“What happened? Samantha phoned and said someone attacked you.”
“I’m okay, Mom, but I want to go home,” Alyssa said as she climbed down from the tailgate.
“Of course, darling. We’ll talk after you’ve rested.”
Jackson wasn’t able to say a word as her parents led her to her father’s truck. She knew she had to tell him something, but for right now she had a reprieve. And she needed that time, because she had no idea what her next move was going to be.
Alyssa awoke the next afternoon to find herself alone at last. Her mother had been hovering since the night before, then through the drive to the doctor’s office and back that morning, but she still hadn’t questioned Alyssa on the pregnancy. That showed how worried her mom must be.
What must her parents be thinking? Tears filled her eyes. She’d done this all wrong. She’d done everything wrong. She should have talked to them, told them what was happening in her life. Instead, it took a beating for her to confide in them just the smallest amount. She’d had to admit her pregnancy, but she wasn’t ready to admit who the father was.
The baby was okay. That was all that really mattered. Her shame and embarrassment shouldn’t factor into any of this. She rubbed the small bump in her lower abdomen. The baby was a part of her, and she would do whatever it took to keep the fetus safe until he or she was ready for this big world.
Little slivers of light stole through the closed blinds of her bedroom, telling her it must still be day. Hearing a noise, she turned to find her mom walking into her room, carrying a tray.
“Your coloring is looking better already, Alyssa.” After getting her daughter and the tray settled nicely, Teresa sat down in the chair she’d slept in the night before.
“I’m sorry, Mama. I . . . just didn’t know how to tell you,” Alyssa said, fighting back tears as she finally said the words she should have said last night, should have said in the car earlier.
“You know better than that. You can tell me anything. I would have been thrilled to find out I was going to be a grandmother, whether you’re married or not. I love you—you know that.” Teresa took her hand and a tear fell down her soft cheek.
“I just didn’t want you to be ashamed of me,” Alyssa said as she fiddled with her fork.
“Nothing you could ever do would make me feel that way. You’re my baby girl and I love you more than you could ever know. Until you have a baby of your own you won’t fully understand that kind of love—but it appears you’re well on your way to knowing the worry a mother feels when all is not right with her child.”
“I’m pregnant and not married. I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“Do you speak to the father? Is he taking responsibility? Is it that ex-manager of yours?” Of course her mom would ask the most difficult question for her to answer.
“It’s . . . uh . . . complicated, but it’s not my old manager,” Alyssa said.
“It can’t be that complicated, baby girl,” said her father, who walked through the door and joined them. “He either does the right thing or he’s not a real man.”
“Not everything is so black-and-white, Daddy.”
“It sure is,” Donald said. “He either wants to take care of his baby or he wants to run and hide and pretend it didn’t happen—keep his head buried in the sand. I can’t imagine you would be in the company of a man who would shirk his responsibilities.”
“You’re the perfect man, Daddy. No one could ever measure up to you.” Alyssa knew her dad was one of a kind, and her mother had been blessed to find him. Not everyone was so lucky.
“I just know what’s right and what’s wrong,” he said, brushing off her compliment as usual—he’d never been good at accepting praise.
“I know you do. I just really don’t want to talk about the father right now.” She knew it was unfair of her to ask them to remain in the dark, but she was so confused right now.
“We won’t push you,” Teresa said, then looked down at Alyssa’s tray. “You need to eat your lunch, darling. When you’re done, I’ll help you get cleaned up.” She stood and kissed her daughter on the forehead.
When they left her alone, of course her thoughts returned to Jackson. She hadn’t spoken to him since the previous night when she’d left him standing in that parking lot. She wasn’t a good liar, and she feared she’d end up blurting out to him that he was the baby’s father.
If she knew him better, knew that he wouldn’t try to take her child, she would be more than willing to share the responsibility of the baby with him. She wasn’t a fool. She knew how difficult it was going to be to raise this child on her own.
But what if she told him and he decided he didn’t need her at all? Yes, he desired her. That was more than obvious, but desire did not equal love. It wasn’t like she was in love with him, either. She’d had one night with him, one fantastic night, and then she hadn’t seen him again for months.
Sure, he’d been with her almost every day for the last two weeks, but he’d also made it more than clear that he was around because he wanted her in his bed and nothing more. Passion would fade. It always did—always. Unfortunately, she hadn’t forgotten even a minute of their night together. Even months later, her impulsive night with Jackson had left her with an ache in her body that refused to go away.
When nighttime hit, she was grateful to feel herself drifting off toward sleep. At least that meant a few hours that she didn’t have to worry, didn’t have to make decisions. But such freedom would inevitably end too soon. One thing she knew for sure was that Jackson would come to her. She hoped she knew what to say when he did.
Pacing the long front deck of Alyssa’s parents’ house, Jackson felt as if he’d need to be admitted to the nearest hospital if somebody didn’t answer the door, and soon. He’d barely managed to get any sleep the past two nights, and he wanted some answers.
How was Alyssa feeling? Was she going to the doctor? When had she gotten pregnant? Was there a man in her life? Why hadn’t she said something sooner to him? What was the big secret? If there was someone in her life, he sure as hell hadn’t met him, and Jackson had been around Alyssa nearly every day since he’d discovered she was in Sterling.
“Yes?” Jackson stopped and turned as he realized the door had opened and her parents were both there staring at him a bit skeptically. He must look slightly crazy, his hair mussed from the number of times he’d run his hands through it, dark circles beneath his eyes, and his clothes thrown on quickly, without his usual care.