“So, does this change things?” my father asks.
“Yes,” I say instantly. “It changes everything. I’ll have an official answer for you when I see you at graduation.”
But first, I need to talk to Syd.
I hang up before he can say anything else. Before he can reveal anything else that will shock me more than I am right now.
This is a lot to process right now.
I set my phone down and close my eyes, rubbing the spot between my eyes.
What wouldn’t Syd mention this?
Her computer dings with a notification.
Maybe she didn’t know how to bring it up? I mean, she just found out yesterday.
Another ding.
But then, what was this morning about?
A third ding so I finally look up, my hand on her computer to close it when the notification in the bottom right-hand corner pops up.
The subject line reads: Child Support Enforcement Agency of Wyoming.
What the hell is this?
I shift her computer so that I can look at the screen head on. Without thinking, I click on the email and then the link June sent her.
I scan quickly.
What the actual fuck?
She’s already planning to fill out paperwork to collect money from me. The baby isn’t even here.
Holy shit.
Of course she doesn’t want me to stay. It was never about me. It was about the money I could give her when I was gone.
Fuck. I need a drink.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Sydney
A girl can go through a lot of emotions in one day. I feel like every single one of them has been heightened since I’ve been pregnant. That said, I overreacted this morning.
I panicked and I told the man I love—yes, love—that I didn’t want to be with him.
What the heck was I thinking?
I wasn’t. Clearly.
After I left June’s, I drove around for a bit, and then I went to the library. I didn’t study like I said I was going to do, but instead I picked out a book and just sat there and read. I needed the time to clear my head before I came home.
Mark loves me, he told me so last night, but my actions this morning could have changed that, and I need to be ready to accept that. But in the event that he will accept my apology, I’m fully ready to go all in. If he wants to move, I’ll move. If he wants to stay, we will stay. This is a decision we need to make together.
I pull into the driveway, my heart racing. This is it. This is the moment everything will change.
