Substitute Father (Ross Lynch)

Chapter 11

I stared at the phone in my hands, letting it move from one hand to the other. I wanted to make the call, I did, but I couldn't. Wouldn't it be too weird to call the brother I had a five-minute conversation with once?

"Babe, the phone won't dial the number by itself." Ross said, chuckling.

"I know, it's just," I sighed, placing my head in my hands. My elbows were propped up on the kitchen table. "Talking to him is going to be so awkward. I was in so much shock when we met that I could barely let out a full sentence."

"But you did." He pointed out. "You talked to him for a few minutes, so talking to him over the phone should be a piece of cake. Just relax." He rubbed my shoulders soothingly.

"Easier said than done." I murmured. I let Ross' hand ease the tension off my shoulders, but it wasn't doing much. It was relaxing, but I was still nervous about making the call. "I honestly feel like I'm going to puke."

"Just relax, Sky." He whispered. "I don't need puke on the floor."

I couldn't help but let out a small giggle. "You're so gross."

"Maybe, but it's true." He squeezed my shoulders. "Cleaning up vomit isn't on my list for today."

I scoffed. "You don't have a list. All you do is sleep and eat. And got to work when you have to. Face it, Ross. You're a lazy bum."

He spun me around so we were face to face. "Lazy bum?" He asked, raising his eyebrows in amusement. I nodded. "I am so not a lazy bum."

"I beg to differ." I wrapped my arms around his waist and looked up at him. "If you don't have work, you sit on your ass."

"So do you." He retorted.

I smiled sweetly. "I'm pregnant, babe. I'm allowed." I patted his cheek softly and walked into the living room, my phone still in hand. I plopped down on the couch and stared at my cell once again. I didn't need to look at Ross to see him sit down next to me. The couch shifted because of his weight.

"Just call him and get it over with." Ross said. "I'll be right next to you."

"Of course you're sitting on the couch." I teased, jabbing my finger into his toned stomach.

He just laughed and shook his head.

Taking in a deep breath, I went to Mathews contact information and clicked on his number. With a shaky hand, I pressed the phone against my ear and listened to the ringing. My heart was pounding, and I was almost positive that Ross could hear it.

"Hello?" Matthew greeted, causing me to slightly jump. I didn't realize the phone stopped ringing because I was so nervous.

"Uh, hi, Matthew," I cleared my throat. "It's uh, Skylar."

"Skylar, hi." He sounded more cheerful. "How are you?"

"I-I'm okay." I stammered. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Busy with work, but good." He answered. "So uh, why did you call? Not that I care because I want to talk to you, but..." He trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

I bit my lip. "I wanted to call and ask you if you wanted to come down to L.A. for a visit." My knee started bouncing nervously, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. "I figured that we could talk and maybe get to know each other instead of doing it over the phone." I paused and took a breath. "You don't' have to of course. And your wife and son can come as well." I rambled. I really wanted to slap myself right now.

There was a slight pause on the other end before he spoke up. "Um, okay. That sounds great. I'll have to talk to my boss about having some time off, but this shouldn't be a problem." I nodded, knowing well enough that he couldn't see me. "Would next week work for you?"