Husband Away, Father-in-Law Stays - Chapter 29: Chapter 29
You are reading Husband Away, Father-in-Law Stays, Chapter 29: Chapter 29. Read more chapters of Husband Away, Father-in-Law Stays.
My body locked in place, cheeks burning with humiliation.
"Relax. He's your father-in-law," the doctor dismissed with an eye roll, only twisting the knife of shame deeper.
After helping Richard into his clothes, I guided him back to his room—what should've been a two-minute walk stretched into an eternity.
Once he was settled, I leaned close. "Were you really that nervous?"
A flush crept up his neck. "How could I not be...?"
The memory of his size sent my pulse skittering. Had I actually affected him that much?
"Because of me?" I smoothed the sheets around him, searching his face.
"When you touch me, I just..." His gaze dropped to his lap.
"Dad... do you like me?" The question tumbled out before I could stop it.
"I'm terrified you'll hate me."
Hate him? After that night? The whiplash of emotions left me dizzy.
Leaning in until our lips nearly brushed, I whispered, "That night, you made me—" My accusation died when I saw the raw guilt in his eyes.
"I shouldn't have... God, Victoria, I've wanted to—" His voice broke like a guilty man's confession.
"Wanted what?" Nights of replaying every touch, every gasp, had left me starving for the truth.
"I'm disgusting." His sob cracked something inside me.
"Oh, Dad..." Cradling his stubbled cheeks, I pressed our foreheads together. "You're just a man. That night? I wanted you too."
"Really?"
"Every. Single. Second." I thumbed away his tears. "I'll carry how you made me feel to my grave."
"And you don't—"
I huffed a laugh. "Hate you for rocking my world?" Playfully tapping his nose. "Please."
"Victoria—"
Ethan's voice sliced through the moment.
I sprang back like a teenager caught necking. "Ethan! You're—the flight was tomorrow!"
"Changed it. Heard Dad took a turn." He crushed me in a hug, but his eyes never left Richard.
After their emotional reunion, I escaped to the hallway, nails digging into my palms—one wrong word and everything could—
"He's asleep," Ethan murmured when he finally emerged.
The dam broke. I collapsed against him, fists pounding his chest between sobs. "Two damn months... I couldn't—"
He caught my wrists. "For our future, baby."
That night, after hiring a live-in nurse for Richard, Ethan took me home.
"Gonna make up for lost time," he growled.
And oh, he did—until the birds started singing.
A month later, Richard recovered and retreated to his country estate, sparing us all the elephant in the room. The timing worked out—two weeks after he left, the stick turned blue. I quit my job that same afternoon.
Will I ever know if this baby belongs to Ethan or Richard? Doesn't matter. It's a Lowell.
And I'll love it—and my husband—with everything I've got.
"Relax. He's your father-in-law," the doctor dismissed with an eye roll, only twisting the knife of shame deeper.
After helping Richard into his clothes, I guided him back to his room—what should've been a two-minute walk stretched into an eternity.
Once he was settled, I leaned close. "Were you really that nervous?"
A flush crept up his neck. "How could I not be...?"
The memory of his size sent my pulse skittering. Had I actually affected him that much?
"Because of me?" I smoothed the sheets around him, searching his face.
"When you touch me, I just..." His gaze dropped to his lap.
"Dad... do you like me?" The question tumbled out before I could stop it.
"I'm terrified you'll hate me."
Hate him? After that night? The whiplash of emotions left me dizzy.
Leaning in until our lips nearly brushed, I whispered, "That night, you made me—" My accusation died when I saw the raw guilt in his eyes.
"I shouldn't have... God, Victoria, I've wanted to—" His voice broke like a guilty man's confession.
"Wanted what?" Nights of replaying every touch, every gasp, had left me starving for the truth.
"I'm disgusting." His sob cracked something inside me.
"Oh, Dad..." Cradling his stubbled cheeks, I pressed our foreheads together. "You're just a man. That night? I wanted you too."
"Really?"
"Every. Single. Second." I thumbed away his tears. "I'll carry how you made me feel to my grave."
"And you don't—"
I huffed a laugh. "Hate you for rocking my world?" Playfully tapping his nose. "Please."
"Victoria—"
Ethan's voice sliced through the moment.
I sprang back like a teenager caught necking. "Ethan! You're—the flight was tomorrow!"
"Changed it. Heard Dad took a turn." He crushed me in a hug, but his eyes never left Richard.
After their emotional reunion, I escaped to the hallway, nails digging into my palms—one wrong word and everything could—
"He's asleep," Ethan murmured when he finally emerged.
The dam broke. I collapsed against him, fists pounding his chest between sobs. "Two damn months... I couldn't—"
He caught my wrists. "For our future, baby."
That night, after hiring a live-in nurse for Richard, Ethan took me home.
"Gonna make up for lost time," he growled.
And oh, he did—until the birds started singing.
A month later, Richard recovered and retreated to his country estate, sparing us all the elephant in the room. The timing worked out—two weeks after he left, the stick turned blue. I quit my job that same afternoon.
Will I ever know if this baby belongs to Ethan or Richard? Doesn't matter. It's a Lowell.
And I'll love it—and my husband—with everything I've got.
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