Page 72 of Harper

“Most of you have been on my case over the last two weeks, asking if I’m okay. You’ve noticed, um…that I’m acting a little different.”

My father’s face goes ashen. “Are you sick?”

“Oh, Dad! No! I’m okay. I’m not sick,” I rush to reassure him. “I’m just…”

“You’re just what?”

“I’m pregnant.”

Reeve covers her mouth with her hands, and Parker looks like she’s going to faint. Sawyer snorts with quiet laughter, and Hunter looks at me thoughtfully, like he’s trying to put the pieces of this statement together. Dad stares down at the table while Gran quietly reaches for my hand and holds it tight.

“Who’s the father?” asks Dad.

“Joe Raven.”

Sawyer snickers.

“Shut up, Sawyer,” says Hunter, then adds: “Does he know yet?”

“Yeah,” I say. “He knows.”

My dad looks up at me, blue eyes searing. “Then why isn’t Joe here, too?”

I take a deep breath, my cheeks flaming with heat. I underestimated how embarrassing it would be to share this news with my father.

“We’re not together, Dad. It was a—a one-time thing. Joe and I aren’t a couple.”

Hunter claps his hands together and whoops. “But you will be!”

I shake my head. “No. No. Um, Joe and I are…it’s not going to happen.”

Gran squeezes my hand again. Thank God for you, Gran.

“Why not?” asks Reeve. “Joe’s been in love with you for, like, ever. It’s obvious, Harp. He’d totally marry you.”

“I agree. Joe’s a good man. He’ll do the right thing,” says my father.

Oh, god. Here comes the hard part.

“Joe and I aren’t speaking right now,” I say. “Um…oh, god, this is hard. Um…so, ten years ago, when I was at UDub, I got pregnant with Joe’s baby.” I give them a second to let them process this news before continuing. “I—I never went to Chile. I stayed with Aunt Charlotte during that time. I had the baby and found a family to adopt her.”

My father’s eyes are so wide now—so disbelieving and crushed—I can’t look into them anymore. Gran doesn’t let go of my hand, however, which helps me find the strength to keep talking.

“I named her Raven when she was born, but her adoptive parents renamed her Moriah Raven. She’s nine years old now. She’s happy and smart. I—I wanted her to have a good life, and that’s exactly what she has.”

“Jesus, Harp,” mutters Hunter. “You had a kid? That’s heavy.”

Sawyer isn’t smiling anymore, and Parker looks distressed.

“You gave up your baby?” asks my father. “Without telling us? Without asking us for help?”

“I didn’t ‘give her up.’ I didn’t want to be a mom,” I say. “I wasn’t ready to be a parent. I was still a kid myself, processing the loss of my own mother. I made the choice I thought was best for both of us, me and Raven.”

“But to let someone else raise your child—”

“The Calvins are wonderful parents,” I assure him. “They have a beautiful home. A huge backyard. Dogs. She’s thriving. It was the right thing to do.”

“You could’ve talked to me, Harper!”

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