Page 7 of The Broken Beginning: Part One

“What the fuck were you thinking?” His father yelled at him, losing the cool edge of composure he’d held for the rest of this conversation. “That’s Robbie’s kid! I warned you that she was hands-fucking-off!”

Damon swallowed thickly and turned so that his body was facing mostly away from me and toward his own father. His shoulders slumped. “I was pissed at Brinley. We broke up at the field party before school because someone told her family we were together, and they didn’t like it. I found her trying to walk home from the party by herself.” When he said her, it was with acid in the tone and a slight tip of his head backward indicating where I stood.

“And you decided to play ‘rules of the road’ with her?”

Okay, I was stumped by that, but my father wasn’t. He growled low in his throat at that. Damon glanced over quickly before looking away, obviously worried that my dad might scale the counter that separated them.

“No. I wasn’t charging her ass, grass, or cash for the ride. That wasn’t payment. We argued about something and then, I don’t know, one thing led to another. I pulled over and…”

His voice trailed off, but his father picked up there. “So, you decided to deflower my best friend’s daughter on the side of the road in your pickup truck?” Boone’s voice held an incredulous tone as he spoke, and I didn’t miss the chastisement that went with it.

“It just happened. I was pissed at Brinley,” he stated again, as if that made everything better instead of worse.

“Let me get this straight. You were pissed that your spoiled cunt of a girlfriend was only taking you for a bad boy ride and you decided it was cool to take your frustrations out on my daughter?” My father asked.

Damon sighed and shook his head. “It’s not entirely like that.”

“Then what the fuck is it like, boy?” My father seethed.

“Come on! Look at her!” Damon demanded. “Lily’s gorgeous. It’s not like it was a hardship to go there. I never did before because Boone said she was off limits, and I started dating Brinley for most of last year and this summer.” That was news to me. They must have been trying to keep things hidden since her family wouldn’t approve.

“Did you suddenly think your dad would be okay with it, since Lil was conveniently placed in your path that night?”

“No. That’s why I stayed away after.”

“You’re a fuckin’ coward!” My father launched those words at him and from the looks of Damon, they cut him deep.

I stood there, shaking in my shoes before my dad turned his anger on me. “Why didn’t you say anything about this?”

I hung my head, allowing my hair to curtain around me in the hopes that it would hide my tears. “I couldn’t,” I whispered.

“Why the fuck couldn’t you? It’s not like we’ve never had conversations about whether or not you need birth control or whatever.” He was right, we did have those conversations – the ones I should have had with my mom if she had been around more.

“Dad, please,” I whimpered.

“Nuh-uh Lil, you’re old enough to get knocked up, you’re old enough to tell me why you never came to me about this shit happening or the possibility that a baby could result.”

“It happened that night.” I tried to emphasize what I was talking about. The importance of why I wasn’t able to confide in my parents about losing my virginity and maybe needing to see a doctor. I had promised my dad that when the time came, I would talk to him like an adult so he could make sure I was staying healthy. Granted, I always thought I’d be able to tell my mom first and that we could have a mother-daughter bonding moment over it. Yet another of my naïve dreams that wouldn’t come true.

“Yeah, got that it was at night since he said you were at a field party. You could have said something when you got home.”

Sobs ripped out of me at this whole impossible situation. “It was the night mom left,” I finally managed to choke out.

“Ah, fuck!” My dad groaned before pulling me back into his arms where he rocked me gently back and forth.

“Shit, boy! You fuck up – you fuck up good.” Disappointment dripped from Boone’s words. “You’re going to make this right.”

“I’ll pay for it to be taken care of,” Damon sputtered quickly.

“What the fuck did you just say?” My father yelled over the top of my head. He held me so tight, it was bordering on a painful moment. “Did you just insinuate that my girl needs to get rid of her baby to suit you?”

“I just figured, with our ages…” Damon started to say.

“Ain’t no way in hell my Lil would ever choose to do that.” My dad wasn’t wrong. We had discussed those options once upon a time and he told me if it ever came to it, he would support whatever decision I made. And I politely told him thank you and that it would never be that. It was fine for other people, but I couldn’t see myself doing it. That hadn’t changed.

“Why don’t we let this simmer, give it a few days for everyone to think things through and then Lily can make her decision.”

“Why is it just her decision if it’s my kid?”

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