Ch.10: Dinner of Surprises
Ana
"I actually cannot believe she came over here and did that. Boy, that chick has some balls," Leila says in disbelief and continues to eat her salad.
Everyone agrees and continues to eat and talk with their partners while Christian takes hold of my hand and stares at me in concern.
I don't pay attention to him, all I can seem to do is sit there frozen looking at the discarded ultrasound laying on the table by his arm.
I can't believe that her ultrasound was yesterday and he never told me. I would have persuaded him to go instead of hanging out together. Even if it pains me to see him going, deep down, I know him going to that appointment was the right thing to do.
A mixture of hurt and irritation fills me when thinking about this whole thing. When she took that ultrasound picture out, I wanted to burst into tears with the reality of him having someone else's child.
The fact that he will have a connection to her that I will never have.
The baby connects them forever. She will always be in Christian's life.
I don't want to have a baby right now, but a part of me wishes that I was the one having his baby. The thought is terrifying, and something that I should not be thinking about right now, especially at seventeen. I groan inwardly on letting my mind wonder about having a baby this young.
I don't even know if Christian and I will last, and I don't even know if he feels the same way about me. My feelings for him has increased with each passing day, and I'm worried that this whole relationship might just be a fling to him.
I have fallen in love with him, and the thought that he might not feel the same is horrifying.
I look around the large room and see some people laughing at her while she tries to run out of the cafeteria while holding her bump.
I grit my teeth at the scene of them making fun of her. I know that a part of me should hate her, but truthfully, she doesn't deserve the humiliation.
She doesn't deserve to have people laughing in her face while Christian gets to walk around school untouched and unaffected. Many people know what is going on, and they never turn their nose up to Christian.
I take my hand out of his and put my head into my hands. I ignore Christian and his attempt to get me to look at him.
I shake my head and squeeze my eyes shut.
I can't believe I have been so stupid. It hits me that all this time, I have been encouraging his behavior towards Cora. He treats her like crap, and I haven't even said anything to make him see that she is just crushing on him.
I know that her stalking him before I got here was wrong, but she just has a silly infatuation. She found out she was pregnant, and she wants to be with him. She intends to have a chance at her baby having a father. Yes, she is going about it the wrong way and ignoring the fact that he doesn't want her that way. But, that doesn't give him the right to treat her horribly.
I need to fix this. I need for Christian to start accepting the fact that Cora is going to be the mother of his child, and that he cannot change it. Even if it is painful, he needs to have a good wake up call.
What better person than me right?
I take a deep breath and pull my hands away from my face. I immediately see Kate and Elliot staring at me in worry. I give them a weak smile and turn towards Christian.
He is looking at me in concern as well. His gray eyes are filled with uncertainty. "I need to speak with you. Privately," my voice is clipped.
Not giving him the time to ask why I stand up and point to the hallway. He gets up slowly, frowning deeply. I turn around and tell the table that I will be right back. Everyone looks at me with a frown but nods anyway.
I swing my leg over the bench and use my hand to steady myself. I feel a hand on mine before I can lift my other leg onto the ground. I turn my head and see that it is Kate's hand. She squeezes my hand in reassurance. I give her a small smile in return.
"You okay?" she mouths.
"I will be," I mouth back.
She gives me a nod, and I beam when Leila, Naomi, Sadie and Riley put their hands on Kate's. They wink at me, and I smile and nod.
They take their hands away and snaps their fingers. I giggle and snap mine before I turn around and walk out of the cafeteria where Christian is waiting.
He is standing at the entrance of the cafeteria as I walk out. I ignore him and continue to walk down the hallway. We need to be alone for this conversation, and I don't want others to hear us talking.
He runs to catch up with me and tries to take my hand. I snatch it away and see his hurt expression. I ignore it and walk out of the school to the student parking lot.
"Ana, wait! I'm sorry about that. I will tell her to not come near us again," he pleads.
I stop and whip around to face him and look at him in disbelief. You have got to be kidding me!
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Don't kill him, Ana. Don't kill him.
I open my eyes and see that he is staring at me wide-eyed.
"Why didn't you tell me that she had an appointment yesterday?" I say calmly.
He looks at me dumbfounded for a second before he shakes his head. "Why would I? It's not like I was going to go anyway."
Oh, My, God. What a jerk!
"Did you even know her appointment was yesterday?" I ignore his question.
He shrugs in annoyance. "Grace told me about the appointment this week, but I wanted to spend my time with you."
I shake my head at him and sigh heavily while putting a hand to my forehead.
"I cannot believe your behavior in there, Christian. This has to stop," I point to the building.
He frowns in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"You are acting like an asshole to the girl who is having your baby," I snap.
He scoffs, "I am not being an asshole. I already told her to leave me alone, and she won't fucking listen!"
"You are being an asshole! Just because she has a silly crush on you, and wants you to be involved in your baby's life, doesn't give you the right to treat her like shit!" I shout.
He looks at me dumbfounded. He doesn't say anything; he just stands there staring at me wide-eyed.
I run my hand through my hair and try to calm myself down. I need to knock some sense into him, and I can't do that if I am yelling at him the entire time.
"Christian, I know that she stalked you and won't leave you alone, but you need to be civil towards her. She is having your baby whether you like it or not. You both need to stop being immature children and try to get along with one another," he starts to open his mouth, but I put my hand up to stop him from talking.
"I know what you are thinking, and I am not condoning what she did. I agree that she needs to move on and worry about the baby, and you need to stop being so mean to her."
He breaths deeply, and says, "So am I just to forget that fact? I don't like her. I told her that countless times, and she won't let it go. She is doing whatever she can to rub this kid in your face. How are you not pissed off on what she did in there?" He shouts.
I groan and run a hand down my face in aggravation. "I'm not pissed off. I am hurt, yes, I admit that, but that doesn't mean we need to humiliate her in front of everyone," I snap.
"I did not humiliate her. She did that all on her own with the stunt she just pulled," he hisses.
I sigh deeply and close my eyes. This is so draining. Why can't he understand what I am trying to tell him?
I put my hands on both of my hips for a minute before I walk up to him. He stares into my eyes impassively while I put my hands around his neck. I peck him on the lips causing his lips to twitch into a smile. He puts his hands on my waist.
"Christian, for your unborn child, and for me, will you please just be civil towards her? You need to get over what she did before. Her acting like that has blinded you and causing you to humiliate the poor girl and that has to stop. You are going to be connected to her for the long haul, and this baby deserves two parents who do not argue and are at each other's throats constantly. You don't have to like her or be with her twenty-four seven, but for the sake of this baby, when you do have to see her, will you try to get along?" I implore him.
I stare into his eyes the entire time. He closes his eyes and sighs before giving me a small nod. I give him a small smile when he opens his eyes.
He shakes his head and breaths deeply. "I'm sorry. Your right. I will try not to overreact and be mean towards her, but sometimes I just can't help it. I just wish she would understand that I don't want her," he says sullenly.
"I know. Hopefully, she will soon, and just focus on the baby. There is nothing we can do about that. Her infatuation for you will go away in time," I run my hand through his hair.
He purrs and closes his eyes in contentment. I smile and lean forward to kiss his nose.
He opens his eyes, and his expression suddenly turns sorrowful, which causes me to frown.
"How could you want me?" he whispers softly.
"What?" I let out a breath.
"This isn't how it was supposed to go. You're not meant to want a fuck up like me. Someone who fucked a girl and got her pregnant. How could you want anything to do with me?" He says in anguish and takes my hands away from his neck and stands back.
My eyes widen as my hands fall by my sides. Is he breaking up with me? No!
"Christian," I murmur and try to walk forward, but he stops me.
He shakes his head and stares at me with a look of torment etched on his face. "Ana…maybe we shouldn't be-," he starts to say, but I launch myself towards him and take his head into my hands.
"Don't you ever say that! I am not going anywhere. You are not pushing me away because you think I can't handle this. I already made my decision two months ago, and I don't regret being with you. Do you hear me?" I say sternly.
He swallows loudly and nods his head. Tears form in his eyes causing mine to do the same. He circles his arms around my waist and cups my cheek. I move my head into his touch and close my eyes.
His forehead rests onto mine and he breaths, "Ana, I'm too much of an asshole, and-," I cut him off.
"Yes, you are sometimes, but you are a good person, Christian," I look up to his eyes and touch his cheek tenderly. "You are just scared," I whisper.
His eyes widen, and he just stares at me for a second before he frantically nods his head. "Terrified," he chokes.
I smile, "I know. I understand. It will be okay, Christian. I will be here to help you every step of the way."
"Oh, Ana," he says breathlessly before kissing me passionately.
He breaks the kiss and looks up at me with an unfamiliar emotion. I blink and wait for him to say something.
"Ana…I-," he stops and tries to compose himself.
"I…I..," he stutters, and my eyes go wide. Is he trying to tell me he loves me?
I look at him hopefully, and he smiles at me. His eyes say it all. My lips part and my eyes fill with tears. This is really happening!
He stares into my eyes and cups my cheek once more. "Ana, I l-."
"Hey! You two need to get to class!" someone yells causing us to jump back from each other. Well crap!
We both turn to see an angry teacher staring at us by the front of the school. Christian nods and holds his hand up to tell her we are coming. She huffs and goes inside.
I giggle, and he chuckles. I smile when he turns back towards me. "Let's get inside," he offers me his hand. I sigh contently.
I agree and take his hand. We walk out of the parking lot, and he kisses our interlock fingers causing me to smile at him lovingly.
I sigh as I walk through my front door a few hours later. I place my car keys, purse and backpack on the foyer table. I suddenly frown when I see my mom frantically rushing past me into the hallway bathroom.
I rush towards her when I hear her vomiting. I open the door and see her bent over the toilet.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" I say in concern.
I rush over to her and lean down and take her hair out of her face. She shakes her head and vomits again. I turn my head because the smell is so overwhelming. I close my eyes and try not to gag. I hold her hair for a few moments before she finally stops throwing up.
She gasps and slumps down on the floor. I flush the toilet and put the seat down. I hurriedly walk to the sink and soak a washcloth in water.
Momma's eyes are closed and she is breathing deeply, probably trying to will the nausea away. I put the washcloth on her forehead, and she holds it on her head.
"What happened? Why are you getting sick?" I ask while sitting down beside her.
"I don't know. I feel like crap," she croaks.
"Is it something you ate?"
She thinks for a minute and then groans. "I made a friend at work today. She is another teacher and invited me to lunch. We went to this new place. Maybe it's that risotto," she groans again.
I look at her in sympathy. She gets up slowly and walks to the sink to wash out her mouth.
"Do you need anything?" I ask attentively.
"Some water. Thank you, honey," she gives me a weak, tired smile in the mirror.
I walk out of the bathroom, and hurry to the kitchen to get her a glass. I walk back to the bathroom and before I can get there, the front door opens. It's Amanda.
"Hey," she smiles as she puts her stuff down beside mine.
"Hey, mom is sick-," I say, but the sound of momma getting sick again stops me.
Amanda frowns and looks behind me. We both hurry to the bathroom, and she has bent over the toilet again.
"Jesus," Amanda says under her breath.
We both lean down, and I put her hair out of her face while Amanda rubs her back.
Amanda looks up at me while momma continues to vomit into the toilet. She mouths Oh, my, God. I nod at her, and we both continue to hold her hair while she gets sick.
Momma continued to get sick throughout the rest of the day. We spent the majority of the evening in the hallway bathroom. Dad got home around five thirty and rushed to her side when he heard her getting sick, and he took over for us.
They finally walked out of the bathroom at six. He carried her limp body to their bedroom so she can lay down. Amanda and I look concerned as he took her out of the bathroom.
I went to check on RJ, and he has been in his room playing on his Vita. I went downstairs and cooked dinner for us. Dad came down to eat and told us that she is sleeping now, but is still getting sick.
He says he is getting worried since she has not stopped throwing up, but he's hopeful that she will feel better after a good night's sleep.
We finish eating, and Amanda helps me with the dishes while RJ goes to watch TV. Dad goes upstairs to lay down with momma.
After we are done, we both go into our rooms and get our homework done. I am more nervous now because I wanted to tell them about Christian and the baby, but since she is too sick, I am going to have to wait until tomorrow.
I sigh and get my homework done and after that call Christian.
"Ana. Ana, honey," I hear my dad's voice rousing me from sleep.
I open my eyes and see that it is still pitch black outside. I scramble up and see Ray sat beside me.
"What's wrong?" I say groggily while rubbing my eyes.
"Your mother is not getting any better. I am going to take her to the hospital. I need you to keep an ear out for your siblings. I will call you when we know what is wrong," he explains.
I nod concerned, and Ray kisses my cheek when he sees my expression. "Don't worry, honey. It's probably just food poisoning, but I want to make sure."
I nod again, and he kisses me on my forehead once more before leaving my room. I lay back down and try not to worry about my mom.
Saturday
It turns out that my mom did, in fact, have a severe case of food poisoning. I didn't have the chance to tell my parents what is going on because she was too sick and she just started feeling better yesterday evening.
Right now I am in the kitchen helping my mother cook lunch for the Grey's. My mom is hurrying around the kitchen trying to finish the food.
I am standing there freaking out because Christian and his parents will be here any minute and for sure will talk about what is going on.
"Mom, I need to tell you something," I say flustered.
She plates the warm rolls onto a serving platter and waves her hand. "Can this wait, honey?" she says distractedly.
"No, mom. I really need-," I start to say, but the sound of a doorbell stops me.
I start to panic. Shit! I don't have time now.
Mom looks down and fixes her Blue Jersey Faux Wrap dress with white polka dots. She fluffs her hair while Ray comes down the stairs wearing blue jeans, and a light blue button-up shirt.
Amanda and RJ come down as well to greet the Grey's. I look down and fix my white dress which has different colored birds all over it, and I paired it with a skinny brown belt at the waist and black flats.
I take a deep breath and walk forward. I'm in deep shit.
Momma answers the door and Christian, Mia and Elliot, and his parents stand on the porch.
Christian sees me and gives me a panty-dropping smile. I smile and my panic ceases.
He greets my parents before he comes inside and walks towards me. He smirks and kisses my cheek.
"You look beautiful, baby," he whispers into my ear.
"Thank you. You look handsome," I look him up and down.
He is wearing distressed blue jeans and a white T-shirt that cling to his chest. I lick my lips, and he smirks. "Later," he purrs into my ear.
I smile and kiss his cheek. "Your parents don't seem mad about the baby. Thank, God," he says relieved.
I stiffen and stare at him wide-eyed. He frowns at me and then his eyes widen. "You didn't tell them did you?"
"I tried, but my mom was sick the rest of the week. She has been gone all day today to get ready for this lunch. I didn't have any time," I explain.
He grips his hair, and he looks at me with wild eyes. I panic too, and I know that I am the only one to blame for not telling them. He sighs and brings me into his arms. "It's okay. We'll figure it out," he murmurs.
I nod and take a deep breath. Christian's parents come up to me and introduce themselves. I smile politely and shake their hands.
His mother is beautiful in white pants, a cute matching blouse and a pair of tan wedges. His father is wearing jeans, a white button-up shirt, and a pair of black dress shoes.
"It's nice to meet you, Anastasia finally," Grace says sweetly.
"It's nice to meet you as well," I smile.
His father; Carrick introduces himself to me. His brown eyes assess me intently before giving me a soft smile. He's very handsome for his age. I smile back politely while Christian squeezes my hand.
We all stand there and talk for a few minutes before momma tells the group that the food is ready.
We all sit down at the long dining table and start eating while momma strikes up a conversation.
"It's very nice to sit down and get to know each other finally," she gushes.
"Yes, it is. We're very sorry it's taken this long to meet each other. This is delicious, Carla," Grace says politely.
"Thank you! I love to cook," she beams at Grace.
"My favorite," Ray winks at momma, and she swoons.
Momma has made her signature dish. Chicken, bacon, ranch baked penne with a Caesar side salad. Carrick keeps looking at me curiously while he eats his food. I tightly smile at him.
"So, Mrs. Steele, what do you do?" Carrick asks politely.
"Carla, please. I am a kindergarten teacher. I teach at Cherry Crest Elementary," Momma smiles.
Grace frowns for a minute before smiling, "Wonderful profession. If I weren't a pediatrician, I would definitely go into teaching. I have a friend who also works there," Grace beams and then looks at Christian is suspicion.
"I love my job," Momma smiles back, and they start talking about the school and Grace's practice.
"Christian tells me that you work for Boeing?" Carrick strikes up a conversation with my dad.
Mom and Grace continue to talk about their work while Carrick is now talking to Ray about a fishing trip that he went on last summer. Ray's eyes light up when Carrick mentions fishing.
I chuckle at my dad's enthusiasm while Christian squeezes my hand under the table and gives me an encouraging smile.
"It's going well so far," he whispers in my ear.
I nod and breathe a sigh of relief. His parents haven't brought up the baby yet, and I am hoping they don't. I know if they don't bring the baby up now, I am definitely going to tell them when they leave.
I know that they are going to be pissed that I didn't tell them what is going on, and I am ready for the consequences. I just hope that they won't forbid me to see Christian when I do.
"Do you know a Diane Barton?" Grace asks my mom.
Christian freezes and his fork drops from his hand and lands on his plate. I look at him confused.
"Yes! I just became friends with her actually. She is lovely, we had lunch last week," Momma smiles.
Grace looks at her confused as well as Carrick.
"Yes, she is lovely. So you are aware of her daughter's pregnancy?" she hesitates.
"Oh, yes. She told me about that. I feel so sorry for her daughter. The baby's father wants nothing to do with her daughter. Apparently, she has been really down lately. I hope they work it out," Momma looks at Grace sympathetically.
I freeze in shock at what my mom just said.
She works with Cora's mom? Oh, my, God! This is not good. I whip my head to Christian, and he is also frozen in shock.
Grace narrows her eyes at her son.
I close my eyes for a second before I open them, and look down at my knotted fingers.
"Carla, I would like to talk to you and your husband about Christian's current situation. I am assuming you do not know what is going on?" Grace gives her a tight smile.
My mom looks at Carla confused as well as my father and Amanda. RJ continues to eat his dinner, not paying attention to the shit storm that is about to erupt. All because of you, Ana!
"What do you mean? What situation?" she frowns.
Grace hesitates for a second before sighing and clasping her hands together and places them on the table, "Christian's baby and the mother."
My eyes widen, and I panic when Ray drops his fork and momma looks over at me in shock.
"Baby? What is she talking about, Anastasia?" Ray demands while he glares at me.
I knew it; I hear Carrick say under his breath.
"I…I…," I stutter, but can't make out the words.
"You're pregnant?" Amanda blurts out.
"WHAT?!" Ray shouts and leaps up from his chair.
Momma gasps and her hand flies to her mouth.
"No! I'm not pregnant. Daddy I can explain," I stand up.
"Well, you better explain young lady. Right Now!" he demands.
I sit down slowly, and Christian holds my hand again. Grace and Carrick stare at me intently.
"I swear I am not pregnant," I stare at my mom, and she sags in relief.
Ray looks at me the same way but then shakes his head in confusion.
"So what do they mean when they said Christian's baby?"
I sigh, and Grace sighs as well. Carrick looks at me with disappointment. I drag my eyes away from them and try to find the right words.
"Christian is having a baby with someone else. I wanted to tell you a while ago, I just didn't want you to forbid me to see him," I whisper guiltily and stare at my uneaten food.
"Oh, Ana," my mom says.
I look up, and she is staring at me in dismay.
"What do you mean someone else? When did this happen?" Ray says in astonishment.
"It happened right before I met, Ana," Christian murmurs.
"Are you kidding me? How long have you known about this Ana? And how far along is this girl you knocked up?" Ray glares at Christian.
Christian squirms in his seat and then says, "She's five months," he murmurs.
Ray closes his eyes, and I see him grit his teeth. I slump my shoulders and wait for him to say something.
He stands up slowly, "Ana, can I speak to you privately?" he says emotionless.
I nod my head weakly and stand up. Amanda is frozen in shock, and Mia and Elliot stare at me sympathetically. Momma stands up as well, and she looks like she is going to cry.
Christian gets up and whispers into my ear, "It will be okay, baby."
I smile at him weakly and nod my head.
I turn around and see Grace and Carrick looking uncomfortable before we all excuse ourselves, and walk out of the dining room.
Twenty minutes of deep scolding from my parents, we re-enter the dining room. Everyone is done eating and are sitting there talking quietly.
Christian leaps up and comes towards me. I give him another weak smile, and he asks if I am okay. I nod my head and sit back down.
Ray sighs and pushes his plate away, "Sorry about that."
"It's fine. We're sorry to bring it up; we thought you knew," Carrick says apologetically.
Ray gives him a tight smile. I look up to see that Amanda and RJ are not at the table. They probably left because it looks like Christian got a talking too as well since his facial expression is despondent.
I sit there, zoned out and think back to the earlier talk with my parents.
"I cannot believe you didn't tell us sooner. You have been seeing each other for two months, and you didn't think to say that he was having a kid with someone else!" Ray snaps.
"I'm sorry. I was just afraid," I murmur and stare at my fingers.
"Ana, I would have thought you would come to us. This is a huge decision, and I don't know if you should stay with him," Momma says as she places her hand on mine.
"Mom, please. I really like him. I don't want to stop seeing him," I plead with her.
"Ana, he is having a baby with another girl. What makes you think that he doesn't want to be with her?" Ray shakes his head.
"He doesn't! It just was a one-time thing. He doesn't like her. He is going to be there for the baby, and that's it," I say with tears in my eyes.
"Ana, this is a tremendous responsibility. Why would you want to see someone who has a child?" Momma says softly as she moves my hair out of my face.
"Because I love him," I murmur.
Ray scoffs and Momma sighs.
"Ana, do you even know what you're getting into?" Ray says while pacing the living room.
"Yes, I am. I thought about it, and I want to be with him."
"Well, I don't believe you do. You have no idea what it takes to care for a child. You are going to be responsible for this baby if you stay with him. You're too young to be looking after a baby at your age, and this kid is not even yours!" Ray all but shout.
"Ray," Momma glares at him.
"I'm sorry. I am just a little thrown off by this. I don't know what you are thinking, Ana but I want you to reconsider this," Ray shakes his head.
After we had spoken for ten more minutes, Ray told me that he wouldn't prevent me from seeing Christian. He said if they did that, then I would just rebel and see him behind their backs anyway.
He does want me to reconsider my relationship with Christian, though. He doesn't think it's a good idea to be with him when he has a baby to think about. Momma agrees with him, but I pleaded with them to say that I have thought about it long and hard, and I wanted to give our relationship a chance.
They both shook their heads and told me that we would discuss it further later. They want to know exactly what happened, and after I kept the baby from them, I need to suck it up and tell them everything.
I owe them that much.
I'm also grounded for two weeks. I just nodded my head on that because I know I deserved it.
"Are you okay?" Christian squeezes my hand and brings me back to the now.
"Yeah," I smile, and he gives me a half smile back.
He kisses my knuckles, and we turn to our parents and Christian's siblings who are now discussing a much lighter topic.
AN: Pinterest is updated. Thank you for reading and reviewing.