by Lacey Legend
“I don’t exactly know how to say this to you both, and I don’t want you to freak out at all.” Kelsey’s eyes were trained on the table studying all of the grooves of the wood. “I’m pregnant.”
There. She’d said it out loud for the first time. It was like a weight lifted right off her shoulders, but at the same time, she could feel the weight of her parents’ stares and that was almost worse.
Her mother spoke first, her voice calm and steady. “Who is the father?”
Kelsey had thought up a million different ways to lie to answer the question, but in the end she decided the truth would be best. It was the only thing that made sense so she had to go with it.
“It’s Mason,” she admitted.
Her father stood up from the table in a flash of anger. “He’s fired!” She knew that was all he could think of to say in a situation like this.
“He’s already gone, he moved away.”
Now her mother was standing in anger. “He left you? How could he do something like that?”
“He doesn’t know. He told me he was moving and I never told him.”
She looked up at both of her parents and tears were in her eyes. Disappointing them was never something she wanted to do, and seeing them angry this way was such a horrible feeling. But her mother sat back down, clearly seeing the emotion that was written all across her face. Reassuringly, she patted her hand.
“How about you tell us everything from the beginning?”
So Kelsey sat with her parents and told them exactly what had been going on between her and Mason. She spared them the dirty details, but by the time she was finished, neither one of them seemed angry anymore and seemed to almost understand how upset she was at losing him.
“Okay, well, Mason is out of the picture, that much is clear. So we need to make a plan.”
This was her mother’s forte. It was why she was on so many committees, she had the ability to make plans and make them come completely true. So when her mother said it was time to make a plan, Kelsey knew she would come up with some way to fix this, some way for her to get through it all.
“The first thing we need is a story. If you’re going to keep the baby, we’re going to need a better story than Mason. We need something that keeps you in higher standards than that.”
Her comment stung, but Kelsey knew that’s what was coming so she accepted it.
“Next, we need to find someone for you to settle down with. We can’t have you as a single mother. It just won’t work. So I will find you a perfect suitor and we will arrange the perfect marriage.”
Now it was Kelsey’s turn to get upset. “Marriage? I can’t just marry someone I don’t love! How would you even find someone that would want to?”
“You leave that to me.” Her mother’s clipped tone left no room to argue. “Now you won’t tell anyone about this until we’ve got a story behind it all.” Kelsey watched her furiously scroll through the phone and started typing quickly. She could almost see the plot unfolding in her mind.
Risking a glance at her father, she could see that he was already back to checking his stocks. It was obvious her mother was going to take charge and her father was going to pretend this wasn’t happening. She was grateful, she supposed, that her parents were willing to help or at least not yell at her for getting pregnant.
A scandal like hers in The Vines could not only embarrass her and get her thrown out of social circles, but it could also do the same for her parents. She should feel relieved that they were being so calm about everything, she knew everything would be okay. So why did she still have such a horrible feeling inside of her?
*
Mason had driven all through the night until he passed state lines. Once he crossed over the border, he thought the knot in his chest would loosen, but for some reason it didn’t. Adam slept peacefully through the drive and that at least made him feel better. He knew he was getting Adam out of a bad home and a life that wasn’t going to go any farther than his was. But he deserved better and Mason was going to make sure he got it.
Poor Adam had never had a chance at having a good life, not after losing their father and his mother hitting the bottle so hard. Neighbors would comment that they never really knew if it was the drinking that lost her husband, or losing her husband caused her drinking.
Either way, even with both of his parents, he hadn’t had any chance at going to college or getting a decent job, but with just one, and her being drowned in her bottle for the majority of the day, Adam had even less of a chance. Mason knew that he’d made the right choice, and the peace he saw on Adam’s face, even though he was sleeping in a truck, confirmed it.
With the adrenaline finally wearing off at being caught basically kidnapping his little brother, his eyes started to grow heavy. The time read five in the morning. The dawn was just breaking as they were pulling into a new town, Elliotsville. From the very first street he drove down, he could tell that it was a small town that looked like a set from a movie.
It had tiny shops lining the streets with an actual kid on a bike tossing out papers. It looked like as good a place as any to stop and at least get some food and rest a while. When he came to an all-night diner, his stomach growled at the thought of breakfast. He parked the truck outside and gently woke Adam. He knew he would have a bit of explaining to do.
“Hey buddy,” he whispered to him as Adam’s eyes sleepily fluttered awake. “I decided to take us on a little adventure. I’m going to find us a place to get some sleep, but do you want some breakfast first?”
“My stomach is growling,” he admitted and Mason smiled though he knew it was probably growling because if his mother had fed him at all it probably hadn’t been much.
“Well, let’s go eat.”
Stepping inside the diner, all eyes turned on the two new faces. Mason saw the sign that told them to seat themselves so he grabbed Adam’s hand and pulled them into a booth by the windows. Adam immediately started rifling through the crayons that were in a cup left on the table and started filling out the paper menu while Mason watched the sleeping world outside.
He had to admit he was surprised to see so many people awake and out at such an early time of day, people in his town usually slept late into the morning because of the exhaustion they put themselves through during the day. In contrast, people in The Vines slept late into the morning because they could afford to.
“What can I get ya?” A waitress who looked to be in her mid-forties stood next to the table smiling at the two boys. She was a friendly face and Mason instantly liked her.
Adam spoke up first ordering waffles and orange juice. Mason asked only for a cup of coffee.
“Now you can’t come to Bev’s Diner and not try some food. Don’t know where you boys are running from, but I can see it was a long drive and you need some energy.”
How did she know that they were running from something? Was it written on his face? The better question really though, was what exactly had he run from? Somewhere along the drive his reasoning had become foggy. But he took the woman’s word for it and ordered himself a couple of eggs and toast. She gave them a warm smile. “My name is Judy if you need anything,” and walked away.
Adam was already back to his coloring and that was fine with Mason. He needed to think about what his next step was. This really should have been planned out a lot better and if he had waited like he had originally planned, then it would have been better. But he’d let his emotions take over and now he had to take care of his choices. A stray local newspaper lay on a table across from him and Mason reached over to snag it. Searching through the pieces of local news, politics, and advertisements, he came upon the classifieds.
He needed a job before he could really do anything. A job and a safe place for Adam to stay while he was working. He’d find out eventually about schools in the area but for the moment, a daycare would be good.
“Here you go, boys.” Judy had come back with their breakfasts.
As she was fil
ling his coffee, he could feel her glance over his shoulder.
“What kind of skills do you have?” she asked him.
Mason cleared his throat. “Well I’m good at anything that has to do with landscaping and I’m pretty good with cars and engines.”
Judy nodded thoughtfully. “If you check out Ken’s Garage, just a couple streets down, he’s been looking to hire some new help. Tell him Judy sent ya, he’ll take ya on.” She took a look over at Adam. “And what do you plan to do with this little guy?”
Mason looked over at him too, he just sat there coloring, blissfully unaware that Mason had effectively ripped him from his home and his life.
“I need to find somewhere safe for him to stay when I find a job.”
Judy called over to another waitress across the diner. “Marge! Your mother still babysitting kids during the day?”
“Yeah she is!” the woman called back.
“Okay, so stranger, now we’ve found you a job and a place for your little boy. I’m going to bet you need a place to live and it just so happens that there’s an apartment above the diner here that’s for rent.”
Mason couldn’t believe his luck. This woman, a complete stranger, had turned his life around in about five minutes. He was going from feeling like he’d made a huge mistake and should just turn back around, to feeling like there was a real chance that he could make this all work.
“We’d be willing to lower the rent if you help out with some odd jobs around the diner once in a while. Deal?”
“Why are you helping me so much?” He hadn’t meant to sound rude, but the question just fell out of his mouth. He tried to recover as she hid her smile. “I just mean you don’t know me at all and you’ve already offered me a place to live, given me a lead on a job, and found somewhere for Adam. Why?”
Judy offered him a smile “When you’ve worked in a town like this where people pass through and you work in a diner like mine, you see all kinds of people and you get pretty good at reading them. I don’t know what your story is but your eyes tell me all I need to know. You’re a good kid and you need some help.”
Mason couldn’t help how much he needed to hear that.
“Thank you,” was all he could manage to say.
Adam ate his breakfast happily, but the moment he was done, Mason watched his little eyes droop shut. He could really use some sleep himself and knew that he should find a place to rest. Judy had told him that the apartment would be ready the following day, so for the night, she had given him directions to a motel in town.
Carrying Adam out to the truck, he loaded the boy’s little body inside and followed her directions. The motel turned out to only be a few blocks away so he arrived quickly and registered himself for the night. The man that checked him in was older and friendly just as Judy had been.
It had only been a few hours that he had spent in this town, but he was already feeling like it was home. In one arm, Mason carried the now-sleeping Adam and in the other he carried a couple of bags for the night.
The inside of their little room was good enough for them with a bed big enough for them to share, a bathroom, and a TV. When Adam woke up, that would keep him occupied enough while Mason tried to sort out everything in his mind. Of course, with all of Judy’s help, he had a lot less of the technical stuff to figure out, and when Adam woke up, he would drive over to Ken’s Garage and see if he would give him a job.
But the things he mostly needed to figure out weren’t the technical stuff, it was everything that he was holding inside. Leaving home hadn’t been easy, and as far as he knew, he had done the right thing by getting Adam away from the mess they were living in. He couldn’t help but wonder what his mother was going to think when she woke up. Would she be upset? Angry? Relieved? It was too much to think about that last option, but still it was a possibility.
Then his thoughts traveled to Kelsey. How was she feeling? Leaving her like that was so horrible it had nearly ripped his heart out. He’d had to chuck his phone out the window somewhere along the highway just to keep himself from contacting her.
She’d been about to break it off, he’d known it, so trying to talk to her again would have been futile. She was probably feeling perfectly content that morning. She’d gotten to have all of her fun with Mason.
Now it was over, she never had to worry about him ruining her life again. There would be no need for anyone to find out what had gone on between the two of them and she could move on with her perfect existence without any worries.
Mason lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He listened to Adam’s even breathing and tried to find that pace himself. He was starting a new life for them and that meant leaving everything behind.
No matter how much leaving her had hurt him, she was better off with him completely gone, and he couldn’t allow himself to think that there could have been anything more between them. Eventually Mason fell into a restless sleep with her picture still burned into his dreams.
Chapter6
“He’s a very nice boy and he’s liked you for a long time.”
Kelsey’s mother was going back and forth between her closet and Kelsey holding up outfits and then discarding them on the bed. Kelsey had a date coming over for the evening, but not just any date. This was the man that her mother had chosen to be Kelsey’s suitor during her “situation” as they’d gotten used to calling it.
Kelsey couldn’t remember Alan at all, but her mother had run into the former classmate at an event that Kelsey had chosen to skip, and her mother had thought he was the perfect match. Of course, he lived in The Vines and came from money. He held a prestigious job at a law firm and was from an excellent family. This was all according to her mother.
Though she never outright said it, Kelsey knew that her mother was laying out all of his good qualities for one reason, to show her how unsuitable Mason would have been, as if that would help heal her heart any faster.
It had been a few weeks and she’d given up hope that she’d ever hear or see Mason again, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. It also didn‘t mean that she didn‘t think of him constantly, of course it may have been easier if she wasn‘t carrying a constant reminder. Literally. But her mother was tired of watching her mope and had decided to put a plan into action. Alan was a major part of the plan.
“I don’t even remember this guy. And why would he even want to be with someone who is carrying another man’s baby?”
Her mother simply rolled her eyes. “Well, I didn’t exactly say it to him like that. I told him that you were in a long-term relationship and that you had mistakenly gotten pregnant and he ran out on you.”
“Still pregnant with another man’s baby here!” Kelsey pointed to her abdomen.
Her mother’s tone changed suddenly as if she were placating a child. “He’s very impressed that through heartbreak and adversity you are doing the noble thing by having the baby. If anything, I think it’s made him like you more.” Her mother winked and it was Kelsey’s turn to roll her eyes.
She was sure that Alan was probably a nice guy and well suited for her, but that wasn’t what she was after. Maybe a few months ago that arranged lifestyle would have been good enough, but not anymore. She wanted passion, romance, fighting, and excitement. She wanted what Mason had given her.
“Here. This one is perfect for tonight.” Her mother was holding a black slip dress that was modest enough to still make her look proper, yet made her look sultry and appealing.
She had to hand it to the woman, if nothing else, she knew how to take control and get things done.
Kelsey had no choice but to agree, but she still let out a sigh as she slipped into the dress. Her mother turned her around in order to zip up the back of the dress.
“There is nothing ideal about any of this.” Her mother’s voice was soft and Kelsey relaxed slightly. For the moment, the business tone was gone and a mother stood behind her. “I know you’re hurting, and if I could change it all and make Mason come ba
ck and be the man you deserve, well then that’s what I’d do. But he’s gone, Kelsey. He left because he wanted to and now you’re left to pick up all of the pieces. I only want to help.”
Gently she pulled at Kelsey’s arm and looked her in the eyes. “Please give Alan a chance. He may not be some rebellious guy that Mason is, but he is a good, solid man that has liked you since high school. He can take good care of you and provide a good life for you and the baby. To be honest, he’s exactly the type of guy I would have picked for you anyway.”
Kelsey could feel the tears choking to get out. She hated how often she had to be reminded that Mason had left her, and she hated even more how much she had to be reminded that she had no way to get him back.
“Can I have a minute?” she asked her mother.
Her mother nodded and patted her arm before she left the room. There Kelsey stood in her dressing room and she examined herself in her full length mirror. The baby bump hadn’t really started to show, but Kelsey could see the difference in herself.
She was about to be a mother.
At the end of the day, that’s what everything boiled down to. It didn’t matter where her heart lay or the adventures that she wished for were unfolding out in front of her. All that mattered was that she needed to be responsible, she needed to do what was going to be best for her baby. Her parents had always done that for her and now, ready or not, she was going to have to do the same.
Even though she’d built herself up, walking down the stairs to the party she was still fighting every instinct to run in another direction. Any direction, really. But instead, she kept her pep talk flowing through her mind and she continued, one step in front of the other, down the stairs and into the parlor where the appetizers and drinks were being served. Immediately a glass of sparkling water was brought to her side and she accepted it gratefully as she had something to keep her hands occupied.
