His comment makes Dad’s eyebrow pop up. “Oh, yeah? Where do you plan on living?”
“We’ll get a house of our own,” Noah answers.
“Which, I guess, either your parents or we will have to provide?” Dad asks, his eyes narrowing again.
Noah shakes his head, and it has a slight frown forming on my brow because I don’t know how we’ll afford a house otherwise.
“I’ve been working every summer since I turned eighteen, and I invested whatever I made. I’m also accelerating my studies, and I’ll write my finals in a month so I can start working sooner. I’ll be able to take care of Carla without any help from my parents.”
Holy shit.
My mouth drops open, and I can only stare at Noah like a gaping fish out of water.
NOAH
The hostility begins to drain from Mr. Reyes’ face, which I’m taking as a good sign.
I can feel Carla’s eyes on me, but I keep my gaze locked with Mr. Reyes’.
He takes a deep breath, then mutters, “Well, at least you’re able to provide for Carla.”
“And the baby,” Mrs. Reyes adds. She walks over to us, and Carla quickly climbs to her feet. The women hug, then Mrs. Reyes says, “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“It’s going to take me a while before I’m happy with any of this,” Mr. Reyes grumbles, but he still gets up to hug Carla. “God, I can’t believe my baby is going to have a baby.”
“I’m happy, Daddy,” Carla murmurs, and then her shoulders jerk as she buries her face against her father’s chest.
It takes every ounce of strength for me to sit still and not to get up and pull her to me.
Mr. Reyes rubs a hand over her back. “It’s going to be okay.”
Carla pulls back, and when she looks up at her dad with a pleading face and tears on her cheeks, I have to clench my fists against my thighs to keep from moving.
“But you’re angry,” she whimpers.
Mr. Reyes’ expression instantly changes from stern to loving. “No, sweetheart. I’m just shocked. Like your mom said, as long as you’re happy, we’re happy,” he tries to pacify her.
If she ever looks at me like that, I’m in deep shit.
When everyone seems to have calmed down, Mrs. Reyes asks, “Do you know how far along you are?”
“Six weeks,” I answer. “Give or take. We still need to confirm the due date.”
“How’re the symptoms?” Mrs. Reyes asks.
“I can’t stand the smell of fried chicken,” Carla says.
“Ugh, I had the same,” Mrs. Reyes replies.
Mr. Reyes lets go of Carla, and then his gaze locks on me. “Let’s leave the women to talk.”
I rise to my feet and give Carla a reassuring smile before following Mr. Reyes to his office.
When he shuts the door behind us, he says, “Take a seat.”
I wait for him to sit down before I do the same.
Mr. Reyes stares at me for a while, but I meet his gaze, ready for anything. Finally, he asks, “How long have you and Carla been dating?”
“Two months.”
He begins to nod slowly while muttering, “Didn’t waste any time, did you?”
“I wanted to wait, but then it just happened,” I try my best to explain.
“Do you have any intention of marrying my daughter?”
“Yes, but if I propose now, Carla will think it’s only because she’s pregnant.”
He nods again. “True.” He tilts his head, lifting an eyebrow at me.
“I do plan on marrying her once our baby is born.”
Mr. Reyes lets out a chuckle that sounds more like a warning. His eyes settle hard on mine. “Carla is and always will be my little girl. God help you if you hurt her in any way.”
“I won’t,” I assure him.
He lets out a scoffing sound. “You did once before, so I guess that remains to be seen.”
I take a deep breath, then say, “Carla was fifteen. I thought you would understand why I rejected her back then?” I don’t wait for his reply but carry on, “I’ve always wanted the best for her, and I did what was right. I will always do what’s right when it comes to her. I love Carla. I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about her.”
The corner of Mr. Reyes’ mouth lifts slightly, and then he agrees with me, “Yeah, you did the right thing.” He leans back in his chair. “So you’ve been dabbling in investments?”
Knowing the worst is over with, my body relaxes as we begin to talk business.
Tomorrow we’ll tell my parents, and then Carla and I can focus on our baby.
Chapter 20
CARLA
Sitting in Mrs. West’s office, my knee keeps bouncing until Noah places his hand on my leg. I’m going to have a total nervous breakdown before we’re done telling everyone.
I glance at the family portraits on the desk's side and the achievements framed on the wall. My gaze darts to Noah, and I scowl when I see how calm he looks.
“Are you really not worried?” I ask.
“Nope.” He even lets that damn ‘P’ pop, which earns him a glare from me.
Just then, the door opens, and the second I lay eyes on Noah’s parents, my heart races out of the office, and I shrink back against the chair.
God. They’re going to kill us, and we barely survived my parents.
Noah gets up to give his mom a hug and to shake hands with his father. I force myself to stand on shaky legs.
I manage a nervous smile as I step forward to shake their hands. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. West. How are you?” At least it doesn’t sound like I’m about to have a breakdown.
“Hi, Carla,” Mrs. West smiles at both of us as she takes a seat behind her desk.
Imma gonna die.
Mr. West’s gaze darts between us, then he asks, “You said you had something to tell us?”
My mouth dries up, and I begin to sweat as if I just ran a marathon. My leg’s back to bouncing as if it’s trying to break a record.
“Carla’s pregnant,” Noah drops the nuclear missile.
My eyes widen, and my mouth drops open. I manage to gather myself enough to glare at Noah. “Seriously? That’s how you tell your parents?” I turn an apologetic expression to Mr. and Mrs. West. “I’m so sorry. It was an accident. We didn’t plan it. I had –”
Mrs. West’s mouth curves up in a smile as she interrupts me. “Take a breath, Carla. It’s okay.”
Either Mrs. West is super good at keeping her composure, or… I don’t know. I’m expecting an outburst at any moment.
“Hold up,” Mr. West murmurs, and my gaze locks on his face. “Run that past me again.”
“Carla’s pregnant, Dad. We’re having a baby,” Noah tells him again.
Mr. West’s eyebrows rise as he asks, “How did that happen?”
“Really, Jaxson?” Mrs. West chuckles. “You know how it happened.”
My heart’s pounding against my ribs, and I clasp my hands tightly together on my lap as my eyes dart between them.
“Yeah,” Mr. West mutters. I watch as he takes a deep breath, then he says, “How do you both feel?”