Unexpectedly Expecting || BWWM

Ivory's POV

It's been three weeks since Dean decided to step up and accept that he was going to be a father. Surprisingly, he's been taking it seriously.

After our talk at the bookstore, he got my number from his father and called me. He asked for the dates of every appointment—both for the baby and for me—and added them to his calendar. By the fifth day of his newfound commitment, he started talking about getting me a house, claiming my apartment wasn't big enough for his child.

I told him no.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Why would you say no to a free house?" Because Dean isn't just some random guy offering a kind gesture—he's Dean Keller. And Dean Keller is about to be married to another rich man's daughter. If word got out he had a whole second family, I don't know what would happen to him and Jeffrey. A house is a big purchase that the media will easily find out about.

Today is one of those appointments, and it's supposed to be the big one: the anatomy scan. This is when I'll find out the gender—or genders, in my case. I already told my doctor I wanted to know, but I never thought to ask Dean how he felt about it.

When Dean picks me up at my apartment, he's dressed in a hoodie, jeans, sneakers, and a baseball cap. The look is jarring, it's like seeing Superman in sweatpants, but I don't comment.

"Morning," he says, holding the passenger door open for me.

I climb in and glance over at him as he gets behind the wheel. "Where's the suit?"

"If I wore a $6,000 suit to an ultrasound appointment, I'd get recognized in a second," he replies, adjusting his cap lower over his face.

"God, it's not like you're Chris Evans or something," I mutter, rolling my eyes.

Dean smirks but doesn't respond, his focus already on the road.

The drive starts quietly, but I decide to break the silence. "What's your family like?"

Dean glances at me, caught off guard. "My family?"

"Yeah. I mean, I already met your Dad. I don't know anything about your Mom."

He exhales, his fingers tapping the steering wheel. "My dad's great—patient, supportive, a lot calmer than I deserve most of the time. He's always been the one who reminded me it was okay to mess up, that I didn't have to be perfect."

I smile, already expecting that. "That's exactly what I expected. What about your mom?"

His jaw tightens, and there's a moment of hesitation before he speaks. "Claudia Keller? She's... intense. She's the one who pushed me into business. Always expects perfection—expects me to be the best at everything, no exceptions."

"That sounds like a lot."

"It was." He glances at me briefly before looking back at the road. "If I scored a goal in soccer, she'd ask why I didn't score two. If I closed a deal, she'd want to know why I didn't close a bigger one. My dad used to step in and tell her to ease up, but she's... relentless. Now he just lets her say whatever."

"She must've been thrilled about the baby news," I say dryly.

Dean lets out a sharp laugh. "Thrilled? She doesn't even know you exist. She would've called me 'irresponsible' and said I wasn't ready to be a father. My dad, on the other hand, you know he's excited. He's already planning to spoil the baby rotten."

I can't help but smile at that. "He's already have and he didn't even know he was the grandfather at first. He's so sweet."

"He is," Dean says, his voice softer now. "But he's always been overshadowed by my mom. She runs the show, always has. Even in our house, it's her way or the highway."