One night stand with my daddy's best friend
100

Bridget

I was being punished. It was the only way to explain the complete misery I'd been living in for the last three months after moving to San Francisco.

Yes, my heart was broken when I left Los Angeles, and it was difficult to leave my family, but I was determined to forge a new life, a good life. I rented a studio apartment and within two weeks I had a position as a digital marketing specialist with Clostor Media.

I walked into my job the first day like I did at MacLeod capital investment; eager to do a great job. The atmosphere at Closter wasn't as friendly and open, but I was okay with that. I wasn't here to make friends. I was here to do a job and prepare for motherhood.

But now three months later, it was clear that this was not the place for me. Every marketing campaign I submitted was edited until it didn't resemble what I had presented. And when the campaigns didn't perform very well, I was criticized. I gave up trying to defend myself because nobody listened, or if they did, I was reprimanded for being insubordinate. I had never known that a workplace could be so soulless and hostile. It was sucking the life out of me. It was my punishment for so many things.

There was the fact that I lied to my family and left them behind. Even worse, I still hadn't told them I was pregnant. I also hadn't told Dane I was pregnant, which I knew was wrong.

My father was tormented by the fact that he didn't know I existed until I was eleven. He carried a great deal of guilt at missing the first 11 years of my

life even though it wasn't his fault. For a long time, I resented my mother for that.

And yet here I was doing the same thing she did. I tried to justify it by saying I had a better reason than she did. After all, anytime now Dane would be getting married and having a pregnant ex-lover show up wouldn't be a good way to start his marriage.

As difficult as my life had become, I was determined to make it work, if only to prove to my dad that I could. But then last week I was dealt a significant blow. During my ultrasound, the technician discovered two babies, not one. I was having twins. No wonder my belly was bigger than the baby books suggested I should be by this point of the pregnancy. I thought I had until four, maybe even five months before it would be obvious that I was pregnant.

I already knew it would be difficult enough to be a single mother living in an expensive city like San Francisco and working long hours. I'd been hoping my experience helping with my younger siblings would help me through it. But to be a single mother of two babies? I wasn't sure I could manage that alone.

I wanted to make a change, but I felt trapped. While Closter Media was a difficult place to work emotionally, the pay was good and I had benefits. And while everyone there didn't seem to give a crap about anyone else, they did have on-site childcare. Short of going home, there was nothing I could do but stay where I was.

After reviewing another campaign that my supervisor chopped up into mincemeat, I closed up my laptop sighing at the end of another long day.

This was my life now. I'd made my bed and now I had to live in it.

If I hadn't given in to Dane, I'd still be in Los Angeles, with my great job working with Ethan, a wonderful friend in Lane, and the support of my family. I'd given into temptation knowing it was dangerous and my life now was the price I had to pay. I fantasized that when the babies came, I'd have something good in my life to offset my current difficulties.

I left my cubicle and headed out of the high-rise office building. Because finding parking was so difficult, I used public transportation to get to and from work. When I got off the bus, I made the half block journey toward the townhome that my studio apartment was in, preparing to take the three flights of stairs up to my spot in the attic.

I was concerned that the bigger I got from the pregnancy the more

difficult taking the stairs would be. At this point, it was good exercise.

As I approached the townhome, two people stood from where they'd been sitting on the front steps. "Dad? Lizzie?" They smiled.

"Hey baby girl." He studied me as if he was concerned I might not like that they showed up unexpectedly. Maybe it was loneliness or maybe it was hormones, but whatever it was, I burst into tears and launched myself into my dad's arms. "Oh hey. What's wrong?" My dad held me tight, comforting me like he used to do when I was little.

"I'm just glad to see you." I sniffed pulling away, but then Lizzie's arms came around me. She held me close as well, but when she pulled away, her gaze went straight down to my belly. I was beginning to show but nobody had noticed, except maybe now Lizzie.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

"We wanted to see you, and we knew you were busy with your new job so we thought we'd come on up," my dad said.

"Where are the kids?"

"We've divided them up amongst our friends," Lizzie said. "Ari is with Ryker and Nina, Emma is with Zach and Eleni, Layla is with Claude and Felicia, and Eli is with Giorgio and Marilyn,"

While I was surprised by their appearance, I was happy to see them. "Why don't you come on up and I'll make you some coffee."

"I thought you'd never ask." My dad grinned and slung his arm around me. I glanced at Lizzie, who was still studying me. The time had come for me to tell them the truth about everything. Well, maybe not everything. But definitely about my being pregnant.

I led them into the townhome and up the stairs.

"I can see where you get your workout," Lizzie said as we reached the landing to my studio.

"The stairs can be a challenge with groceries but it really is a quaint space." In fact, my studio was a sanctuary away from the misery of work.

I unlocked the door and led them into the one room that was my home. "Should I give you a tour?" I pointed over to the far corner. "Over there is my living room-slash-bedroom and over here," I said pointing to the other side of the room. "Is my kitchenette, and that door there is the restroom."

My dad studied the small space and I imagined in his head he had all sorts of construction things he could add such as built-in shelves and storage. "Well, it's not very big but it is quaint. You don't need that much space, anyway, do you?" Not at the moment, I thought. I turned away heading to my kitchenette to make coffee. While I was there, I turned on my electric kettle to make tea which was what I drank now that I was pregnant.

I made small talk with them until our drinks were ready. I gave them each a cup of coffee as they sat in my sofa bed. I sat in one of my dining room chairs across from them.

My father studied me over the rim of his coffee mug as he sipped. Then he set his mug down on the side table and leaned forward, clasping his hands. "So, tell me Jet, how are things really going?"

I blinked looking at both of them. Maybe this wasn't just a friendly visit. "To be honest, part of the reason we came up here is because we're

worried about you, Jet," Lizzie jumped in. "Whenever we've talked to you on the phone or the few times we've texted, we've gotten the sense that things aren't going very well up here. We know you're your own woman and you have to make your own way, but you don't have to be alone. We're your family and we love you."

Once again, tears came to my eyes. I looked down into my tea knowing that they were going to be surprised, maybe even disappointed by what I told them. "Things have been challenging. I'm just a minuscule cog in a giant wheel at work. Quite frankly, every day I go in now I wonder why they ever hired me, or maybe they'll fire me. They change everything I submit so drastically."

"It can be difficult to work for an employer that doesn't value you. It's been a long time, but I remember exactly what that's like." Lizzie said.

"It's not a good idea to job hop, but you're young and talented, and if it's so miserable there, why don't you leave?" my dad asked, worry shining in his eyes.

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"Because it pays well and it has good benefits. They are two things that I really need right now because..." I looked down into my tea again knowing that in the next few minutes everything was going to change. "I'm pregnant." Lizzie didn't look surprised, which told me she had sensed it when she'd hugged me downstairs. My father's eyebrows shot to his hairline and his mouth gaped.

I started to cry again because I hated disappointing my father.

He quickly rose from the couch and came over kneeling next to me. "Hey, it's not the end of the world."

I gripped the hand that he put in mine. "I know this is a disappointment to you."

He let out a laugh. "I have no right to make any judgments about you, Jet.

Don't forget, I knocked up your mother when we were still in high school." I smiled feeling relief that he wasn't going to freak out.

He looked around my tiny little studio. "But this place isn't going to be big enough for you and a baby."

"It's not just one baby. It's two."

This time Lizzie's eyes did widen. "You're having twins?" I nodded.

My dad's expression turned serious. "I know that you want to be independent Jet, but I don't see how you're going to be able to take care of twins in this tiny little place and work in a job that is clearly sucking the life out of you." He wasn't wrong.

"I need the income and the insurance. As far as a home, I'll need to find a new place."

"Or you can move back home with us," Lizzie said. I started to shake my head.

My dad gripped my hand a little tighter. "Listen. There is no shame in coming home and having help from your family. It won't be forever. You'll find a new job and eventually a new place to live. Until then, stay with us. In fact, if we're going to be completely honest here, we were hoping we could convince you to come back home. We've even created a special spot for you."