"Hey little one," I said, giving Annie a big hug. "You excited to be
a big sister?"
Annie nodded. "Yes. But I'm more 'cited 'bout my birthday."
Carter grinned. "My little girl's turning four," he said. He spun her around and she shrieked with delight.
"I'm not a little girl anymore, Daddy," Annie said. "I'm big."
Carter groaned and pretended to drop Annie. "You're too heavy," he said, straining his voice.
I giggled. "Stop acting like a child, John," I said.
Carter put Annie on his shoulders. "Well, what's the fun in that?"
***************************
"I just don't understand why you haven't told your mother," I said. I had just discovered that Carter had not told Eleanor about me or the baby.
Carter shrugged. "It's complicated."
"No it's not," I said. "I know exactly what it is. "You're ashamed. You've gotten engaged to someone from the class below you, and you're having an illegitimate baby. You don't want your mother to know because, despite what you say, you do care what she thinks of me."
"I'm not gonna fight with you about this," Carter said. "You don't know what I'm thinking or feeling."
"Of course I don't," I yelled. "You won't tell me!"
"I don't have to tell you every single thing."
"Yes you do. If we're going to be married we have to talk to each other." I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. Carter just looked at me. "Talk to me," I said, softening my voice.
Carter shook his head. "You wouldn't understand." He went into his bedroom and slammed the door.
"FINE!" I screamed. "Then you can have this back!" I pulled my ring off my finger and hurled at the closed door. Then I stormed out.
***********************************
I had planned to go home but, walking past a bar, I decided to go in. I knew I couldn't drink but I just wanted to sit down in the middle of a crowd and disappear.
I sat down at the bar and glanced around. The guy sitting too stools to my right looked familiar. "Carl?" I said, hesitantly.
He turned around. "Abby?" It was Carl, an old friend from college. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
I smiled. "I live just 'round the corner. How've you been?"
Carl and I talked for half an hour until he said he had to be somewhere. So we made plans to meet for lunch the following day.
As I walked home I wondered why Carl and I had never dated. We'd been close friends from freshman year but I'd never really been attracted to him. I mean, he was cute . . . god, was he cute. But there wasn't the same chemistry that I felt with Carter.
Stupid, stupid Carter. Sometimes I wondered if it was worth the effort. I loved him, but he made it hard. Like he didn't want me to love him. Like it scared him. Which is probably did. But he just needed to grow up.
Carl was mature. Why couldn't I have fallen for him? Why did I have to fall for immature, emotionally stunted, closed off, Carter?
Because he was smart, funny, sensitive, caring, considerate, playful, and had just the right combination of goofiness and sense. But it didn't really matter WHY I loved him. It just mattered that I did, in fact, love him. I smiled the rest of the way home, having resolved to make up with Carter the very next day.
Response to reviews -
Carbybubbles - In general, I don't like boy names. But Kaden is a great name.
Kayla - I'm glad you like the baby names. Grace is good. Little Gracie Carter. Hehe
Vkh214 - Tom Cruise is better looking but I bet Abby's the kind of person who would base her favorite actor on their abilities, not looks. Tom Hanks is AMAZING! Have you seen 'The Green Mile?' If not I recommend it. And 'Toy Story' one and two, of course.
Aaron - I DID put your name in on purpose and I was actually gonna have them pick Aaron as their choice for a boy's name but then I remembered Aaron Carter. The thought process Abby and Carter went through in that chapter was pretty much the thought process I went through to pick the names.
Carbyfan100 - I'm sooooooo glad you thought it was funny. I was going for funny.
Annie nodded. "Yes. But I'm more 'cited 'bout my birthday."
Carter grinned. "My little girl's turning four," he said. He spun her around and she shrieked with delight.
"I'm not a little girl anymore, Daddy," Annie said. "I'm big."
Carter groaned and pretended to drop Annie. "You're too heavy," he said, straining his voice.
I giggled. "Stop acting like a child, John," I said.
Carter put Annie on his shoulders. "Well, what's the fun in that?"
***************************
"I just don't understand why you haven't told your mother," I said. I had just discovered that Carter had not told Eleanor about me or the baby.
Carter shrugged. "It's complicated."
"No it's not," I said. "I know exactly what it is. "You're ashamed. You've gotten engaged to someone from the class below you, and you're having an illegitimate baby. You don't want your mother to know because, despite what you say, you do care what she thinks of me."
"I'm not gonna fight with you about this," Carter said. "You don't know what I'm thinking or feeling."
"Of course I don't," I yelled. "You won't tell me!"
"I don't have to tell you every single thing."
"Yes you do. If we're going to be married we have to talk to each other." I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. Carter just looked at me. "Talk to me," I said, softening my voice.
Carter shook his head. "You wouldn't understand." He went into his bedroom and slammed the door.
"FINE!" I screamed. "Then you can have this back!" I pulled my ring off my finger and hurled at the closed door. Then I stormed out.
***********************************
I had planned to go home but, walking past a bar, I decided to go in. I knew I couldn't drink but I just wanted to sit down in the middle of a crowd and disappear.
I sat down at the bar and glanced around. The guy sitting too stools to my right looked familiar. "Carl?" I said, hesitantly.
He turned around. "Abby?" It was Carl, an old friend from college. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
I smiled. "I live just 'round the corner. How've you been?"
Carl and I talked for half an hour until he said he had to be somewhere. So we made plans to meet for lunch the following day.
As I walked home I wondered why Carl and I had never dated. We'd been close friends from freshman year but I'd never really been attracted to him. I mean, he was cute . . . god, was he cute. But there wasn't the same chemistry that I felt with Carter.
Stupid, stupid Carter. Sometimes I wondered if it was worth the effort. I loved him, but he made it hard. Like he didn't want me to love him. Like it scared him. Which is probably did. But he just needed to grow up.
Carl was mature. Why couldn't I have fallen for him? Why did I have to fall for immature, emotionally stunted, closed off, Carter?
Because he was smart, funny, sensitive, caring, considerate, playful, and had just the right combination of goofiness and sense. But it didn't really matter WHY I loved him. It just mattered that I did, in fact, love him. I smiled the rest of the way home, having resolved to make up with Carter the very next day.
Response to reviews -
Carbybubbles - In general, I don't like boy names. But Kaden is a great name.
Kayla - I'm glad you like the baby names. Grace is good. Little Gracie Carter. Hehe
Vkh214 - Tom Cruise is better looking but I bet Abby's the kind of person who would base her favorite actor on their abilities, not looks. Tom Hanks is AMAZING! Have you seen 'The Green Mile?' If not I recommend it. And 'Toy Story' one and two, of course.
Aaron - I DID put your name in on purpose and I was actually gonna have them pick Aaron as their choice for a boy's name but then I remembered Aaron Carter. The thought process Abby and Carter went through in that chapter was pretty much the thought process I went through to pick the names.
Carbyfan100 - I'm sooooooo glad you thought it was funny. I was going for funny.
