Page 2 of Big Island Sunset
Juniper groaned and buried her face in her hands. “I can’t believe I let this happen. I feel like such an idiot. My dad’s going to kill me.”
“No he won’t.”
“He’s going to be so mad.”
“Maybe. But he’ll calm down, and he’ll understand. People make mistakes.”
“I hate that!” Jun burst out, straightening.
She gave her niece a questioning look.
“I’m aperson,” she said vehemently.
Emma’s mouth gaped open. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m not just some mistake that my parents made. I’mme. I deserve to be here as much as anybody, even if I wasn’t planned… or even wanted.”
“Oh, Jun.” Emma’s heart broke, and she reached for her hands. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Jun pulled her hands away. “My baby’s not a mistake.”
“Okay,” Emma agreed, trying to soothe her.
“I’m not a mistake.” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself. “I’m just… me.”
“This is a huge decision.” Emma kept her tone as gentle as she could, but she needed to say something. She needed Jun to understand that this was the rest of her life that she was talkingabout, not her origin story. “Being a mother is more work than you can possibly imagine.”
“I’m not afraid of hard work,” she said fiercely.
Emma could only nod. Juniper was the most hardworking seventeen year old she had ever known… with the possible exception of the boy next door.
They were a good match, but good lord… they weresoyoung.
A cool fear crept into her heart, and she frowned with worry.
“The father…”
“He doesn’t know yet.”
“And he’s… Cody?”
Juniper gasped like she’d slapped her. “Of course it’s Cody!”
“I didn’t want to assume–”
“Thanks a lot,” she interrupted bitterly.
“I’m sorry, Jun. I’m still processing, okay?”
“He’s the only person I’ve ever… He’s my person,” she choked out on a sob.
“Okay. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Her tone said,It’s not fine. Nothing is fine.“If you don’t want a baby in the house, I understand.”
Emma coughed up a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a sob.
The truth was that shehadwanted another baby. Very much. She had wanted a sibling for Kai, another baby that was half her and half Adam. It was one of the many things that still grieved her daily, nearly a year after his death.
