My Dad's Rival

Half an hour later, Lucy is dressed and on her way to the store. I find myself pacing around the house, unable to understand what is going on. We’re supposed to be heading over to her dad’s house, but I tell myself to be patient with her. I trust her, and if she has things she needs to do, then so be it. I’m going to support her in whatever she needs to do.

When she returns, she seems flustered, unable to look me in the eye. She rushes back upstairs and locks herself in the bathroom. I wait outside in the bedroom, feeling restless. I want to give her space, but I also want to know what is going on. We promised that there would be no more secrets between us, and it puts me on edge. What isn’t she telling me?

“Lucy, are you coming out soon?”

I hear her take a deep breath on the other side of the door. Then the door opens just a crack and she peers around at me.

“I’m sorry for being so secretive. I didn’t want to say what I was thinking and get your hopes up, that’s all,” she whispers. “But, my suspicions were right. Wyatt…there’s something you should know…”

I hold my breath, feeling anxious about what she’s about to tell me. I can’t figure out what it might be. But when she opens the door and shows me three sticks in her hand, I suddenly understand.

My eyes widen in shock.

“I did three tests…I wanted to be sure. But they’re all positive, well that last one is a little light, and well it's still early and it says that a line is still a line but we should definitely wait a couple of days but I just had to know since I got this gut feeling. But like I said a line is a line,” she rambles. Then, a nervous smile breaks across her face. “I’m pregnant. We’re…we’re going to have a baby.”

I stare at her in utter shock. Right now, I’m seeing all of my dreams coming true. I’ve always wanted a family, children, and a beautiful woman. Now, Lucy is giving me the full package. The woman of my dreams is carrying our first child. Just when I thought it was too late for me to have kids, when I was giving up on the idea of ever finding someone to be with…now I have everything right in front of me.

I rush to her and she laughs against my lips, kissing me as she drops the tests and wrapping her arms around my neck. I scoop her up in my arms and spin her around. I can barely believe this is actually happening. My patience has finally paid off.

When I put Lucy back down on the ground, she looks nervous but excited. She takes a shaky breath, wiping at her brow.

“Oh wow…this is a lot,” she says looking up to meet my eyes. “And something else we are going to have to tell my dad.”

My heart sinks just a little. I didn’t think of that. In fact, I almost forgot that we’re going to have to tell him about us. I puff air out of my cheeks, but the motion does nothing to alleviate the stress.

“It’s going to be okay,” I tell her firmly. “Your dad, he’s going to become a grandfather. How can he possibly be unhappy about that? Maybe this will make him see how serious we are about each other. Maybe he’ll finally understand.”

Lucy nods, but she looks uncertain, and I can’t blame her. It feels like there’s a lot on the line right now. When we face her dad, she stands to lose a lot, no matter the outcome. I pull her into my arms and I feel her exhale like she’s carrying the weight of the world. I wish I could protect her from her father’s anger, but I can’t control how he responds.

All I can do is hope that he sees sense, that he tries to be happy for her.

Or this whole thing could explode around us.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Lucy

This is it.

It’s finally time to face up to everything. My lies, my mistakes, my decisions. As Wyatt drives us over to my dad’s house, I bounce my leg up and down, consumed by nerves. I’ve never been this anxious in my life. It feels like I stand to lose just about everything right now.

I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do this. Wyatt insists that I am, but he doesn’t know my dad like I do. I know that when I face him, he’s going to be so crushed by what I’ve done. He’s going to find it very hard to forgive me, to accept what I’ve done if at all. He’ll feel like the only person he loves in the world has betrayed him. Like the one person, he truly trusts has let him down.