Page 67 of Burden to Bear

My dad couldn’t continue to look at me, his emotions getting the better of him as he focused his attention on my backyard.

Fortunately, my mom offered up an explanation. “He’s worried about you. We all are. Ever since you left home and came to Charter Oak for school, we’ve worried. It got worse for your dad after you graduated and decided to stay, and it didn’t get any better when you decided to buy your home here, because you aren’t a fifteen-minute drive away. We’d just barely tried to settle into the reality that you wouldn’t be coming back when we learned that not only are you pregnant, but also that Todd just walked away from you and the baby. That’s been especially difficult for your dad. He’s scared that you’re here all alone.”

A painful ache settled in the center of my chest. The last thing I ever wanted to do was upset my family, to cause them any heartache. I realized the feelings they experienced when I decided to move here were normal, but I’d have been naïve to think they wouldn’t have been impacted by the pregnancy, especially knowing that Todd walked out on me.

“I’m sorry for how this is impacting you,” I lamented. “I never meant to cause you any stress. But you should know that I’m incredibly happy here, and I’m not alone. I’ve got my job and the kids I help there, my coworkers who’ve become great friends, and my neighbors. I really am okay.”

Anguish was etched into my father’s features when he returned his attention to me. And when he spoke, that pain was apparent in every word. “But here, at home, you’re doing it on your own. Your mom and I were together when you and your brother were born, and it was so challenging for the two of us. Yes, we intend to be here for you at the beginning after the baby arrives, but we’ll have to go home at some point. That’s when you’ll be left to do it on your own, everything from looking after your baby to looking after your house. Who’s going to take out the trash or mow the grass or shovel the snow?”

In an instant, Brock’s face flashed in my mind, and before I could catch myself, I blurted, “I’ve got Brock.”

Those three words were met with silence. I hadn’t intended to tell them anything about Brock, because I didn’t want them getting the wrong idea. But now that I’d mentioned him, I stood no hope of not offering an explanation.

“Who’s Brock?” Albert questioned me.

I looked at him, sent a reassuring smile his way, and allowed my eyes to shift away from him and between my parents. Lifting my hand and pointing in the direction of Brock’s house, I revealed, “He’s my neighbor.”

“Your neighbor?” my mom pressed.

I nodded.

“Just your neighbor?”

“Yes. Well, not exactly. He’s become a really great friend,” I confessed.

My father’s body was alert, tension visible in his shoulders. His hands were gripping the arms of the chair so hard, his knuckles had turned white. “What does that mean?”

Warmth replaced the ache that had formed earlier in my chest and spread throughout my body, all the way to my fingertips and toes. “It means he’s a great friend. He joins me for a walk several days a week after work, gets together for dinner occasionally with me, and invites me over to have lunch whenever his niece visits him. We even took a trip for the day to the beach with her back at the beginning of May when she finished school. Brock also carried the crib inside the day it was delivered and came over the next day to assemble it for me. He’s watched my favorite movies with me, carried my groceries in from the car, and yesterday, not even ten minutes into me being outside mowing the lawn, he demanded I get out of the heat while he took care of the grass.”

“And you’re just friends?” Albert asked, his disbelief evident.

“Yes, I swear.”

“How old is he?”

My lips twitched as I recalled the day I learned just how “old” Brock was when I met Izzy for the first time. “He’s thirty-three.”

“Has he expressed any interest in more than friendship?”

I shook my head. “No, not really. I mean, he’s just a nice guy who understands the situation I’m in. I wouldn’t expect him to want to get involved with me, especially given my situation, and that’s okay. I’m happy having him in my life as he is.”

I refused to tell them the truth about how I felt about him. Obviously, nothing I had told them was an outright lie, but I didn’t need to tell them just how much I enjoyed Brock’s company or how happy he made me every time he was around. I didn’t want them to know that he’d set a standard I didn’t think any potential future boyfriend could ever meet.

“Mia, there’s nothing wrong with your situation,” Albert remarked. “You’re pregnant. And the baby’s father walked away from you. That’s on him, not you.”

I nodded, pressing my lips together in an effort not to get emotional. “I know.”

“Do you? Because you make it seem like it’s impossible to believe a man would ever want to date you because of it,” he retorted.

I didn’t know what he wanted me to say.

What else was I supposed to think? Months ago, right after I moved in, Brock had expressed a hint of interest in me when he was about to invite me to dinner, but then Todd showed up. By the time Brock realized Todd was no longer in the picture and started to show some interest again, he learned about the pregnancy. And while there’d been some moments when I thought I felt a spark between us, those were few and far between. Not to mention, Brock never acted on them.

Before I could come up with a response, my dad demanded, “I want to meet him.”

“What?”

“Your neighbor. Brock. I want to meet him before we leave.”

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