"Marry me."
My jaw drops so far that it should hit the floor. Marry him?
"Marry me, Elia. We'll take care of this. Your baby will have my name. Our baby."
I am still gaping at him like a goldfish.
"I can get a marriage license soon and we'll be married within a week." He stands up. "I'll pay for your wedding dress, of course. Just go to a bridal shop and buy something off the rack."
I clench my fists and can feel anger rising inside of me. "It's that easy, huh?"
"We can cut to the chase, Elia. I know that this may not be what you envisioned, but you're pregnant."
I get to my feet, trying not to yell and wake the baby. "First of all, I can have my baby on my own. And he or she can have my name."
"Snowball's chance in hell," Jeff snorts.
"Second, I don't want to marry you. You broke up with me. I obviously don't mean much to you. And while we can negotiate a fair custody arrangement, I will not be living with you. If I can afford it, I'm moving away." I can see fire in his eyes. "No."
"I'm leaving," I say. "I'll come back tomorrow evening." He makes a move forward as if he wants to grab me and stop me, but I warn him with my eyes that it's not a good idea.
I walk home, almost ready to cry. When I get back to my room, I plop facedown on my bed. I don't even know if I'm crying. I just feel totally drained.
Chapter 32
Toast
Elia
When I wake up, it's the next day. For once, the fetus inside of me isn't making me nauseated. I head downstairs, where my dad is eating his breakfast. I make a few slices of toast and grab butter from the fridge.
"You need some meat or protein," my dad says.
"Not hungry for it," I say. I wait for the toast to pop up. The bottom is burnt while the top part is untoasted, but I don't care very much. I spread butter on my two slices of bread and watch my dad read the morning paper. I think my first move today is to explore my legal options. I should hire a lawyer, I know I should, but I'm going to explore custody agreements in California.
Chapter 33
Custody
Elia
By the time that I need to go to Jeff's house, my eyes can't read anymore. Reading legal statutes is slightly less fun than having your toenails removed. I'm so glad that I never decided to become a lawyer, because all of it is really boring. I knock on his door. He comes to the front.
"Danny's asleep."
I walk inside and go straight to the kitchen. There's dinner sitting on the table.
"Have you eaten?" "No." I sit down at the side that doesn't already have a glass of wine at it. He's poured me orange juice.
"We need to talk."
My stomach turns even though he's made a beautiful mushroom risotto, which is one of my favorite foods in the entire world. I eat bite after bite of it anyway, trying to keep my mouth full.
"
I owe you an apology."
I'm surprised enough to stop eating and look him full in the face. He rubs his chin.