February, Tuesday 16th
Addison gripped hold of Pete's hand tightly as they stood outside the front door of her parents' house. She felt so nervous. Pete gave it a soft squeeze and glanced down at her as they waited for someone to answer the door. The housemaid, Nell, answered the door, smiled and hugged Addison before she let them into the hallway.
"I didn't know you were coming." She grinned at them. "Your mother is in the garden."
"Thanks, Nell. Where's the Captain?" Addison slid her jacket off her shoulders.
"Either reading in the library or working in his office. Do you need me to get him for you?"
"Yes, please." Addison nodded. "Can you ask him to meet us in the living room?"
"Sure." Nell gave a smile before she turned and made her way to the first floor.
"Let's go get Bizzy." Addison looked at Pete before she turned and made her way through the house and into the garden. Bizzy was busy watering her flowers next to the patio and glanced up as she heard the glass door slide open.
"Hey." Addison gave a nervous smile. She didn't always get along with her parents that well.
"Addison." Bizzy looked surprised and turned to face them. "And Pete. I didn't expect you two."
"Sorry, I should have called first. You're not busy, are you?" Addison bit her lip and knew that it had already started off badly.
"I was just doing some gardening. Is there a reason for your surprise visit?"
"Erm, yes." Addison nodded. "We wanted to talk to you and dad."
"The two of you? What's the matter?"
"Can we go into the living room?" Addison asked nervously.
"Oh, yes, of course." Bizzy nodded and took off her gardening gloves before they made their way back inside. They sat down on the couches in there while they waited for Edward.
"You look nervous, Addison," Bizzy observed.
"I'm fine." Addison smiled. "How are you?"
"I'm good, thank you." She nodded.
"And dad?" Addison asked.
"He's busy." She gave a small smile. "Working a lot."
"He should take a break sometime."
"We are thinking about flying to Europe in a few weeks time for a holiday."
"That sounds good." Addison smiled and nodded. "I'd love to see Europe one day."
"You can always go when you are off from school."
"Maybe."
Bizzy nodded before she glanced up when she heard her husband walk into the room. Addison smiled and stood up to greet her father.
"Hello, Addison." He gave a smile and gave his only daughter a brief hug. "This is nice surprise. We didn't know you were coming."
"Sorry, I should have called." Her smile faltered slightly as she sat back down.
"And you brought Pete." The Captain smiled and shook the young man's hand.
"We wanted to talk to you." Addison began to shift nervously.
"About what?" Bizzy looked at them.
"Erm, well the thing is…" Addison reached for Pete's hand for support. "I'm pregnant."
Bizzy's face fell and she looked at her daughter confused. "You are what?" she asked slowly.
"I'm pregnant," Addison whispered and gripped Pete's hand as she avoided her parents' gazes.
Bizzy turned her head and looked at her husband shocked before back at her daughter. "I can't believe it, Addison."
"We didn't plan for it to happen." She slowly glanced up at her mother.
"We?" Bizzy glanced at Pete. "He...he's the father?" Addison nodded mutely and glanced at her father.
"I didn't even know the two of you were serious." The Captain looked back at his daughter.
"We're not," Addison admitted. "It just kind of happened one night."
"Excuse me?" His eyes widened. "It just kind of happened?"
"Yes," she answered weakly.
"We have taught you better than this, Addison! You are a Montgomery! What do you think you are doing, sleeping with a man you are not even in a relationship with and then this?"
"I just…it was just one night. We didn't mean for anything to happen," she whispered and could feel the tears. Pete looked down at her and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry." Addison squeezed her eyes shut and hoped the tears wouldn't fall.
"What are you planning on doing now?" Bizzy watched the two of them.
"There's only one thing we can do." Addison shrugged.
"You are not having this baby like this." The Captain shook his head. "You are a Montgomery and you either do things properly or you don't do them at all."
Addison's eyes went wide. "I am not having an abortion."
"That's not what your father is talking about." Bizzy looked at her daughter. "You two will have to get married," she stated simply.
"M-married?" Addison's eyes went wider.
"Yes." The captain nodded. "You'll have to take responsibility for your actions."
"I'm twenty-one," Addison protested. "Pete and I aren't even dating."
"I was twenty when your father proposed to me." Bizzy looked at her daughter.
"But you were dating!"
"And you were willing to sleep with him so take responsibility! We did not raise you to act like some whore, Addison!"
"We are going to take responsibility. We're going to raise this baby together."
"You are." The captain nodded. "And you are going to be married."
"No." Addison shook her head. "That isn't fair."
"You should have thought about that before you let him get you pregnant."
"We didn't plan it!"
"Then why did you sleep with him at all?"
"It just happened!" Addison felt the tears roll down her cheeks as she looked at her parents.
"Just happened? Nothing just happens, Addison!"
"What if we don't want to get married?"
"I don't think there are any other options."
"Yes there is."
"Like what?"
"Like Pete and I bring this baby up together but married." Addison looked at her parents.
"What will people think, Addison? How are you providing for this child? Two parents who aren't even dating?"
"I need some air." Addison stood up and walked out into the garden. Pete gave a small sigh and watched her as she walked away. She sat down on the swinging seat and closed her eyes. She had never felt so confused in her life before. She didn't want to marry Pete just because she was pregnant, it wasn't right. She gave a sigh before she opened her eyes and glanced up as she heard someone else walk out.
"I'm sorry." She looked at Pete sincerely.
"You don't have to apologise for anything." He shook his head and walked closer.
"They're trying to force us to get married." She leaned back. "You shouldn't have to be pushed into this."
Pete looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe...maybe this isn't such a bad idea."
"You want to get married?" Addison looked at him shocked.
"I just...you're my best friend and we've known each other for ages and this...thing we've had going on worked." He looked at her and shrugged again. "And now we're going to have a baby and maybe this is the right thing to do."
"You really think we should get married?"
"I don't think it would be that bad to be married to you." He smiled playfully.
"It would get my parents off our backs." Addison looked at him unsure. "And I guess it was good what we had."
"I promised you I'm always going to be there and I am. I'll always be by your side and you know me, I won't let anything happen to you or this baby."
"Okay then." Addison smiled softly. "I guess we're getting married."
Pete smiled back and took hold of her hand. "I know this isn't how you imagined it to be but...it feels right to me. And I promise you I'm not going to hurt you."
"I'll hold you to that."
"It's me, Addi." He looked at her. "I won't hurt you."
"I know you won't." She smiled softly. "We better go tell them that we will get married."
"Okay." Pete smiled back softly. "Let's go." Addison took hold of his hand for support as they walked back into the house. Bizzy and the Captain looked at them expectantly and didn't say anything.
"We'll get married." Addison looked back at her parents.
"Good." Bizzy nodded and looked at her daughter. "Thank God for that."
"This isn't for you, though."
"It's what's best for the baby." The Captain nodded.
"Yeah, well, we better get going." Addison looked at them.
Bizzy nodded. "We'll have to start planning the wedding soon."
"We don't have to get married just yet."
"The sooner the better."
"We can wait until after the baby is born." Addison looked at her mother.
"No, Addison, the point of getting married is that you do it before the baby arrives."
"I can't walk down the aisle with a baby bump then, can I? I'm already three months pregnant. I'll start showing soon."
"Then we'll do it as soon as possible."
"You can't just rush a wedding," Addison protested.
"Why not, Addison?"
"Because you just can't."
"I can plan a whole wedding within a few days."
"You're going to make us get married within a few days?"
"Well, you want to get married before you start showing, don't you?"
"But a few days? That's too soon. There's no way everyone can get time off work or whatever." Addison looked at her mother. "It just won't happen."
"How about two weeks then? You won't be showing for another few weeks anyway."
"Fine," Addison sighed. "Two weeks is okay."
"Good." Bizzy nodded contently.
"We should go now. Bye."
"Bye, I'll talk to you soon."
Addison nodded before she left the house with Pete. A breath she didn't know she was holding left her lips as Pete began to drive away. He glanced at her as he sat in the driver seat of the car and drove back into the direction of her apartment.
"Well, that went well," she commented.
"You knew they weren't going to be happy."
"But I didn't expect them to force us to get married." She looked at him as he drove.
"They didn't force us. We could have said no."
"Yeah, right, like we could have."
"Well, I wouldn't have said yes if it wasn't what I wanted." Pete looked at the street in front of him.
"I guess so."
He glanced at her and shook his head. "If you feel like you're forced into this then maybe we shouldn't."
"I'd just imagined it all so differently. Marriage first, then a baby."
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry," Addison sighed.
"Don't worry about it."
"This is a great start for us being engaged, me being bitchy to you."
"Well, you get to blame it on the hormones for the next six months."
"I do." She smiled softly. Pete looked at her and gave a smile before he turned back to the street. "Now to face your parents."
"I'm hoping they won't be as mad."
"Me too." She nodded.
"But they love you, so I think you should be fine." He smiled slightly.
"I hope. At least I have the advantage with your parents. I'm the one who's knocked up."
"Guess you do."
"When are we going to see them?"
"I thought maybe we could have dinner at their place soon?"
"That's fine." Addison nodded. "We better do it soon before someone else tells them about the wedding."
"Well, no one but your parents knows."
"It won't stay that way for long."
"I want them to hear it from us though."
"Then we should tell them soon." Addison looked at Pete. "My parents will want a dinner with them."
"Yeah." Pete nodded. She gave a small yawn and shifted her position in the seat. "Do you have plans for today?" He glanced at her.
"No." She shook her head. "Do you?"
"Not really."
"Aren't we just so fun?" Addison grinned at him sarcastically.
"Shut up." Pete smiled. "I am fun."
"Yeah, yeah. You have no plans for today either," she pointed out.
"I can be spontaneous and make plans."
Addison raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "And pigs can fly."
Pete chuckled and rolled his eyes at her. "Shut up."
"Hey, it's the truth." She shrugged and turned her head to look out of the window as Pete drove.
"It's not. I can make plans." He looked ahead of him. "I think Sam's playing basketball with a bunch of guys today."
"Niceee." Addison nodded. "A bunch of sweaty guys arguing over a ball."
"And you're being a ray of sunshine today."
"I just faced my parents, I have my reasons."
"Then let your reasons out on someone else."
"Like who?" she asked and looked at Pete again.
"I don't know, punch a pillow, yell at a stranger. Just not on me."
"Hmm." Addison turned her head once more. "Oh! Stop here! I want a milkshake."
"What?" Pete turned his head and looked at the café they passed as he slowed down.
"They sell milkshakes." Addison pointed. "I want one so stop here."
"Alright," he mumbled and pulled into a parking lot close to the café. She smiled happily and skipped into the café to get herself a milkshake. Pete stayed in the car and glanced around as he waited for her to come back. Addison returned a few minutes later with two milkshakes. She got back into the car and handed one to him.
"You didn't have to get me one."
"I did but if you don't want it I'll have it." Addison shrugged and began to sip on her milkshake. Pete nodded slightly and pulled out of the parking space one handed. "I don't actually like milkshakes." Addison frowned.
"You're pregnant." He shrugged and sipped on his own as he drove along.
"I didn't think it would make me want to eat and drink things that I don't like."
"Looks like it does."
"Yuck." Addison frowned. Pete rolled his eyes at her and continued to sip. "I'm hungry now." She continued to sip on her milkshake.
"You have food at home, don't you?"
"I don't know." She frowned again. Pete rolled his eyes again and smiled slightly.