Page 25 of Burden to Bear

“I’m pregnant,” I repeated.

It was clear to see my mom had at least a dozen questions running through her mind, whereas my dad and my brother were contemplative. Because I didn’t share anything additional, my mom came out with some of the questions at the forefront of her mind. “What do you mean? How far along? Is it… is it Todd’s?”

I nodded hesitantly. It was killing me not to know how they felt. Sure, I was a grown adult, but I desperately wanted to have their support, even if they were disappointed with me.

“Yes, it is,” I confirmed.

“So… so, you two are back together? Why didn’t he come here with you to share the news?”

And this was the part that was going to break her heart and infuriate my dad and Albert.

“We aren’t back together,” I revealed. “I’m twelve weeks along now.”

That did it.

That was all I needed to say to get a reaction from one of the other two people in the room with my mom and me.

“Does he know?” my dad asked.

“Yes.”

Albert was clearly thinking right along the same lines as my dad about the timeline, because he asked, “Did you happen to tell him before Christmas? Say, Christmas Eve?”

I pressed my lips together and winced, recalling just how awful it had been. Not only that, but I had to admit the truth to my family. “He wants nothing to do with me or the baby.”

My mom had been sitting beside my dad on the opposite couch, but the moment she heard the shakiness in my tone, she got up and crossed the room to sit down beside me. She wrapped me in her arms, and the moment I felt her loving embrace, I burst into tears.

I tried to tell myself I was so emotional from the pregnancy hormones—I was certain they were playing a role in all of this—but the truth was that they were the first people I’d told, and I hadn’t been prepared for the way it would make me feel to admit I’d gotten pregnant by a man who could so easily walk away from me and the child we’d made together.

“What a coward,” Dad clipped when I’d calmed down. “Has he attempted to contact you?”

Shaking my head, I answered, “No. Well, kind of. I got in touch with him after I scheduled my first appointment. I thought he should know and have the opportunity to come. He didn’t. And I made one final attempt after that appointment to share more about the pregnancy with him, but that’s when he made our separation permanent.”

“He just ended things with you like that? Didn’t he say anything about the baby?” Albert asked before I could finish telling them the story.

“He did. He just wanted me to get rid of it,” I explained. “I’ll admit I was terrified about the thought of having to do this on my own, but what Todd wanted me to do wasn’t an option for me. I hadn’t heard anything from Todd until last weekend. I got together with Susie, not realizing that Todd hadn’t told anyone in his family about the pregnancy. Needless to say, she’s horrified by his actions, and she insisted the rest of the family would want to be involved in the baby’s life. Todd wound up at my place that night, angry that I’d shared the news with them. It didn’t end well, and I suspect we both realize it’s never going to be good between us again. I’m not sad about him for me, but I’m sad about it for the baby.”

My mom’s arms tightened around me, her hand squeezing my opposite shoulder. “You have us, Mia. I know we’re a couple of hours away, but we’d never let you go through this alone.”

That was the reaction I’d ultimately expected I’d get from my family. So, I gave her a nod and confirmed, “I know. And I’m sorry it took me this long to share it with all of you. I just… I don’t know. I guess I needed time to come to grips with my new reality.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Tired, sick.”

My dad grew concerned. “Is the baby alright?”

I sent a small smile his way. “The baby is perfect. I’ve had two more appointments since that first one, and they’ve both gone very well.”

“When am I going to be an uncle?” Albert wondered.

My smile grew, my heart swelling with so much love for my family. “August 28th.”

“You don’t know if it’s a boy or girl yet, do you?”

“No, Alby. It’s too early yet, but I’m not even sure if I want to find out. I keep flipping back and forth between wanting to know and wanting to be surprised.”

A comfortable silence fell over the room for a few moments. I wasn’t quite sure what else to say, but my dad eventually took the opportunity to share his thoughts. “Whatever you decide to do, kiddo, we’re going to be behind you the whole way. I’m sorry you’ve been going through it on your own for the last several weeks.”

---