Page 3 of The MC's Surprise
She paused, hugging me a little tighter, before stepping back and holding me at arms length, her gaze locked on my belly.
“Sierra…”
“In my defence, I didn't know until recently,” I blurted.
Her eyes went wide as saucers and she whipped her head up to look me in the eye. “Are you pregnant?”
“Yeah,” I said with a wince. “Turns out there was a reason for all that heartburn I had been complaining about.”
I waited for her outburst, but she stayed silent, her eyes darting over me as she took it all in. I got it, I was stunned too, at first. I had no idea I was pregnant until I went to the doctor a few weeks ago for the heartburn. I thought the weight gain was because of stress, since my business was crumbling in front of my eyes and I was comfort eating at all hours. And I couldn’t rely on my period being on time on a good day. It was always spotty and erratic. I was so stressed, I didn't even think about it.
I kept waiting for her to say something, to start asking questions, and the longer we stood in silence, the more tense I became. Eventually, I couldn’t take it.
“Alright, let’s hear it. I’m sure you’ve got something to say.”
She blinked a few times, shaking her head.
“I don’t know what to say.” She released me, turning to shut off the burner on the stove, probably to give herself another minute. Another minute I couldn’t give her because despite knowing for a few weeks, I was still freaking out about it.
“I know I screwed up. Again. Just say it. I can’t do anything right. I’m your failure of a daughter, and you were just waiting for this to happen.”
Her head whipped around, and she frowned deeply. “I didn’t say that. Don’t you go putting words in my mouth. I–”
“I’m not hungry. I think I’m just gonna go to bed,” I interrupted. I was being a huge bitch, and I felt awful about it, but tears were burning in the backs of my eyes and I just couldn’t face her right now. Most families had several kids, so if one was a screw up, at least their siblings could pick up the slack. In my family, it was just me. And no matter how hard I tried to make them proud, I couldn’t seem to pull it off.
Maybe I was born to be a failure. I still think I could get awards for that.
The guilt ate at me,and I was kicking myself when someone knocked at my door. I knew that knock. When my mom didn't know what to do with me, she sent my dad. I always got along better with him. He edged inside, putting a plate of food on my nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed next to me.
“Brought you some supper.”
Tears burned the backs of my eyes, and I kept my face averted as I choked out a quiet thanks. He didn’t move away from me, but he didn’t force me to talk. He had the patience of a saint.
Once I got myself together enough to face him, I rolled over, frowning at the ceiling. “I was a jerk.”
He dipped his chin once, his expression soft. “Yup.”
“I should apologize.”
“Probably.”
“Is she mad?”
He huffed out a small laugh. “What do you think, peanut?”
I grimaced. She was mad. Of course she was. I deserved whatever lecture I had coming. They didn’t have to take me in. I was a grown woman. They could finally wash their hands of me and let me face the consequences of my decisions. They never did. They always supported me. Not many people could say they had such loving parents. They deserved better than my poor attitude.
Sitting up, I scrubbed my hands over my face. Dad pointed to my plate.
“You gonna eat in here or you joinin’ us? You can’t skip meals anymore. Not when you’re growin’ a person.”
It still felt weird to hear it. I wasn’t sure I fully accepted it yet. With everything else going on, it was easy to push it out of my mind. I couldn’t do that anymore. Not only was I running out of time, my parents wouldn’t let me stick my head in the sand forever.
“I’ll join you. Just let me use the restroom first.”
He picked up my plate without another word and went to join my mom in the kitchen. I went to the bathroom, splashed some cold water on my face and glared at myself in the mirror.
“You’re better than this. Suck it up.”
