Thank you to everybody who read or reviewed the last chapter.
Warning: This chapter contains sexual content and its not Betty and Daniel.
I just think it is too soon in their relationship for that because they are still transitioning from being friends to lovers. Many months ago, N asked me to make sure that this story did not end up cheesy. I feel forcing a Betty Daniel sex scene would be doing that. If I were not planning on writing a sequel, I would flash ahead a few weeks and then do the sex scene. Instead, you get to watch them go from friends to lovers in the follow-up piece.
That being said, I'm no longer doing an epilogue. Chapter 37 will be the last chapter.
Chapter 36: Rumors of Happily Ever After: Part Four
Amanda sat at the table in the restaurant very nervous which lead to her stress eating. The good thing about being pregnant is people didn't find it that strange when she started eating everything in sight. She was meeting Matt's family for the first time tonight and she was absolutely petrified.
Okay it was not the first time that she met his parents, but it was the first time she met his aunt. She cringed at the fact that she tried to sleep with his father the first time she met him. It would be funny if it wasn't so creepy how at one point she wanted to be Matt's stepmom. She was hoping that he forgot about that.
She could not have made a worst impression on Matt's mother if she tried. She wondered if it would make the situation better if she knew that Amanda was pregnant with her grandchild when she destroyed that pair of designer shoes. She hated "morning sickness". Even though she was almost into her fifth month, she was still throwing up at the worst possible times. She hoped she could get through this dinner without throwing up.
Unfortunately, against her better wishes they were telling his family today that she was pregnant. Now at 18 weeks she was starting to look very pregnant. She is honestly surprised they don't know considering everyone at Mode knows are ready. She was expecting Jacqueline from graphics to sell the story to the highest bidder already.
They told her adoptive parents yesterday. Her adopted dad spent 20 minutes screaming at Matt and her mom's response was "at least it happened at 27 and not 17". Neither parent agreed to come with her tonight. They were upset that Spencer knew she was pregnant before them. Although in her defense she didn't tell him.
At least Spencer would be joining them. She wasn't ready to call him dad yet. They were still in that stage where she was getting to know him. Maybe that is why he offered to come today and he was coming with her to her next doctor's appointment. He told her that he had a copy of her ultrasound in his dressing room. At least one of her parents is being supportive.
In two days, they were planning to announce that she was his biological daughter to the world at large. Because Matt was going to be onstage during the press conference for moral support everyone was going to know that she was his girlfriend. They've been seen together a lot recently. It would be a matter of time before a picture of her and Matt kissing would end up on paid six with the words "Hartley son knocks up Faye Somers daughter". It was time to come clean with everyone.
"Mandy you need to calm down. This is not good for the baby." She looked at him as if he was mad. Every time she did something that Matt didn't like he would say "it's not good for the baby." If he says that one more time, she was going to hit him.
"How do you expect me to stay calm?" She practically yelled this at him. It would be so much easier if Marc were here with her. He would make some snide comment about the waiter shoes and she would be fine. He was on another date with Troy. She honestly didn't think it was going to go anywhere. I mean going out on a date on a Sunday. That just proves there is no real connection.
"You try calming down when you are about to meet the parents. You were not very calm yourself yesterday and your family is a lot worse than mine. Your dad made Daniel dress up in a bunny suit and he may have been responsible for the almost mother of your brother or sister being pushed down a flight of stairs during the nineties."
"I think the latter reason is a more important reason for you to be scared." Matt said gently rubbing her shoulders.
"It was a bunny suit." She says with a shudder. "I've seen pictures."
"Don't worry my dad is not going to be here. He already knows and he's currently not speaking to me. It's just going to be my mom and my Aunt Briana. Don't worry, she's the sane one in the family."
"You do remember I threw up on your mom's shoes last time we met."
"You were pregnant with her grandchild. I think she will accept it." She could tell he was lying. He was using the same tone of voice that he used when he would tell Betty it was okay for her to spend time with Daniel when she was technically dating Matt. It was his "I'm fine but I'm really not" voice.
"You're lying."
"You're right but I really don't care. I was told that she refer to my ex girlfriend by a synonym for the word prostitute and a racial slur. She deserved it." He said pulling her into his embrace.
"She only said that because she was positive that she was in love with Daniel the entire time you and her were dating. She is going to call me worse. In my case, most of it will probably be true. Do you have any idea how many people I have slept with?" She purposely said people because there were a few women in there as well.
"I don't think it matters considering I slept with half of Manhattan and a third of New Jersey." He joke trying to make her feel better. It didn't bother her that Matt had sex with a lot of people because she did the same.
"I don't think telling her that will make her hate me less." Amanda said as she grabbed her phone out of her West-Hartley original bag.
"You're right. It will probably make it worse, especially if we tell her that not everyone was female." Matt was essentially the perfect guy for her. They were both the children of famous people forced to live in the shadows of their parents. They were both pushed to the side for the sake of their parents' career. In her case, it was literal. In Matt's case he may have physically lived with his parents, but in reality they were never there.
"Marc is going to be so mad when he hears that." She knows for a fact that Marc has a crush on her boyfriend.
"I thought Marc was dating Troy again."
"Technically yes, but I don't think it will last." Amanda said as she prepared to make a phone call.
"What are you doing?"
"If you want me to calm down, I need to make a phone call."
"Monique is in the middle of a family dinner with her mom otherwise she would be here."
"I'm not calling her. Hi Betty, it's me Mandy."
"Do you have any idea what time it is here?" She heard Betty asked with a hint of irritation. It's only been a little more than a week since Betty left, but she really missed her. Besides she hasn't really had an opportunity to call her since Friday when she hooked up with Daniel finally.
"It's only midnight. I figured Daniel would still have you up."
"Amanda our relationship is not like that." At that moment she heard Daniel in the background asking Betty who she was talking to. She could also hear the obvious sounds of the squeaky mattress in the background.
"You're so cute when you lie. I'm sure Daniel has already tasted your tamales. Put Daniel on the phone. He will tell me the truth."
"I assume that is a euphemism for sex. At least this one has certain desirable qualities that were lacking in your last girlfriend, even if she is getting a bit round. It looks like you put on weight since I last saw you." Victoria Hartley said with a voice that would make Wilhelmina sound pleasant.
"Did your mom just call me fat?" Amanda asked out loud to Matt.
"Yes she did Amanda. Can we please talk in the morning? I have to get up for work in five hours." Of course, Amanda really wasn't paying attention at that point.
"I'm not fat. I'm pregnant." She probably should not have said that out loud. At that moment Matt's mom fell to the ground in shock.
"Hey Betty, I have to go Matt's mom just fainted after she found out I was pregnant. I'll call Daniel tomorrow to get the truth." She said ending the call. "Matt why does everyone in your family faint when they find out I'm pregnant?"
"I did not faint. I blacked out. There's a difference."
As they were having this silly argument again, the designer who she has been working with on Monique's wedding dress and her wonderful maternity bridesmaid dress walked up to the unconscious Victoria Hartley. She had a smile on her face.
"Matt I thought we agreed that you wouldn't tell your mom until I got here. Now I'm never going to get a shot of her freaking out. Although I think this is a vast improvement on my brother's reaction."
"Sorry Aunt Briana. I want you to meet my girlfriend Amanda." How can a woman who was Daniel's age be Matt's aunt?
"That's okay baby. We've already met."
22 days earlier
He was currently resting in one of the guest rooms at Monique's loft after she dropped him off before leaving to deal with the crisis at Mode. He still felt weak from losing consciousness in the car. He was going to be a father. That thought scared him.
Six months ago, when he thought he was going to be in this position with Betty he was nowhere near as scared as he is now. Maybe it was because he was still lying to himself. He was trying to find false comfort with the dilution that if he and Betty had a child together then he wouldn't lose her. He was trying to win a battle that could not be won. Looking back he was glad that he lost, otherwise he wouldn't have Amanda now.
He was broken out of his thoughts by Amanda's voice coming from the front door. He could tell she was not alone because he heard another voice that seemed familiar but he couldn't place it. He immediately got up from the bed and walked out to see her. Within seconds, he found himself pushed back on the couch with Amanda's lips on top of his. This was his true homecoming. Her kiss and her touch were the two things that made him feel like he belonged here with her. He didn't know how he could ever leave her. He didn't know how he could ever believe Megan lies.
As they continued he could feel the differences in her body. Even though he only knew her body for a short time he could feel that her chest area was bigger as well as her abdomen. He broke apart the kiss so that he could lay one hand on their child.
"Don't you think some introductions are in order?" Matt heard the man say from behind him and Amanda.
"Sorry Spencer we just haven't seen each other for 15 weeks. Spencer this is my boyfriend Matt." Matt extended a hand to the man as Amanda introduced him.
"You're the one who's been in Africa working with the Hartley foundation?"
"I guess I am the Hartley foundation. I've just thought it would be a good idea for once to give something other than money. If I knew Amanda was pregnant, I would have come back months ago. Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"
"You're pregnant!" The man said it as more of a shock statement than a question.
"I am almost four months. You're not going to fire me for that are you? Having a child will not affect my ability to be your stylus. Any child of mine is going to be born to shop. I will strap her on my back as we hit the best stores. Besides I need an income coming in with the baby on the way." That statement made him think that Amanda was not expecting any support from him. He would have to correct that false assumption.
"No, I'm just a little surprise. You don't look pregnant." He said covering for himself.
"Monique thinks I get it from my mom. Everybody thought she was just starting a new trend back in the eighties with wearing baggy outfits."
"You're probably right. I had no idea your mom was pregnant back then." The way he said it seems strange to Matt. Then he remembered the name of the man Marc said he thought was her father. He could see the resemblance. There were little physical things that he could already pick up on.
"Nobody did. Spencer thank you for dropping me off. Marc and Daniel were too busy dealing with the Wilhelmina thing. Daniel is so overprotective, there's no way he would let me come here alone."
He spent the next few moments wondering why Daniel would be so overprotective. He stopped thinking about that the moment Amanda came back and literally dragged him to the guest room.
The last thing he remembered hearing was Gio yelling, "be gentle he fainted in the car." He was too caught up with Amanda ripping off his shirt to protest the choice of words. He wondered if he remember to lock the door.
He found himself pulling off her dress as quickly as possible only to stop as he gazed at her stomach. He placed a gentle hand in wonderment as he felt his child.
"The baby books I've been reading says pretty soon I'll start feeling fluttering. Maybe as early as next week." She said as she gave him a few minutes to get used to her and the baby. Then she started to pull off his pants.
"Is this a good idea?" He asked as he stopped her.
"That's the first question I asked the doctor. She said sex is fine. Although we are probably going to have to figure out which positions work best. I'm thinking sitting up maybe a little more comfortable, but you are used to sleeping with a girl with a bit of tummy."
"Do you have to make jokes about my ex girlfriend at a time like this?"
"It's so much fun." Amanda said as her lips descended on his.
"Amanda we need to talk first." He said pulling away.
"Do you love me?
"Yes, I love you." To emphasize his point he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. It took all his strength not to let it get out of control again.
"Do you love our child?" He gently laid her down on the bed and began to pepper her abdomen with little kisses.
"Yes, I love our child. I will do everything possible to protect you and our child. I will do everything possible to provide for you and our child." He said to her as he continue kissing her stomach. Then he began to talk directly to the baby. "This is your dad. I know I haven't been around that much. That is only because your mom didn't tell me. Otherwise I would have been here months ago."
"You would have come if I told you?" There was so much fear in her voice.
"Do you really believe I would have done anything less for you?" He asked her as he continued showing affection to her belly.
"You broke up with me the day I found out I was pregnant." She said pulling away from him.
"That's what Monique meant by saying my timing couldn't be worse. I still would have come. I would have went with you to every doctor's appointment." She was crying now.
"I swear it's the baby hormones. I cry at the worst times. I was so scared. I was so afraid I was going to have to raise this baby alone. I felt God was punishing me."
"Why did you think that?" He said pulling her body into his embrace.
"When you chose Betty over me I was so angry and hurt. You were one of the first guys I ever really cared about. It hurt because you were going back to someone who didn't really love you."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was too stupid to see what I really wanted." He said as he began to literally kiss away her tears. Her skin tasted of salt, but he didn't care.
"I slept with Daniel to hurt her. If she had the man I loved, I would take the man she loved. Daniel told me later on that he knew what I was doing. Seen you with her, hurt him just as much." That's when she told him the entire story of the last few months. She told him about that first scary pregnancy test in Claire Meade's bathroom. She told him about all the horrible things they found out about his dad. She told him about the remarks his mom made about taking care of any illegitimate child that he could have had with Betty. He even told her about the fake relationship with Daniel to keep people from finding out that he was the father in an effort to protect the baby. That part could have made him very angry; but he was happy someone was here to help protect her.
They didn't talk about Tyler. That was too complicated of a subject. Besides he knew his girlfriend needed some reassurance from him. He quickly removed the last of their clothing. It dawned on him that they just had this very serious conversation only in their underwear.
He instantly noticed how much more responsive her body was to him. Gently touching her breast would automatically result in a moan from her. When he placed one nipple in his mouth and began sucking she began to scream words of love and adoration.
"Do you really miss me that much?" He said as his mouth move down so that he could taste his favorite part of her anatomy.
"Baby side effect, but I really did mi..." She stopped mid-word as his tongue entered her along with his fingers.
"Matt!" she screamed his name as he continued to pleasure her. He loved the way she screamed for him. He loved the way she tasted like vanilla and honey. Phone sex could not make up for this. After a few minutes of torturing his lover he stopped.
"I need to come." He heard Amanda yell as soon as he removed his fingers and mouth.
"Not Yet." He whispered as he pull back up and kissed her again for a few seconds as they change positions. Amanda couldn't wait any longer and ended up pushing him up against the headboard as she sank down on top of him. As he felt her sink down around him, he knew this was the only place he ever wanted to be. With every squeeze of her muscles around him and whispered "I love you" he knew he belonged with her.
Two hours later he realized that they never did lock the door to the guest room as Monique walked in ordering him to get dress.
"You know it's polite to knock."
"It's polite not to have sex in other people's houses. Although since it is Amanda, I understand. Please tell me you two at least talked before she tickled your ginger?" He had no idea what Monique was referring to.
"Yes, we talked first. Can you please yell later? I'm still trying to enjoy the afterglow." Amanda said in a sleepy voice as she pulled him back down to her.
"Hey Mandy, I am going to need to borrow your Matt bear for the next half an hour. I promise to return him."
"If I let you borrow him will you stop being mad because we had sex in your guest room?"
"I already forgive you. However, you are stripping the sheets off of that bed and burning them. I will let you pick out new ones. You have 5 minutes to get dressed."
Fff
When he met up with a very pissed off Monique in the study he was expecting to get yelled at for what happened between him and Amanda in the guest room. Instead, he received his first briefing on the entire Tyler situation in all its gory details. What essentially happened was Wilhelmina wanted to acquire a majority share in the company. To do that she convinced his half Brother Tyler that Daniel and Claire were evil incarnate and she was his only friend. She convinced him to demand his shares of the company after she got him completely liquored up. Of course, she probably wasn't expecting him to find a gun or shoot her.
"Marc said he would call as soon as he knew more about her condition. Claire is telling the police what happened and Daniel is taking your brother to rehab." Monique said as she grabbed a drink from the bar and pushed it back in one long drink.
"You're not telling me something."
"You're right."
"Back in January to get your father to leave the company Claire had to promise that Tyler would never find out that you and he have the same father. Your dad was furious when he found out Claire didn't have an abortion. He was furious to have an illegitimate child. Maybe it was a throwback to the situation with his half sister."
"I don't think he was that thrilled to have me, so why would another child be seen as anything more than an inconvenience." Matt said as he walked over to the bar to find something to steady his nerves.
"You're his darling child that he shows to the world."
"He hasn't been happy with me for a long time. He is going to be pissed when I don't go back to Botswana. He will just assume I gave up again."
"So you're not going back. That's definitely going to mess up the article series."
"You can always say I left early for a family emergency."
"It's the truth. It's really fine. This time you're leaving to take responsibility for your own actions. That shows you're growing up. We have bigger problems than the magazine series. Your father is going to see Tyler as an inconvenience that needs to be taken care of."
"Most likely with a bullet." Matt said as he took another drink. "'If you can't make a problem go away with money, you can use money to have your problem taking care of.' That is one my father's favorite sayings. I wonder what the going rate is for an assassin these days." Matt joked bitterly.
"I'm not sure. I don't think we need to get that drastic yet. It may be a buyable alternative for the Wilhelmina problem but I have a better solution."
"Let's hear it. You are an expert when it comes to schemes."
"I'm just the creative problem solver."
Two days later
Amanda was waiting in the car as he went to me his half brother for the first time. Claire walked beside him as they walked through the hallways of the Pine Hills rehab facility just an hour outside the city in the Appalachian Mountains.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to see him so soon?"
"The doctor said it would be best for his recovery to be around family. I'm flying his mom and dad out as well. She will arrive tomorrow." It was probably painful for Claire to refer to anyone else as Tyler's mother.
"Does he know about me?
"Amanda told him that she recently broke up with a guy named Matt who was doing volunteer work in Africa. She never told him that you were his half brother or the father of her child. She never even told him that she was pregnant. Most people don't know."
"I've discovered that fact." He said quietly.
"He knows that you're a good person. He also knows that you are the reason why Amanda couldn't have a relationship with him. She was still in love with you."
"Are you going to yell at me for what a stupid mistake I made by breaking up with Amanda in the first place?"
"I don't have room to yell at anyone. Are you sure you're ready for this?"
"I need to meet the person I'm going up against my father for."
Monique's plan was simple. They would use the existence of Tyler to get his father to give Tyler his share of the inheritance and secure Matt the right to be left alone.
"You're not doing this for Tyler. You're doing this for your unborn child. You already have the most important part of parenting down. You will do anything to protect your child."
One day later
In the pass he was afraid of his father. He's always found the man a little intimidating. It was like he could never live up to him, so he didn't try. Maybe that's why he used to sleep around. Maybe that is why he could never fine the right career path.
It was less scary yesterday when he met his brother for the first time. He was less scared when Daniel tore into him for breaking up with Amanda the way he did. The entire conversation felt like he was talking to a pit bull who was seconds from pouncing him. Yet that was less scary.
Talking to his father was like walking into the lion's den. However he knew what he had to do. His aunt Briana greed to come with him and that was the only reason he wasn't running out the door.
"I thought you were still in Tanzania." His father said forgetting where he actually was. He wasn't surprise.
"He was in Botswana. You seriously need to keep up with your children." His aunt said purposely using the plural form. As she stood beside him.
"It's so hard because he's always doing something different. At least he stayed in the last program for four months. That's a vast improvement."
"He had a good reason to come back." She said in his defense.
"Congratulations, you're going to be a grandfather." Matt stood there smiling as his father screamed every expletive imaginable at him. Once the man calm down, he said the one thing that truly made Matt angry.
"You made the right choice coming to me. I'll have the problem taking care of right away. I'm sure even that Betty girl has her price."
"It wasn't Betty; we broke up almost four months ago. It was my new girlfriend Amanda. She's currently 15 weeks pregnant."
"It is three weeks too late for your original plan." Brianna said smugly.
"They're still ways to take care of this problem."
"You're not going to take care of anything. I want this child." He said looking his father directly in the eye.
"You honestly can't mean that Matt. Do you really want some bastard child with some slut you accidentally knocked up when you were too drunk to wear a condom?"
"You mean like my conception? You're still mad that dad took care of me instead of throwing me to the wolves. Get over it." Maybe he should have left his aunt at home.
"Do you really think that little of me? It doesn't matter anymore. I could care less what you think."
"Good for you." His aunt said in support.
"Then why are you here?"
"To let you know that you're going to be a grandfather and to stay the hell away from my family."
"How are you going to stop me?"
"Are you really stupid enough to have this type of conversation in front of a witness?" Brianna said to her brother.
"I found out the most interesting thing a couple of weeks of ago, I'm not an only child." Matt said passing his father a picture of him and Tyler together that was taken yesterday in the gardens of the rehabilitation center.
"Claire said she wouldn't say anything."
"Claire didn't say a word. I have my own sources."
"What do you want?" He asked both him and Brianna.
"To be left alone and for my half brother to get what he really deserves from you."
"So it all comes down to money?"
"That's all you've ever cared about. It makes sense that you would give the same values to your son."
"It took him years to do that Brianna. You can't come to my seventh birthday party you buy out an entire toy store. Miss my graduation, by me two brand new sports cars. Brianna saw me more often when she was living overseas then you did. I'm sure missing some ones entire life is worth at least 100 million. I mean my trust fund is what two billion dollars. I don't expect you to give the same to a child You never wanted. Then again you probably never wanted me."
"I did want you."
"Not this version of me. It doesn't matter anymore. So here's the deal, set up the trust fund for Tyler and give control over to me. I'll leave up to you the dollar amount to put in the fund. Considering I am almost 28 years old, I want complete control over my trust fund. Then you will leave me and my child alone unless you need me as your "only" child to pose for a family photo opt."
"Why should I give you complete control over anything? You will just squander it away on your next venture."
"Considering my next adventures going back to law school, I don't know how much squandering I am going to be able to do."
"You're going back to law school?" His father said in shock.
"I have a kid on the way. I can't exactly wonder from one thing to the other anymore can I?"With that Matt and his aunt walked out leaving his shocked father behind.
To be concluded