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“I’m so proud of you,” he tells me, voice thick with emotion as he looks at me like I hung the moon. “And I promise you, we’ll do a Europe trip. Maybe not next summer, but the summer after. The baby will be big enough then.”
“I don’t think I’ll be up for backpacking, though. Hotel stays sound more appropriate for our situation,” I point out, smiling.
“And I’m going to make things right with your dad. Even if you’re okay now, I know that you’ll want him there for you.”
“That would be nice.”
I’ve always been a daddy’s girl, but now I have my own baby to think about. And if my dad can’t come around, that will be his loss.
Because now, there’s another man that I know loves me unconditionally.
“Now,” I tell him, a smirk painting my lips, “what if we gave what happened on the couch earlier another go?”
He looks like I just offered him a million dollars. “You already know my answer.”
And I’m more than in the mood this time around.
CHAPTER27
TYLER
In my head, I can’t stop replaying what Maria told me in the bathtub. Despite how much she loves her father, it doesn’t appear like she’s going to beg him to accept our relationship or the conception of our child.
But I know how much she wishes for him to be there for her. As much as she can put on a brave face for me, I know the rift with him tears her up inside.
Like a lovesick teenager, she glances at her phone, hoping for a call that isn’t coming. It pains me to see the look of disappointment flash across her face before she quickly shakes it away.
Calls from her mom have been reassuring, but without her dad also being on board, I know she dwells on the fact, no matter how much she tries to push it to the back of her mind.
I meant it when I said I’d make things right with her father. At the end, I’m at fault for disregarding his warning, and I must be the one to fix this. I just need to figure out how.
A more pressing matter is that Tom and I must decide whether we’ll try to settle the copyright case outside of court before the verdict is passed. It’s for the best to wait to address our personal situation only after we get through this case. The stakes are high enough without us getting into another fight.
Knocking on Tom’s door, I get called in. Not wasting any time, I approach his desk and begin with what I came for.
“We haven’t decided whether or not we’d try to settle out of court or wait for a verdict.”
“That could have easily been asked through an email,” Tom grumbles, completely ignoring the question.
“It’s easier to discuss this in person.” My voice remains steady under his angry gaze.
“I would have preferred not to see you.”
Not that he hasn’t been less than professional as of late with his short quips and glares, but the comment seems like a low blow.
I don’t react. He’s mad, but sooner or later, he’ll get over it. For now, I only want to close out this case and not worry about it anymore.
“Well, now that I’m here, I think it would be best to settle outside of court if we can. Our prospects aren’t looking great and ” I’m cut off by Tom’s scoff.
“Disheartening to see you take a coward’s way out. It confirms what I already knew.”
He scowls, and my face darkens in anger at his comment.
Not trying to get a deal is irresponsible and not in the best interest of the client. His personal issues are obviously getting in the way of his ability to be a level-headed and pragmatic lawyer.
I know I shouldn’t take the bait. Leaving his office would be the best course of action, but he called me a coward, and I’m anything but.
“And what is it that you already knew?” I ask, trying to see if he’s willing to take this any further.
