Sister Pact: One Night Stand (book 1)

Chapter 6: What’s best for the baby

Viola sat at the window of bedroom sobbing, she turn her head as she heard her door open. Her mother walked in carrying a glass of milk for her.

She watched as her mother placed the glass of milk onto the table and she walked over to her. Viola did not feel like talking about Tate now, especially since she avoided the topic the whole ride back to the B&B.

“You know he seems like a very nice man, this John guy” viola rolled her eyes at her mother because she didn’t even know the half of it.

“His name is not even John, its Tate. In essence he lied” Her mother didn’t show any sign of surprise on her face. Instead she looked out the window for what felt like hours and then she looked back at her daughter and smiled.

“What?” She quizzed her mother.

“Do you remember the names of other men that you met at the club? I hope I’m not interfering in your life?”

Viola tried to think about their names but she could never match the name to the faces, until she gave up and looked back at her mother and nodded a no to her.

“Hmm that’s just strange because you don’t remember any of them and yet you remembered Tate or rather John as he called himself”

“What are you getting at mother?”

“Look I think you have feelings for this guy” Viola’s pupils grew wider and her mouth wide open, disgusted that her mother would think her as the type to fall in love and have feeling for a stranger. Until it hit her that she was having a baby with that same stranger.

“Mother how could you even think that I’d fall in love with someone like him, I don’t even know him that well”

“Look my daughter I’m not saying that it was right that he lied to you but he must have had his reasons for doing to so. I might not be accustomed to the way that your generation does things but I’m old enough to realize that if Tate didn’t matter lie you say he does, then why are you bothering that he lied to you about who is?

Viola knew that her mother was right but she was too prideful to allow her mother win this.

“I’m just afraid that if he lies like this it might make him a serial liar and I don’t want my child to be around such a person” Viola knew that she was right but deep inside she knew that she was concealing the real truth behind all this mysteries.

“Okay my daughter, believe what you want to believe. But I have lived and I know passion when I see passion”

Her mother got up from the chair and right before she could leave the room, she turned back and looked at her daughter one more time.

“Your father wanted me to tell you to invite Tate for Dinner tomorrow night, its formal by the way” just like that her mother was gone.

Just then Viola wished that it was Tate which gave her his number, because ever since their little chat at the super market, Tate had not called her ye and she was beginning to get anxious.

What is he is planning to run away and leave you and the baby?

As soon as that thought entered Viola’s head, she quickly banished that though from her head, because surely Tate was not that kind of man— or was he?

**

“What do you mean we’re going to be uncles?” Both Bill and Joe yelled out in unison. Tate knew he was going to have to explain this sooner rather than later and this was sooner than later.

“I’m going to be a father and you two better get ready”

“How that even possible Tate?”

“When two people lo— I mean when two people get into bed with one another—“

“We know how that happens. What we want to know is how because clearly you’re not dating anyone” That was Joe speaking or rather screaming at Tate.

“You’re actual right Joe, if I did have a girlfriend than the whole town would have known about it and if she disappeared they might even say I killed her and you two would believe it!”

“Come on Tate, we said we’re sorry about that” Bill rolled his eyes and he spoke to Tate.

“Look Guys back in New York City, I met a girl and one thing led to another and know she came back to tell me that she’s four months pregnant and I’m the father” now that Tate repeated the words to his friend, another wave of the seriousness of the situation hit him harder than before.

“Are you sure—“

“Yes I’m sure the child is mine… I can’t explain it but I feel it in my guts, the child is definitely mine”

There was moment of silence in the room and this is the time that Tate usually waited for his friend to say something stupid, but the both of them didn’t, which made things awkward.

“You know you guys can c***k a joke right about know” Tate teased but still, nothing came from their mouths.

“Congratulations— I guess” Bill congratulated Tate and he did appreciate it, although Joe sat there absorbing it all in.

Tate took out the business card that Viola had handed to him earlier with her contact details on it and he realized that it was right about time that he called her phone. He whipped out his phone to dial her number when he was stopped by Joe.

“Who are you calling?” Tate looked up at his friend and then back at his phone.

“You could at least tell us her name, if we’re going to meet her soon”

This was the piece of information that Tate did not want to tell them but they were his friends and they deserved to know.

“Her name is Viola—Viola Albertson” The look on their eyes was priceless to the point where even Tate felt like laughing at both his friends reaction. But it was just like Joe to ruin everything.

“Tate, you hit the jackpot. You know—“

“No Joe, I did not hit any jackpot at all. In all honesty I didn’t even know who she was until after our night together. Look stop looking at her as the daughter of some rich billionaire and just look at her as the mother of my baby”.

Both Joe and Bill nodded their head in agreement.

“So are you going to marry her?” Bill asked Tate in his calmest voice possible.

“Honestly I’ve been thinking about it and I don’t know what she’ll say to all this”

That was true, Tate did not know what Viola’s reaction was going to be to his proposal. He knew he had to do it, it wasn’t for them it was for their child and to give their child a name and not end up like him, a family secret.

He watched as his friends walked out of the room, to give him some privacy and he really appreciated that from them. He again picked up his phone and dial she picked up. And then there was silence, where neither of them had any words to say to one another.

“Hi!” the both of them said in unison which made things a little more awkward. Tate cleared his throat and spoke.

“Evening Viola, I’m so sorry for not calling you earlier I was just— thinking about all this that’s all”

“It’s okay Tate you don’t have to explain yourself at all, it’s all new to you and I appreciate that you’re trying your best to—“

She didn’t know what to say to him, which was unlike her. She was the girl who liked to talk, it was part of her job, to talk to people and convince them that that property was the best to buy and to raise a family. But here she was lost about how or where she wanted to raise her child.

There was silence on the phone and Viola was not liking it one bit.

“Hey my parents have invited you for dinner, they just want to get to know you a bit more”

Tate did not like it at all. His heard about what a shirk Viola’s father could be in business. Tate was not scared of people but was afraid of Viola’s father’s reaction, after all he did get their daughter pregnant and on top of it he lied to her about his true identity resulting in a four month search for him.

“Yeah sure, when?”

“It was supposed to be tomorrow but my father wants to see you urgently, so he wants so see you tonight at eight”

Tate could not believe what Viola was suggesting. If the dinner was really tonight that meant that she has a little bit over an hour to get ready”

“Viola please tell me you’re joking” and in his heart of heart he hoped she was.

“No I’m not”

“Oh come on, you didn’t think to tell me this earlier”

“Well Tate, if you had called earlier you would have known earlier about the dinner party?’

“Whoa wait, now it’s a dinner party. Great now the town will surely have something to talk about”

Tate knew that by tomorrow the whole town would have known that he was the father of Viola’s baby. He wasn’t afraid if being known as the father but he was afraid of the stories that would rise from his past, that he would rather have it buried.

“Look I don’t really care about your little town okay! Just make your way at the Glass fort Bed and breakfast. And address formal please”

Before Tate could answer her back, Viola had dropped the phone on him.

Tate quickly took a shower and went through hid drawer, he wasn’t the type of man to wear suits and attend classy event, and in fact he stayed far away from such things. He was a simple man that liked waking up in the morning and taking care of his ranch and not caring much for looks.

He stood in front of the mirror as he shaved his beard. He couldn’t remember when he last he bothered to shave his beard other than trim it. But all in all he looked good. He applied some gel onto his already wet hair and prayed that it was not too far passed the expiry date for it to work.

Who looked into his closet and pulled out a pair of formal shoes that he had brought for his aunts funeral some six years ago and he prayed that the old pairs still fitted properly. And lucky for him it fit. He quickly ran into a spare room where Joe and bill would often sleep when they visited and grabbed a tie from his friend’s drawer.

Luckily for him it was already tied, saving him the struggle that he was not ready to face, Tate looked at the clock and he only had about thirty minutes to get to the B&B which was a fifteen minuet drive.

Tate looked at the room one more time before he left and he couldn’t help but to think, that it would make a beautiful baby room, which left him smiling at himself in silence.

Right before he left he bumped into Bill, in the hallway.

“Hey slow down tiger!” Bill smile at him, before looking Tate from the head to his toes”

Bill didn’t say anything, rather he reached for Tate’s tie and fixed it, so that it was perfect and then he smiled and walked back into his room.

Tate couldn’t remember ever driving so fast in his life apart from the wild nights he had when he was a teenager testing his father’s temper once in a while. The memories of his father flooded his mind but all he wanted to do was forget it all, it was all a fake and nothing about it was even real.

After stopping at the tiny store to get some flowers for Viola, he arrived at the B7B with only five minutes to so spare. Instead of getting out of his truck he just a there in his truck and stared at the place and a part of him just wanted to leave and forget about the baby and Viola as well.

How could you even be father, when yours wasn’t even a good one?

He could not help but think that his subconscious was telling him the truth, the rest of the town did not know the whole truth but they knew some things which he didn’t want brought up.

Tate decided to take in another deep breath, because whether he liked it or not he had to get over all of this. If not for himself and Viola, then they had to do this for the sake of their child.

Before he could ring the bell, Viola’s mother unlocked the door and instinctively she had her best smile on her face and was reaching in for a hug.

“Tate, welcome! Come on in” He tried to get a word out of his mouth but Viola’s mother would not allow it, she was probably too excited to care what Tate coming over. He was lead through two bug wooden doors and before Tate knew it he was escorted to what looked like a banquet.

A cough from someone took Tate’s attention away from the large dining table that had all the food on it. As soon as he pulled his head up he noticed that there were people sitting at the table already, he was not one to arrive late for anything.

His attention was taken away from everyone else at the table and it was focused on Viola, who wore a soft pink dress and her Afro pulled into a bun.

Joe was right and I really did hit a jackpot… a really pretty jackpot.

He silently thought to himself as Viola’s mother pulled him by the arms and sat him down at the table. Tate had a chance to get to know everyone at the table, he learnt that Viola had two sisters, seated opposite of him and they did not seem too pleased to see his face. Viola’s father who sat at the head of the table did not show any emotions at all and Viola sat next to him, which made him feel a bit comfortable.

Viola’s mother appeared out of nowhere again and sat next to Tate on the other side of Tate. The conversation was normal, no difficult questions ask which made Tate feel a bit comfortable until dessert rolled in.

“So your name is Tate? That’s a bit strange because I remember quite clearly that not long ago my daughter said that you name is John”

Tate could feel the nerves in his stomach because he knew how busted he was, the onetime where he decided to lie to a woman would be the one time that could stand between him and his child’s future. Tate quickly swallowed the lump in his throat and cleared his throat.

“Yes Mr Albertson I’m afraid I was dishonest with your daughter when we first met and I am deeply sorry for that” Tate could not believe that he was saying all those things. Yes he felt bad that he had put Viola through pain but the manner in which he spoke surprised him.

“It’s not me that you have to apologize to, it’s my daughter. Now what is your plan for her and the baby?”

Tate did not know where to begin, he’s been thinking about it ever since Viola dropped this bomb shell on him.