Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 786 : Girls Day Out

*Cat*

When I woke up, it was in a different state than when I had fallen asleep. I clearly remembered scrolling my phone until my eyelids were so heavy I couldn’t keep them up any longer yet my phone now sat on the nightstand, plugged into the charger and showing a hundred percent battery.

In addition, I knew I had stuffed Elio’s pillows all around me and yet, now they were on his side of the bed right where they were before. I got up, pursing my lips as I wondered whether to be mad or impressed he managed to do all of that without waking me once.

Or maybe he did and I just couldn’t remember. Either way, it didn’t matter much to me. At least he’d remembered to come home last night, I thought indifferently, still holding a grudge over last night’s fight. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Hearing the noises from the living room, including the theme song to Emilia’s favorite cartoon, I decided he could handle it as I grabbed my clothes and towels and took a nice long hot shower. Elio always complained at how hot I made it, just under boiling your skin off but now, I didn’t have to worry about that.

I pampered myself, slowly waking up before putting on a nice flowy dress I’d bought on my last shopping trip with Anna. After I couldn’t fit into any of the maternity clothes, Anna and I bought a whole collection of summer and autumn dresses, some even matching with Emilia.

I took my time doing my makeup and hair this morning, and once I was happy with my appearance, I headed downstairs to the living room, where I knew Elio and Emilia were waiting for me.

Sure enough, as soon as I walked into the living room, I saw Elio pretending Emilia was an airplane, holding her above his head as he made weird engine sounds. Her shrieks of laughter were like music to my ears and I could see how well he’d taken care of her all morning but I didn’t have that soft warm feeling in my heart like I usually did.

She was his baby too. It was only natural that he took care of her when I couldn’t.

“Look, Emilia, Mama’s up!” Elio pretend-gasped in excitement as he directed Emilia’s attention at me who stood in the doorway.

Despite my present feelings for her daddy, Emilia giggled, reaching out her tubby arms for me, and I couldn’t help but melt.

“Hey, baby,” I cooed as I took her into my arms, and she patted my face with her little hand, blowing little spit bubbles as she babbled at me. It almost felt like she was trying to tell me all about her morning with Daddy, though I couldn’t understand her.

I was a good listener though, letting a convincing hum of “Hmm, I hear you. No way.”

Emilia laughed it, beaming full of such innocent joy about the tiniest little things, and how could she not? The world must be wondrous to someone so new to it. Like a magical place, she’d stepped inside of.

Elio watched us with a smile, his eyes hopeful as he stared at me but I didn’t pay him any attention, just happily played with my daughter.

But eventually, he opened his mouth and ruined the moment.

“Cat, I–”

“You’re going to have a fun day with Mommy, today, aren’t you?” I told my daughter, though it was more for Elio’s benefit as I spun her around on my hip. “Yes, you are, because Mommy is going to go hang out with Auntie Anna. That’s right.”

Elio frowned. “You didn’t say you were going out today.”

“And why would it matter?” I shrugged, not giving him the time of day, “You have to work anyway don’t you?”

“Cat, please!” He stood up, grabbing my hand and I finally pinned him with a cold look, acknowledging his presence. “Give me a chance to explain, okay?”

“You have five minutes.”

I had to give it up to the man I chose to have a daughter with. He was persistent.

With a gleam of stubbornness at my challenge, Elio took a deep breath before launching out everything that he had been doing in the past few days, explaining why he didn’t want to tell me at first, then enough financial information about the random Fed named Max to drown an IRS agent.

“And Leo found he was being paid off by Danil Rostova, which is just an alias the Russian mafia we partner with uses to cover their tracks with high amounts of check payments which led us to the local crime boss he was dealing with that night. So we got in the van and Franky made the exchange at like two in the morning and he finally took the bribe so we go a fed in her hands now plus a way to get the guys in jail out now if some certain reports or paperwork goes missing at the right time which we can do. Then I came home and you–”

“I get it,” I cut him off, a bit worried he might explode with how purple his face was turning.

He inhaled a huge breath, collapsing against the couch as he heaved breaths like he’d been underwater for an hour.

I was pretty sure he had gone over the five-minute mark, but I wasn’t going to tell him as he sent me such a huge grin, like he’d won an award for the fastest monologue. I pursed my lips, debating with myself for a whole thirty seconds before finally landing on the right words.

“I understand your logic and reasoning,” I said calmly, and his eyes lit up, “but that doesn’t excuse it.”

I heaved a deep breath, remaining calm as I focused on the empty void in my chest where my anger would usually be. It just wasn’t there anymore. He’d broken his promise so many times that I had zero expectations that he would actually come through for me on this.

“You lied to me,” I said coolly, giving Elio a firm look. “You could’ve told me this earlier when you first got the information. And if you didn’t want to say anything until you had all the facts, you could’ve said so to my face instead of lying to me. Just because you tell me the truth after the fact does not make it okay. You’re still hiding things from me, still lying to me. And I’m done with it, Elio.”

As soon as I said my piece, Mom arrived with a wary look, gazing between us like she had stepped on a landmine. “Am I interrupting things?” she asked, worriedly but I shook my head, mustering a smile for her.

“No, I have to go get ready. We’re going out with Anna today, Emilia’s first shopping trip.”

“Fun,” Mom beamed, taking over Emilia as I headed back to my room to finish getting ready.

It didn’t take long before I was back to grab Emilia. She was already dressed but I packed her bags and put her little shoes on her and once we were ready, I shouldered the bag.

“Cat,” Elio said, pitifully, “I didn’t mean to hurt you–”

“We’ll talk about it later.” I cut him off, not wanting to hear his excuses. “Bye, Mom. Say bye to Daddy, Emilia!” I waved her little hand up and down, avoiding Elio’s glance as we left.

As soon as I was outside, I heaved a sigh, straightened my back, and headed toward the driver I’d already called to pick me up. It took no effort at all to strap Emilia into her car seat and direct the driver to Anna’s.

I only had to give her a quick text once we arrived and she was running out to meet us with a huge grin.

“Oh, I am so excited!” She burst as she saw me and Emilia in the backseat. “Baby’s first shopping trip, hell yes!”

“Good morning to you too,” I laughed as she got in.

The mall wasn’t too far from her house, and as soon as she buckled up and we drove off, she started cooing at Emilia, absolutely in love with her.

“God, she’s so cute, I just want to tuck her away into my back and bring her home with me,” Anna gushed. “Thanks for inviting me out, Cat. I need this. School has been driving me nuts.”

As Anna started to rant about her classes and the social scene at school, I realized just how little I had been thinking about school ever since I had gotten pregnant. It felt like a lifetime ago that I was just a student, worrying about normal things like Anna.

It was refreshing to hear, considering all the bad things I’d heard and witnessed since getting together with Elio. I didn’t regret it, but it was a breath of fresh air. I knew I wanted to go back eventually, but now just wasn’t the time.

Elio worked all the time and I was reluctant to leave Emilia with anybody else at this point. Maybe when she was a little bigger, I thought to myself as I listened to Anna with one ear open. Once we arrived, our girls’ day out officially began.

Anna had planned the whole day, I found out and we started out with some casual shopping, where I couldn’t resist getting some more baby clothes and shoes for Emilia. I was already sad she’d grown out of her three-month size. We stopped for body care products, when I had Emilia test a few perfumes and candles for me, all of which she didn’t seem to like.

It was adorable how her little nose would scrunch up and she tried to smack the scent from my hand but there was one scent she seemed to like, oddly enough which was the fresh linen candle. I bought it for her but I had no idea when I was going to use it.

It was good to get out of the house and out of my own head, but the fight with Elio still lingered in the back of my mind. My best friend, Anna noticed and Emilia took a quick nap as we stopped at the food court for pretzels and smoothies and she pried the details from me.

I censored it as best as I could so it wouldn’t be incriminating and as soon as I was done, Anna gave me a serious look.

“Kick him to the curb,” Anna said in that blunt way that always made me laugh.

“We’re engaged. I can’t just kick him out of his own house,” I chuckled, swirling my straw in my chocolate banana smoothie.

“Sure you can, he’s being stupid. He needs to know the consequences,” Anna shrugged. “He has to learn that you’re not going to put up with that bad habit of his anymore. Just like he wouldn’t if you kept doing something he didn’t like over and over again even after you repeatedly made yourself clear.”

“He said I was overreacting.”

I gave a wry smile and sure enough, Anna slammed her empty smoothie onto the table.

“Overreacting my ass,” she snapped. “You were standing up for yourself! You aren’t in the wrong here, Cat so don’t let that asshole gaslight you into thinking this is nothing. You made yourself clear and it’s his choice to keep doing it over and over.”

I sighed, knowing she was right but also thinking about how utterly exhausting it was to keep going through this.

“Look,” Anna said, pursing her looks. “I don’t give the best relationship advice, but I’ll tell you this. This fight is going to keep happening until one of you guys gives ground on this. If you love him and want to move on with him, then maybe you let it go. He’s not a bad guy and he didn’t have the intention to hurt you. But either you accept that he’s not going to change and try to work with him on it or you keep going around in this circle until one day, you won’t be able to stop yourself from walking out. And with a baby in the mix, I don’t suggest that route.”

I glanced at the sleeping Emilia, swallowing as I thought of her growing up with only one of us. I never wanted that to be an option, especially because I loved Elio so damn much.

She was right. Maybe it was time to let this go.

He was trying to make more effort to include me and as frustrating as it was, I knew he never meant to hurt me because of it.

I just wished he would be honest with him as much as I was with him.

Our girl’s day came to an end as the time flew away from us and soon, we dropped off Anna and made our way home.

I didn’t know what I would find when I got there, but I knew it was time to put an end to this argument with him once and for all, no matter how it ended.