Accepting Owen (Emilia's Perspective)

Chapter Twenty

My phone rang as we were getting dressed for dinner. "Hey, Dad," I said when I answered on speakerphone.

"What the hell is going on out there?" He shouted angrily.

I winced. "So EJ called you?" My heart was racing.

"Yes, he did. So Owen's gotten some whore pregnant?"

"Dad, it's-"

"Your brother called me to tell me you were bawling your eyes out about-"

"I'm fine," I shouted to be heard over him. I knew Owen was listening and I was afraid Dad would say something that would hurt his feelings. "Yes, I was very upset. That was almost twelve hours ago now. We've got this."

Dad sighed in relief on the other side. "So what's going on?" He said calmly.

"We're just trying to enjoy our honeymoon, because there's nothing we can do until we get home." I saw Owen catch my almost-tearful eyes in the mirror, and he wrapped his arms around me from behind, placing a gentle kiss on the back of my head.

"Well, what does he think he's going to do? Your marriage is still binding. You do know that, right?"

I gulped and closed my eyes so I might not start crying again.

"Sir," Owen spoke up, "I'm well aware of that. My intention is simply to be in the life of my child. I'm not going to hurt your daughter."

"Just to be clear, you are not to have a romantic relationship with that woman," my dad said, sounding like he was confused.

"I don't want to," Owen said clearly. "I only want make sure that my child has a father."

I leaned back closer to Owen, trying to disappear. My stomach was cramping from anxiety.

"Good. Emie, you need to call your brother. He's worried about you. Enjoy your honeymoon." The call disconnected and I rolled my eyes.

"So, is he still going to kill me or...?"

I chuckled slightly at Owen. "No, he's not going to kill you. That was his way of saying EJ wasted his time, getting him upset about nothing. Let's go eat. I'll call him after."

~~

We sat for dinner and Owen seemed far away in his thoughts. I wanted to think some, too so I didn't say anything to wake him from his trance. Mindlessly, we ordered  our drinks and dinner.

My dad's phone call must have freaked him out. It freaked me out a little bit. Lord, we had been married less than a week and the last couple of days had just been us trading anxiety attacks back and forth. I hoped things returned to some semblance of normal when we got back to Wisconsin.

Owen reached into my lap for my hand as he stared off into the distance. I squeezed his hand and watched his face to make sure he was okay. He didn't respond in any way, so I leaned closer.

"Hey," I whispered in his ear. "It's okay. Can you look at me?"

He didn't make a move.

Gently, I coaxed his face to turn towards mine. "You are okay. You're safe," I said, trying to remember what he normally said to me when I was feeling anxious. "I'm here for you. How can I help?"

His eyes caught mine for a moment, and he smiled. "What?"

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"You were definitely not just thinking. You were like asleep."

"I was... daydreaming."

"Oh," I said, pursing my lips. I wondered what he was daydreaming about, but decided not to ask.