“Jameson—”
“Kidding!” His laughter broke the tension, and she found herself laughing too.
For a rare moment, she was content.
Then his voice softened. “Can I ask you something?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
“What happened after you left?”
The question knocked the air from her.
“After Los Angeles?”
He faintly shook his head once.
Daisy rubbed her sweaty palms together and took a deep breath. “I went home.”
She stared at nothing in particular as the memory unraveled. “I got into a cab, told the driver to take me to LAX, and I flew home. My parents were shocked when I showed up on their doorstep. They questioned me endlessly, probably thinking I was on drugs, with how red and swollen my eyes were from crying, but I didn’t have it in me to tell them the truth. I couldn’t bear the ‘I told you so,’ or the disappointment. Honestly, it’s still a blur. I just remember going to bed… then waking to find them in my room, holding me while I sobbed uncontrollably.”
Jameson shifted beside her, his knuckles white where they rested on his knees.
She dragged a hand down her face. “I just kept apologizing, over and over, until finally I blurted it out: ‘I’m pregnant.’ It felt like my whole world collapsed again with those two words. My mom started to cry. My dad just stood at the foot of my bed, stone cold. I told them everything, and when I was done, all he said was, ‘Get some rest,’ before storming out.”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, eyes glinting with guilt. “God, Daisy,” he whispered.
“My mom stayed with me all night. But the next morning, my dad came in and told me I had an hour to pack. I was going to New York. At first, I thought he was shipping me off to Aunt Devya, which made no sense. When I asked, he said, ‘You’re going to college. You’ll make something of yourself. Your mother and I will be there to support you, but you can’t stay here, Daisy.’ I didn’t argue. I packed what I could, and my mom took me to New York. I didn’t come back once in all four years.”
Jameson pressed his palms against his eyes for a second, then dropped them. “You went through all of that… alone.”
She slowly nodded.
“So that’s where Amelia was born?” he asked more softly.
“Yep. Right in the middle of my dormitory.”
His brows shot up, startled.
“I’m kidding. No dorms for this girl.” A faint smile tugged at her lips. “My parents were generous. They rented me a small two-bedroom in the Village.”
“That is generous.” He ran a hand through his hair, voice rough. “They were supportive. I should thank them for that.”
“Financially, yes. But emotionally…” Daisy hesitated, searching for words. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I would’ve traded all of it for their emotional support.”
Jameson leaned closer. “What do you mean?”
She inched toward the middle of the bed, voice quieter now. “My mom tried. She came to appointments, visited often. But my dad…” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “He didn’t speak to me until after Amelia was born.”
“Seriously?” Jameson’s jaw slackened, his voice breaking. “Why not?”
“He didn’t know how to process it. No one did. But he took it the hardest.”
He cursed under his breath, anger aimed at no one in particular, before muttering, “You deserved so much better than that.”
“It’s okay. Sean was great; he always called and checked on me. And Anna, once she found out, practically lived on trains and buses from Georgetown every weekend just to see me.”
His expression softened. “I’m glad you had them. At least you weren’t completely on your own.” Then, quieter: “If it’s worth anything, it seems like your dad’s in a better place now.”
