Didn't See This One Coming
Chapter One
Sandy quietly entered the backyard of the Camden residence. She was holding her son in her arms and looked across the yard for Simon. She had something that she desperately needed to tell him. She felt like she was about to do something horrible, but she still had a little hope that nothing bad would happen. Simon spotted her and walked towards her.
"Simon, I need to talk to you about the baby," Sandy said softly. She couldn't believe what she was about to say. Simon was one of her closest friends, an ally when she felt that the world had turned against her. She didn't want to lose him.
"What is it?" Simon responded.
"The baby isn't Martin's," she began. "He's yours."
"What? How? How do you know?"
"Things were going great with Martin, the baby, and me, but Martin started getting antsy about the whole being a father thing. He decided to have a paternity test to ease his mind. Well, apparently I got the conception date a few weeks off. The baby is yours—ours. I was only with you and Martin around then."
"Why didn't you say something sooner?"
"I didn't know. Are you mad?"
"No," Simon said as he cleared his throat. "I just wish I could have known sooner. I would've been there more."
"You're not upset?"
Simon smiled. "No." He stared at his son for a moment. "Can I hold him?"
"Of course," Sandy replied. "Here's your Daddy."
Simon held his baby. He felt so happy. He thought this would be something terrifying, but it wasn't. Somehow, he felt at peace.
"This is so—"he began.
"Overwhelming?"
"Yes and no."
"You're handling this so well."
"Why wouldn't I? He's my son. I can't let myself get upset over this."
Annie walked over. "Did Sandy tell you?"
"Yes."
"How do you feel?"
"Amazed. Overwhelmed."
"Can I take my grandson for a minute?"
"Of course."
Sandy smiled as Annie walked over to the other Camdens with the baby.
"I don't expect anything from you Simon. I know you don't love me. I just wanted you to know the truth."
"Why do you think I don't love you? I've always loved you. I just thought you wanted someone else since you introduced me to Rose."
"No. I was afraid of falling in love with you. I thought that if you met Rose, my feelings would go away. They never did."
"My feelings didn't go away either."
They paused and looked at each other. Simon leaned over and brushed his lips against Sandy's before kissing her. His life had just changed and he didn't know what to do. He did know that he loved Sandy. He loved her more than he ever loved Rose. He just needed to figure out the right way to be with Sandy.
