chides.

My brother looks over his shoulder at me and winks with a devilish smile. “See you later, Els.”

I don’t reply, but I turn to Brody once they’re gone. “Sorry⁠—”

“Nope. Nothing to apologize for.”