Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 104288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
“I’m excited,” I say, my voice shaking along with the rest of me.
“We’re excited,” Tuck says.
“Is this why y’all are together? Because Maren got pregnant?”
“No.” Tuck clears his throat. “Well, we were friends before it happened—”
“So you’re saying y’all weren’t dating when you . . .” Now Dad’s clearing his throat. “Did whatever you, uh, did.”
“I think it’s clear what they did, Mark.”
“Mom.”
“What?” She turns to me. “I can’t believe you let this happen.”
“I was there too,” Tuck replies darkly. “I’m also at fault.”
Mom ignores him. “How many times did we tell you to finish school first? Get your career off the ground? You’re too young.”
Dad nods emphatically, setting a forearm on the table to lean toward me. “Way too young.”
Okay, now I’m really shaking. But the emotion coursing through me feels different all of a sudden. Like my sadness is morphing into something else.
Something that feels a hell of a lot like anger.
“Maren is young, yes.” Tuck grabs my hand and holds it. “But she’s incredibly mature, and she already has a strong sense of who she is and what she wants. She’s got ambitious plans for the future, which is one of the many reasons why I adore her. This baby doesn’t change that.”
Dad’s face turns pink. “Like hell it won’t. We know firsthand how a baby puts things out of reach.”
“But my situation is different, Dad,” I say. “I already have my degree. I’m not dropping out of my master’s program either, so I’ll have a second degree by the time the baby gets here.”
“And what exactly do you think you’re going to do with those degrees when you have a newborn to care for?” Mom shakes her head, a sad look on her face. “A baby is going to put you so far behind, sweetheart. I just—I’d hate to see that happen after how hard you’ve worked.”
The server approaches with our first course. Tuck, being the consummate host he is, thanks him. We sit in more terrible silence as the server, plus a small team of helpers, set the food in front of us. I vaguely notice how beautiful the presentation is: soft burrata cheese with apples, arugula, and candied slivered almonds, all drizzled with a decadent balsamic glaze.
I wish I was hungry.
I wish I was anywhere else on earth.
Tuck slices into his burrata, gathering its rich, soft center on his fork, along with an apple slice and some arugula. “Our situation is different. I’m here to support Maren in any way she needs. I’ve raised my daughter on my own, so I’m well versed in what it takes to be a good parent. I’ll be there to help shoulder the burden every step of the way. Whenever Maren is ready to begin the next phase of her career, we’ll get the help we need to make that happen. Your daughter isn’t going to be stuck in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant. She’s going to finish her degree, graduate with flying colors, and do whatever the hell she wants to after that. Period.”
He shoves his fork in his mouth as if to say, end of discussion.
I’m blinking back tears, my heart pulsing in my throat. How can I be so angry with my parents but at the same time so enamored with Tuck? I’m brimming with opposite emotions, each one a torrent of feeling.
“That doesn’t change the fact that Maren is only twenty-two,” Dad replies. “She’s going to miss out on all the fun and adventure she should be having in her twenties if she’s rushing home to a baby.”
Tuck picks up his champagne. Glances at me. “Do you feel like you’re missing out on anything?”
“No,” I say, wanting to kiss him for bringing me back into the conversation. “I felt that way when all I did was study and go to a job I didn’t like.”
“That was one school,” Dad says.
Mom gives me a pointed look. “One class. You should give teaching another try, maybe at a different school. A different age level, maybe.”
“Jesus Christ!” I throw up my hands. “Y’all don’t listen to a damn thing I say! Teaching elementary school is the dream you had for me. For a while I thought that was the same thing as my dream. But it’s not, and I need you guys to accept that fact.”
Mom and Dad sit in stunned silence. I’ve never, ever talked to my parents this way, but clearly I’ve had it. I need them to listen. I need them to see me for who I am, not who they want me to be.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you.” My voice cracks. “It kills me, knowing I let you down. But this is what I want. Trust me to figure it out. I won’t ask for anything else from you.”
The arm Tuck has draped across the back of my chair moves, his fingers flexing on my back now.