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Her phone beeped with a reply from Mason, but she ignored it and called the one man that always knew what to say. He answered on the second ring.
“Hey, baby girl.”
“Papi—” Pippa broke down into a sob.
“What’s wrong? . . . Pippa, you’re scaring me.”
“I’m p-p-pregnant.” She inhaled a shaky breath, trying to regain her composure.
The silence on the other end was deafening.
“Papi?”
“You’re sure?” Was he crying? Her heart lurched.
“Yes. The doctor just told me.”
“Oh, Pippa, that’s wonderful, sweetheart.”
More tears fell down her cheeks. “I’m scared. What if something happens to the baby?”
“Your mother used to worry about that too. I’ve learned that it’s impossible not to when you become a parent. Your mama would say to trust in God and have faith.” He sighed. “The truth is, baby girl, we have no control over a lot in this life. You just have to be willing to take a risk and hope it all works out.”
“That isn’t very comforting.”
“No, but that’s the life of a parent. We do the best we can and hope our children have a better life than we had . . .” He cleared his throat. “I’m assuming the father of my grandchild is the special person you told me about? When do I get to meet him?”
She swallowed. “I haven’t told him yet. He’s away on a business trip.”
“Is it serious between you two?”
She smiled. “Yes. I love him, Papi. And he loves me. He’s already got a daughter; she’s thirteen. I just . . .”
“Just what?”
“I’m worried this will be too much responsibility to ask him to take on. My epilepsy on top of a newborn. What if I’m too much of a burden?”
“You were never a burden, mija—only ever a gift. From the moment your mother found out she was pregnant with you, we cherished each day you grew in her womb. And when you were born, kicking and screaming, we knew you would be a fighter. You brought so much joy to our lives, and you still do.”
A ball of emotion clogged her throat. “But because of me you went to prison.”
He sucked in a breath, and she bit back tears. “Is that what you think?”
“If it wasn’t for my hospital bills, you wouldn’t have stolen that stuff.”
He sighed. “Pippa, I want you to listen to me good. A parent will do anything to save their child from pain. Yes, we needed money desperately to figure out what was going on with you and get you on the right medications. But I made the choice to break the law in a desperate attempt to seize some of that illusive control. It was my own fault that I was arrested. Not yours. I deeply regret what I did, but never my motivation.” He took a shaky breath. “I was still in the midst of grieving your mother. Even after all those years, I hadn’t really taken the time. When you landed back in the hospital and I couldn’t fix it . . . I just wanted to take the pain away. I lost what little insurance we had when I was fired for taking one too many sick days to be at the hospital with you. But that wasn’t your fault. You didn’t choose to have a brain tumor or develop epilepsy. Just like your mother didn’t choose to get cancer. Stop blaming yourself for things out of your control.”
Is that what I’m doing? Yes, her life was more challenging because of her epilepsy. And whoever was in her life would also have to deal with that. But if Mason was the one with epilepsy, she wouldn’t care. She would love him and wish she could take it from him, but she’d stay by his side.
“I did something desperate because I wasn’t going to lose you too. In the end, I ended up failing both my daughters.”
“No, you didn’t. We love you, Papi.”
“I should have been there for you when you needed me. I should have figured something else out. Instead, you both suffered for my choices.”
“You’re wrong. Yes, it was hard with you gone. But you’re here now when I needed you most. I called you because I needed to hear your voice, and I knew you’d make everything better.”
He sniffed. “This will all work out, baby girl. And I’m gonna be there for you every step of the way.”
“Thank you, Papi. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
