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The lights over the front blinked Mac’s although Mac died many years previously. The interior was just the same as it was when my parents began coming here when they were my age.
We walked up the steps to the porch of the bar. Gramps opened the door and waited for me to go inside first. The front bar was nearly empty, just a few familiar faces that Adam mostly recognized. My crowd was hitting the downtown bars. The younger crowd was here on live band night and karaoke night during the week which was held in the middle part of the bar where he was guiding me now.
It was a Sunday night in Point Royal. Only the regulars were here. Then we entered the back part of the bar where the pool tables were. There sat Ronan. I stopped walking and looked up at Gramps. “Why don’t you go to talk to him. I’ll sit at this table and if you need me, wave to me.”
I was a little nervous. I walked across the bar and stood next to him. Ronan was staring off into space, rolling the beer bottle between his fingers. Laying my purse on the bar caught his attention. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and then looked at me long and hard when he realized it was me. “Just tell me one thing,” he said.
“What?”
“I didn’t hurt you or force you, did I?”
I laid my hand on his shoulder and leaned my chin on top. “Do you really think that you are capable of that?” I kissed his cheek then. He hung his head low. He was so despondent at the moment I did what I could to reassure him. I leaned back and laid a picture of our son in front of him. His eyes traveled to it. “This is Luke,” I told him. He scrubbed his hand across his face. “That’s his leg,” I pointed to the picture. “He looks kind of small. I hope he’s not my height.”
Ronan chuckled. “I’m so sorry Skylar.”
“What are you sorry about? I’m not sorry Ronan. I’ve heard our baby’s heartbeat,” I said softly. “I fe
el him moving inside me and I’ve fallen in love with him. I’ve never been the party girl, you know that. It’s not like he’s making a big dent in my life. Do you know how often I go out?” I glanced up from the ultrasound picture and Ronan’s eyes met mine. “I’m not sorry at all. We can be great parents to him together.” I looked at his half full beer bottle that he stopped twirling.
“You are the only one who has faith in me right now,” he said to me which broke my heart. He was underestimating himself.
“Ro, how many beers have you had?”
He tilted the bottle towards me then his eyes looked into mine. “This is it. I’m not sure that I even want to finish it.”
“Good,” I replied. “Why don’t we leave here so we can talk.”
“I’ll meet you at the cabin,” he suggested. Then he pulled out his wallet and laid money on the counter. He said goodbye to Tony behind the bar.
“Have a good night, you two.”
Then Ronan rose from the stool where he sat and turned putting his hand on my back to guide me towards the door. Ronan glanced down at me. “So you brought reinforcements?” He asked.
I looked up and smiled at Ronan. “Nope, Gramps was worried about you too. He just wanted to come along for the ride.”
Chapter 8
My grandfather rose from his chair and waited for Skylar and I to meet him at the doorway that led to the middle section of the bar. I went to him and he opened his arms to me. I hugged him hard.
“Thanks Gramps,” my voice was soft when I spoke.
“For caring about you?”
“I guess.”
He didn’t understand. Mom was firm about me screwing up again although she wasn’t expecting this. Dad made his thoughts on the matter very clear. I had my own regrets at the moment that I was trying to deal with. I had to take care of Skylar and our baby. I didn’t know if Coach still wanted me but that was a good place to start, I thought.
“Monday morning, I think you need to make that appointment for the counseling either with someone private or with the group. We could never get Joey to do it. He didn’t think he needed help. Chance paid the price for his stubbornness by not having a father.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Skylar. “I will Gramps.”
We left the bar together. Skylar dropped Gramps off at my Uncle Noah’s. He and Aunt Lexi were home so one of them would take him to the farm. Then she followed me back to Coach’s cabin. I climbed out of the truck and waited on her. She was texting, I assumed by the tilt of her head. I leaned against the truck and watched her.
Not knowing what happened that night was hard. I could see the result of it. The baby we created growing inside her. It bothered me that she brought me home and I didn’t remember a thing about that night. I knew I was naked in my bed the next morning. That niggling fear had been on my mind since she told me that she brought me home, something I couldn’t remember. I was afraid that I hurt Skylar.
I kicked my toe around in the dirt. Finally, she climbed out of the car. “Everything okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “Mom made me promise to let her know you were okay.”
