One More Chance: A Secret Baby Second Chance Romance
Page 20
“Well, I recently found out that before the two of us parted ways when I went to Harvard, she got pregnant,” I said.
My mother’s face fell, and my father scooted his chair closer.
“Ana was pregnant?” my father asked.
“How pregnant?” my mother asked.
“Probably a couple months. I’m not really sure,” I said.
“You have a child and you didn’t tell us?” my father asked.
“I didn’t know until a week ago,” I said.
“Wait. Ana hid this from you?” my mother said. “I knew that girl was no good. You thought she was all innocent and nice because of the family she came from, but I knew she was bad news.”
“Mom, don’t get yourself worked up. It’s not like that,” I said.
“What do you mean it’s not like that? She hid your child from you. She robbed us of being grandparents!”
“Mom, come on. I’m not going to continue to talk with you if you’re going to act like this,” I said.
“Do you have a son or a daughter?” my father asked.
I looked over at him before I smiled.
“A son. Brody. He’s eight,” I said.
“Oh, that’s just great. We’ve had a grandson who’s been in L.A. all this time and we didn’t even know about it! That woman is bad news, Tyler. Don’t tell me you’re rekindling something with her,” my mother said.
“If I was, it wouldn't be any of your business. And it isn’t what you think it is. The day we broke things off, I said some mean things to her—things that made her decide to keep her pregnancy from me,” I said.
“Like what, Son?” my father asked.
“None of that matters. She was pregnant with your child and you had a right to know.”
“And now I do. Dad, I told her I was glad I was going to the other side of the country and getting away from her,” I said.
“You said that to her? Why?” he asked.
“We were both on edge and she wasn’t talking to me about her college plans. I thought maybe she didn’t want to keep seeing me after we graduated, and I was hurt. It turned out that she didn’t have any plans after she graduated other than—well, being pregnant and raising a child,” I said.
“Oh, great. A girl who didn’t have any college plans to begin with is the mother of my grandchild.”
“You’re going to stop working yourself up or I’m not going to do what I had planned on doing,” I said.
“What do you mean, Son?” my father asked.
“I want you guys to meet him. I want him to meet Mom. But she has to calm down.” I turned to my mother. “You have to calm down, Mom.”
“I have a grandson,” she whispered.
“You do. He’s a good kid, smart. Loves sports. Loves school. Loves the outdoors.”
“Sounds like he’s all boy,” my father said.
“A lot of this situation is my fault. I missed the signs. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on those last couple months we were together: her mood swings, her not feeling well, headaches, not eating much. Things I didn't see back then because I was eighteen and too preoccupied with my own future to pay attention to her,” I said.
“It was her decision to hold this back from you. She’s ultimately responsible,” my mother said.
“But I didn't help matters by telling her in anger that I was glad to get away from her, Mom.”
That seemed to silence her, and she released her grip on my hand.
“I never did like that girl,” she said.
“And I never knew why. She’s grown into a phenomenal businesswoman. You know that store Curvy Belle?”
“I do. I’ve bought your mother several things from there,” my father said.
“She’s the owner and operator,” I said.
“She’s what?” my mother asked.
“Yeah. She’s the one who founded it. She’s the one who runs it. I don’t know what you didn’t like about her in high school, but she’s a good woman today. Stable. Self-sufficient. Intelligent. A great mother to Brody.”
“That’s great, Tyler. That’s—that’s really great,” my father said.
“Both of us have a responsibility in what’s happened. But when I came back to town, she told me about him, so now I’m trying to get to know my son. And I’d like him to get to know his grandparents.”
My father’s eyes misted over as my mother sniffled.
“I’d love nothing more,” she said.
“When can we meet him?” my father asked.
“Let me go make a call and I’ll figure it out,” I said.
I slipped out of the hospital room and pulled out my cell phone. Now I had to convince Ana to bring Brody over so he could meet them. I had no idea how this phone call was going to go down, but as my own words rattled around in my mind, guilt settled in my gut.
Ana really was a good woman, and we were both to blame for the situation we were in. It wasn't right for me to harbor this anger toward her any longer. Maybe if she brought Brody, she would stay and we could talk.
Then again, now wasn’t the time to discuss all that. With my mother’s failing liver and Brody meeting her and my dad for the first time, there would be enough going on.
Fuck. How the hell had this all gotten so complicated?
“Tyler?”
“Hey there, Ana. I’m sorry I’m so late returning your call.”
“Like I said, it wasn't important,” she said.
“When you call, it’s important, no matter what. You are the mother of my child. You come first.”
Silence fell over the phone before Ana cleared her throat.
“Okay then. Um, well, what’s up?” she asked.
“I’m at the hospital with my mother and father, and I was wondering if you could bring Brody by to meet them.”
“To the hospital?”
“I know it’s short notice, like the baseball game, but, Ana, honestly, I don’t know how much time my mother has left.”
“What? Have they not found her a donor yet?”
“My father and I aren’t matches, and she’s not the greatest candidate, so no. It’s a waiting game at this point, and with her serious history of not wanting to get better, she’s not far up on the list.”
“I’m so sorry, Tyler. What can I do?”
“I really want Brody to meet his grandmother before she passes, if this is her time. I just—” Tears crested my eyes and closed my throat. “I just really want that for her,” I said.
“Of course. I’ll bring him over right now.”
“You will?”
“Yeah. I think he should know his other grandparents. I’ll admit, if your mother wasn’t sober, I’d have a different opinion on it. But with the circumstances being what they are, I think it’ll be okay. You’ll be with him, right? So he’s not frightened by the whole hospital scene?”
“Of course. I won’t let him out of my sight,” I said. “And, Ana, if it’s any consolation, I wouldn’t have introduced our son to my mother in her former state, either.”
“That actually matters. Thank you for that. It—well, never mind. It doesn’t matter now.”
“So, I’ll see you two soon?”
“I’ll bring him up and then you can just bring him back whenever you're done. I’ll leave you his booster seat.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary. I went out and bought one for my car. You know, so we don’t have to keep switching it around.”
“Oh. Okay. Great. Thank you.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for this?” I asked.
“I’m sure. I’ll get Brody ready and see you soon.”
“Yeah. See you soon.”
I paced the hallway of my mother’s hospital floor until the doors burst open. Brody came running for me, and I picked him up, then held him close to my body. I’d never get used to the feel of him, to the way his arms wrapped around my neck.
“Hey, Daddy,” he said.
“Hey there, Son. I’ve got some people
I want you to meet,” I said.
“Mom says I have more grandparents.”
“You do. They’re my parents, and they’re very anxious to meet you.”
“Is that my grandson I hear?” my father asked.
“I think that’s my cue,” Ana said.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” I asked.
Brody clung to me as my father approached. Ana watched the interaction for a second, and I secretly willed her to stay. I wanted her to be here for this moment, for Brody’s initial meeting with his other set of grandparents. But a sadness washed over her features before she nodded her head.
“I’m sure. This is a time for you and Brody to share. Just call me when you’re headed back. I’ve got some errands to run,” she said.
“Okay. I’ll call you then.”
“Thanks.”
It was the hardest thing to let her walk away like she did. I wanted to go after her, to tell her to stay, that I needed her strength and her resolve. But after the way I had treated her and considering how rocky things were emotionally, it was selfish of me to ask that of her. She looked back one last time before the doors closed, sealing her off from the hallway all of us had gathered in.
It wasn’t the right time for us to talk. But that didn’t mean it was easy not to go after her.
Ana
I sat across from Tyler in our Taco Hut. It was a place that held so many memories. It was where he first asked me out, and it ended up being where we had most of our dates. We’d get the taco platter and split it, then max out our order of dipping sauces. It was a meal we were again eating.
I still couldn’t believe Tyler had wanted me to come out with him. When he had dropped Brody off after being at the hospital, the first question out of his mouth had been whether or not we could sit down together and talk. He had said he wanted to take me out again, which confused me even more.
Why would a man who didn’t want to work on his relationship with me want to take me out to dinner?
Granted, it was Taco Hut. It was nothing more than a kitchen, a small bar that served nothing but margaritas and Corona, and an overhang with some benches. But just like our spot behind the Hollywood sign, it held memories I’d never let go of. Memories that made me smile even to this day.
And I knew they held the same significance to Tyler.
“Your parents watching Brody?” he asked.
“Mm, they are, yes.”
I covered my mouth so he wouldn’t see me chomping on my food while talking.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to catch you mid-bite.”
“It’s fine. You’re good. I promise,” I said.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course you can.”
“What was it like when you first found out you were pregnant?”
My brow ticked up in confusion as I finished off my second taco.
“Um, well, I was scared for one thing. I didn’t really believe the first pregnancy test, so I took another one. And when that one came back positive as well, I knew I had a serious problem.”
“So, all of those headaches and uneaten lunches because you didn’t feel well—?”
“Yeah. All part of it.”
Tyler nodded his head as he picked up another taco.
“Did you experience any—complications?”
“You seem interested in my pregnancy.”
“I am.”
“Can I ask why?”
His eyes connected with mine before he sighed.
“It’s a part of Brody’s existence I didn’t get to experience. And it’s something you went through alone. I guess I just want to make sure you were okay through it.”
I nodded, trying to digest his words as best as I could.
“I mean, I didn’t really experience complications. I think the most nerve-wracking thing was telling my parents.”
“Did you do that alone, too?”
“No. I had told Kristi by that point. She was with me when I broke the news to them.”
“How did that go?”
“Uh, about as well as you could expect?”
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“My dad wasn’t happy. He thought you ran out on me, and I had to tell him you didn’t know. Then it was sort of a chorus coming from all fronts about how I needed to tell you. I guess I should have listened.”
I dropped my gaze to my lap and cleared my throat.
“My pregnancy was fine. I had to go to the hospital once because I passed out, but it wasn’t anything serious.”
“What happened, Ana? Were you okay?”
“I was fine. Brody was fine. Everything was fine. I was just a little anemic throughout my pregnancy. It’s common. Just something they noted on my chart before putting me on an iron supplement. I wasn’t a fan of meat while I was pregnant.”
“Did you have any weird cravings?” he asked.
I giggled. “All the time.”
“What did you want the most?”
“Chocolate milk, from beginning to end. And slushies. I swear, that’s why Brody is such a hound for slushies. I practically drank both things like they were water. Chocolate milk for every meal and slushies whenever else I wanted something to drink.”
“Do you like slushies now?”
“I can’t stand them,” I said, laughing.
I calmed myself down quickly once I noticed Tyler wasn’t laughing with me.
“Sorry,” I said.
“No need. I like watching you laugh.”
“My parents were a big help, but I wouldn’t let them do much. I guess since I felt like I’d gotten myself into that situation, I needed to rely on myself to get out of it. Or at least make the best of it.”
“It seems like you’ve done just that.”
“I like to think I have. I mean, Mom babysat a lot. Though I always made sure to pay her for her time. She watched Brody while I took weekend classes in design and business at the community college up the road.”
“I’m glad they were there for you and Brody.”
“They really were. My father always wanted to interject and help money-wise, but I wouldn’t let him. He bought me that storefront, though. I was so angry with him for doing that.”
“Only you would be angry with someone for buying you your dream building,” he said, grinning.
“I paid him back every cent, plus interest, over the first two years we were in business. I didn’t want anyone else providing things for my son that were my responsibility to provide. I guess it was selfish and prideful in the end, but I felt the mess I had made was mine to shoulder.”
“Not even mine?” he asked.
I sighed as our eyes connected.
“I don’t know. Maybe. I sometimes wonder if my pride became the reason I never reached out to you. I have no one to blame but myself at this point,” I said.
“For what it’s worth, Brody is a really great kid. You've done a fabulous job.”
Tears welled in my eyes, and I looked away so I could blink them back.
“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate that.”
“I’m sorry I never called you back the other day. You sort of called at a bad time.”
“I know. You said you had a meeting.”
“Actually, I didn’t.”
I turned my gaze to him as my brow furrowed.
“You didn’t?”
“I didn’t want to talk to anyone about it at the time, and I didn’t really know what to tell you, but you called in the middle of me talking to my Mom’s doctor. He had called to tell me we weren’t matches. I’d just assumed we would be, so I was kind of shocked and upset.”
“Oh my gosh, Tyler. I am so sorry,” I said.
“It’s fine. I mean, it’s not fine, but we’re dealing with it.”
“What’s the next step?”
“It’s essentially a waiting game. Waiting until a donor pops up. I just wanted to tell you since technically I lied.”
�
�It’s fine. I wasn’t owed that information, Tyler.”
The table fell silent as we both reached for another taco.
“How did things go with Brody meeting your parents?” I asked.
“Oh my gosh. Yeah, um—it went great. He and my father bonded really well. Brody is really good at math?”
I nodded as I took a bite of my taco.
“Of course you knew. It’s just—I mean my father was very impressed with how he was able to talk mathematics with him.”
“He can run some pretty insane calculations in his head. It’s still astounding to me that he likes history as much as he does, too.”
“I think he enjoys the national parks more than anything else.”
“Good. So I’m not the only one who gets that vibe,” I said, smiling.
“Nope. I noticed it, too.”
“So, how did your mother take to him?” I asked.
Tyler finished off his taco before he wiped his mouth and spoke.
“A lot of hugging. A lot of crying. A lot of doting on him and kissing. It was sort of a mixture of ‘I’m so glad to meet you’ and ‘I might not have much time with you,’ you know?”
My heart broke and tears rose to my eyes again.
“I’m so sorry. I never should’ve done what I did,” I said breathlessly.
“Ana, stop apologizing. It happened and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“I am sorry, Tyler. I swear I thought I was doing right by everyone. I tried. I tried so hard.”
“Ana, stop. Look at me.”
He reached for my hand, his soft skin pressing against mine. I looked up to meet his eyes as a tear ran down my cheek, and he reached out to brush it away.
Such an intimate gesture from a man who I wasn’t sure still enjoyed being around me.
“Things went really well with my parents and Brody.”
“I’m glad,” I said, sniffling.
“I was hoping maybe my father and I could take him out. Maybe when Mom’s napping or something.”
“Of course. Of course you can. Just call and let me know. I’ll do whatever I can to coordinate with you guys.”
“I appreciate it, really. I think Dad wants to take him out for ice cream.”
“If you make it slushies, he’ll cling to your father and never let go,” I said.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, chuckling.