Page 142 of Not Another Yesterday
“If that’s what they choose, then yes. I’m not making my son repeat history. It’s bad enough he’s going to be a teenage dad. I won’t make him get married on top of it. Not unless it’shisdecision. Neither of them should be forced to stay in this relationship if they don’t want to.” Frank’s voice rises, heated. This isn’t just about us anymore. It’s about his own past, obviously still raw under the surface.
“Okay, I think everyone needs to—” Saoirse says, but she’s drowned out by my dad.
“That’s bullshit, Frank. They’re going to be tied to each other for the rest of their lives. This isn’t just aboutthemanymore. They made the decision to have sex. They didn’t use protection. They weren’t careful. And now they have to live with the consequences. And that includes making an honest woman out of my daughter. Do you know the kind of shit Cat will face if Ronan doesn’t marry her, yet she’s forced to raise his—"
“Can I talk?” Ronan interrupts the thundering, his voice clear and steady as he stands.
The room falls silent, every eye moving to him. He stands tall, shoulders squared, his hand never letting go of mine. I sit there, trying my hardest not to melt into a puddle, because the way he’s posturing right now—protective, sure of himself—is sexy as hell. Those hormones areraging.
“First of all, Bobby, wediduse protection. Wewerecareful. Always. We never wanted this. It’s not like I had a one-night stand with your daughter, planning to never see her again. I’m the product of exactly that scenario—teen pregnancy, forced marriage—and let’s just say it didn’t turn out great for me. So trust me when I say, nobodyregrets this more than I do. I know how hard this is going to be—for her, for both of us.”
His voice tightens. “I understand the consequences. I know I need to figure my shit out. Fast. I have every intention of being there for Cat every step of the way, for as long as she’ll have me.”
He looks down at me then, and his expression softens, eyes full of something tender, unshakable.
“This wasn’t the plan. We’re scared shitless. But yelling at me won’t change what’s already real. Cat’s pregnant. It is what it is. We’ve decided to keep the baby. So what we need now—what we couldreallyuse—is your support. You don’t have to be happy about it. But don’t treat us like kids. I think we all know that Cat and I have been through more together than most people go through in a lifetime.”
He pauses, then nods once, firmly.
“So, congratulations. You’re going to be grandparents.”
Then he sits down again and pulls me into his arms. God, I could cry from how grateful I am for him in this moment.
“You’ve decided to keep the baby?” my mom says softly, her hand reaching across the table to find mine.
“Yeah,” I say, swallowing hard. “It’s a piece of Ran and me. I know it’s going to be hard, but I also know we have you all.” I glance around the table—to my mom, Penny and Frank, Saoirse and Perry—both of whom are smiling gently. And finally to my dad, whose expression has begun to soften.
“How far along are you?” Penny asks.
“Eight weeks. My due date’s Christmas.”
“Wait,” my dad says, blinking as he starts doing the math. “This happened while we were all in Montana? How the hell? When?”
“Bobby,” my mom says, her tone warning. “I don’t think you want the details ofhowCat got pregnant.”
My dad shoots another glare at Ronan, and Frank and my mom share a look. I know exactly what they’re thinking about: the time they caught Ronan in my room. Little do they know, that was far from theonly time that week. We were starved for each other after two months apart.
“I’m going to use this moment of lowered tension to remind the adults in the room that Cat and Ronan are hardly setting a precedent,” Saoirse says. “If I recall correctly, Jen, you told me you and Bobby had Cat at twenty—a year older than Cat will be by the time she gives birth. And Frankie—my sweet, sweet, beautiful boy—you weresixteenwhen you told me you’d knocked someone up.”
Frank chuffs. “How are you so calm about this, Mom? You didn’t react like this when I told you about…”
Saoirse smiles. “Your dad and I had a little bit of a heads-up. We had time to process already.”
Frank’s gaze shifts to Ronan. There’s hurt in his eyes. “You told your grandparents before you told me?”
Ronan doesn’t flinch. “It’s almost like I knew you’d react the way you did, huh?”
Frank nods, his face falling.
“Okay,” Penny says, clapping her hands together gently. “At the risk of upsetting my husband and Bobby even more: I’m kind of excited to throw that baby shower.”
My mom smiles beside her, and for the first time tonight, it doesn’t feel like the world is burning around me.
“Ooh, and Ireallyhope you’re having a girl,” Penny says. “There is too much testosterone in the Soult family tree.”
“I actually think it’s a boy,” I say softly.
Ronan’s eyes search mine, and I smile tentatively, full of something bigger than fear. Maybe this is what trust feels like. I’m terrified. But I’m not alone. And somehow, that makes all the difference.
