The Only Answer

by Magan Vernon

  He put a big hand on my shoulder. “You didn’t ruin anything and I’m coming with you.”

  “What?” I snapped my head up looking up to see his face deadly serious. “No. This is your party. You should stay here with your friends and your stripper and whatever else there is.”

  He shook his head. “Naw, man. We’re brothers. I’ve got your back no matter what and you’ve got mine. I’m not letting you drive back to the city alone so just shut your fucking mouth and listen to me or I’m putting you over my shoulder and dragging you out to my Jeep.”

  John was blunt. Brash. But he had a point and it didn’t hurt to have someone drive back with me.

  “Okay.” I nodded. “Let’s go.”

  ***

  We were only about an hour outside the city at the cabin, but the ride seemed to drag on forever. I kept scrolling through various Internet sites, all with the same articles about Monica. I was barely mentioned. They were all just slamming her and my father’s politics.

  “Stop looking at that shit, Chapman. It’s just going to piss you off even more,” John said.

  He was right, of course. The guy usually was. I slid my phone back into my pocket. “We were always so careful.”

  “Are you talking about getting her pregnant or the fact that the media found out?”

  “Both. I guess.” I sighed. I hadn’t talked to anyone about what was going on. I didn’t have anyone I could talk to. It all had just been boiling up inside of me and soon I was just going to combust.

  “I’ve been with Monica since sophomore year of college. Before her everything in my life was calculated and all fell into a simple pattern. Then she walked in and everything went sideways, but in a good way. I just never thought I’d end up in a situation with her walking into my office and telling me she was pregnant before we were married.”

  He laughed slightly. “Yeah I sure as shit didn’t think you’d be one to knock up your girlfriend before you were married. I expected that more from Gabe, or hell, even me before you.”

  “Thanks. That’s real comforting,” I muttered.

  “Sorry, bro. I know this sucks, but you know that everything happens for a reason. A ton of shit has happened with you and Monica since you’ve been together and it’s made the two of you stronger than ever.”

  I blew a big breath of air out of my nose. “Yeah, but this time it’s about more than her and me or about politics. Now there is a whole other person we’re bringing in the world.”

  “Are you scared that you’re going to end up like your dad and your kid will have the same life as you did with strict rules that they’ll eventually break?”

  I didn’t even consider it, but John voiced all the concerns I didn’t even know I had. Dad did plan everything out for me. I didn’t even think about breaking his rules until Monica came along and then as soon as I did I was always scared of the consequences. It was hard to think of raising a kid and all those responsibilities. I had been so wrapped up in what it meant for us come election time but really the election was only one night. This was my future.

  “I don’t know. I think it’s just a combination of everything. It’s crazy to think that after all these years of being the ideal Chapman son now I’m definitely the black sheep.”

  “Naw, man, I think Tripp is still the black sheep.” He laughed.

  “Says the guy who is his own self-proclaimed black sheep.”

  He shook his head. “Hey, man, I’m all for breaking the rules. If people didn’t want them to be broken they shouldn’t have created them.”

  “That doesn’t even make any sense.”

  He laughed. “Life doesn’t always have to make sense, Chapman. Sometimes you just have to live in the moment.”

  And that’s something I’d never done. This election season was turning out to be one, big, unforgettable moment.

  Chapter 10

  Monica

  I couldn’t breathe. Some woman was on the other line of the static-y connection with Trey. I knew boys and their bachelor parties but for some reason this one hit me harder. I blamed the hormones.

  I sat outside the bar on the bench with my head down. I didn’t want to ruin Melanie’s night but there was no way that I could take back what had happened. The damage was done.

  “Hey, you okay out here?”

  I looked up to see Melanie standing there in all her pink glory.

  “Go back inside. This is your night.” I sniffled, wiping the tears from my face.

  She shook her head and sat on the bench next to me. “Like you wouldn’t be doing the same thing for me if it was your bachelorette party.”

  “You wouldn’t have just found out that the whole world knew you were pregnant before your best friend and some douche at a bar informed you he saw it on social media.”

  She shook her head. “That may be true, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be here for you. No matter what.”

  I sighed. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier but were trying to make sure it didn’t get out and then it did...”

  “It sucks and I hate that I had to find out from some dude at the bar, but things don’t always go as we plan. You and I know that better than anyone.”

  It was true. Melanie didn’t plan on getting cancer or finding out about it the night she just went to hook up with John. But it made their relationship stronger than ever and now they were getting married.

  “Yeah. It just really sucks when it has to be in the spotlight,” I said.

  “Did you really think you weren’t going to be in the spotlight for anything? You’re marrying the Republican Presidential candidate’s son. The media was going to find out sooner or later.”

  She was right. Of course. She was always right. I didn’t know how I thought we could hide it. Sooner or later I was going to really start showing and if people did the math on my due date, no matter when the wedding was, they’d figure out when I got pregnant.

  “So what’s the plan now? Has Governor Daddy sent the social media team out or anyone called with a game plan?” Melanie asked.

  I shook my head. “I called Trey but he had a really bad connection.”

  Melanie’s eyebrows shot up. “You called Trey while he was at John’s bachelor party?”

  “Well, I tried to call but it was static-y. Some woman was talking in the background which didn’t exactly help matters.”

  Melanie rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous or think that Trey was doing anything wrong.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Puh-lease I know you. I also know Trey and know he would never ever be with another girl. It was probably a stripper or something Ben set up.”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “You aren’t upset that there are probably strippers there?”

  She shook her head and laughed. “I never worry about him anymore. I know how many girls try and go after him because let’s face it, John’s a hottie, but I know that he’ll always come home to me. He always has and he always will.”

  “You know it, Red.”

  I snapped my head in the direction of the voice. John was the only one who called Melanie “Red”. I never understood why since she had curly brown hair, but it was their thing.

  And there he stood, in all his massive glory wearing a shirt that said “I’m somebody’s reason to masturbate”. But it wasn’t his shirt that I was paying attention to. It was the man in the polo and khakis next to him. My Trey.

  “What are you two doing here?” I stared at both of them as if I’d just seen a pairs of ghosts. Maybe they weren’t really there and I was hallucinating. Maybe pregnant people hallucinated.

  “We came here for you, Lib. Can’t have The DILF here upset.” John patted Trey on the back. John was a hulking mass standing next to Trey. Not that my future husband was short, but John had about five inches on him and looked like one of those guys on the cover of muscle magazines while Trey was lean and perfectly lined.

  Melanie turned toward them. “D
id you just refer to Trey as a DILF?”

  “Yeah.” John grinned widely. “Dad I’d like to fuck.”

  “Seriously?” Melanie shook her head. “You’re almost as ridiculous as that shirt.”

  “You know I’m your reason to masturbate. Even if you don’t need to with me around.” The grin spread wider on his face.

  “Okay. I understand that you need to flirt with your fiancée, but can I get the chance to talk to mine?” Trey asked.

  Melanie stood up. “We can do that.” She grabbed John’s hand and pulled him to the side. “Wanna make my bachelorette party a little bit more interesting?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” He lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder like the caveman he was. Melanie squealed but still had a large smile on her face as they walked away.

  As soon as they walked into the bar, Trey and I were left alone. On the phone I had this big spiel of what I was going to say to him but now that it was just the two of us, face to face, I had nothing. No words could describe all of the things I was feeling. Luckily he spoke first.

  “I’m sorry, Mon. So, so sorry.”

  “For what?” I looked up at his sad green eyes. He had both hands shoved in his pockets like a reprimanded toddler.

  “That I wasn’t here for you when needed me. That I couldn’t hold your hand while you cried and tell you that everything was going to be okay even if I wasn’t for sure if it was going to be. Just be here for you in every way shape or form.”

  Somehow he always knew what to say. Whether I knew that it was what I needed to hear or not. “I’m sorry this all happened. That your dad is probably blowing up your phone right now and wanting to call a family meeting.”

  He shook his head, removing his hands from his pockets as he stepped forward. He took my hands in his. “You don’t need to apologize for anything. You didn’t do anything wrong. You were just being you. Being pregnant. Being in love. Those aren’t things to be sorry for. Sure it happened before we were married but that’s life. Things don’t always go as planned and we have to make exceptions and change those plans when the time comes. That’s something you taught me.”

  Tears pricked my eyes for a whole new reason. Sheer happiness. “I love you, Trey. So much.”

  “And I love you. More than anything.”

  He leaned in. His mouth so close I could almost taste him. I was ready for the kiss. Ready to get lost in his lips but then both our phones buzzed loudly. I wanted to ignore them. To spend just a few more minutes trying to forget the world. But then they kept buzzing and didn’t stop.

  “I guess that’s the cavalry coming for us,” I muttered.

  Trey pulled his phone out of his pocket, staring at the screen. “Yep. It is.”

  He then slid the phone to his ear. “Hey, Dad.”

  I watched him nod a few times, answer a few “yes sirs” and then he ended the call with the words “we’ll be right over.” He slid the phone back into his pocket.

  “You okay with leaving the party early to go to Camp Chapman?” He raised his eyebrows as if I had a choice in the matter.

  I blew out a big breath of air. “Well, I’m not going to go back in that bar now that everyone knows I’m pregnant, so might as well get this over with.”

  He squeezed my hand. “I’ll get us a cab.”

  Chapter 11

  Trey

  My phone had been buzzing non-stop since before we even got in the cab. I set up a Google alert whenever someone mentioned Dad and everything that was coming up wasn’t about him, but about Monica’s pregnancy. I didn’t know that every gossip site would pick up the story or how far they would run with it.

  The whole ride to my parents I thought about what I could say and if it would even matter. They had their own political agenda on how they would handle things. It was all out in the open now anyway. It wasn’t like we could hide it anymore and I was tired of hiding.

  It was a very long cab ride to my parents’ house from downtown, but my car was still at John’s cabin and I didn’t feel like making a detour to get it. I just wanted to face my dad and whatever consequences he would throw at us. That is until I saw the dozens of cars lining the driveway beyond the gate to my parents’ house.

  “You can just drop us off here,” I said to the cab driver who barely spoke English and didn’t really pay attention to us anyway.

  I swiped my card in the reader and then helped Monica out of the car before pressing the code for the gate. As the doors opened and I really got a look at all the sleek black cars lining the driveway, the full reality of our situation fell over me. This wasn’t just about us. This was a political scandal. I’d always openly discussed politics with my dad and Monica and I had our fair share of discussions, but when I was actually living with all of the things I passionately debated, I was starting to really understand both sides of it.

  No, I wasn’t pro-choice and never would be. After hearing the baby’s heartbeat there was no way I could ever that up. But I could understand why some people did. There was so much pressure. So much forever to it. It was scary and overwhelming and exciting and I’d never experienced so many emotions at one time before. My head was a constant jumbled mess and it was even worse that we had to hide it.

  “I guess your dad called in the cavalry for real,” Monica muttered.

  I took her hand, squeezing it gently. “It’s going to be okay. I can’t promise that we’re going to like everything that these people have to say or that we aren’t going to get some dirty looks and possibly be yelled at but I promise you that whatever happens I’m going to stand by you. Forever.”

  She sighed. “Well at least you got that pep talk in to keep me going because I really don’t know what’s going to happen in there.”

  “Me neither so let’s get it over with then we can go home, lie in bed, and maybe finally breathe.”

  She nodded in agreement then we walked up the cobblestone path to the front door. I only had to ring the doorbell once before my mother answered. She was fully dressed in her usual skirt suit but her hair was disheveled and half her makeup was on as if she’d gotten dressed in a hurry. I guess it was almost midnight. No better time for a midnight political pow-wow.

  “Trey, Monica, glad you made it on such short notice.” Her smile was forced as she closed the door behind us. “Everyone is waiting for you in the living room.”

  I nodded. “Thanks, Mom.”

  We walked past the formal sitting room and I tried not to drop my jaw when I saw what literally looked like a war room in my parents’ living room. Dad sat in his leather chair with a stack of papers strewn on the ottoman in front of him. His campaign manager was by the patio door yelling at someone on the phone while raking his fingers through his hair. There were three men I didn’t recognize camped out on the sofa with their laptops on their laps and staring at the screens like they couldn’t pry their eyes away. There were also at least half a dozen other men walking around either on their phones or tablets all saying the same thing: “Governor Chapman is preparing his statement now and we will get it to you when it’s ready.”

  That’s all this had boiled down to. Monica and I were a political statement that had to be made by someone in power.

  Dad’s campaign manager put down his phone as soon as he saw me. Michael Briner was supposed to be the best in the business. He was in his mid-fifties with a clean shaved head and a gray goatee that he always kept meticulously trimmed. I’d always seen him in a three piece suit but tonight he was just in dress pants with a button down shirt, rolled up at the sleeves with his collar unbuttoned. “Trey, Monica, you’re here.”

  As soon as he spoke everyone put down their devices and looked up at us. We were the circus freaks. The Achilles heel in dad’s otherwise slam dunk election and they all knew it and were silently judging us.

  Dad stood up, letting out a big puff of air. While Mom had put on her suit, Dad didn’t bother and was in a pair of navy silk button down pajamas with the family crest
embroidered above the breast pocket. “I’m sure you have plenty to tell us, son. Why don’t you have a seat?” He pointed toward the leather chair opposite him as someone with a laptop quickly vacated.

  I sat on the ottoman in front of it and let Monica have the chair. She sat down tentatively, biting her bottom lip. It probably wasn’t the time but I couldn’t help staring at how hot it was when she bit her lip. The way she looked so vulnerable and sexy at the same time.

  “Now, Trey, Monica.” Dad sat back down, steepling his fingers. “I’m sure you’re both aware that the media has gotten a hold of the story of Monica’s pregnancy.”

  “Yes, sir,” I replied.

  “We had all agreed we wouldn’t tell anyone until after a smaller ceremony took place,” he peered over my shoulder at Monica, “which we were aware Monica’s parents didn’t agree with but, we all agreed it was what was best for our current situation.”

  He sighed. “With that said, plans have changed. One of the members of our social media team discovered the source of the story and she was promptly removed from the Chicago office. It seems there were pregnancy tests left on your desk, Trey, and this source took a photo and shopped it around to different gossip magazines before they got the amount they wanted for them. Our legal team is looking at how we are going to handle further arrangements with her.”

  The pregnancy tests. I was so concerned about getting Monica home and taking care of her that night, I completely forgot about them sitting on my desk. I should have known better. I should have been more careful. Just like the night Monica got pregnant. It was in the moment. I didn’t even think about a condom because she’d just said yes and all I could concentrate on our new life together. Now it was just more than the two of us who would be together forever.

  “So what happens next?” Monica asked.

  “A lot of things are going to happen and they’re going to have to happen very quickly,” Michael said, standing next to Dad. “We’re coming up with a statement to release to the media tonight.”