Page 96 of Knocked Up by my Rival

“Like?”

“He helped you with the kids when I was in hospital. He gave up the contract for you. He told you he’s in love with you.”

“He left when I told him about the baby.”

Rachel shook her head, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. “Why are you so set on seeing the bad in him rather than the good? It’s not wrong to have someone care for you, you know. He screwed up pretty badly, but it looks to me like he’s trying to make it right.”

Damn it, I hadn’t come here for Rachel to take Troy’s side. I’d hoped she would be there for me and tell me that I’d done the right thing by chasing him away.

“He left, Rach,” I said again. “He heard about the baby and he walked away, and that’s all there is to it.”

Rachel glanced at me. “What would you have done if you weren’t pregnant?”

“What do you mean?”

“Would you have taken him back today if you weren’t?”

“No.” I snorted. “What kind of a question is that? I’m angry with him for what he did. The baby has nothing to do with this.”

“Then why do you sound so upset that he left when that’s what you wanted?”

I wanted to argue with Rachel for not just being an understanding shoulder to cry on, but what she was saying was true. I’d wanted him to leave, but when he actually had, knowing about the baby… I felt more lost and untethered than ever.

He didn’t want me if I had the baby. He just wanted me alone.

“I don’t know,” I finally said. “I just thought my life would turn out differently. Not just now with the baby, but everything. The career I didn’t get. The guy I didn’t get. The future that just doesn’t look the way I thought it would. It looks so different from my dreams.”

“I know,” Rachel said softly. “I know what that can be like.”

I looked at my sister and realized what I was saying.

“Oh, God, Rachel, I’m sorry. You’ve given up so much more than me, and your life looks so different… I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”

“You weren’t,” Rachel reassured me. “I know what it’s like when things change and you wish it could be the way you wanted it to be, but what you decide to do with what you’ve got is ultimately your choice. I chose to give it all up and raise you. I could have sent you to one of our aunts or let you go into the system and only visit you, but you belonged here with us, and that’s what I chose. When I ended up being a single parent, I chose to do that the right way and be there for them, too.”

I nodded slowly. “I guess that’s true.” It didn’t make me feel that much better, but Rachel was right. I looked out of the window, trying to get Troy’s expression out of my mind when he’d found out about the baby. The shock and horror had been awful.

“I’ll take the baby, if you want,” Rachel said, her voice so soft I barely heard her.

“What?” I asked, blinking at her.

“The baby. If you don’t want to do it, if you want the life you can have with Troy without kids… I’ll raise him or her.”

“Rachel, I can’t let you do that.”

“I want you to be happy, Mack. I know you’re in love with Troy, just like he’s in love with you. You’re going to have a baby, and this wasn’t a part of your plan. It wasn’t a part of his either, and if you don’t have a baby, then you two can be together.” She glanced at me, her face dead serious.

She was trying to give me an out.

“Why?” I asked. “Why would you do that when you already have so much on your plate?”

“Because I want you to be happy, Mackenzie.” Rachel hardly ever used my full name. “I want you to have the life you dreamed of. I want you to spread your wings and fly, and if I can help with that—”

“You already did,” I said. “You raised me. You kept me at home and gave it all up for me after we lost Mom. You did everything, and I am who I am today because of you. I’m already flying.” I took a deep breath, a steely resolve settling inside me. “I want this baby. It’s not what I planned on doing, it’s not how I thought my life would turn out, but I want to do this. If Troy can’t do it with me, then he’s not the man for me. Thank you, Rachel, but I’m not taking the easy way out with this.”

Rachel reached over and squeezed my hand.

“You’re such a great person, Mackie. I’ll totally take credit for that if you’re saying it’s because of me.”

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