Chapter 16

The New Year’s Eve party had ended and only a few guests remained who converged in the basement to watch movies and just chill out. Donnie sat, knees bent, with his back against the couch and Teghan sitting between his legs. Trevor and Annabelle were stretched out on the couch behind them while Alex and Harmonie shared the recliner. Although the movie they’d started was half over, he didn’t have a clue what was going on. They’d all been too busy talking and laughing.

“Trevor, before I forget,” Donnie said. “I want to thank you for leaving me such a nice message. Didn’t realize you felt that way about me.”

Trevor flung his head back and laughed. “I was a little fucked up drunk when I left that.”

“What message?” Teghan asked.

Donnie grabbed his cell phone, dialed his voicemail, put the phone on speaker and played Trevor’s message.

“You saved the message?” Trevor asked. “Dude, that’s so gay.”

Teghan turned her body to look at Trevor. “Serious bitch mode?”

“It was a joke, Teegy,” Trevor said.

Teghan picked up the pillow that was next to her and heaved it at Trevor’s face. “You suck at trying to be a bad ass.”

Alex laughed. “She’s so right dude. That was lame.”

“Hey,” Trevor said. “I was just doing my job.”

“Your job?” Teghan asked.

“Yeah. As your big brother it’s my job to protect you.”

Teghan laughed. “Consider yourself fired.”

Donnie was having the best time—and not just because Teghan was in his arms, but because he’d never felt like he belonged anywhere as much as he belonged here. He pulled Teghan closer to him and kissed her check. From the corner of his eye, he saw Alex and Harmonie kissing. His first instinct was to nudge Teghan and show her, but he worried that it would upset her so he simply hugged her tight to him. Secretly he was thrilled that Alex was showing affection towards another woman. In his mind, it only served to solidify Donnie’s position in Teghan’s life. Although, the fact that she was having his baby trumped all of that.

“Donnie?” Teghan said.

“Huh? What?” She smiled at him with a sparkle in her eyes he hadn’t seen before. If it was possible for a man’s heart to triple in size just to accommodate a growing love, then Donnie was in some serious trouble. Yesterday he had nothing. Today he had Teghan, his baby, and a newfound family of friends.

His baby.

What the hell was he going to do? A baby was such a huge responsibility. Did he really have it in him to be a father? He felt the color drain from his face. His palms were sweaty and he felt disoriented—like he was hovering above his body watching the realization creep into his mind.

“Hello? Earth to Donnie.” Teghan waved her hand back and forth in front of his face.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Are you alright?” Teghan turned her body so that she was facing him.

“Down in front!” Trevor shouted.

Teghan flipped him off. “Come on.” She held her hands out to Donnie. “Let’s go get some air. You don’t look so good.”

“Where you two sneaking off to?” Annabelle asked.

“Just outside for a few minutes. We’ll be back,” Teghan said before leading Donnie upstairs.

The cool air hit Donnie hard. He took a deep calming breath. I’m such a douche bag. How could I let this happen? It’s okay. He’d been in tough situations before. He could handle this. Sweet Jesus he was fucked!

“Donnie?” Teghan stood next to him, rubbing his back. “You’re scaring me. Are you okay?”

“How long have you known?”

She shrugged. “About three weeks.”

“What took you so long to tell me?” he asked.

“I was scared.”

“Of what?”

“Of how you were going to react. And of the thoughts that were in my mind.”

“What kind of thoughts?”

Teghan stepped away from him. “What’s with all these questions, Donnie? Have you changed your mind?”

Donnie saw the fear in her eyes and pulled her into his arms. He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. Did it really matter how long she’d known? Or how she’d felt about it? All that mattered was right now and right now they were together and in love, about to have a baby. “No, I haven’t changed my mind.”

“You’re really scaring me.”

“I’m sorry. It just really hit me, you know? Sitting there listening to everyone talk about their plans for the New Year and it was like, whoa! My plans are to have a baby.”

Teghan looked up at him. “We don’t have to do this. There are options.”

“What kind of options?”

“Adoption. Abortion. Or…”

“Or what?”

“Or I could have this baby on my own and you wouldn’t have to worry about it. I wouldn’t even name you as the father,” she whispered.

He held her out at arm’s length and stared at her. Oh, he hoped to hell she was making a sick joke. “The only option I’m willing to consider is the one where we have this baby together. I didn’t have a father in my life and I refuse to do that to any child of mine.” Great! He’d made her cry. Could he be any more inconsiderate of what she’s going through?

Teghan nodded and wiped away tears. “I just don’t want you to feel trapped by all of this.”

“Oh, baby.” He pulled her close and cradled her head against his chest. “I love you so much, Teghan. All I want is you. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

***

“Rob Jacobs,” he said answering his phone.

“Uh, Mr. Jacobs, it’s me. Donnie returned last night,” he said.

Rob felt instant anger course through his veins. He’d thought for sure Donnie would’ve stayed in Pennsylvania. That kid was becoming a real pain in his ass. “And?”

“He showed up right at midnight. Teghan was happy to see him.”

“How the hell did he know she’d be home?” Rob snapped.

“I don’t know, sir.”

“Well someone must’ve told him. Damn it!” Rob blew out a breath. “Okay, where are they now?”

“Having breakfast with Annabelle and Alex.”

“Are you with them?”

“No.

“Why the hell not? I’m paying you to watch her. Get your ass to wherever they are and keep an eye on my daughter,” Rob yelled.

“Yes sir.”

“Did Donnie mention why he came back?”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s been months. Why did he suddenly decide to come back now? Something made him come back here and I want to know what it is,” Rob said.

“I’ll do my best to find out,” he said.

Rob hung up and sighed. It frustrated him to no end that his daughter didn’t realize she could do better than Donnie. That kid was bad news. He flipped open his phone. “Jim, it’s Rob. Donnie is back. I need to know if you’ve been able to confirm our suspicions about him. Call me as soon as you can.”

***

Teghan awoke with a smile. It’d been four days since Donnie had returned and they’d been inseparable. But now classes were starting again and she’d been forced to let him go back to CIT. At least he’s in California and not Pennsylvania, she thought as she climbed out of bed. She glanced across the room at Annabelle who was still sleeping. The decision not to tell Annabelle about the baby was nagging at her. Teghan grabbed her phone from the desk, slipped out of the room and down the hall to the lounge.

“Good morning,” Donnie said.

Teghan smiled at the sound of his voice. “Did I wake you?”

“No,” he said.

“Good. I’m going to tell my parents tonight,” she said.

“I want to be there, Teghan. Please let me come with you.”

“I told you. It’s better if I do this alone.” Teghan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was terrified of telling her father and having Donnie by her side would make it easier, but she couldn’t justify the things her father would say to Donnie. And Donnie didn’t deserve her father’s wrath.

He sighed. “Okay, but I still don’t like it. What time are you going?”

“Around seven.”

“Call me as soon as you’re done?”

“Of course,” she said. “Thank you, Donnie.”

“For what?”

“Coming back for me and the baby,” Teghan whispered.

***

He stood quietly in the door, being careful not to move or do anything to attract her attention, and listened to Teghan talk on the phone with Donnie.

Baby?! Teghan was pregnant? Donnie was the father? Well now it made sense why Donnie came back after so long. Teghan must’ve called him…yes! During the New Year’s Eve party, she’d said that she called him. But didn’t she also say that he hadn’t returned her call? That really didn’t matter though.

He turned around and walked away from the lounge, waiting until he was safely out of earshot before taking out his phone and calling Rob.

***

Rob’s hands were shaking when he hung up the phone. His daughter? Pregnant? By Donnie? It was enough to drive him to a heart attack. Made sense why Teghan had insisted on coming over later tonight to talk to him and Rachel.

He called Jim and was grateful when he answered after only two rings. “What do you have for me, Jim? Is Donnie who we think he is?”

Jim hesitated. “It’s looking like he is.”

Rob slumped down in his chair. It couldn’t be. “Are you positive?”

“No,” Jim said. “I’m still checking into some things, but his birth certificate has no known father listed and the name of his mother doesn’t match the name of the woman he calls Mom.”

“She changed her name?”

“It appears so and I’m having a bitch of a time locating the records.”

Rob felt the color drain from his face. He leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees and fought the urge to throw up.

“She has to legally change her name in the state she was born,” Jim said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have that information yet. May I suggest you play nice with this kid for a day and talk to him?”

“No,” Rob snapped. “Keep digging, Jim. I’ll be in touch again soon.” He hung up and spun his chair so that he could look out the window. His home office overlooked the backyard and he had a perfect view of Teghan’s waterfall. His little girl was pregnant. By a guy who could possibly be…no, he shook the thought from his head.

***

Teghan took a deep breath and opened the front door. The morning sickness she’d been having was hard enough, but combining that with her nerves, she was a mess. There were no doubts about how her father would react to the news and she was prepared for that. Her mother though, she could go either way and Teghan prayed that her mom would side with her on this.

“Mom, Dad,” she called from the foyer. “I’m here.” Teghan walked through the house and found her parents outside by the pool. She was relieved. Maybe the fresh air would keep her from throwing up.

“Teghan,” her mom said with a smile. “I’m so glad you wanted to come see us.”

“Hi, Mom,” Teghan said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah,” her father said. “Why did you need to see us? Do you need more money?”

“Oh, Rob,” her mom said, swatting at him with her hand. “Stop it.”

Teghan forced a smile. “No, Dad, I don’t need any money.” She pulled out a chair and sat.

“How’re classes going, sweetie?” her mom asked.

“Good,” Teghan said, thankful for the temporary distraction. “Of course they just started so I’m sure they’ll get harder.”

“How’s Alex doing?” her father asked.

Teghan resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Even after all this time it was evident that her father was still hoping she’d get back together with Alex. Well, after she told them about the baby, that dream would be dead. “Good, I guess. I haven’t really talked to him much since New Year’s.”

“That’s a shame, Teghan,” her father said shaking his head. “Alex is good for you.”

“Dad,” she said. “Please don’t do this again. Alex and I are just friends. Besides, I didn’t come here to talk about Alex.”

“You said on the phone there is something you wanted to tell us,” he said.

Teghan nervously twisted her hands in her laps. It was now or never. God, why had she insisted Donnie stay away? She’d give anything to have him here with her right now.

“What is it, Teghan?” her mom asked. “Are you ill?”

“No, Mom, I’m not ill. I’m…” she closed her eyes briefly and reopened them. “I’m pregnant and Donnie is the father.” Teghan looked at her father first; he was expressionless, sitting there like he’d been turned to stone. She would’ve felt better if he was red-faced and screaming at her.

Her mother had her hand cupped over her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief, and her face ghost white. “My, God, Teghan,” her mother gasped.

“We never meant for this to happen,” Teghan said as she felt herself starting to crack. Screaming and shouting she could handle, but the looks of disappointment on her parents’ faces were too much. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? That’s the best you can say for yourself?” her father said, his voice even.

“It was an accident, Dad,” she said trying to keep the tears at bay. “Donnie is being really great about it. He’s going to transfer to HFU and we’re going to get an apartment and we’re going to get married after college…” Okay so they hadn’t ever talked about marriage, but at this exact moment she felt like it was the right thing to say.

“If he’s so great why isn’t he here with you now? A real man would face up to his responsibilities,” her father said.

“I told him not to come. I wanted to tell you alone,” Teghan said.

“So you two have decided to keep the baby?” her mother asked, getting up from her chair and pacing the length of the pool.

“Yes,” Teghan said.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” her father shouted. “You’re too young to be a mother, Teghan. How the hell do you think you’re going to be able to support a baby?”

Teghan felt mildly relieved that her father had resorted to yelling. She just wished she knew how her mother, who’d been unnaturally quiet, felt about the situation. “Donnie has some money saved and he’ll get a job, plus I have my trust fund.”

“Not if you go through with this pregnancy you don’t,” her father said.

What? Was he really going to take away her trust fund if she had this baby? It had to be a threat. Her father wouldn’t really do that to her would he?

“Rob,” her mother said. “Don’t be so rash.”

“I’m not being rash, Rachel. We both know that Teghan isn’t capable of raising a child. She’s only a freshman in college for Christ’s sake.”

“Like it or not, our daughter is an adult and she can make her own decisions. We may not approve, but threatening to take away her trust fund is only going to make the situation worse.”

Teghan looked back and forth between her mom and dad, listening to them argue. It was as if they were oblivious to the fact that she could hear everything they were saying. Now she knew her mom didn’t approve either. At least she wasn’t completely siding with her father though.

“I stand by my decision,” her father said. “Teghan, if you have this baby, I will cut off all financial support.”

Teghan stood up and slammed her hands on the table. “Damn it, Dad. Go ahead and cut me off. I don’t care. There are more important things in life besides money.”

“Tell me that again when you’re struggling to pay rent and buy diapers,” he said. “That boy is feeding you full of lies and fantasies. There is no way you’re ready for this.”

“Teghan,” her mom said. “Will you at least discuss some other options with us?”

“Like what, Mom?” she snapped. “If either of you say abortion, I will walk out of this house and never return.”

“Okay, what about adoption then?” her mom said.

Teghan didn’t even give it a second thought. “No, I’m sorry. I’m going to have this baby.”

Her mother began to sob and Teghan felt like a complete bitch for snapping at her the way she had. Her mother had never done anything but support her and now that Teghan was faced with the biggest decision of her life, her mother was still trying to support her and Teghan hadn’t cared.

“Mom,” she said giving her a hug. “I’m sorry. Please understand. I love Donnie and I love this baby. The thought of letting either of them go breaks my heart.”

“No one is saying you have to let Donnie go,” her mother said releasing her. “And we can find a family that is willing to have an open adoption. You’ll still be able to see your baby you just won’t have to be responsible for it.”

Teghan stepped back. That was something she’d expected her father to say, not her mother and it dawned on her that no matter how much she pleaded with her mother, Teghan was on her own. Tears trickled down her face and she hastily wiped them away. “No,” Teghan repeated. “I’m having this baby.” She grabbed her purse and flung it over her shoulder.

“Teghan,” her mother said. “You’re my daughter and I love you, but I can’t support a decision that I know is going to ruin your life.”

“Your mother’s right,” her father said. “What about all your plans, Teghan? What happened to traveling back to London after graduation? What about grad school? Do you really think you’re going to be able to do any of those things once that baby arrives?”

“Plans change, Dad.”

“That’s your answer?” he said. “Mark my words, one day you’re going to wake up and resent that baby and Donnie. You’ll blame both of them for taking your dreams from you.”

“That’s a horrible thing to say,” Teghan said.

“He’s right, Teghan,” her mother said. “I know you don’t want to believe it, you don’t think you could ever feel that way, but you will.”

“I can’t believe you two,” Teghan said. “Is that how you both feel about me and Trevor and Tayla?”

“Of course not,” her mother said. “But we were older and married when we had you.”

Teghan shook her head. This was a nightmare. “I’ve heard enough,” she said. “With or without you, I’m having this baby.” She started towards the door, cursing her voice for wavering. The slightest hint of weakness and her father would exploit it. She had to stay strong and stand firm in her position.

“Teghan!”

She stopped and turned around at the sound of her father’s voice.

“So help me God, if you walk out of this house right now, you won’t be welcome back here.”

Undiluted anger seethed through her veins. She couldn’t believe it’d come to this. Her father was actually threatening to disown her. It shouldn’t surprise her—he’d done it when she’d refused to get back together with Alex. She didn’t have time to dwell on that right now. If she gave in to him now, she’d never have a say in her life ever again.

“You don’t deserve to have me call you Dad,” she said. “Goodbye, Rob.” Teghan turned on her heel and walked calmly out of the house. She got into her car and drove a mile down the road before pulling over. Her hands were shaking so bad she couldn’t keep the steering wheel straight and her tears were making it difficult to see.

“What’ve I done?” she whispered. The full impact of her actions settled on her. She’d just walked out on her parents. She’d given up her only means of support. And for what? A guy she didn’t really know anything about? A guy who at any time could decide being a father wasn’t for him? Then where would she be? Alone, raising a baby, struggling and miserable?

“Oh God,” she groaned. Maybe if she went back now, begged her parents to forgive her, she could salvage her relationship with them. Teghan did a U-turn and pointed her car in the direction of her parent’s house, but she didn’t drive back. Instead she got out her cell phone and called Donnie. Hearing his voice, hearing him say that he loved her and that they were in this together would calm her.

No answer. His voicemail didn’t even pick up.

Teghan rested her head on the steering wheel and cried.