Her Younger Baby Daddy

Coraline's POV

I'd always disliked my birthday, it had never been my favorite day but now two years in, I loathed it. I never expected that I would be spending the day at the cemetery, talking to my husband's gravestone, commemorating his death anniversary.

I laid the bouquet of tulips on the ground beside the stone and used my hand to brush away dead leaves and withered flowers.

"Hey, Vince, it's Cora and Becca, we came to say hi. I know it's been a while since we came to visit but we're here today. Becca, come on, say hi to Daddy."

I stretched out my hand and Becca placed hers on mine, "Hi Daddy, how are you? How's heaven? Are you having a good time there? I miss you." Becca's small sad voice sent a sharp pang to my heart. My eyes filled with tears and I quickly wiped my face with my palm.

A chill went through me and I dragged my jacket closer, then placed Becca in front of me to shield her from the cold. It was towards the end of summer so I had expected it. My cell phone beeped, indicating that my time was up and I needed to get to work.

"Come on, baby, say goodbye to Daddy." Becca let go of my hand and walked over to the headstone. She touched the writings on the stone and patted it.

"Goodbye Daddy, see you s..."

"Hey, what are you doing there? Get your hands off my brother's headstone, little girl." A shrill voice said.

My spine stiffened, I knew that voice, if I heard that voice in my sleep, I would recognize it. God, why now, why today of all days? I didn't have the energy to deal with her.

"Oh, Cora, it's you. What the hell are you doing here, you bitch?!" She screeched, Becca's eyes widened and she hurried back into the safety of my arms, hiding her face.

I turned slowly, taking in as many deep breaths as I could.

Blossom Baxter, Vince's younger sister, stood barely a foot away from me looking glamorous in her Pink Gucci off-shoulder midlength dress, pink Jimmy Choos ankle-length boots, pink Chanel purse, and Tiffany jewelry, her makeup was perfect and her blonde hair styled. She looked like she had come right off the runway or at least from a toy box because she looked like Barbie unlike I, who was dressed in a ratty t-shirt, that hadn't been washed in two weeks, with a pair of faded blue jeans, my good old vans, no jewelry and my hair up in a messy bun.

Blossom had been away for years, touring the world on her father's money, the last time I heard about her, she had been in Brazil. She didn't even come to Vince's funeral so why was she here now? Why had she returned now?

"Cora, how dare you show yourself here, after what you did to my brother?" She eyed me from head to toe and grimaced. Yes, I knew I looked terrible, she didn't need to make it obvious.

"Blossom, please can we not do this here? Especially not around Becca, today is Vince's anniversary and we came to pay our respects. Let's leave this conversation for another day." I looked down at Becca, "Come on baby, let's go, we've talked to Daddy enough."

We walked past Blossom but she stretched her hand out and dragged me back then glared at me.

"Where the hell do you think you're going to? Do you think I'm just going to let you live a happy life while my brother is dead? You killed him, you're the reason he's dead!" She screamed, attracting the attention of some people in the cemetery.

Oh God, with the way she was going off, people are going to think that I shot Vince or stabbed him. I needed to clear things up before someone called the police.

"Blossom, listen up, I didn't kill Vince, I know I'm partly to blame for his death but I wasn't the driver that rammed into him while he driving!" I smacked her hand away.

" He wouldn't have died if he hadn't been in a hurry to pick up your birthday cake!"

" Well, I'm sorry that I was born, maybe if I hadn't been born Vince would still be alive." I couldn't hold the tears in anymore, tears rolled down my cheeks, and I wiped my face furiously.

"Yes, maybe you should just kill yourself." She spat out with hatred.

" I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm not going to do that. I have Becca and I love her, I won't do that to my child."

" I'm going to take everything away from you. I'm going to take everything that my brother owns and leave you with nothing. I leave you the way he met you, like trash." She pointed her index finger at the trash bin in the corner.

I rolled my eyes, bitch, please. " Good luck with that. If you'll excuse me, I have to get to work. You know some of us don't have to rely on our daddy's money." I kissed my teeth and walked away with Becca.

*******

"Oh, you're here already? Happy birthday!" Mei walked out of the kitchen with a cupcake that had a candle on it, her flowery sundress making her seem more angelic.

My smile fell when I saw the cake, " Mei, come on, I thought we'd been over this so many times."

" I know, I know, but I can't help myself. That's why I didn't bake you a special cake, I just took one from the bakery's own and placed a candle on it. I can't stand knowing the fact that it's your birthday and we aren't doing anything about it. So just humor me and blow out the candle." My dark-haired friend pushed the plate forward, I sighed, blew out the candle and she cheered. I removed the candle, lifted the cupcake, and shoved it down my throat, yup, cookie dough flavor.

"Thanks, Mei." My words came out muffled but she understood and smiled.

"You look like a lady but you sure eat like a pig." A cool buttery voice said, my hands turned icy. I whipped my head around and made eye contact with the bane of my existence, Elijah Warren, dressed to the nines, in his Armani grey suit with a white inner shirt, that enhanced his grey eyes, his usually styled hair was ruffled as if he had ran his hand through it continuously.

"What can I do for you, young man? Do you need some warm milk in a sippy cup?" I gave him a polite smile.

"Oh, I'm not getting in the middle of this." Mei shook her head and walked away. Elijah was Mei's husband's, Tyler, best friend. I was friends with Mei and Tyler. Elijah was friends with Mei and Tyler, naturally, you would assume we would be friends but we weren't, we couldn't even stand each other.

Elijah's eyes darkened and he pressed his lips together. He always hated when I referred to the fact that I was older than him. Four years was a lot to be proud of and I made sure to shove it in his face every chance I got.

"Where's your walker, old miss? Are you sure you should be moving around without it or can you not afford one?" He looked down at his Swiss watch as he said the words nonchalantly.

I made fun of his age, he made fun of my age and lack of money in return.

I rolled my eyes and prepared his coffee, espresso black with a dash of sugar.

"Here you go!" I slid it across the counter and he paid.

"How does it feel to be one year closer to your grave, Coraline? You must be ecstatic." He tipped his cup at me and took a large swig. This was his way of wishing me a happy birthday.

Before I could respond with my snide comment, my phone rang, and the caller ID showed my neighbor's name. I quickly picked up.

"Oh, hi, what! Oh, my God, thank you, I'm on my way!" I hung up the phone and pulled off my smock.

Elijah raised an eyebrow, " Something wrong?"

"My things are being thrown out of my house!"

Elijah dropped his cup on the counter and recoiled, " What?"

I quickly packed my things, " Look, I don't have time to talk. I have to get home, tell Mei what happened, and that I'm sorry I left abruptly."

" Do you need a ride?" He brought out his car keys and I shook my head.

"No, I'm fine. I can drive myself home." I rushed out of the cafe, got into the car, and drove home like my life depended on it.

I arrived home and there was a truck parked in front of it. Some men were taking things into the truck and others were throwing things on the lawn. Oh my God, was that my toaster in the yard? I parked my car and stormed out.

"Excuse me?" I called out to the men in the truck, " What the hell is going on? What are you doing in my house? Who gave you this order?"

One of the men, bald and stocky with a half-grown mustache sneered, " Quit your yapping lady, the boss is inside. We're just doing what we were told to do."

I gasped, unable to believe his tone. I clicked my tongue and headed into the house. Could it be a mortgage but the house didn't have any mortgage, I checked.

I entered my living room which was now stripped bare of his soul. Two men carried out my bed and I stepped out of their way before they slammed into me.

"Oh my God, what's going on here?" I cried.

" Be careful with that vase, Dale, I quite like it, I think it will be a good addition to my other vases." Blossom glided down the stairs like she owned the place. Oh my fucking God, this bitch really went ahead with her words. I honestly thought she was all talk.

"Blossom, what the fuck is going on here? Why are you tearing apart my house? What are you doing to my things?" I placed my hands on my hips.

She grinned and came over then crossed her arms over her chest, " I think you mean my house, this house belongs to me. I have every right to do what I want to do with it. If I say to throw away the trash," She flicked her hand at me, " the trash goes."

"What the hell are you talking about? This house doesn't belong to you, it belongs to Vince and as his wife, I inherited his things."

Blossom cackled, " Bitch please, do you really think Vince could afford to buy a house like this? My dad gave it to him as a wedding gift. My father's name is on the deed of the house. Since I'm father's daughter, I have every right to it."

My chest constricted and I suddenly felt short of air, surely Blossom was lying. Surely, this house belonged to Vince. Surely, my daughter and I weren't getting kicked out of our home.

"Blossom, what the hell are you saying? How do you expect me to believe your baseless words?"

"You really think I'll come here without any evidence. I'm not stupid." She picked up a large brown envelope from the table and headed it over to me. I brought out the paper, it was the deed to the house and it clearly stated my father-in-law was the owner of the house.

It felt like the rug had been pulled under my feet, the envelope fell from my hand and I was almost falling as well but I quickly supported myself with the wall. What the fuck, what the fuck, WHAT THE FUCK? What was I going to do? How were Becca and I going to survive?

"Okay, Blossom, the house might be yours but you don't need it, you have enough money and property that letting this one go with hurt you."

Blossom lifted a perfectly trimmed eyebrow, " And why should I do that? What do you think you're going to tell me that will convince me to do otherwise?"

" Blossom, you and I might not be on good terms and you blame me for Vince's death but remember Becca, she's your niece, she doesn't deserve to suffer like this. She's half of Vince, you might not have Vince but you'll always have her."

Blossom cackled and clapped her hands gleefully, " Sorry but I don't give two fucks about that pest. So you weren't able to change my mind. Get the fuck out of my house."

Fuck, this was actually happening, where was I going to go? I did a quick calculation of the money I had and it wouldn't be enough to rent an apartment.

" Blossom, please don't do this. We don't have anywhere else to go? I can't afford a new apartment right now. Give us some time to get ready."

" I don't give a fuck about your financial woes. I'll be generous and give you an hour to get whatever trash you need and get out of here. One hour, not a second more."

There was no need to beg her, she was the devil's incarnate. The clock was ticking, I raced up the stairs and packed as many things as I could in the little time I had. I took some clothes, mostly for Becca, her favorite toys, some food, and toiletries. I did the best I could with the time I had.

"Time's up. Get out!" Blossom screamed, I put the last bag in my trunk and locked it.

"Blossom, you're a real bitch. You'll get yours one day." I said as I wiped away sweat from my face.

She gave me a cheshire grin and waved," Buh-bye!"

I found a motel that was within my budget and paid for a room for a week. I took our things out of the trunk and set them up in the room. The room had a musky damp smell, and paint was peeling off the walls, I checked the bathroom, and there wasn't any hot water, and the tap didn't run well. I returned to the room and sat on the bed, it made a squeaky sound and I almost screamed. I had hit rock bottom.

I grabbed my bag and hurried out of the room, I knew if I waited a second more, I would keep finding faults with the room. I drove back to work and it was almost closing time.

"Hey, Cora, what happened? Elijah said something about your things being thrown out. I called you repeatedly but you didn't pick up." Mei took off her apron and hung it up.

I placed my bag on the counter and sighed, " Girl, it's a long story and I can't tell if without some food. I'm starving."

Mei snapped her fingers, " I've got you." She headed into the kitchen and returned with a plate filled with pastries. I swiped the plate from her hand and began to chomp down on the snacks.

"Coffee?" she asked, I shook my head, I was already too tensed and stressed for caffeine.

"Water." She brought out a bottle of water from the fridge and we sat at a table.

As I ate I retold the events of the day, starting from the cemetery.

"I can't believe it, that, that shantbag?" My eyes widened, Mei wasn't one to curse, using the word, shantbag, she was pissed, "How dare she do that to you?"

"I know right? I just wanted to reach over and squeeze the life out of the cunt's neck."

" So what are you going to do now? You can come stay with Tyler and I? We love you and Becca."

I stopped eating and bopped my head from side to side, " No fucking way, don't worry yourself. I already booked a hotel for a few nights. I'll start apartment hunting this evening, before the end of the week, I should have a new apartment."

Mei twisted her lips, " Are you sure? You know you can stay with us. We don't mind. It will be much cheaper."

I clasped Mei's hand, " Baby, don't worry yourself, I've got everything under control."

I lied through my teeth, I had nothing under control, in fact, I was spiraling out of control. I should be put on a billboard stating, out of control. I might be out of my head but the last thing I wanted to be was a burden to anyone.

Elijah's POV

"It's Elijah, can I come in?"

"Yes." I opened the door, entered, and shut it. My grandfather, Simon Warren, was a proud and smart man who had grown his father's small newspaper company into a multimillion-dollar empire. To most people, he was stoic and imposing, I had felt the same way about him when I initially met him but after years of knowing him, I realized underneath that stern facade was a huge prankster and manchild.

Right now as his lawyer blotted his forehead with his napkin, trying to keep up with Simon's dictation, the culprit was twirling around in his swivel chair, playing a game on his iPhone.

Grandfather's eyes lit when they fell on me, he placed his phone on the desk, "Elijah, welcome, take a seat, let's get this meeting started." I gave him a small bow and then sat in front of him.

"Scotch?" He gestured to the bottle of liquor on the desk.

"None for me, I'm driving. Grandfather, why did you call for this will reading? Aren't wills supposed to be read when the person is dead?" I rested my back on the chair and crossed my arms and legs.

"Typically, but I'm a nonconventional man, what's the fun in having a will if you can't see people's faces when the will is read? This is much better.'. As I earlier said, a huge manchild.

"Gideon, go ahead with the will reading." Gideon, the lawyer, gulped and pushed his glasses up then began to read, he went through a lot of things that didn't concern me and I blocked him out until I heard my name.

"What! Tell me this is a joke, it's a fucking prank right, haha so funny. Now read the actual thing." I jumped to my feet. As I also mentioned before, my grandfather was a prankster. This was one of them.

Gideon cleared his throat and adjusted his spectacles. "I bequeath my company to my grandson, Elijah Warren. However, he can only inherit it along with my fortune if he marries and has a child within the year that the will is read. Failure to do so will result in the sale of my company and donation of my fortune to Beating Hearts Foundation."

My heart pounded, blurring my vision as though I had hypoglycemia.

"Grandfather, what on earth? Don't you dare! You know very well that I have no interest whatsoever in marriage or children!"

Grandfather smiled; I wanted nothing more than to wipe off his smug expression.

"Elijah, I don't want you to be alone after I'm gone. You deserve the kind of love your grandmother and I shared: someone to come home to and children who brighten up your days."

"Yeah right! Just like Mom brightened up your life when she was high ninety percent of the time?"

Grandfather sighed and scratched his head. "I understand all too well that your parents' toxic relationship was your only experience with family love. Not everyone is like them; for twenty-six years, yours truly enjoyed happiness with Grandma."

"I don't care about any of this! You cannot just cut me out because of personal choices! Do you have any idea how hard I've worked at taking Warren Media where it is today? And now you're kicking me out!"

"Son, "Grandfather spoke calmly, "that's precisely why we are reading this will now-so that it catches you by surprise giving you enough time before next year comes around-to find someone whom you would want as a wife so that together both of you could produce some great-grandbabies for me."

Marriage wasn't something I ever saw myself doing; yet somehow, some way-I needed leverage against him.

"Okay then Simon Warren, let's work something out here: while getting married isn't exactly what appeals most to me right now but having a child might just be feasible...I'll hire a surrogate mother who can give birth on our behalf thus providing us both-that great-grandbaby which means so much for us all!"

Silence fell upon us whilst Gideon gestured towards grandfather signaling they should discuss further behind closed doors.

Eventually turning back around grandad swiveled in his chair extending an arm forward.

"You got yourself a deal young man but remember one thing: make sure that baby arrives before next year ends."

Clasping grandfather's hand firmly into mine shaking it assuredly saying: "It's settled then!"

"That's terrible news, Mei", Tyler said, pulling me from deep thought and realizing they were staring at me expectantly waiting for a response.

"I'm sorry what did ya say again?" I scratched my head nonchalantly wondering why she appeared distressed.

Mei rolled her eyes"Cora...her sister-in-law Blossom showed up causing a ruckus threatening eviction tossing Cora and Becca's belongings outside."

The waiter arrived; I paid for our meal and stood up to leave. "Where is Coraline staying now?"

Mei brightened up at this question: "Oh yes! She's staying at your hotel - The Deluxe! Can you call someone and make sure she has everything she needs?"

Hearing Coraline was supposedly staying at my hotel made me suspicious: there was no way on earth that Coraline could afford a room there. But instead of expressing doubt outrightly, I grinned as a genius idea came into mind.

"Really? Okay then...see you guys tomorrow!"And just like that, I left the restaurant and immediately drove straight towards my hotel whereupon entering into reception met Carrie-the concierge.

"Oh wow. Good evening Mr. Warren, welcome back again. The presidential suite should be ready if needed tonight. How may I assist?"She exclaimed.

"No thank you. Carrie, a friend of mine booked a room earlier today. I would love to send in a complimentary dinner for them. Her name is Coraline Warren, she should have come along with a little girl."

"I will check" She replied whilst typing through their computer screen. Afterward, she frowned: "Sir, I am sorry. There seems to be nobody here under such a name."

That confirmed what I had suspected all along: "Are you certain? Perhaps another name was used. If I show you her picture, maybe you can recognize her?"Carrie nodded affirmatively-and thus, I showed her a clip from Mei's wedding where both Mei and Coraline were present.

"I remember Her. She came around asking questions concerning our rooms and prices, but never actually checked in."

"Okay.Thank You very much, Carrie. You've been helpful. Enjoy Your night!"

Carrie smiled, "Thank You too, Sir".

Leaving the premises, I felt ecstatic. Coraline thought She had deceived Mei-but guess what?-she couldn't deceive Me! I always stayed one step ahead of Her. I couldn't wait to rub this fact in Her face tomorrow morning!

**********

Coraline's POV

I barely slept last night, with every small movement I made, the bed creaked, and I was aching in places I never expected to ache. It felt like I had aged ten years. I dropped Becca off at daycare and drove to work.

The first thing I did when I got behind the counter was to make myself a cup of coffee extra strong, I needed all the caffeine I could have to get through the day. After prepping the cafe opened for the day and our first customer walked in.

"Hello people, how's today? It's such a splendid day, isn't it?" Elijah strolled into the cafe, he moved like he owned the place.

My junior barista sighed dreamily as he walked up to the counter, I jabbed her softly. " Don't waste your air on this demon."

"Now, Coraline, I heard that and it wasn't very nice. Did you enjoy your night at The Deluxe?" My shoulders stiffened. Why the hell was he bringing that up?

I curved my lips, " I did, I enjoyed it a lot. I can't wait to go back there tonight."

" Wow, that's a surprise, you see I was at The Deluxe last night, I happen to be acquainted with the owner and I asked for your room number. Surprisingly they couldn't find anyone with your name registered in the system." Elijah ran his finger over the counter.

My whole body reacted to his words, I froze in my spot.

"I wonder what happened? How did you get to spend the night in The Deluxe if your name isn't in the system? I wonder how Mei will feel about this when I tell her." He grinned.

Holy fucking shit.