“I didn’t know how you would react—if you would even want to see me again once you found out.” I heard a light sob in her throat.
“Well I’m not angry.” I leaned back from our embrace. “If that’s what you were worried about. And I’m sure as hell not going anywhere.”
“I didn’t mean for this to happen.” She looked up at me with eyes that were on the verge of tears—a millisecond before they overflowed and streamed down her face. “I was on the pill—I never missed a single day—it shouldn’t have been possible.”
“Then it’s a miracle.” I wiped the tears away. “Our miracle.”
“I have no idea what I’m going to do.” She looked down.
“What we’re going to do.” I took her hand and squeezed it. “This isn’t just your problem—and I don’t even want to call it that. We’ll figure this out together. Don’t stress—don’t worry—whatever is going on in your head right now, let it go. We have a baby on the way and we’re going to love it, take care of it, and…”
“Never yell at it?” A hint of a smile formed on the corner of our lips.
“I mean, I wouldn’t go that far,” I chuckled under my breath. “What if we have a little girl and some older man takes advantage of her…”
“We’ll let them both get a word in edgewise rather than waking up the whole neighborhood?” Her hint of a smile turned into the beautiful one I fell in love with.
“We’ll—try.” I pressed my lips to her forehead. “Let’s talk to your parents and get that over with; then I think we need to sit down and figure a few things out.”
Mr. Pierce was still angry. I didn’t think that was going to fade anytime soon. All I could do was reassure him that I had every intention of taking care of his daughter and the child that was on the way. Mrs. Pierce was a little warmer, but she still had quite a few concerns. I didn’t have answers to her questions and neither did Holly, because we hadn’t sat down to talk through them yet. There was a lot to discuss, and we promised to sit down with them once we had some time to make the important decisions. The only thing that really mattered to me at the moment was taking care of the woman who was going to have my child. Thankfully, her parents didn’t raise any objects when I suggested that Holly and I go back to my place to talk about those things in private. They were calm enough for that, at least.
Now for the hard part—actually figuring it out.
Chapter Sixteen
Holly
I truly had no idea how Everette would react when he found out I was pregnant. I wanted to do it in private—but the situation just pushed my back against the wall. I was embarrassed and humiliated from being pulled out of Everette’s arms and marched home like a child—embarrassed even more by the way he acted when Everette showed up at our door. My mother was the voice of reason for a while, but even she started to lose it when things got heated. Everette was doing his best to remain calm, but I knew there was a fire inside him that would eventually lash out at my parents—and that wasn’t going to do anyone any good. I didn’t want my parents to hate Everette—not when he was the father of their grandchild. My outburst wasn’t the best way to tell everyone that I was pregnant, but it was better than watching the situation devolve even further than it already had.
“I love you, Holly. We’re going to get through this.” Everette hugged me as soon as we left my parents’ house.
“I love you too.” I laid my head on his shoulder.
I know that with absolute certainty now.
“Let’s talk through some of your concerns.” Everette led me into his house, and we sat down on the couch. “You’ve had a lot longer to process this than I have.”
“I was scared to make any sort of decision without talking to you.” I looked down and sighed. “I guess my first concern is school. There are family dorms at the University of Arizona, but they are expensive and there’s a waiting list…”
“Would you be willing to consider going to school here in Los Angeles?” He slid closer and took my hand. “I’m sure your credits will transfer.”
“Yeah, they probably would.” I nodded. “I just—I don’t even know what my major is going to be yet. I may have to take a semester off once the baby is born—then I have to find a daycare…”
“Those are all problems we can easily solve.” Everette nodded. “If you transfer to a school in Los Angeles, you won’t have to worry about a place to live—you’ll stay here with me. Daycare won’t be an issue. My mother will watch the baby when we’re both busy with work and school…”
“She will?” I blinked in surprise. “Shouldn’t we ask first?”
“She’s told me multiple times that all I have to do is give her a grandchild and she’ll make sure it’s taken care of.” Everette chuckled under his breath. “Trust me; my mother may start doing cartwheels when she finds out that she is going to get to hold her first grandchild in six months. She stopped dropping hints a long time ago—now it’s become more of a demand.”
“At least your family will be happy…” I shook my head and sighed.
“I think your parents will come around.” Everette squeezed my hand. “They’re in shock right now, and it’s understandable, but they still love you.”
All of my concerns started to fade away as I talked through things with Everette. He was excited about being a father and had no intentions of pushing me away because I got pregnant. He loved me, and he was going to be there for our baby. Relocating to Los Angeles did make the most sense. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to move in with him, but I didn’t think my parents would have any problem with me staying with them while I went to college. It was discussed when I was trying to decide what college I would attend, but I wanted to put some distance between us so that I could learn to be on my own before I stepped out into the real world—getting pregnant certainly changed my perspective about that. The last thing I wanted was to be alone. I was going to need all the support I could get.
“Okay, so I’ll find a school in Los Angeles. I’ll move back here after this semester is over—next door for now.” I looked up at him and smiled.
“But you’ll visit every day…” He narrowed his eyes.
“Of course.” I nodded and laughed.
“Is it too early to start picking out names?” He raised an eyebrow and grinned.
“Names? Oh god…” I blinked a couple of times as the realization hit me that I hadn’t even considered names. “Are there any you’re attached to?”
“If it’s a girl, we could name her after my mother.” Everette nodded. “Mildred.”
“Um…” I couldn’t hide the grimace.
“Then maybe if it’s a boy, we’ll name it after my father—Wilfred.” His nodded again.
“Your parents are Mildred and Wilfred?” I shook my head in disbelief.
“No.” He looked down and laughed. “My dad’s name is Bob, and my mom’s name is Pam.”
“Pamela isn’t too bad.” I wrinkled my nose in contemplation. “I wouldn’t mind Robby—not so sure about Bob.”
“Yeah, I’m not particular to that one myself. We’ll make a list—I’m sure we’ll come up with something that we both like.” Everette leaned over and picked up his laptop.
“Oh, you mean—like right now?” I exhaled sharply. “Okay, let’s do it.”
We spent a couple of hours coming up with names and talking through some other concerns. Everette wanted to make sure I had a good obstetrician, and I certainly didn’t mind trying someone new. The OBGYN I normally went to in Los Angeles didn’t have the best bedside manner, and even my mom had been talking about switching to a new doctor. I was determined to finish school, even if I didn’t know what my major would be in the fall. I was still leaning towards becoming a teacher, but I wasn’t ready to make that decision quite yet. It might be best to see if I could handle one child on my own before I tried to take responsibility for a classroom full of them. Everette thought I would make a great teacher—and encouraged me to give it some
consideration.
“I should probably go home.” I looked towards the window. “My parents haven’t turned off the lights—they may be waiting up for me.”
“I’ll walk you to the door—and stay outside in case I need to try beating it down again,” he chuckled under his breath.
“I don’t think that will be an issue. The worst of it is probably over.” I leaned forward and started to stand.
I felt a lot better after discussing everything with Everette. He walked me to my door—we had one more hug and a rather long kiss before I finally went inside. My parents were waiting for my return, but they were a lot calmer. We had a lot more civilized discussion, but it was still tense. My father wanted me to promise that I would finish school, and I had no problem making that one. They brought up the subject of marriage—I wasn’t ready to have that conversation. I knew Everette would be there for me whether I had a ring on my finger or not, and I didn’t need a ceremony to prove his devotion to the family we were going to have together. I wasn’t opposed to marriage, but it would happen when the time was right. I certainly didn’t want Everette to feel like he had to marry me because I was pregnant—the fact that we were still together was good enough for me.
“Okay, I love you both, but I really need to go to bed now.” I looked towards the stairs and sighed.
“You can sleep in tomorrow if you need to.” My mother leaned forward and patted my hand. “I think I can handle Thanksgiving dinner without your help.”
“Is he coming to have Thanksgiving dinner with us?” My father raised an eyebrow.
“Is he invited?” I tensed up.
“He didn’t need an invitation to knock up my daughter—why does he need an invitation to eat here?” My father stood up and walked towards the stairs.
“He’ll—come around.” My mother sighed once my father was at the top of the stairs.
“It’s a lot to take in. I realize that.” I nodded. “I promised Everette I would go with him to his parents’ house tomorrow. We have to break the news to them. I’ll save room for some of your stuffing and—maybe a few slices of pumpkin pie.”
“It’ll be here whenever you’re ready.” She looked down and smiled.
Hopefully the Weston household will be excited like Everette said—I’m not sure I’m ready for World War 4 after barely surviving World War 3.
The next day
“Are you serious?” Mrs. Weston’s eyes lit up and immediately filled with tears. “Oh my goodness, I’m so happy!”
“This better not some kind of prank.” Mr. Weston narrowed his eyes—much like Everette did when he was questioning something.
“Dad, it’s not a prank,” Everette laughed. “Holly and I have been together for a few months now, and we took precautions—but miracles don’t care what kind of obstacles you put in front of them.”
Everette’s parents weren’t just happy. They were ecstatic. His mother didn’t start doing cartwheels, but I think she gave it serious consideration. Everette’s sister was rather nonchalant about the relationship and the pregnancy. She did give me a hug after we had Thanksgiving dinner—which put her at least ten hugs behind the ones I had gotten from Mrs. Weston since I met her earlier that day. After we had dinner with the Weston’s, we went back to my place. Everette picked at his food while I ate an entire second plate, along with two servings of dessert—there was one advantage to being pregnant at least—I had one hell of an appetite.
“I know you’re not going to ask your mother for a third piece of pie…” Everette raised an eyebrow when he caught me staring at my empty plate.
“I might…” I looked over at him and smiled. “You can’t complain about it—I’m eating for two.”
“I wasn’t going to complain about the pie—I was going to complain if you asked her to get it instead of me.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
“Well in that case, I will have another piece of pie…” I nodded and grinned.
“I’ll be right back,” he chuckled under his breath and picked up my plate.
I really didn’t know what the future was going to hold for the three of us, but I truly believed we would face those challenges together. Our baby was going to have a wonderful father, and a mother that would hopefully have her major figured out before they were born. Raising a baby and going to college was going to be tough, but I had a good support system around me. Mrs. Weston didn’t just agree to watch the baby while I was in school—she even volunteered to watch it if we wanted to have a date night, or take a vacation—anything, really. She had the worst case of grand-baby fever I had ever seen. I knew my mother would help out too—and my father was going to eventually decide he was going to retire. I didn’t know if they would actually tour the country in an RV like he always talked about, but it was definitely possible.
“Here you go.” Everette put the pie down in front of me.
“Thank you.” I smiled and picked up my fork. “I could get used to this…”
“You should—I plan to wait on you hand and foot now that you’re carrying my child.” He gave me a gentle nudge. “But you’re still going to call me Daddy…”
“Now it won’t be weird if I do it in public.” I pushed my fork into my pie and winked.
“I love you so much, Holly.” He squeezed my hand. “But I’ll love you more if you give me a bite of that pumpkin pie.”
“Oh? Are you going to get started on your dad-bod immediately?” I held up the fork and teased him before I gave him the bite.
“I might as well.” He shrugged. “You’re already mine—I don’t have to worry about keeping these washboard abs to lure in the ladies anymore.”
“Maybe just one bite of pie…” I looked down and giggled—then lowered my voice in case my parents were actually eavesdropping. “These baby hormones are going to live and breathe by those washboard abs if they make me as horny as the websites say they will.”
“Sounds like I might be making a lot of trips to Arizona before the end of the semester…” He gave me a nudge.
“I like the sound of that. Good thing you have a new job that lets you do it.” I nudged him back. “I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”
“It’ll be worth my while as long you’re there.” He smiled. “But you better be on your best behavior—I’d hate to have to spank a pregnant woman.”
“You wouldn’t dare…” I tried to put a serious look on my face but just started laughing.
I fed Everette a few more pieces of pie before I was done, and then we went in the living room to talk with my parents. I gave them the highlights when I got back from Everette’s place the night before, but we had a more in-depth conversation. My father seemed to let go of the tension that had been ingrained on his face since he found out about us. I didn’t think anyone could look at the two of us and not realize that we were in love—it was sudden, explosive, and it was absolutely perfect. I couldn’t wait to see what the future held for the two of us, and the baby that was growing inside me.
You’re going to love your father, just like I do…
Epilogue
Holly
Two weeks later
“Wait, hold on.” Amelia stared at the screen with her jaw hanging open. “You’re pregnant!? How!?”
“Do you remember my next door neighbor—Everette?” I raised an eyebrow and smiled.
“No! You…” She seemed to be trying to wrap her head around it.
“Yeah.” I nodded quickly. “I took your advice—I baked him some cookies.”
“It sounds like you gave him a lot more than cookies!” She started laughing. “So, you’re a couple—like, you’re together, and you’re already pregnant!?”
“We are. We promised each other we wouldn’t say anything until we got our first sonogram. I’m about to post it on Facebook, but I wanted to call you first.” I nodded again, but then I noticed what appeared to be steam coming from the door behind her. “Uh, Amelia—is someone taking a shower at your place?�
�
“About that…” She turned her phone away from the door and lowered her voice. “I just met this—amazing guy.”
“He must be pretty amazing if he’s taking a shower at your place!” It was my turn to look surprised.
“Check this out…” She moved the phone towards the bed.
“Is that a kilt!?” I blinked in surprise. “Where did you find a guy that wears a kilt in Georgia?”
“That’s a really long story—I’ll have to tell you sometime.” She grinned and then immediately looked towards the bathroom door. “He’s done—I gotta go. Can I call you later?”
“You better!” I laughed and shook my head. “I want to hear all about this!”
“I want to hear more about Everette…” She batted her eyelashes.
“We’ll talk.” I reached down to end the call.
Two weeks later
“Merry Christmas.” I crawled over and put a present in Everette’s lap.
“I told you not to get me anything,” he groaned and picked up the box.
“Just open it…” I gave him a nudge.
“You have to open your present first.” He pushed a box towards me.
“Somebody open something.” My father leaned forward and motioned to the two of us. “We can’t have breakfast until you do.”
Everette decided to join my family for the annual Christmas morning present exchange in the Pierce household. We were going to his parents’ house after lunch to do presents with them. He told me not to buy him anything, but I couldn’t resist the urge to buy him something. I got him a new stethoscope that had was engraved with the word Daddy. It was innocent enough, but nobody would know that there was more behind it than the baby that was growing inside me. My parents thought it was cute. Everette knew what it really meant—and then he urged me to open my present. It was a locket with our first sonogram picture—and a place for our baby on the other side when it was actually born.
Obsessed with a Daddy Page 15
