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His mom was in denial, he knew how that felt. He'd been in denial himself for days. "No, Mom, he answered gently. "It was definitely a positive result."
As his mother continued to watch him with an anguished look, he heard Ava begin to
softly cry behind him. He was just about to go to her, but his mom beat him to it—she jumped up from her seat and flew to Ava and took her in her arms. As Ava cuddled against his mom, her sobs became louder, and soon his mother was crying almost uncontrollably, too.
A twist of emotions roiling in his gut, he looked to his father who was beginning to stand up as well. Within a matter of seconds, Ethan found himself clutched in his father's arms, clutched so hard it almost hurt, his dad mumbling, "It's going to be okay, kiddo."
As Ethan felt his father's unconditional love wrap around him, he almost lost it, but he somehow managed to hold it together as they embraced. He wanted to cry, he wanted to wail like a baby but he'd leave that to the women. He was a man—from this day forward he'd be a man and he'd take care of Ava and the baby—his family. There was nothing else he could do; hell, taking care of Ava was his dream come true, anyway. He just hadn't expected it this soon, that was all.
But he could deal, he would deal. He began with a simple step away from his father as he cleared his throat. He took a deep breath as his father looked him in the eye and then gave a brief tip of his head, just enough to let Ethan know that his dad had his back, that he'd do all he could for them; that he wouldn't bitch and complain about spilt milk and harangue them for what they should have done—and what they shouldn't have done.
Ethan glanced away from his dad and saw that his mom was attempting a smile through her own tears as she studied Ava. She reached up to Ava's face and wiped away her tears and pushed her hair back from her eyes, all with gentle hands and the soft smile that Ethan recognized so well, things he'd taken for granted his entire life.
His mom took a steadying breath as she studied Ava. "Our first grandchild. Things could be worse than a new baby." Ethan felt helpless as Ava broke into a storm of new tears that had his mother crying and hugging her again.
As his mom continued to hold Ava, she looked between him and his dad and said, "We're going to get through this and we're going to be thankful for what we have. Your father and I don't have to ask if you kids love each other or what your plans are for the baby. We already know. So there will be no recrimination. What's done is done and although it's not the way we would have planned it, it is what it is and five years down the road, everything will be fine. So before we get down to the nitty-gritty and hash out the immediate future, let's sit down and have a piece of cake and thank God that we're all healthy and that we love each other. That's all that matters right now."
His mom's words dwindled off, as she continued to hold Ava in an enveloping hug. Ava looked over her shoulder and her eyes caught his. She gave him a quivering smile and then lifted away from his mom's embrace with a deep breath to look the older woman in the eye as she mumbled, "Thank you. Thank you so much."
His mother's eyes flooded with new tears. "Oh, darling, you're welcome. It will be okay, I promise."
****
Two hours later, Ethan sat leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, so keyed up he thought he might have an aneurism. Ava had called her parents into the room only minutes before and from the stern and unhappy expressions on their faces, he knew they were bracing themselves for bad news.
Was it because his own parents had taken it so well that Ethan now felt that experience couldn't possibly be duplicated with Margie and Evan Anderson? It was probably too much wishful thinking on his part that the confession in front of them would be as easily received.
Wishful thinking—yeah. Ava had never had parents who were as laid-back and understanding as his own. Ava's mom was a good mom, but she was strict. Her heart was surely in the right place, but her mommy-bedside manner needed work. He'd always thought so, even though he'd never shared his opinion with Ava.
But now, as Ava moved to sit beside him on the couch and her parents sat in the twin recliners that flanked the sofa, the knot in Ethan's stomach continued to grow.
"What's going on?" Ava's dad asked with a frown.
Since Ava had requested that Ethan allow her to tell them, he sat silently now, although he did reach out to take Ava's hand in his. She squeezed his hand back without looking at him as she continued to stare down to her feet.
"Ava, answer your father," her mother snapped.
Ethan's abdominals clenched as Ava took a shaky breath. "I'm pregnant," she said softly, in little more than a whisper.
Ethan squeezed her hand again and glanced up at her parents, not knowing what to expect. They remained perfectly silent. Her father's expression turned to one of pain as if he'd just taken a hit. Her mother turned white before her face became filled with blotchy red streaks. She opened her mouth and then closed it again—and then she opened it once more and immediately refuted Ava's words. "You must be mistaken, Ava. No daughter of mine would get pregnant out of wedlock."
Ethan felt the fist that landed in his solar plexus at the woman's cutting remark. Ava trembled beside him, dropping her head until her chin touched her chest, refusing to look at either of her parents while she seemed to shrivel beside him.
A black ball of rage filled him. Every fiber of his being wanted to open his mouth and castigate the woman for her lack of empathy. But he waited. He'd do anything for Ava, and anything meant keeping his mouth shut because that's what she'd requested of him. But that didn't mean he had to like it.
When both he and Ava remained silent, her mom asked, "Are you sure?"
Ava mumbled, "Yes, ma'am."
"When is it due?" The woman asked in a coldly clinical tone.
"The middle of April," Ava said softly, still looking down, basically guessing at the date they'd discussed earlier with his parents as his mother had brought out a calendar.
Mr. Anderson continued to sit silently as if he were in a state of shock, but Ava's mom seemed to be fully in control as her attention landed on Ethan. "Why are you here, exactly?" she asked with open hostility.
Finally. He was going to get to speak—he'd been asked a direct question and had to speak. But what the fuck? Why was he here? Where the hell else was he supposed to be? "It's my baby, ma'am. Where else would I be?"
Her mouth tightened into a flat line of contempt. "You can go home now. We'll handle this as a family, and that doesn't include you. You've done enough damage already, don't you think?"
After being lashed with that opinion, Ethan felt a huge streak of guilt. He was responsible, he'd failed to protect his girl. But that didn't mean he was leaving Ava to face her parent's wrath alone. So, he took a deep breath and imposed iron control, wanting to maintain an even, conciliatory tone. "I respect your family unit, Mrs. Anderson, but this pregnancy kind of changes everything. Ava and this baby are my family now, and I'll do whatever I have to do to protect them."
The woman let out a cold trickle of disbelieving laughter. "Your family? Ava's in high school! She's a child and you have the nerve to tell me she's your family? That you'll protect her? You've certainly done a sad job of that to date, haven't you?"
Ava let out a small sob beside him and it girded Ethan's resolve. "We're going to get married and I'm going to take care of her and the baby."
Silence met his words but as he watched for their reactions, he saw a glimmer of something in Mr. Anderson's eyes that gave him hope, but it was mitigated by the vitriol that began spilling from his wife's mouth. "You're not getting married. That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my entire life. How would you take care of her? Are you honestly telling me you think it would be okay to get married and have the entire town know the reason why?" Ethan sat dumbstruck as the woman continued, "Where would you live? Are you planning on letting her sleep in your truck while you're off playing football? Do you honestly believe that we don't know that football comes first with you and that's all you care about? Our daughter would always come second in your life and we aren't prepared to allow that to happen."
The woman paused as she glared at him. "So, this is what's going to happen. You're going to leave right now and go home and if you feel anything for Ava
at all, which I highly doubt, you're not going tell a single soul about any of this. We'll take Ava to Dallas and have it taken care of—"
"Taken care of?" Ethan couldn't stop the shout that came from his lips while Ava's head snapped up to stare at her mother in appalled shock.
"Yes, taken care of. The pregnancy will be terminated and Ava will—"
"Terminated?" he asked, his heart beating so violently that he thought he might be ill. "What do you mean by terminated?"
Her mother looked away from him as if she couldn't or wouldn't say what she wanted to say while holding his gaze. Fucking. Bitch. He'd always tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, but this was his child she was talking about.
As he continued to wait for her answer with his heart beating violently, she pressed her hands against her thighs and smoothed her skirt over her knees as if the wrinkle in the material were her biggest problem. In a sharp voice filled with authority, she said, "I mean the pregnancy will be stopped. It will come to an end and Ava will start school next year as if none of this has ever happened."
The fury that Ethan felt almost choked him. "How can you even suggest that? You mean an abortion—if that's what you mean then at least have the nerve to say the word."
The woman's jaw clenched. "Watch your mouth, young man."
Ethan was about to lose it but he held firm, wanting to force her to admit, out loud, the evil she was suggesting. "If you want Ava to have an abortion, I'd like you to say so in plain English."
The woman lifted her chin a fraction and glared at him. "I will not sully this family by uttering that word."
Ethan was completely flabbergasted. The woman couldn't say the word but she wanted her daughter to go through the experience? WTF? How could he reason with people like this? Just as he was about to stand up and drag Ava from the house, her father spoke up. "A termination shouldn't be necessary."
