"Ready?" Spencer asked as Teddy entered the living room.
"Yeah. Thanks for watching Alex for us, Meg."
"Oh, yeah, no problem. You sure you don't want me to watch this cutie too?"
Teddy shook her head as she grabbed Michelle from her. "Thanks, but I think she still needs to be with her mommy."
"We'll be back in a couple of hours." Spencer said. "Bye."
"Alex, can you say bye to mommy and daddy?" Megan asked.
"No."
"No?" Teddy asked lifting up her eyebrow.
Megan laughed. "Well bye guys."
Teddy and Spencer were the first to arrive at the restaurant they agreed to meet at. Spencer gave Teddy a kiss on the side of her forehead, knowing she was feeling scared and nervous about meeting Charlie.
"Maybe I shouldn't have brought her." Teddy said. "What if she gets jealous because I kept Michelle and not her?"
"Hun, why would she be jealous?" Spencer asked. "You're in a total different situation than you were with her."
"But still..."
"Teddy, Hun, she won't be jealous."
A short time later, a family of three walked over to the table where Teddy and Spencer were seated at.
"Hi, nice seeing you again, Teddy." Harper began. "Thanks for meeting with us."
"We know you told us you wanted to have no contact so we appreciate it." Benjamin added.
"It's totally fine. I understand." Teddy smiled. "This is my husband, Spencer, and our daughter Michelle."
Spencer shook both of their hands. "Hi, nice to meet you."
"Oh, she's so adorable." Harper said. "How old is she?"
"About five months." Teddy smiled. She saw a twelve year old girl behind Harper. "Hi, I'm Teddy."
"Sweetie, don't be shy." Harper said. "You've been wanting to meet her. Here's your chance now."
Charlie came out from behind Harper. "Hi."
The three of them sat down at the table. Charlie sat across from Teddy in the middle of her parents. They ordered their food and had a perfect time to talk as they waited for it.
"So how have you been, Teddy, since adoption day?" Harper asked.
"Um.. Well, I finished high school and then went on to college at UC Irvine, studying journalism. And then a year after graduation, Spencer and I got married, and have two wonderful kids now."
"Did you two meet in college?" Charlie asked.
Teddy looked over to her and smiled. "No, we met about five months after you were born, at a church in Denver. We dated for a few months but then broke up because I had to move to California with my grandmother and you. And then I decided I would find you a nice family so I could have a good future and you could also. Everything turned out more than I wanted for. I have a family I've always dreamed up and you have a family I dreamed you would always have."
"I think someone should thank me for that." Spencer said.
"Spencer, this isn't about you. Learn from your daughter and be quiet."
"What did he do?" Charlie asked.
"If I didn't report her parents for abusing her, you would have been stuck with them as your parents."
"My parents?" She questioned.
"You see, my parents were strong Christians and when they found out I was pregnant, they wanted to save themselves from humiliation. So I was taken out of school and wasn't allowed to leave the house but for doctor appointments. When you were born, they claimed you as their own and you were my "sister". My mom even went far enough with it that she wore a fake belly for nine months so nobody would get suspicious that they suddenly had a baby."
"That's horrible." Harper said.
"Yeah, it was. But what's worst was when I went back to school the beginning of Junior year. I was very popular before what happened to me, happened. Everyone thought I had the perfect life, good grades, perfect boyfriend, lots of friends. But then I lost all of my friends and everyone made rumors about me. One of me going to rehab because of what happened to me. No one at school knew I got pregnant. The best thing that happened to me was when this guy moved into town. It was a blessing from God. He was the only friend I had, my best friend, and only one who knew the whole truth. After I moved, we lost contact. But we found each other again a few years later. I'm happy for once." Teddy noticed her daughter was starting to wake up from her little nap in her arms. "Aw, hi blue eyes. Spence, can you hand me the bottle out of the diaper bag."
"Sure thing." Spencer bent over, grabbing the diaper bag, and handed Teddy the bottle. "There you go, Hun."
"Thanks." Teddy placed the bottle in her mouth and she began to suck on it.
"Do you have any siblings?" Charlie asked. Teddy shook her head. "Are your parents still in jail?"
"Charlotte." Benjamin said, firmly.
"No, it's fine. They're not in jail anymore but I also haven't seen them in a while. I talk to my mom maybe once every two years and I haven't seen my father since I was sixteen."
"Oh..."
They spent an hour at lunch talking about many things. But then lunch ended and was time to head their separate ways again.
"I'll be waiting in the car with Michelle for you." Spencer said picking up the baby car seat carrier.
"Alright, I'll be there in a minute."
"Thank you for meeting with us again." Harper said. "It meant a lot to Charlotte, even though it may have not seem like it."
"Am I going to see you again?" Charlie asked.
Teddy shook her head. "Probably not. Harper and Benjamin are your parents and family. My husband and two kids are my family. We need to stay with our own family now and be happy with them."
Charlie felt sad when she heard that. "Can I at least get a goodbye hug?"
Teddy smiled and wrapped her arms around her and whispered in her ear. "Bye Charlie."
"Bye, mom." She whispered back.
The End!
