Page 95 of Off Limits Daddies
He presses a kiss to my forehead. "Call me after. No matter how late."
"I will."
The drive to my parents' house feels like a countdown to execution. Jack follows in his sedan, and I watch his headlights in my rearview mirror like a lifeline. We park on the street and walk to the front door together, our shoulders brushing.
Mom answers before we can knock, her brown eyes immediately worried as she takes in our expressions. "Mia. Jack. I wasn't expecting you guys."
"We need to talk to Dad," I say, my voice surprisingly steady. "It's important."
Something in my tone makes her step aside without argument. She leads us through the familiar house to the living room, where Dad sits in his recliner. He looks just as weak as before, but his blue eyes are sharp as they track our entrance.
"Mia. Jack." Dad's voice carries warmth despite his obvious exhaustion. "Good to see you."
Jack settles onto the couch beside me, close enough that our thighs touch. The contact grounds me. "We need to talk to you about something important."
Mom hovers near the doorway, her hands twisting together. She knows this is going to change everything.
Dad's gaze moves between Jack and me, his expression shifting to concern. "What's going on?"
I open my mouth but no sound comes out. Ten years of secrets, of lies, of running from this moment. How do I even begin?
Jack's hand finds mine, his fingers threading through mine in silent support. "Robert, there's something we should have told you a long time ago. Something about why Mia left ten years ago."
Dad's eyes narrow slightly. "I'm listening."
I force myself to meet his gaze, to see the man who raised me, who taught me right from wrong. "Dad, the reason I left so suddenly after graduation ... I was pregnant."
"Pregnant," he repeats slowly. "With the twins." I'm sure he'd already figured out that. Now for the hard part.
"Yes." My throat is so tight I can barely speak. "I was eighteen and terrified and I didn't know what to do."
"Who's the father?" Dad's voice is carefully controlled, but I hear the edge beneath it. "Marcus?"
"No." I squeeze Jack's hand tighter. "It's Jack."
The silence that follows is deafening. I watch my father's face cycle through emotions too quickly to track. Confusion.Disbelief. Understanding. Then something darker, more terrible.
"What?" The word comes out as a whisper.
Jack leans forward, his voice steady despite the tension radiating through his body. "It happened at the 4th of July party. We ..." He pauses, choosing his words carefully. "We had a brief encounter. One time. Mia got pregnant and left before I knew."
"You're saying … " Dad's breathing becomes labored. "You're saying you slept with my eighteen-year-old daughter? My best friend?"
"I take full responsibility," Jack says firmly. "I should have told you immediately. Should have been honest instead of letting Mia carry this secret alone."
Dad's hands grip the armrests of his recliner so tightly his knuckles turn white. "How long have you known about the twins?"
"I only just found out," Jack admits. "Mia told me recently. I wanted to tell you right away, but we needed to figure out how."
"How?" Dad's voice rises, then breaks into a cough that racks his thin frame. Mom moves toward him but he waves her off. "How about the truth? How about not lying to my face for weeks while I thanked you for looking after my family?"
"Dad, please." Tears stream down my face. "We were trying to protect you."
"Protect me?" His laugh is bitter, hollow. "You were protecting yourselves. Both of you." His gaze shifts between Jack and me, and the betrayal in his eyes is devastating. "My best friend and my daughter. Behind my back.”
"Robert ..." Jack starts, but Dad cuts him off.
"Don't." The word cracks like a whip. "Don't you dare try to explain this away. You betrayed me. You took advantage of my daughter when she was barely legal."
