Author's Note: This fiction is loosely based on the Netflix series "Between." I do not own the show and will not be making any money from writing this fiction. It is for entertainment only.
It had been an accident. She hadn't meant for it to happen. She was barely seventeen and she had slept with a married man, one of her classmates fathers! What would her dad say? He was a respectable reverend. He expected only the best from his daughters. They had to be moral and dutiful. Wiley was none of that. She'd broken all the rules. She wasn't daddy's favorite and she felt as if she barely knew her mother. That is what had drawn her to Chuck's father. And one fateful night when they were talking late in his office, it lead to a long, passionate kiss. The kisses then lead to a whole lot more... and the next thing Wiley knew, she was seventeen and carrying a child. What would she tell her mom and dad?
It was Adam Jones, her best friend who first figured out her secret. He saw all the signs- the strange vomiting, the constant fatigue, the bloating, and all the other nasty symptoms that lead him to the conclusion that Wiley was pregnant.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Adam said as he comforted her after a particularly bad fainting spell. "Who's the father?"
"None of your business," Wiley bit out sharply.
She hadn't meant to be so harsh. But no one must ever know. Chuck's dad was married. And Wiley didn't want to be sent to some sort of unwed mother's home. The best thing would be to hide the pregnancy as long as possible, then when the baby was born, she'd give it up. Just the thought of that scenario sent pangs of sorrow into her heart, so she blocked them out, putting on her greatest tough exterior.
Adam pulled back, his hands slowly leaving Wiley's shoulders. "I am sorry. I didn't..."
"There is nothing to apologize for," Wiley said softly. "You didn't knock me up."
A look of incredible pain entered Adam's eyes. Her last words kept echoing in his head - You didn't knock me up. If only he had. Would he be a good dad? There was no question - he loved Wiley. He had from day one but he had been too scared to tell her. He was afraid he'd ruin their friendship and cause harm to the bond that they had developed. He absolutely adored her. But now, it would seem he was too late. Why didn't he tell her? Why didn't he say the words?
*Wiley, I am in love with you. And I want to be a father to your baby,* he wanted to say, but as usual when he tried to speak the words, he lost his voice.
All he could say was, "Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you. I am always here for you."
"I know," she said as she gave him a huge hug. "Thank you, Adam."
She kissed his cheek and Adam melted. Damn! Why did it hurt so much to be in love? Was there some kind of cure for it?
"What are you going to do now?" he asked. "Now that you're..."
"I don't know," Wiley replied. And once again she was back in his arms. He held her tight. For just a moment, she forgot all about her predicament; the pregnancy, Chuck's father, and what her dad was sure to say. All she thought about was Adam. He accepted her. He would forgive her anything. Everyone else might desert her, but in the end, Adam never would. He was her constant. She knew she could count on him if the world should end... and very soon, it would.
TBC