One Night with my Best Friend’s Dad (Forbidden Kisses #1)

9. Kelly

Chapter 9

Kelly

I’m left alone, my hand resting on my stomach, wondering if I’ve just lost everything when my cell rings.

I answer the phone with shaking hands. “Piper, I—”

“How could you?” Piper’s voice explodes through the speaker. “He’s my dad, Kelly! It’s disgusting!”

My throat tightens. “Piper, please—”

“He’s twice your age! You’ll dump him for someone younger in a couple of years, and then he’ll be sad again, just like when Mom left him!”

Tears stream down my face. “It’s not like that—”

“Let him go, Kelly. Please,” Piper begs. “You don’t understand. I’ll lose him again when you end things. He’ll disappear from my life, just like before.”

I take a deep breath. “Piper, I can’t. I’m... I’m pregnant.”

There’s a pause, then a bitter laugh. “Do you think that changes anything? Hockey will always come first for him. I never came first in his life. Only now is he being a terrific dad.”

Her words cut deep.

“But we love each other—”

“Love? He doesn’t know how to love anyone but himself and his precious team,” Piper spits. “You’re just his midlife crisis, Kelly. Wake up! I’m not saying this to hurt you. I’m telling you to protect you.”

I sink onto the couch, my hand on my belly. “You’re being unfair,” I whisper.

“Am I? Think about it, Kelly. Really think. Is this what you want? To be a trophy wife, raising a kid alone while he’s off with his team? I know what he was like. You’ll be lonely with him. My mom was. I love him, but he’s selfish.”

Doubt creeps in, poisoning my resolve. “I love him.”

Piper is silent for a moment as my words go over and over in my head.

I love him.

I loved him the first moment I saw him.

She groans. “Then you really should go home, Kelly. For everyone’s sake. More so, yours because he won’t love you back. My mom never believed he loved her. She always said his only love was hockey. And he proved her right. He went from playing to coaching. He can’t…”

“It’s his job,” I interrupt. “I don’t want to take away the thing he loves. But he can love me too.”

“And the baby? He left me in California.”

“You told me it was your mother who moved you to California when she met your stepfather.”

There's a click and the line goes dead.

I stare at my phone, Piper’s words echoing in my head.

I walk around the apartment for hours before finally, with trembling hands, pack my bags, tears blurring my vision.

Maybe she’s right. Maybe I’m just fooling myself.

But as I zip up my suitcase, I still wonder if I’m making the biggest mistake of my life.

I pace back and forth in front of the ticket counter, my heart pounding as I swipe my card over and over, each time the machine declining the payment.

I want to scream.

“I’m sorry, miss, but the card isn’t going through,” the agent says apologetically once again. “Do you have another card?”

“No!” Frustration bubbles up inside me. “Can you try it again? Please?” I beg, my voice faltering as a sob tries to escape.

The agent shakes her head. “I’m afraid there’s nothing more I can do. The payment isn’t going through.”

Tears sting my eyes as I step away from the counter, my hands trembling. I need to get out of here, back to California, away from this mess I’ve created. But without a working card, I’m stranded.

I could call my parents and ask for their help. Mom would offer, but I’m sure dad will stop her.

Spotting an empty row of chairs in the corner, I stroll over and sink down, pulling my knees up to my chest. I stare around the airport for a minute before resting my forehead on my knees.

What a mess.

One tear follows another, until the sobs I’ve been holding back finally break free and my body shaking as the tears flow freely stinging as they fall down my cheeks.

How could I have let this happen?

Piper was right. I’m just a fool, chasing some fantasy of a happily ever after with a man who’s too old for me and who can never truly love me. And now, I’m alone, pregnant and without a way to get home.

I can’t stay here. It’s the life I wanted, the one I’d share with Mac and my baby, but it’s not to be.

I must have some money in my bank account.

Perhaps not enough for the airfare, but maybe I can afford a bus ticket back to California. I groan at the thought of that long, grueling bus ride. But beggars can’t be choosers, and I’m already resigning myself to the unpleasant journey ahead.

Spotting an ATM across the terminal, I hurry over and check my bank balance. I have just enough for a one-way bus ticket, but no more. I groan. It’s every dollar I’d saved to buy things for the baby.

I close my eyes and take in a weak breath.

I pat my belly and say, “I promise to give you a wonderful life.”

I’m just not sure how.

I’ve wanted babies since I was a young girl. I just always thought I’d be married, have a career, and a husband who was on board. I never expected this.

Pulling out the handle of my suitcase, I turn to head to the exit and toward the bus departures, when I spot Mac and Piper walking towards the entrance, their faces tense as they enter the airport through the sliding doors.

I swallow back the lump that found its way into my throat, or perhaps my heart broke through my rib cage and made its way there when Mac’s eyes meet mine.

I freeze, unsure of whether to hide or turn away.

“Kelly,” Mac says, his voice low with a hint of anger. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

I glance nervously at Piper, and not wanting to tell her dad about the conversation we had, I tell him, “I, um, I was just leaving,” I stammer, taking a step back. “I thought it was for the best. I don’t want you to have to choose.”

“I’m sorry,” Piper whispers. “I was out of order. I was so angry and nobody was talking to me and I just lashed out at you.”

Mac places a hand on her arm, silencing her. “Piper, please. Let me talk to Kelly alone for a moment.”

Piper opens her mouth to argue, but then closes it, nodding stiffly. “I need her to know how sorry I am.”

“One minute,” he tells her.

As Piper walks away, Mac turns to me, his eyes full of concern. “Kelly, what’s going on? Why are you leaving?”

I swallow hard, my gaze dropping to the floor. “I—I can’t stay here, Mac. It’s too much. Piper was right. This is all just a mistake.”

“A mistake?” Disbelief spikes Mac’s voice as he shakes his head, but then his words soften as he says, “Kelly, I love you. And I want to be there for you and our baby. Please, don’t leave.”

“You…You—love me?” The words come out of my mouth a garbled mess. Tears well up in my eyes again. “But Piper...she hates me. And you’re her father. I can’t come between you two.”

Mac reaches out, his hands gently cup my face as he tilts my head up to meet his gaze. “Piper and I have had a talk. She’s sorry. She still needs a little time to adjust to us, but she’ll get there. And she will.” He hesitates for a moment as he stares into my eyes. “I can’t let you go, not now, never.”

“I never had enough money to fly home,” I cry out.

He laughs as he pulls me into his arms. “Good, because you’re not going anywhere. I want you and the baby with me forever.”

“I need to be with you.”

He presses a kiss on my head. “Good, that’s settled. And we need to have a discussion on your education. Piper told me you were in your last year of studying marketing. I don’t want you to give up on your dreams because you’ll be a wife and mother.”

A wife?

I search his eyes, seeing only sincerity and determination there.

“I’m not asking you here.”

“I love you,” I whisper.

“And I love you.” He turns and holds out his hand to Piper. She walks toward us with a smile on her face.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I won’t come between your relationship.” I understand now what Piper was trying to tell me. She was afraid I was going to be the one who ruined her developing relationship with her dad.

She shakes her head. “Don’t be. I was being a selfish bitch. And I took advantage of your beautiful nature. I knew you’d leave if I needed you to.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I get it. We both want him to love us.”

Mac laughs. “I feel cherished for once in my life.”

Piper stares at her dad and says, “Oh, Dad, I’m sorry for trying to ruin your life. I never, ever thought about how lonely you were as a hockey player and a coach. I thought you loved the life it gave you.”

“I love it, Piper, but I lost so much because of it, too.” Mac turns and takes my hand, his thumb stroking over my palm. “I never wanted your mother to move to California and take you with her. I wanted a family. And I get a second chance at that now.”

“And I want you to have it,” Piper replies.

I take a deep breath, the weight of the world lifting off my shoulders as Piper’s words sink in. “You really mean that?”

Piper nods, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Of course. I was just being a brat before. I want you both to be happy.” She turns to Mac, her expression softening. “And I’m looking forward to being a big sister.”

Piper and I both laugh, the tension in the air dissipating. I reach out and give Piper’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, Piper. That really means a lot to me.”

“To us,” Mac corrects, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close. “We’re in this together, remember?”

“I hope so, including the nighttime feeds,” I tease, poking him playfully in the chest.

Mac rolls his eyes. “Don’t remind me. I’m already feeling old as it is.”

Piper giggles. “Well, you better get used to it, Dad. Looks like you’re going to be a young dad again.”

“Young?” Mac scoffs. “I’ll be lucky if I can keep up with this one.” He gestures to my growing belly.

“We’ll be an excellent team,” I say. “And I think you’ll do just fine,” I continue, rising on my toes to press a gentle kiss to his lips.

I can’t help but smile at the way he’s looking at me. His eyes are so full of love and adoration—a far cry from the gruff, no-nonsense coach I first met.

Piper clears her throat, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “Okay, you two. Save it for the honeymoon.” She chuckles. “Speaking of which, when are you two planning on tying the knot?”

I glance at Piper, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious. “I, uh—It’s early days.”

“Not too early to have a baby!” Piper quips.

Mac rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well, I, um, I was waiting for the right moment.”

Piper shakes her head, a mock-exasperated expression on her face. “Unbelievable. You have a baby coming into the world, and you’re waiting for the right moment. Connor asked me after a few dates.”

Mac wraps his arm around my shoulder and says, “And I’ll ask when the moment is right.”