The Friends We Keep

The living room had been decorated in a palette of white, ice blue and pale gray. Two large sofas faced each other. She and Andrew sat in one while Boyd’s parents sat in the other. The teenagers were perched on two chairs. They weren’t physically together, but they still seemed oddly united.

Boyd was a tall, skinny sixteen-year-old with too-long dark hair and hunched posture. Looking at him, Gabby would guess he was more into computer games than sports. Surprising. She would have guessed Makayla was more the jock type. But what did she know? This time last week she would have laughed off the notion of her fifteen-year-old stepdaughter being pregnant.

His parents—Thomas, not Tom, and Lisa—had identical looks of disapproval and judgment, with a bit of pinchy face thrown in. Gabby had the brief thought that she should have downed a shot of something before the drive over. Maybe being tipsy would take the edge off. An inappropriate giggle wouldn’t make things any worse.

At least Candace wasn’t here to add her two cents to the uncomfortable mix. Andrew had put a call in to her, not saying what was wrong, but asking to speak to her. She’d texted back saying she was traveling in Europe and couldn’t possibly be bothered until she was home.

Gabby looked around at the tall vases, the view of the pool, the draperies that were probably silk. The differences in their lifestyles weren’t about money. They were about having five-year-olds and pets. Gabby resisted the urge to glance down at her shirt to make sure there weren’t any stains.

She became aware of the silence filling the room. Since the slightly awkward introductions, there hadn’t been any conversation. She reached for Andrew’s hand. He gave hers a slight squeeze, then took a breath.

“It seems we have a problem,” he began.

“We do.” Lisa, a tall, slender brunette with small eyes, turned her attention to Gabby. “A problem your daughter created.”

Gabby stiffened. “Excuse me?”

“If you’d known what was going on in your own house, none of this would have happened. Don’t you have rules?”

Of course they had rules, Gabby thought, not sure what to say. Rules that had been broken.

“We didn’t do it there,” Makayla said quickly. “It was here. Both times.”

“Back at you,” Gabby told Lisa, even as she wanted to scream at the heavens. Twice? They’d done it twice and Makayla had ended up pregnant? She knew the biology, so of course it was possible, but hardly fair.

The other woman flushed. “I’m not sure the where is what matters.”

Right. Because it had mattered three seconds ago.

“I agree.” Andrew leaned forward. “We have to come up with a plan that makes the most sense.”

“They’re children.” Thomas glared at his son. “Irresponsible children. I don’t understand. We talked about this, Boyd. You were supposed to wear a condom.”

“How about not sleeping with a fifteen-year-old?” Gabby snapped, not sure where the words came from.

Andrew squeezed her hand. “Gabby,” he murmured.

She nodded, knowing she wasn’t helping.

Lisa rolled her eyes. “It’s not Boyd. Don’t expect me to believe this was Makayla’s first time. I’m sure she seduced him.”

“What?” The word exploded from Gabby’s lips.

“It was,” Boyd said quickly. “I swear. There was blood and she cried. Mom, you’re not helping.”

Gabby felt bile rising in her throat. She was going to be sick—right there on the pale gray rug. Talk about a bitch. The situation was difficult enough, but Lisa was making it worse. She risked a glance at Makayla, who was staring at her lap, her fingers twisting together. Gabby wanted to run over and hold her until all this went away. But that wasn’t an option.

Andrew cleared his throat. Gabby recognized the sound. It was him trying to keep control.

“If we’re done trying to assign blame,” he said, his voice low, “perhaps we could work on a solution.”

“We have one.” Boyd reached for Makayla’s hand. “We’re in love.”

“Dear God, you’re sixteen.” Thomas glared at his son. “You’re too young to know what love is. Or good judgment, apparently.”

“We want to be together,” Boyd said stubbornly.

“And have our baby,” Makayla added.

Not a surprise, Gabby thought, but a kick in the gut all the same. How on earth were they going to keep a baby? Raise it? There were other options. While she supported a woman’s right to choose, she wasn’t sure how far along Makayla was in her pregnancy. If the teen was talking about being in love and raising her child, then abortion was off the table. Which left adoption. Weren’t infants supposed to be sought-after?

“You’re not getting married,” Lisa said flatly. “You’re too young.”

“We can wait.” Boyd raised his chin. “Makayla and I are going to stay together.”

Gabby had to give the kid kudos for standing up to his parents. She wondered if that happened very often and had to guess that it didn’t. Would he be able to stay strong or would they work on him until he caved?