A Life Changing Encounter

by Alexa Kane

  “Kyle, I’m moving to Florida.”

  “What the fuck?” all thoughts of having sex with my girl again fly out the window.

  Florida?

  Fucking. FLORIDA!

  Standing up, I begin pacing up and down the length of the table.

  “NO!” I don’t mean to shout, especially since I’ve given her another fright but there is no way in fucking hell that I’m letting her move to Florida.

  “Kyle,” she rubs her head tiredly. “Just sit down, please.”

  Even though I’m wound up and fucking agitated, I do as I’m told but this conversation is far from over.

  “I’m going to finish out the school year here and then I’m going to move home to live with my parents.” She barely looks as me as she says this and she closes her eyes and starts breathing deeply through her nose.

  She’s not fucking moving away from me, she didn’t even give me a chance to say my speech. “You’re not moving.”

  She opens her eyes and looks as agitated as I feel, “It’s not your choice to make.”

  “You’re not moving,” it seems that’s the only thing that I can say right now.

  “Kyle,” she covers my hand with hers and her touch makes me feel alive again.

  “Will you be my girlfriend?” I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that but if she knows I want to be her boyfriend then maybe she won’t move.

  Shock is written all over her features but as soon as it appears it’s gone, it’s like she shuts down completely and gets a dark look on her face, “It’s too late for that Kyle.”

  “No it’s not,” I protest, “Be my girlfriend and things can go back to how they were, better even, I promise.”

  She seems to shut down on me but I thought she would be happy. “Things can never go back to how they were.”

  “Yes they can, I’ll introduce you to my mom,” that alone has to tell her how serious I am about her.

  “Kyle,” she rubs at her face tiredly. “Things can’t go back to how they were, not now and not ever, I’m moving and that’s final.”

  “But why?” she’s not even giving me a chance and I don’t want to have to chase her all the way to Florida.

  I will but I don’t want to out of principal.

  “Because I’m pregnant.”

  Chapter 24

  Jessica

  “Because I’m pregnant,” that’s not exactly the way I wanted to tell Kyle but I’m seconds away from vomiting and he was starting to piss me off.

  If he had asked me to be his girlfriend before I went to Florida then I would have jumped into his arms and never let him go but he didn’t and then I found out that I was pregnant.

  My mom knew pretty much straight away when she saw me and a trip to the doctor’s office confirmed my worst fears.

  I’m pregnant to a man who is terrified of commitment.

  As I expected, Kyle’s face goes slack and he tries to get up from his chair and walk backwards at the same time. The result is him falling flat on his back and if I didn’t feel so nauseous then I might laugh at him.

  Getting up I walk past him and straight into the bathroom, after vomiting for about the hundredth time today, I rinse my mouth and walk back out to see Kyle standing next to his fallen chair practically ripping his hair out.

  When he sees me he looks angry which is strange, this is his fault after all, “How could you fuck someone else?”

  “Excuse me?” I ask darkly. How dare he accuse me of that.

  “I’m not stupid Jessica, you go to Florida and come back pregnant, who’s the father? Huh? You told me you were going to be faithful to me!”

  “I was!” I yell back.

  “Then how the fuck did you get pregnant?”

  “Because you fucked me without a condom like hundreds of times,” and stupid me thought that the pill prevented pregnancy.

  Of course, it does when you remember to take it but Kyle is always extra horny in the mornings and it turns out morning sex distracts me so much that I forget to take the small thing.

  He pales as the news sinks in, “What?”

  “You’re the father you moron, now kindly let yourself out,” I point to the door for emphasis but he doesn’t move.

  He points at himself in confusion, “I’m going to be a daddy?”

  “Yes Kyle, congratulations, now leave.” After working a full day the only thing I want to do right now is crawl into bed.

  He seems rather confused now, “But, but, if I’m the daddy then why are you moving?”

  I gesture the full length of Kyle’s body, “This is why, you’re not ready to be a dad and my parents have offered to help me raise the baby. You’re off the hook.”

  He folds his arms over his chest, “No.”

  “What do you mean no?” I thought he would be ecstatic that I was letting him go that easily.

  He points to the floor as he yells, “I mean no! I forbid you to take my child to Florida.”

  “Excuse me?” He forbids me, what is this, the 1900s?

  He folds his arms across his chest and nods his head, “You heard me, you try to take my child out of the state and I will have you arrested for kidnapping.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” this is my worst fucking nightmare come to life. Alice warned me this wouldn’t be a simple conversation but stupid me presumed he would run in fear.

  After all this is about the biggest commitment that two people can make.

  “No, I’m not kidding, now get your shit, you’re moving in with me.”

  “Like hell I am!” where the hell does he get off trying to boss me around like that.

  “Fine, then I’ll get my stuff and move in here but your apartment only has one bed and I sleep naked…remember.” He smirks at me like this is some kind of game.

  “Fuck you Kyle, you’re not moving in here and while we are on the subject, give me my key back.” I hold my hand out for emphasis even though I know it’s a long shot.

  He holds his hands over his pocket, “No, it’s mine, you gave it to me.”

  It’s like talking to a child, “No I didn’t, you tricked my landlord into giving it to you!”

  He shrugs his shoulders, “That’s not entirely true. Well, if you won’t move in with me and I can’t move in with you then there’s only one thing left to do.”

  “What’s that?” I ask even though I’m terrified to know the answer.

  He pulls his phone out of his jeans pocket and after a few quick taps he brings it to his ear, after a moment he says, “I got a chick pregnant and she’s trying to move to Florida with my baby…yeah…I know…yeah…okay, I’ll text you the address.”

  After he hangs up he types something on his phone, puts it back in his pocket and sits down at the table to wait.

  “Who did you just call?” I ask nervously.

  He looks at me smugly, “You’ll see.”

  Sitting down at the opposite end of the table, my knee starts bouncing uncontrollably.

  Who the hell did he ring?

  It can’t be Alice as she already knows that I’m pregnant and he would have said my name instead of saying some chick like I’m just one of the whore’s he fucks.

  It takes about forty-five agonizing minutes before there is a knock at the door.

  I jump at the sound but Kyle gets a sly look on his face, “It’s for you.”

  Walking over to the door slowly, I peek out the peep hole but can’t see anyone there.

  Unlocking the door, I am just about to reach for the handle when the door is pushed inwards and I’m knocked out of the way.

  A small lady who looks to be in her fifties grabs my hands and lifts them up in the air. “My goodness, you are more than I ever could have hoped for,” with surprising force she spins me around, apparently taking in my whole body, “Simply stunning.” She then does something that I’m not counting on, she drops to her knees and places her hands on my stomach, “How far along are you dear?”

  “Um,” I look over a
t Kyle but he refuses to meet my eyes, he still seems angry with me. “Eight weeks.”

  She stands and starts clapping her hands, “Eight weeks, that’s wonderful. Oh but look at you my poor dear, sit down and I’ll make you some ginger tea.”

  She practically forces me back down in a chair and I have to wonder if this lady is Kyle’s mom. “Um, I don’t have ginger tea.”

  She lifts her hand bag up, “I brought some ginger from home, it will take a bit longer to make from scratch but don’t worry, you will feel much better once I’m done.”

  As the lady bustles around my kitchen, Kyle takes a seat opposite me and I lean in to glare at him, “Who is that lady?”

  “My mom,” he says this like it means he has somehow won.

  But he hasn’t, not at all, “I’m still moving Kyle, you can’t stop me and neither can your mom.”

  He leans back in his seat and puts his hands behind his head, he looks gorgeous like that but he’s still an asshole. “We’ll see,” he says that so smugly that it makes me want to hit him.

  We both sit in silence while his mom makes me a cup of tea and we refuse to look at each other but I don’t see what he has to be so mad about.

  When a cup of tea is placed in front of me, I inhale deeply and I have to admit that it smells damn good.

  Taking my first sip, I groan in delight, this is the best tasting thing I have had in weeks.

  Kyle’s mom smiles at me but I sense it’s not as kind as she’s letting on, “Where are my manners, my name is Sarah, what’s yours dear?”

  “Jessica,” I say cautiously.

  “Jessica, lovely name for a lovely girl. Now, tell me, what’s in Florida?”

  “My parents,” I say simply.

  “Ah,” understanding dawns on her face. “I see, being a first-time mother is scary and it’s natural that you would want some help. My husband Andrew and I have converted a space above our garage into an apartment, Mason and Eva lived there while they had Tyler and I helped out almost every day. They said it was absolutely wonderful having me so close but yet they still had their privacy. Our house is also plenty big enough for visitors and any member of your family would be welcome to stay in our home for as long as they liked.”

  I see what’s happening here. “Thank you Sarah but I’ve made my mind up, I’m moving to Florida before the baby is born.”

  I can see that I’ve thrown her but a few kind words aren’t going to make me back down.

  “What about Kyle?” she gestures at her son and looks rather upset but I have a feeling it has more to do with herself than her son.

  “What about him?” Kyle gets scared over the word girlfriend, that doesn’t exactly bode well as a quality for raising a child.

  She seems horrified by my reaction, “He’s the father. Would you deprive your child of knowing their father?”

  Well she’s got me there, “No I wouldn’t, to be honest I thought Kyle would run for the hills as soon as I told him I was pregnant.”

  She chuckles slightly, “Me too but that must mean that he cares about you a great deal, especially if he called me.”

  This is stupid, this is my life and my body which means it’s my decision, “With all due respect, Kyle’s not ready for this.”

  She smiles brightly, “Oh but he is, just you wait and see, he might surprise you.”

  “Really?” when Sarah nods her head, I turn my attention to Kyle. He’s finally looking me in the eyes so I decide to hit him with my final confession. “I’m having twins.”

  Kyle’s eyes go wide and his mouth opens again.

  He repeats his earlier scene of trying to stand up and walk backwards at the same time, the result is no different to earlier.

  Except this time he springs up from the floor, “Mommy, Mommy what does she mean twins? What does she mean?”

  Sarah looks highly embarrassed by her son’s outburst and I can tell this wasn’t part of her plan to convince me to stay, “Sit down Kyle.” When he makes no move to sit down she growls, “Twins means two babies you idiot, now sit down!”

  “Two, not one…two…two…tw-” his eyes roll back in his head and he hits the ground, hard.

  Chapter 25

  Kyle

  It’s been four weeks since I fainted in front of Jessica and my mom after finding out I was going to be a father to not one but two babies.

  My mom was pissed at me for freaking out but how was I supposed to react to that news, most people carry one baby, not two and two is fucking scary.

  It’s twice as many as one.

  I don’t even think I can handle one baby so two is going to be impossible.

  When I came around, Jessica had left and I haven’t seen her since but that’s not from lack of trying.

  Alice warned me to stay away from her school as no one there knew that she was pregnant yet and I would just cause trouble for her so I have listened to her advice, for now.

  Alice has actually been pretty great about the whole thing and even laughed when I told her that I had fainted, she said that she wasn’t surprised one bit but Jessica would need time to get over it.

  Considering I don’t have all the time in the world, it’s making me impatient.

  Another surprise was that Dylan finally called me back but the first thing he said was ‘dude, you seriously fainted?’.

  It’s not that big of a deal that I fainted, lots of people faint.

  Granted, that has never happened to be before but I’d just had the second shock of my life within a few hours.

  I walked into that apartment hoping to gain a girlfriend and instead I walked out single and a father to two unborn babies.

  I fucked up big time.

  Not only that but my mom couldn’t help herself at Sunday night dinner and blurted out that I was going to be a father to twins.

  She was pretty much the only person at the table who had been happy.

  Everyone else had been completely dumbfounded.

  After that, word spread pretty quickly around my closest friends and soon everyone knew that I fainted and had accused Jessica of fucking someone else in Florida over winter break.

  Definitely not one of my finest moments.

  Since then I have been getting unwanted advice on how to fix my love life and worse than that, parenting advice.

  Everyone is getting far too invested in my life and the one person I want in it, is ignoring me.

  I never thought I would say this, but I liked it better when my friends were too caught up in their own lives to worry about me.

  My phone ringing causes me to groan and I’m about to smash it against the wall in frustration until I see Alice’s name.

  I nearly drop the damn thing in my hurry to answer her call, “Alice, what’s up?” Nothing, I get nothing, it’s like she pocket dialed me or something. “Alice?...Alice?”

  I’m about to hang up when I hear a whispered, “Kyle.”

  “Alice what the hell is going on?” I’m already in a bad mood and being kept in suspense like this isn’t helping.

  In fact, it’s fucking infuriating.

  Alice’s soft voice comes down the line but I can barely hear her, “Kyle, twelve-week scan, get here now.”

  “What?” What the fuck is a twelve-week scan?

  Shit, is that something to do with the babies? Fuck, I should know this shit, no wonder Jessica wants nothing to do with me, I’m useless.

  “Shhhh!”

  “Don’t shh me Alice, tell me what the fuck is going on!” I don’t want to sound like a moron and ask if a twelve-week scan is a bad thing.

  “Ultrasound, right now, she sprung it on me, I’ll text you the details,” and then all I hear is a dial tone.

  She fucking hung up on me.

  How dare she hang up on me when I wasn’t even finished asking questions.

  Wait, ultrasound…pictures.

  Pictures of the babies!

  My babies!

  I remember Eva showing me pictures with all of her
kids and my sister Sophie had them too. I never gave much thought to where they came from but this must be it.

  Jessica is going to get pictures of our babies and she wasn’t even going to tell me.

  Now that shit just hurts my feelings.

  She can say she wants to move to Florida all she wants but she can’t exclude me from my babies lives, even if they are in her belly.

  I have rights damn it and I’m going to that scan.

  Except I don’t know where it is.

  Fucking Alice and her slow typing, what happened to her being a great assistant? More like slow assistant, if she was my assistant I would fire her and her slow fingers.

  While I’m waiting for a text to come through, I get changed into a fresh t-shirt and try to calm myself down a bit.

  What am I doing?

  Stupid, stupid Kyle.

  I’m going to need to drive there, I should be running to my truck not standing in front of a mirror wondering if Jessica will think I look tired.

  Alice’s text finally comes through just as I shove my key in the ignition. With my tires squealing, I speed out of the underground parking garage and get honked at by about every car I pass on the way to the doctor’s office.

  I make it there in about ten minutes but when I run inside I don’t see Jessica or Alice anywhere, startling the receptionist when I barrel up to her desk, I try to put on one of my charming smiles but she looks like she’s seconds away from calling the police.

  Fuck, how do I find out where she is without getting arrested, “Hi, my names Kyle and my wife is going to kill me because I got stuck in traffic and was late to our appointment even though she gave me about five lectures this morning about being on time.” I try to throw in a soft chuckle and it seems to be working, “Do you mind showing me where Jessica Miller’s room is so I can do my best to grovel.”

  She hesitates for a second but then smiles at me, “Of course, Mr. Miller, this way.”

  Fuck, I hope I’m not too late.

  I wonder what they will look like, do they look like babies at this stage or like weird aliens?

  Damn this receptionist walks slow, why couldn’t I have gotten a lady who understands urgency.

  When she gets to a door and knocks softly, I have to take a few deep breaths.