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“We’re doing the right thing,” Levi tells me as he picks up my luggage.
I feel like I’ve fallen into a scene from the movie Great Balls of Fire and Jerry Lee Lewis is promising my parents he'll take good care of me, only I know Levi will take good care of our baby and me.
Ever since he arrived at our house a week before declaring his love for me to my parents, my father has avoided me. Every time our eyes meet I can see his deep-seated disappointment. I won’t go so far as to say he hates me, but I know he isn’t happy about this.
I nod at Levi and swallow down the tears that threaten to escape. My mother comes into my room and pulls me in for a hug. She’s been a constant source of support over the past week. I never expected her support, but I’m grateful for it.
I know she's disappointed in me as well, but at this point, it seems she's putting my needs before her thoughts. I appreciate her even more for that.
She glances around my room, and I notice her eyes fill as well. “I’ll just be on the other side of the fence, Mom,” I remind her, struggling through the emotion clogging my own voice.
“I know, honey. It’s just all happened so fast.” My mother tugs at an imaginary piece of lint on her sweater.
“Mom, I know this hard. But just know this, I love Levi. I love you and Dad too.”
“I know you think you love him honey, but do you think that’ll be enough? A baby changes things. I’m just not sure you’re ready for that yet.”
“We’ll soon find out,” I say with a forced smile, refusing to let doubt crawl through the happy picture I’ve imagined.
"I'm here if you need me," mom says, and I know this is hard for her. Hard to offer her help while my father refuses to further acknowledge
my existence.
I nod and grab the last few things before I head out of my childhood room. Levi is waiting for me by the car, love shining from his eyes.
He’s so excited about the baby, a thrill courses through my body every time he asks me how the little babe is doing. “I know this is tough, baby. We’re doing the right thing though. I want to take care of you and our babe.”
A sad smile spreads across my face. “I know. It’s just sad, you know. Seeing them like this. I feel like I’ve let them down.”
Levi sighs and raps the steering wheel a few times. “Consider this, do you think they would’ve been happy were it anyone else? At least they know I can take care of you and the baby. At least I’m not some pimpled asshole fresh out of college without a job or a home. They have to realize that as well.”
"They don't…" I say, trailing off as Levi pulls out of the drive. I see my father pushing the drapes aside gazing at us the last time before Levi turns on to the road.
“Just give them some time. Finding out about us would’ve been shocking enough, but the news of the baby just exacerbated everything. Have you heard anything from Vayda?”
Guilt curls in my tummy like a tightly coiled spring. I haven’t heard a word from her since she rushed out of my house a week ago. Levi told me she left for her mother’s the same day. I feel horrible for knowing I’ve lost her friendship and even worse for knowing I ruined her relationship with her father. I shake my head, not trusting my voice.
“She’ll come around. You two have been friends forever,” he tries to reassure me, though it doesn’t.
I turn to Levi as he pulls up in his driveway. “Have you heard from her?”
"Yeah…" he trails off and kills the engine before turning to me. "She blames us for not telling her, feels like we used her to see each other." Levi heaves out a heavy sigh, and I can see the lines around his eyes that have deepened in the last week. "I told her that I loved you and that I hoped one day she would be mature enough to talk about it like adults."
“Ouch,” I cringed. Vayda hated it when anyone was condescending to her, most of all her parents.
"I'm not ashamed of us, Oakley. I'm not ashamed of loving you. In the beginning, I was because it felt wrong, but I know this isn't wrong. We're just two people that weren't meant to fall in love, but we did. Maybe the universe did want us to fall in love anyway. Hell, who would've thought I'd be this excited about being a dad again?"
A smile slowly spreads across my face, and my heart warms. If there's one thing I could be sure of it's that Levi didn't ask me to move in with him out of pressure, he wanted me to.
I open the door and step through the front door of Levi’s home, struggling to comprehend it’s now mine as well. I head straight for the kitchen needing something to moisten my dry throat when I notice Vayda sitting on the terrace outside.
Without hesitation, I step outside. "Hey."
She doesn't even look at me. She just sighs and shakes her head. I know I can't expect more from her, but I need to talk to her. I want to tell her my side of the story if she still wants to hate me afterward at least I know I tried.
“I miss you,” I begin. “Since you’re not running for your car I take it you’re willing to listen. Where is your car by the way?” I ask realizing her car wasn’t in the driveway. I notice her workout clothes and her sweat-soaked back.
Oh My God. Vayda just ran about four miles from her mother’s house. She must be really upset. She doesn’t respond, only lifts her shoulders a little bit.
