My face paled and I didn't know how to process her comment. I looked over at Teddy and he stilled looking like he was trying to do everything to not attack her for what she said about his son.

"Mary!" Winston exclaimed.

She dropped her large glasses and shot me a look, "Don't Mary me, Winston. That thing killed our only child, your daughter, and all you have been doing is gushing over it. That's not a baby, it's an abomination—to our family and our status."

I wash shaking with such rage I wanted to fly across the table and beat her to a pulp and through her over into the Thames.

"Your status?" Teddy said disgusted.

She sat forward placing her hands on the table and leaning in, "Yes our status, the one we worked so hard to build in Washington and in London. People here our name and know who we are. They know the Clarks are powerful people, now what? We're the people whose daughter got knocked up by the rich boy and we have to be stuck with a grandson and his follow-the-money-stand-in mom? Sorry I don't think so."

I've never let words have the power to hurt me, but it was as if Mary Clark knew what to say to hurt me. Not just me, but Teddy and Jackson too.

"You've got a lot of nerve lady," I said sitting up straighter, "your status doesn't mean jack shit to me. It's people like you that are the reason society is in such a shit storm no one knows how to fix it. Some rich boy didn't just knock up your daughter; she got pregnant in high school just like a third the girls in this country do. It's not the end of the world, and for her it was tragic, but you know what? Your grandkid has a pretty fucking awesome family backing him and the poor guy will now have to know his grandmother thought of him as the family shame. I swear if I had any say in this he wouldn't even know you."

She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, "Do you see how she speaks to me? I'm an adult and she talks to me as if I'm one of her gangbanger friends. What were you raised in a trailer park? You see what our grandson is being raised by?"

Teddy stood up, "What grandson? As far as I'm concerned you no longer have one or any right to see him. Mr. Clark, I wish I could say it was nice to meet you but this was obviously not the affair we were all hoping for."

I stood up with Teddy and went around to the other side of the stroller, "Oh, and I learned to fight in a trailer park, I learned my manners in the bayou."

Teddy followed me as I pushed the stroller back through the restaurant and we exited back onto the street. The rain had subsided and Teddy led us over to where his favorite coffee shop was.

I sat down at a table on the patio with Jackson and Teddy went inside to get us drinks when I noticed Jackson's hat was awry. Teddy came back over with two cups and sat down next to me.

I picked him up and held him partly because he was going to start getting fussy soon more so because I wanted to be close to him.

"I can't believe that happened." Teddy said letting out a breath.

I nodded, "I know it's not my place Teddy, but I don't want her around Jackson."

A waitress came over and set down two blueberry scones in front of us and refilled our coffees.

"Why do you always say that?" he asked.

I swallowed my bite, "Say what?"

"You always say that it's not your place, but it is. You're just as much a part of Jackson's life as I am."

Sitting back in my chair I looked at him, "Teddy, I'm not his mother. After you drop me off in New York, Jackson's solely yours. Think about it Teddy, if anything was to happen to Jackson I wouldn't even be allowed to see him. It's not my place because it's not my child."

He sat back shocked and I waited for his response in silence.

"Is that really how you feel?" he asked.

I nodded my head, "It's the truth Teddy, you and I both know it is."

Taking a sip of his coffee he looked at me, "So you want something legal saying you have a place in Teddy's life?"

"Teddy I'm seventeen, not a mother. I need to go to college, and start my life not be fooling myself into thinking that this is my family." I looked down at my hands and tried to hold back my tears. This conversation was a long time coming and I didn't want to ruin our trip.

He lowered his head, "You don't think we're a family? So what are we then?"

I shrugged, "Confused. We are confused Teddy and we need to figure it out."

"Okay fine, so let's talk." He sat back in his chair and picked up Jackson from the carrier holding him in his arms.

Sighing I nodded, "I need to know when I go off to college there isn't any confusion. You are staying in Seattle and I'm moving to New York. You realize how little of chance we have at making this work?"

"You don't think we'll work out?" He asked confused.

"I never said that, I just said that the odds are against us—and three-thousand miles." I pointed out.

He looked down at Jackson and back at me, "So what are you saying? You want to give up because of a little distance and time?" he gently rocked his arms to keep the small fussy noises coming from Jackson.

"That's not what I meant, Teddy. I'm afraid that I'm already too attached and once you and Jackson leave me in New York I'll be forgotten. By the time I come back for Christmas break and summer Jackson will be walking and possibly talking. He's going to know you, Phoebe, your parents, and everyone else and I'll be the aunt who only comes when she doesn't have school."

His eyes soften and Jackson cooed pulling on Teddy's jacket strings, "You think we'll forget about you?"

I looked at Jackson and then met Teddy's eyes, "He won't know me Teddy."

He smiled, "Ellie he has the memory of a goldfish, he doesn't know me either. Believe me, none of us will be able to forget you, not in a million years."

I smiled slightly and reached my arms out, "Shut up and hand me the baby."

Standing up he placed Jackson in my arms and I cuddled him to me, there's nothing like that baby smell.

"So where do we go from here?" I asked.

He looked down at me, "Let's just have a nice time here and we'll talk so more before we leave, alright?"

Smiling we stood up and turned to leave. I held Jackson to me, not wanting to let go quite just yet and Teddy pushed the stroller next to me.

The rest of our day went without a hitch. We walked around all over London, the eye, the river, the parks—everywhere I ever imagined Teddy took me. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and decided to lie around and watch a movie. With Jackson settled asleep in his bed in his room we laid on the bed watching old movies and not talking, we didn't need to.