“Not ideal? She’s ruined her life!” he exclaimed, storming out of thelounge.
“Ryan, where are you going?” my mom shouted after him, following him out of theroom.
“Sav,” I heard Brody say. I looked up to see him kneeling in front of me. “He’ll come around, he’s just inshock.”
“Do you hate me too?” I asked himquietly.
“No, of course not, and Dad doesn’t hate you either. You’re his little girl, and I think the idea that you’re having sex is enough to tip him over the edge, let alone you having a baby.” He smiled at me reassuringly. “It will be okay, Ipromise.”
“Thank you,” I said through my tears, throwing my arms aroundhim.
“I’ll do whatever I can to help you Sav. You won’t be on your own. I’m going to be an uncle,” he said with agrin.
My mom came bustling back into the room. “Are you okay Savannah?” she asked, sitting down next tome.
I nodded. “Is Dad okay? I’ve never seen him like thatbefore.”
She sighed. “He’s upset honey, but he’ll get used to the idea. It’s just going to take sometime.”
“Where is he? Should I go talk to him?” I asked, desperate for him not to hateme.
“He’s in the stables, but I think it’s best you leave it until he’s calmed down, maybe tomorrow. I think we should all get some sleep. It’s been a long day, and everything will look better in the morning.” I nodded, hoping she wasright.
We said goodbye to Libby and Mason, Libby hugging me tightly as she left. My mom walked me to my room. “Try to get some sleep sweetheart, this can’t be good for the baby. Everything will be okay, try not toworry.”
“Thank you.” I kissed her goodnight and climbed into bed. My hand cradled my tiny bump as the tears fell. I had known my dad was going to be disappointed, but I’d never expected him to react like that, and I prayed this wouldn’t ruin my relationship with him. My baby wasn’t going to know its father, but I wanted it to have a relationship with its Pops. I could only hope my mom and Brody were right, and he would eventually come around to theidea.
Aweek had passedsince I’d told my dad about the baby, and things were strained, to say the least. I’d barely seen him around the house. He would make a point to be out before I woke up, and although he would be home for dinner, he struggled to look me in the eye, and our conversations were minimal. I was devastated; I had always been close to my dad and knowing I didn’t have his support made me question if I was doing the right thing in deciding to keep thebaby.
Both my mom and Brody had tried to reason with him, but he’d brushed them off, refusing to talk about it. I’d wanted to speak to him too, but I hadn’t been alone with him long enough to try. The atmosphere in the house when we were all there was horrible, and I hated that I was causing problems in thefamily.
I was sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for my mom to come home. I needed to talk to her. I’d been thinking over the past few days about how I could make things easier for everyone. I couldn’t bear to be in the house knowing I was making everyone miserable; I knew my parents were arguing because of me, and I hated it. Despite my dad’s reaction, I’d decided I couldn’t terminate the pregnancy, and I also couldn’t go down the adoption route. As scary as it was, this baby wascoming.
When Grandpa had died a couple of years before, he’d left me and Brody a fair amount of money each. I’d used some of mine when I bought my car, and the rest had gone into a savings account, which I hadn’t touched since. The plan had been to save it and use it as a deposit on a house when the time was right. I’d been thinking lately that I would need to dip into it until I was able to get ajob.
Grandpa had lived on the ranch in a small cottage behind the main house. It had been empty since he’d died, and I wondered if my parents would mind me moving in there. It was small, but it had two bedrooms and would be an ideal space for me and the baby. It even had its own small garden. I’d met Libby earlier for lunch and told her about my plan to move in there, and she’d thought it was a greatidea.
I heard the front door open and my mom poked her head into the kitchen. “Hi sweetheart. How are you feeling?” she asked, coming in and dropping her bag on thetable.
“I’m good, thanks. The nausea is beginning to wear off, thankfully.” I watched her as she put the coffee pot on. “Mom, I’ve been thinking…how would you feel if I moved into Grandpa’scottage?”
“Grandpa’s cottage?” she asked, turning around to face me. “Why would you want to move in there?” The surprise was evident in hervoice.
“I need to stand on my own two feet, even if I do need your help to do it. I can’t stay here and have the baby crying all night. It’s going to keep everyone awake. I can’t afford to rent anywhere at the moment, and I thought with Grandpa’s cottage being empty, I could put it to gooduse.”
“Sweetheart, we don’t want you to move out. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want—this is yourhome.”
“I know Mom, but I need to dothis.”
“This is because of your dad, isn’t it?” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Stubborn, pig-headed man, he’s going to lose his daughter and grandchild if he’s not careful,” she mumbled, although I heard everyword.
“That won’t happen Mom, I won’t let it. This baby won’t have a father, but I won’t let it not know its Pops. He might hate me, but I know Dad—he’ll love mychild.”
“He doesn’t hate you Savannah.” She walked across the kitchen and pulled me into ahug.
“I’m not so sure Mom.” I sighed as I hugged her back. “So,” I said, stepping out of the hug. “What do you think about me living in the cottage?” I askedagain.
“Well, I’m not happy about it, but I can see why you want to do it. If you’re really sure about it then the cottage isyours.”