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“Bet your ass it is,” Claude hisses.
“Claude, feel free to speak freely. I’m a grown man.”
“Man! You call yourself a man? Getting your girlfriend pregnant and abandoning her? Leaving her to go through this alone? That’s not a man in my book. That’s a selfish, spineless, coward. In my day, a real man would take responsibility and marry the mother of his child.”
The waitress returns with our drinks and takes our orders. The whole time, my stomach twists in anger. Sasha has continued to lie to them. I raise an eyebrow at her and catch her smirk.
Wrong fucking move.
“I think you have been misled. I am taking responsibility, one-hundred percent responsibility.” I look her parents in the eye and emphasize my point.
“Misled? How exactly was I misled? My daughter sits here five months pregnant with your child, and I understand you are planning to raise the baby separately? To me, that looks like skirting your responsibilities.”
“Sasha, you want to break in here?”
“No, I think my father is saying what we all feel.”
“With all due respect, Claude, Sasha and I never had a relationship. For you to think I’d abandon my pregnant girlfriend is an insult. I understand you’re upset, so I’ll be lenient, but you need to know, I won’t sit here and be the bad guy. Sasha and I engaged in a very, very brief sexual encounter that resulted in a pregnancy. We barely knew each other and had no contact after that. I’m not proud of my actions.”
Sasha’s smirk disappears, and she pales.
“Jesus.” He looks between Sasha and me in disbelief.
“What’s done is done. No one expected this. We’re not here to rehash the past. We’re here to get to know one another.” My dad takes over, kicking me under the table.
The next half hour is mostly our parents trying to make small talk. Sasha and I don’t speak. When our food is delivered, the table goes back to an uncomfortable silence.
“Ren, tell us a little more about you.” Ann looks pointedly at me.
“I’m a lawyer as well, practicing in the field of Sports Law.”
“Sasha says you’re very well known, very elusive in your field, known around the country as the best. It sounds like you have a privileged clientele. That must be very exciting,” she practically gushes.
My mom’s hand digs into my knee under the table. I’m not sure if she’s more upset about Ann calling me Ren, or the fact that she blatantly has dollar signs written on her face.
“I’ve done very well for myself, but I’ve worked my ass off since I started college. Nothing was given to me. I was lucky enough to land an internship in New York City, where I worked under some of the best lawyers. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m proud of my accomplishments.”
“Why’d you choose Sports Law?”
“My brother. When he was fourteen, he had childhood cancer. His dream was to play for the NFL. I told him, if he did, I’d be his agent. He was a sophomore in college when I passed the bar. He was excelling in the sport, and there was no question he was going pro. So when I finished my internship, I came back to Miami and started at my agency, working my way up.”
“Oh, that’s right. Sasha mentioned your brother was Nicolas Bennett.” Ann’s attempt to act blasé fails. She knew exactly who he was.
“And your other brother is a doctor?”
“Yes,” I clip.
“Such successful sons, Maria. You must be extremely proud.”
I slice my eyes to my mom, who’s stopped eating. Her face is set in stone.
“I am, but I’d be equally as proud with any career choice. All three are incredible men with kind and generous hearts.”
Claude mutters something under his breath, obviously not agreeing.
“Let’s talk about the baby,” my dad says through a strained voice.
“Yes, Sasha, tell us about you and the baby. How are you feeling?” Mom’s attempt at sounding enthusiastic falls flat, and I have to hang my head to hide my amusement.
