Together: A Surprise Pregnancy Romance

by Jennifer Van Wyk

  “But let me guess, you’re going to see her again?” she asks snidely.

  Her parents both hush her but that doesn’t stop her from continuing to be a bitch. “What? Why should he get to see her and we can’t? He’s not even a relative and it’s not like he’s going to be around much longer, anyway.”

  And just like that, my temper snaps. “Excuse me?”

  “Grace, enough,” Lucy snaps. “Look where we are, would you? Does it not make you realize what’s important right now? Let it go already.”

  “What’s going on?” her dad asks.

  I don’t bother throwing in my two cents here because it wouldn’t do us any good for me to tell them what I’m thinking.

  “Lucy can fill you in,” I say to the group. “I’ve got more important shit to take care of than talking to your dumb ass. Samuel.” He looks up from his phone as if he has no idea what’s happening. “Do me a favor, stay the fuck away from me and keep your wife next to you.” Samuel’s frantic eyes dart to Grace, his eyebrows furrowing. He can play the confused spouse all he wants, but I’m not going to listen to it. Pointing at him, I lower my voice. “If I hear any more about you guys buying my fucking baby or telling my girl that she and I aren’t a real thing, you won’t like the consequences. And fuck you for telling her she won’t be a good mother.”

  “What is he talking about?” her dad yells. “Buying whose baby? Who won’t be a good mother? Will someone please fill me in?”

  I don’t stick around long enough for Grace to explain her actions. I need to get Ashley’s things so she feels comfortable sleeping in the damn hospital tonight.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ashley

  “It feels so good to be out of that place,” I say, climbing into Nik’s truck with his help.

  “I bet.”

  “As soon as I get home, I’m taking a long, hot shower.”

  “And you know by home, you mean mine, right?”

  I grin. “Yes, I’m aware.”

  “Good. Just wanted to remind you, in case that whole head injury affected your memory,” he teases.

  “What’s your name again?”

  “Ha ha ha,” he deadpans. “Need anything before we go there? We’ll figure out a day to move your stuff in. Probably next weekend. And we’ll need to let your landlord know you’re moving out. It was a month-to-month lease, right? You didn’t extend it since you were looking at places to buy?”

  “Right,” I say, my head reeling a bit.

  “Good. That will make it easier. Are you hungry? Want me to swing through a drive-thru and grab some chicken since what you got yesterday ended up on the floor of your car?”

  I appreciate that he’s talking about the accident normally. I was so afraid he’d treat me with kid gloves or that he’d be afraid to bring it up. It was scary and I’m fully aware of how lucky we are, but if we focus on what could have been, we’ll never move forward.

  Yesterday was awful and I don’t want to relive it, but I also can’t forget it happened. I was informed this morning that the woman who hit my car and caused the accident wasn’t as fortunate as I was. Her family is grieving her loss and that’s something I’ll never get over. From what we were told by Grant’s friend, who’s a medic, the woman had a small amount of alcohol in her system, but it was the combination of alcohol and the prescription painkillers she’d become addicted to that caused her to run the red light and hit me.

  It absolutely breaks my heart when I think about it. I will never make light of the accident that caused a woman to lose her life, but it’s also a reminder of how quickly your life can change. We’re not guaranteed anything in this life, and last night was a stark reminder of that.

  “That sounds good to me. I’m pretty hungry, actually.”

  “Me, too.”

  It isn’t lost on me that he takes a different route to Chick-fil-A in order to skip driving right by the accident scene. As much as I appreciate that he’s talking about it, I don’t know that I want to see it quite yet, either.

  He orders enough food for an army, more than the two of us can eat even on our hungriest day. When I ask him why he ordered so much, he says, “Our family needs to see you. They’re on their way to my place now.”

  “Oh.” I pause. “Everyone?”

  “Josie and Dean will come by later. Just your family for now.”

  “And by my family, you mean…”

  “Yes, Grace is going to be there. If she says anything stupid, I’m not going to let it slide, but she’s your sister and I respect that.”

  “You’re okay with her coming over?”

  “Like I said, if she tries anything, I’m going to step in, but otherwise yes. We need to figure out what’s going on with her, though. From the way you talked, I didn’t think she was this judgmental and bitchy.”

  “She normally isn’t,” I say.

  We pull up to the window where they start handing over bag after bag of food. It’s almost embarrassing but the smell of the chicken nuggets hits me and I don’t care what anyone thinks of our massive food order.

  “Then my two cents? It’d be good to have a conversation and figure out what’s going on with her. It sounds like there’s something happening in her life and she’s taking it out on those she feels are safe.”

  “Listen to you, Mr. Therapist.”

  “That’s me.”

  I sigh and reach into the bag, snagging a waffle fry, lifting it to Nik’s mouth for him to take a bite then I finish the rest of it.

  “You’re probably right. I know the whole thing with Samuel really threw her for a loop and she tried to basically brush it under the rug like it never happened,” I say, grabbing another fry and repeating the process.

  “But haven’t they worked through it? I guess I haven’t heard much but I figured since they’re still together?.”

  “I think there’s more to it that she’s not telling us.”

  “Could be. Or it could be that she’s jealous of you and is being a monumental dick about it.”

  I scrunch up my face and take another bite of a fry, passing him the other half. Then I push the straw through the paper wrapper and stick it in the lid of the lemonade Nik ordered. I lift it to Nik’s mouth and he takes a drink before I take one also, placing it back in the cupholder.

  “I hate the idea of her just being a bitch for the rest of our lives.”

  “She won’t be,” he promises, nodding toward the bag of fries for another.

  “How can you be so sure?” I ask, chewing the deliciously fried potato.

  “Because I won’t let her,” he says, so matter of fact that I can’t help but believe him.

  He pulls into his driveway, hitting the button to open his garage and parks his truck.

  “Wait here. I’ll help you down and we’ll get settled. Everyone should be here in about five minutes.”

  “Doesn’t give me much time.”

  “I know. I’m sorry about that, but I figured this way we can kick them out and we can take a nap after they leave and before Josie and Dean come over.”

  “Oh, a nap sounds really good.”

  “Doesn’t it? A naked nap sounds even better.” His follow-up wink makes my stomach flutter. And it’s not the baby’s movement making it happen, either.

  “Maybe we can work that in.”

  After placing everything on the counter, he leans against it and pulls me close. “I don’t know what I would have done…” he says, not finishing his sentence. He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. The same side that hit the window. He kisses the place where I was cut and then pulls me in for a hug. It’s the first real hug we’ve been able to give each other since the accident.

  We hold each other tightly until his doorbell rings and I reluctantly pull back. After a long, heated look, he leans down and kisses me softly. “I’m not going to think about it anymore. I’ll drive myself crazy. You’re here and you’re with me and you’re both healthy and that’s all that matters now, right?”
>
  “Right.”

  “When we buy you a new vehicle, though, expect me to be looking at a military tank.”

  I choke down a laugh. “Sounds fun.”

  He keeps hold of my hand when we open the door to my family. My mom is holding a box that I’m certain is filled with baked goods, casseroles for my freezer, probably a candle or something for the house, an outfit for the baby, and anything else she felt the need to stuff in there. It’s what she does. When she’s stressed or nervous, she bakes, cooks, and puts together care packages.

  We step back to allow everyone space to come inside and I notice Samuel isn’t in the group. I don’t ask, though.

  I take my time hugging everyone, including Grace who holds me a little too tightly, and then we move to the patio after loading up plates with the food we picked up on the way here. It’s another beautiful day and Nik has been working on his backyard a lot these last few months. I didn’t realize that he liked to garden until early spring when he mentioned planting it. And when I say he likes to garden, I mean he really likes to garden.

  But what he does with the food that he grows is what really gets me.

  He keeps some for himself, but what he can’t eat, he donates to the local food bank. It’s one of the reasons he keeps such a big garden and it’s a way to keep his parents’ legacy alive. From what he’s told me, they had incredible green thumbs and they loved spending time doing yard work and, of course, gardening. When he was little, his mother started bringing him with her to deliver food through Meals on Wheels and to the food bank. It was part of her weekly routine and he and his sister made a promise to each other that they would continue it for her. Josie delivers the meals to the shut-ins for Meals on Wheels, and he takes care of the food bank.

  Everyone is fairly quiet as we eat, soaking in the beautiful day. The sun is shining, there’s very little wind, and the humidity level is mild. But there’s tension filling the air around us and it’s not hard to pinpoint where it’s coming from.

  Lucy keeps looking at Grace expectantly and my dad continues to make small talk, asking more questions than he’s interested in knowing the answers to, about Nik’s garden. Where Nik’s parents had green thumbs, my parents have black. They can barely manage to keep their grass green, let alone maintain landscaping and a vegetable garden.

  After I’ve had enough of avoiding the elephant in the room, I ask, “So, Grace, where’s Samuel?”

  She bites the corner of her mouth and looks across the yard. When she’s ready, she replies simply, “He’s gone.”

  “What do you mean, gone?”

  “I left him last night.”

  My mouth gapes open and I look to my parents who just smile sadly. They don’t want to see either of their daughters hurting, and it’s obvious whatever happened with Samuel has left Grace hurting badly.

  “What happened?”

  “It hasn’t been good between us for a while.”

  “How long?”

  Grace finally looks back to me, her eyes wet with tears. “A few years.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I hoped if I didn’t admit it out loud that I could avoid it, I guess.”

  “How’d that work out for you?” Nik asks, a little bit of edge to his voice.

  “Not great. I owe you both an apology. Again. This one is bigger, though. I have no excuse for my behavior last night. Or a few months ago. Samuel, he… well, it doesn’t matter what he said because he’s not a factor anymore. And I won’t allow myself to use him as an excuse.” She takes a deep breath and looks me in the eye. “Ashley, I am so very sorry for my behavior over the past few months. When I found out you were pregnant, my brain began misfiring or something. I started to doubt myself, and Samuel helped to fertilize and water the seeds, making it that much harder to find my way back again.

  “I know what I did was wrong. So very wrong. And I love you. So much,” she says, wiping away tears from her eyes. I begin to get choked up as well and Nik places a hand on my thigh, giving me a gentle squeeze. “You and this baby are such a blessing to our family and, Nik, you are, too. I made snap judgments on you based on my own experiences with men and that was unfair. Not to mention, totally and completely off-base. I know I can speak for our entire family when I say that we are so very grateful that you and Ashley found each other.”

  “Thanks, Grace. That means a lot to me,” Nik says. “I appreciate the apology and would like to move on, but you need to know if you ever, and I mean ever, pull a stunt like you did yesterday, there’ll be hell to pay. That’s not a threat. That’s a promise. Take that as you will, but I won’t apologize for it. Ashley and our baby are the most important people in my life. They trump my own family. If I hear you talk to Ashley like that again, or to me, for that matter, you won’t have anything to do with our baby. Do I make myself clear?”

  For a second I think Grace is going to argue, but she bites her lip and nods. “I get it. I can’t blame you for that, either.”

  “Can you just explain one thing to me?”

  “Sure.”

  “Why? I know you said you don’t want to blame Samuel, but I’m having a really hard time seeing your side of this. The things you said to me? That I wasn’t fit to be a mother? And the things you said about Nik not wanting me? They hurt. No, they gutted me. Let’s not forget the bitchy attitude you had about what type of work Nik does for a living. You acted like a snotty bitch,” I tell her, not caring if I’m being offensive. She’s the one who said it and I won’t let her get by with it.

  “It was unacceptable. I don’t have any excuses.”

  “You’re right. There are no excuses. Do you know how you sounded? The things you said? Is that truly how you feel? Because you might say that you didn’t mean it, and I might try to believe you simply because I want to, but those thoughts were in your brain rolling around. That means there’s a part of you that does believe that.”

  “I don’t, though. I promise.”

  “I don’t believe you. I think somewhere along the way, you began to think you’re better than others. That your career as a lawyer means you can treat others like they’re less than you. But I have news for you, Grace. The fact that you spent over a hundred thousand dollars on education means nothing. You’re not better than anyone on this earth.”

  “I know…”

  “Do you? I don’t know that you do. You act like because Nik works his ass off for a living and didn’t spend years in college that he’s not worthy of even knowing you. Hell, you said we couldn’t be good parents!”

  Grace hiccups through a cry. “I was terrible.”

  “You’re right. You were. It was bad enough to hear it from you, Grace, but, Lucy,” I turn to my other sister, “you sat there and said nothing. You never stood up for me or told her to shut up. I was ambushed. Don’t you think I’m scared enough about becoming a mother without my family treating me like I’m incompetent?”

  Lucy sniffles and nods. “I know. It was awful of me.”

  Our parents have been completely silent through the conversation which makes me think that they’ve already said their piece to Lucy and Grace. I know Nik said something to Grace at the hospital and my parents were there, so I’m sure they talked things over already.

  “To answer your question about why. I’m not blaming Samuel, but about a year ago, he told me that I wasn’t worth much to him if I couldn’t get pregnant. Of course, that’s just the CliffNotes version of what he said. And then I found out about the affair. I had suspected, but having it confirmed really shook me up.”

  “Tell her the rest,” my mom says gently.

  “He got her pregnant. I found out last week. He said he was going to leave me if I couldn’t give him the same.”

  “What? I’m so confused. He never seemed to mind the fact that you didn’t have kids. Weren’t you actually not planning to have children?”

  “Yeah, we were, but he changed his mind. Which is, I don’t know what. I mean, none
of it is okay and my guess is he just wasn’t happy with me anymore. But the kicker, that I luckily figured out, is that it all came down to money and ultimatums. His ultimatum, if that’s even the right word for it, was give him a baby or he was going to leave me for this woman who was already pregnant with his baby.”

  “I’ve got to be honest here, Grace. None of this makes sense or is a reason to offer me money for my baby or to treat your own sister like you did.”

  “You’re right. It isn’t. Like I said, I went a little crazy and lost control of my emotions. None of what I said is true. You’re going to be a great mother. You and Nik are so perfect together, and I think that’s part of what had me all out of control, too. Here was this guy who you literally stumbled upon and he’s so great to you and completely into you. Anyone can see it,” she says.

  I look at Nik and he shrugs. “I’m not denying it.”

  I feel my cheeks heat.

  “See? He’s not ashamed to show you how he feels and he’s willing to stand up for you to me when I had only just met him. He could have sucked up to me in hopes of getting on my good side, but he didn’t. And that shows a lot of character, of which Samuel has none. Obviously. I was jealous. Still am, but I have the jealousy under control now.”

  I blow out a breath and feel the heat from Nik’s hand against my leg. I can’t easily forget the words that she spoke to me, but I can make the decision to not let it control me or fester.

  “What’s done is done, right? You said what you said and it’ll take me a while to get over it. That’s not me being petty, that’s me reminding you that what you said was supremely shitty. Not just about me not being Nik might not care because, well, quite honestly, your opinion of him doesn’t matter. Not really, anyway. The only reason he cares about your opinion of him is because of your connection to me but he’s made it clear I’m his priority, not you.” Nik’s hand flexes against my thigh and I know it’s his way of offering his support. “I’m not saying I forgive you both or that I’ll forget about it but if the accident yesterday taught me anything, it’s that life is too short to dwell on anything of the past. We’re moving on, right?”