“How considerate of you, Kara,” I responded sarcastically, my fingers tapping away at the table to try and release some of the nerves that continued to build the more we spoke. “And why don’t you want to keep the baby? Is it not convenient enough for you?”
She frowned, and played with her straw to avoid my eyes. “Jared won’t stay with me if I keep the baby,” she mumbled. If you’re that ashamed to say it, maybe you’re not doing the right thing. Just an idea there.
“Wow, Kara, just wow. So, let me get this straight. There’s a baby growing inside of you, a baby that we created, whether it was a mistake or not, and because your new ‘boyfriend’ doesn’t want it, you’re just going to give it away? Even though you’re plenty old enough, have a decent job, and I know you’re good with kids. Does that about sum it up?”
“Whatever, Nick. I don’t need you to judge my decisions. Your opinion doesn’t matter to me anymore. So, just sign the papers and we can be done for good. You’ll never have to see me again.”
She nudged the pen back towards me, and I felt like throwing the thing across the room. Instead, I shoved my chair back, and jumped to my feet, leaning down so I was face to face with her. “I’m not signing anything right now, Kara. You actually have to give me time to process this whole thing. I can’t just give up my kid without thinking about it like some people.”
“So, what are you gonna do now?” Danny asked, pushing a much-needed beer towards me after I finished explaining to him how I found out about Kara. It wasn’t something I liked re-living, but it felt good to get it out there, and some of the weight that had been holding me down lifted off my chest.
“I have no clue, dude.” I rubbed a hand over my face, wishing that the answer would come easily to me, but I knew there was nothing easy about it. “I told Kara I won’t sign the papers, but I have no idea what that actually means. She hasn’t answered back yet. She’s probably pissed that she’s not getting her way.”
“You’re probably right.” Danny smirked and shook his head. “When are you gonna tell Ally?”
That was the million-dollar question.
I had no clue how and when to tell Ally. A comment that she made in Indiana to her mom was really weighing heavily on my decision regarding when to have this discussion. We hadn’t really talked about having kids, but I knew that I wanted to someday. I just didn’t realize how soon that someday would come. And according to what I overheard, Ally may not want kids at all. What if I decided to raise this kid? What if Ally wanted nothing to do with me if I had a kid? The list of what-ifs was endless.
I grabbed my phone quickly out of my pocket when I heard a text alert. I knew I should have wanted it to be Kara answering back, but I needed a little more time to think about what I was actually going to do. So, when I saw that it was Ally, I couldn’t help but grin. For now, our little bubble would remain unbroken, but I had a feeling this high that we were on was going to be popped very soon.
Ally
I couldn’t get back to Nick fast enough. It was a little weird to have this feeling. I mean, we had just spent every second of three days in a row together. Was I a little obsessive? Probably, but I didn’t care. Plus, it didn’t help that Nick refused to do anything under my parents’ roof. I was honestly surprised he hadn’t insisted on separate beds, something my parents hadn’t even done.
And while I hated going without sex for that long with Nick, I loved that he was that respectful when it came to my parents. It said a lot about the person that he was.
“Hey, Rem.” I waved at her when I stepped into the apartment and she mouthed “hi” at me, pointing at the phone that was attached to her ear.
I could only guess who she was talking to. She and Ben were constantly on the phone since his trip down here. I suggested that she could come along with Nick and me when we went to Indiana, but it was too short of a notice for her work schedule. I could definitely tell she had been bummed, but Ben mentioned something about coming down for a surprise trip soon, so I thought that would boost her up a little bit.
“So, it sounds like your parents loved Nick,” she said after saying goodbye and tossing her phone onto the couch. I had my laptop placed on my knees, and was clicking through all of my messages that had gotten backed up. The orders were coming in left and right. I might actually have to consider finding someone to help me. Remy helped me out somewhat, but I felt guilty for asking her since she always looked so drained after work.
“I think they did. Is that what Ben said?”
“Mmhmm,” she responded, a faraway look in her eyes at just the mention of Ben. Ugh, her daydreaming about my brother wasn’t something I wanted to think about, but at least she looked like her old self again. “Do you need some help?” She pointed to my basket of ribbon, but I shook my head.