by Unknown
“I think I’m good, but thanks for the offer.” I smiled at him.
“Are you ready to meet and greet these parents?”
“I think so. I’m having the kids finish up some poems to put on the back bulletin board, and we’re making leaves to hang from the ceiling during art tomorrow. Then I’ll be ready.”
“I was thinking, since I’m staying down the street from you that we can ride back to the school together?”
“Afraid to walk into the lion’s den alone, are you?” I teased.
“A little; it’s nerve racking. What if they don’t like my teaching abilities?”
“You’ll be fine; your kids are doing great.”
“That’s because you are a great mentor.”
“Thanks,” I grinned.
I remembered what my first year was like, and it was interesting to say the least. As soon as the parents know it’s your first job, they scrutinize everything you do, and they become extra helpful.
“When is your first meeting?” he asked.
“Seven.”
“Me too, how about I pick you up around six-fifteen-ish? Will that give you enough time to eat and change after our staff meeting?”
“I have an even better idea. Why don’t you come home with me after the staff meeting for dinner then we can go over any last minute things,” I offered.
“That would be great, thanks,” Mike said getting up.
“It kinda does come with a catch, though,” I laughed, remembering trying to put up the new blinds I’d bought and it not working out so well last night.
“I figured,” he chuckled.
“Willing to put up a set of new blinds in my room and the spare bedroom?”
“Sure, that shouldn’t take too long. I’ll put them up while you prepare dinner.”
“Dude, I’m ordering pizza before we leave the school,” I said in a male voice. “No meal preparing there.”
Mike shook his head laughing as he walked out the door.
“Wait,” I shouted before he got too far away, “I didn’t get a chance to ask how your wife and Sophia are doing.”
“They’re great. Keisa got Sophia this cute witch costume for Halloween.
“Aw, make sure you show me the pictures when she sends them to you.”
“Don’t I always.” he smiled then a sad look crossed his eyes.
“Hard being away from them, isn’t it?”
“I miss them so much. It sucks I had to take a job so far away from them.”
“Have y’all decided if they are coming here for Thanksgiving? Y’all are still more than welcome to join my grandparents and me out at the ranch.”
“We’ve talked about it and considered it. Keisa really wants to meet you and your grandparents; especially since you all have been so welcoming. But I think money will be pretty tight since I’m flying home during Christmas break. I might even just stay here by myself.”
“I understand, just let me know what you decide,” I smiled.
“I will and thanks again, Haley. For everything.”
“No worries. I remember what it’s like being the new kid in town.”
I knew exactly what I was doing when I got home from work tonight. I was buying Mike a plane ticket home for thanksgiving. No one should ever be alone on the holidays, and I couldn’t imagine being this far away from my child.
I WAS JUST putting on the finishing touches to my make-up when I heard a knock at the door. I yelled, “Mike, can you get that please. I’ll be ready in like two minutes.”
“No problem.”
The door opened and closed, followed by two male voices talking.
“Hi, I’m Mike. Haley will be out in two minutes.”
“Bentley.” His tone sounded clipped. Great he’s in another mood. I put down my mascara and hurried to put on my shoes. I pushed my skirt around trying to hide the tiny baby bump as I stepped out of my bedroom.
“Haley, you look beautiful.”
I looked up startled, “Bentley what are you doing here? I mean right outside my bedroom door?”
“Can we talk?”
“I was just on my way out with Mike.”
“Please, it will only be for a minute.”
I looked over to Mike standing in the hallway. “I’ll just finish with the blinds in the spare room. Just grab me when you are ready to go, Haley.”
“Thanks, Mike, one minute I promise. We don’t want to be late.”
“Thanks, Mike,” Bentley growled as we watched Mike step into the spare room.
“Are you two dating?” Bentley asked as soon as he’d shut my bedroom door.
Oh no, he wasn’t giving me attitude again. “That’s none of your business.”
“Haley…”
“Bentley, what do you want?” I was starting to get annoyed.
He offered me a beautiful bouquet of flowers I hadn’t even noticed he was holding, “I’m here to say I’m sorry. I pulled a pretty douche bag move the other day when I was here.”
I took the flowers from him. “Yes, you did.” I smelled them before placing them on my dresser. “They are lovely.”
“You really do look great.” I watched as his eyes ran the length of me, twice.
I tugged my skirt again. “I was actually thinking of changing just before you got here.”
“Why?” He took a step closer to me.
“Because I feel like I’m screaming, look at me I’m pregnant!”
“Does Mike know you are pregnant?” Bentley rested a hand at the top of my waistline.
“No.”
“Don’t you think he should?”
“Again, Bentley, this is none of your business.” I pushed his hand away.
“I’m the father.”
“Yes, you are. The father that left and hurt me.”
We stood, silently staring at one another.
“Don’t change, you look great.” Bentley took another step closer. The tiniest movement from either of us and we would be touching.
“Thanks,” I whispered, sensing the sexual tension between us.
“You really do, you know. You’re a knock out,” he moved his nose to smell my neck. “You smell delicious, and your hair looks amazing in those curls,” He whispered into my hair.
I took a step back and touched my hair, “You really think so?”
“Sweetheart, you look beautiful every day,” he smiled and took a step forward replacing the step I took backwards. “So…where is he taking you?”
“We’re just friends, Bentley,” I finally admitted, not able to hold onto the annoyance any longer.
“If you’re not going on a date, what are you doing with Mike, dressed like this?” he asked running his hands up and down my torso.
“It’s parent teacher night, and since Mike is staying down the street, we thought we’d take one car instead of two. It’s his first year teaching and I’m his mentor; I think he needs his nerves settled a bit before he meets all the parents.”
“No drinks afterwards?” Bentley inquired with his eyes on me.
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that considering he has a wife and a ten month old daughter.”
“He’s married?” Bentley asked shocked.
I laughed, “Yeah. I think I have enough on my plate than to be dating. Don’t you?”
Bentley let out a sigh of relief as the tension visibly flowed from his shoulders.
“Why is he putting up blinds in the spare room?”
“I tried putting up the blinds myself, but I fell off the stool and thought it would be better if I got someone else to do it. Since I invited him over for dinner, I asked if he wouldn’t mind helping me.”
“Are you okay? Should you be doing that kind of stuff?” Bentley asked panicked.
“I’m fine, really. The stool was only a foot off the ground.”
“Why didn’t you call me, or Travis? We would have come and put them up for you.”
“I know, but your family has helped so much these
past few weeks; I’m sure they’re getting tired of helping the damsel in distress.”
Bentley grabbed the bottom of my chin to make me look at him, “Haley, you are family. My parents or Travis could never get tired of helping you, and I know for a fact they don’t look at you like the damsel in distress.”
I whispered, “I’m not family. I’m Charlotte’s friend, and the woman carrying her grandchild.” I closed my eyes feeling the burn in them.
“No, you’re so much more,” Bentley sighed pulling me into his chest.
My bedroom door opened slightly, “Haley, I got the blinds up, but we should really get going, or we are going to be late,” Mike said still on the other side of the door.
“Yes, we should.” I stepped out of Bentley’s arms and grabbed the flowers off the dresser.
Bentley helped me put on my coat. “Thank you again for the flowers, and for stopping by.”
“You’re welcome.” He pulled my hair out from the back of the jacket.
“Mike, before we go, please let me introduce you to Bentley. He’s the high school assistant football coach and Travis’s older brother,” I offered. “Bentley, this is Mike, he is a first year teacher from Rhode Island.”
Bentley offered his hand, “Rhode Island, that’s a long ways from home.”
“It sure is, especially since my wife and daughter stayed behind. But with all the cut backs, I needed to go where there was full time work.”
“I understand, man.” Bentley shook Mike’s hand, “You two had better get going so you can tattle tale on those munchkins.”
“See you around, Bentley.” Mike called before opening and walking out the front door.
“You too, Mike, and let’s grab a beer sometime.”
“Can you lock up before you leave, Bentley?” I asked grabbing my keys from the entry way table.
“I’d like to see you again, and maybe take you out on a date.” Bentley asked, grabbing a hold of my hand.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Please,” he begged.
“I have a doctor’s appointment on Friday at four-thirty. Would you like to come to that?”
“Does it have to do with the fall, are you sure you are okay?” he asked concerned.
I placed my other hand on his, “I’m fine. It’s the first doctor’s appointment for the baby. I’d asked your mom to come, but I’m sure she won’t mind you coming instead.”
“Where at?”
“In Florence, I know it’s an hour’s drive from here…”
“Haley, its fine, I’ll pick you up at three.” He kissed me on my lips before turning me around nudging me out the door.
BETWEEN GETTING THE farm ready for fall, and debating whether or not we should sell the calves or keep them for another year, on top of football, I hardly had any time to talk to Haley except for a few texts to confirm the doctor’s appointment.
“Bentley, lunch!” Mom yelled from the house.
I put away the rest of the tools I’d used to fix the hay bine and washed the grease from my hands before heading into the house.
“Mom, it smells good in here.”
“I made your favorite, bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches.”
“Are these tomatoes still from the garden?” I asked looking at my sandwich.
“It’s the last of them, I think. The frost is getting harder in the mornings.”
“You sure can sure smell the fall in the air now,” I said with my mouth full.
“How’s football going?” Mom asked, pouring me a glass of lemonade.
“Good. The boys sure put on the speed and muscle we needed by joining Haley’s track team.”
“Don’t some the games and track meets collide with one another?”
“I never gave that a thought. I guess I’d better talk to Haley today. I can’t have my best players missing a game.”
“She can’t have her best runners missing meets either, Bentley.”
“Mom, it’s football. I’m sure she’ll understand,” I said around another bite of my sandwich.
“Bentley, track is just as important as football.”
I gave her an are you kidding me? look.
“It’s true, so remember that when you talk to her, and don’t back her into a corner either. You just never know when she will bite back.
THE NERVES SET in as I drove to Haley’s. It was the first time we’d be alone since I got back, and I’m sure she will be asking me why I left and what I did while I was gone. Truth is, I’m not sure I am ready to tell her yet.
Haley met me in the drive way just as I was walking up. “I was just coming to get you.”
“That’s okay, this isn’t a date or anything,” she shrugged it off, before opening the passenger door.
I grounded my teeth, “Maybe not, but it is still the polite thing to do.”
Putting her seat belt on she said, “Well, I’m in the truck now.”
“Great, apparently the tone for the trip has now been set,” I grumbled getting into the truck.
“What was that?” she asked looking up with those beautiful brown eyes.
“I said we’d better get going so we’re not late.” Putting the truck into reverse, I knew today was going to be harder than I thought.
Haley started putting on lip-gloss as we pulled into the parking lot.
“Why are you putting on lip gloss?”
“Some of it came off while I drank my water on the way here.”
“You don’t need it. You’re pretty without it,” I said staring at her lips, as she ran the wand across them.
“Thanks, Bentley, that’s kind of you to say. Sometimes I switch it up between my lip balm. I just don’t like the feeling of dry lips,” Haley explained as she put the lip-gloss back into her purse.
A nurse greeted us from behind the counter when we opened the clinic door. “Afternoon, you must be Haley Wells.”
Haley stepped forward and shook the nurse’s hand, “I am, and this is the baby’s father, Bentley Knight.”
“Please come in and take a seat. We just have to go over some paperwork before I take you back to see the doctor.”
I ushered Haley into a chair and sat beside her. “Bentley, I can sit on my own,” she snickered.
“I know. I just want you to take it easy.” Picking up a magazine I began reading the joys of what you’ll find in a kids diaper.
“Sorry I took so long, I had to answer the phone,” the nurse said as she came and sat down on the other side of Haley. “My name is Katie, and I’ll be your nurse every time you come in to see Dr. Westward. If you have any questions at all don’t hesitate to ask or call me.”
“Thank you,” replied Haley.
“I pulled your file and see you’ve already filled out most of the paperwork and sent it in, so I just have to go over a few questions, and then I’ll weigh you before you see Dr. Westward.” Opening the file, Katie began asking Haley questions. “I see you listed yourself as a single mother.”
“Yes.”
“I see you put Bentley as the father?”
“Yes.”
“Your emergency contact people are Maggie Vatter and Charlotte Knight?”
“That’s right.”
“If the office cannot get a hold of you, is it okay to contact either one of them?”
“Yes.”
“And if something were to happen to you, we have full rights to contact them and give them full disclosure?”
“Yes.”
“You do understand that other than those two people, we are unable to give out any information to anyone about you, or the baby, at the time of an emergency?”
“I do.”
My hands gripped the magazine tight as I fought to keep myself in the chair. Why didn’t she have me as a contact person at all? The way she’s filled out the forms, it doesn’t seem to matter that I’m the father.
“Haley, why am I not one of the emergency contact people?” I asked, not caring if I was cutting
the nurse off.
She turned her head in my direction and whispered, “Bentley, we’ll talk about it later.”
“I want to talk about it now. I want to know if something happens to you or our baby.
“I said later,” she said through gritted teeth, smiling back at the nurse.
“Haley.,” I snapped, gently tugging on her arm, forcing her to look at me.
“You want to know why?” she scoffed.
“Yes.”
“Because you left me once already, and at any time you could get up and go again.”
The force of her words had me sitting back in the chair as if she slapped me, “I would never do that, to you or our baby.”
“You already did. Why should I believe you now?”
“That’s not fair, I didn’t know you were pregnant.”
“Maybe not, but you knew I wanted to be with you.”
I ran my hands through my hair, unable to argue with the truth.
Turning back to the nurse, she continued, “Where do I sign, Katie?”
“I just have one more question. Is all your family history, and the father’s family history, correct?”
“Yes. Charlotte and I went through it together.”
Handing over the pen, Katie pointed to the paperwork, “Then please sign right there.”
Haley’s signature on the form further confirmed what an asshole I was, and the feeling nearly killed me. Haley had absolutely no faith in me right now, meaning I definitely had my work cut out for me. Fucking great.
Haley and I stood at the same time to walk into the back room. “I’m sorry, Bentley, but you will have to wait out here until the doctor sees Haley first.”
“I’m the baby’s father, I belong beside Haley,” I said stepping closer behind her.
“It’s nothing personal, Bentley. All fathers stay out here for the first appointment until the mother gives the okay for them to come to the back. Can I bring you water while you wait?”
I looked into Haley’s eyes, pleading with her to let me come. She just turned and followed Katie through the door. The ease with which she dismissed me made me wonder if this was how the pregnancy, and raising of our child, would be like. Me always taking the back seat.
Well, fuck that; I want to be there for everything. I’ll hire a lawyer if I have to. There is no way my child will go through life with only a part time father.