A/N: anyone upset that it seems like all the chapters are getting shorter and shorter? hehe. i'll try my best to keep them longer.. just for your reading pleasure. =)

CHAPTER TWELVE - Mine To Keep

I put down the letter and wiped away at the single tear now rolling down my cheek.

"I-I don't understand," I said, looking up at Manuela. "You wrote here that Craig was out of your life... But he's still here." Craig and Manuela both looked at each other and she nodded.

"That's true. We have a lot of explaining to do," she replied. "We just don't know if you want the whole story now, or – "

"I'd really like to hear everything," I interrupted. "The whole story." That was all I'd ever wanted for much of my life: to know where I came from, to know where I stood with them.

I got up from my position, placing the box on the table and returned to my seat next to Pete. He took my hand in his and for the thousandth time, I thought of how glad I was that he was there with me.

"When - When I was fourteen," Manuela started. "I got pregnant with you. Being fourteen at the time, it was the most devastating news I'd ever gotten in my life... Even though Craig wanted to keep you, I was struggling between that decision or getting an - an abortion."

She wrung her hands together and with a pained look on her face, she said, "I still can't believe how close I came to actually doing it. I mean, literally sitting there, on the doctor's examining bed." She shook her head at the memory. "But I couldn't do it. I just couldn't end the life of the baby growing inside of me. Of all the dumb and stupid decisions I've made in my life, I'm glad I made the right one to keep you back then." She smiled wistfully.

"Keep me?" I asked, confused. Did she somehow forget that they had given me up for adoption?

"Yes," Craig replied. "We did keep you... for a while, anyway. Manny's parents wanted her to have the abortion, and when she said no, they kicked her out of the house. With no where else to stay, I convinced my Uncle Joey to let her stay at our place."

"It was really great for a while," Manuela said. "I mean, minus all the gossip at school and all the questions about the future, we were young, together, in love and having a baby. At that time, we both knew we had to put our dreams on hold... for you."

"After eight months and three weeks in Manny's stomach, you were finally born," Craig spoke up. "I was there, in the hospital room right when it happened, Cassie. It was the most exhilarating moment of my life." His eyes lighted up at the thought and Manuela smiled.

"The moment I first held you in my arms, I forgot all the pain and could only think that you were a beautiful baby that I knew I loved to the core of my being. There was no question.. I knew I was going to keep you." After a few moments of silence, Craig added dejectedly,

"...But then reality caught up to us. I mean, I was supporting two other people with a measly job at McDonalds. Without my uncle, I don't know if we would've lasted the first month. With a new baby, things became ten times worse around the house. We both didn't get any sleep and I still had school and work.

My Uncle Joey was like a dad to me – the one condition when he let us stay with him was that I had to stay in school. Manny had to drop out and as each day passed, I began to hate how much of a burden we were becoming to him."

Manuela had tears in her eyes when she spoke up, "Things were becoming so unbearable. Craig and I started to argue about everything, and all the questions about our future that we once brushed away now seemed magnified a hundred times.

And all this while, we began to think of you and if this was the kind of environment that we wanted you to grow up in. I couldn't give you anything that I wanted for you. For months, we thought that this immense love that we had for you would be enough.

...But we knew you deserved so much more than what we could offer you. We were just kids, Cassie. Kids." She paused to roughly wipe away her tears. I felt tears pricking my own eyes and I tried to blink them away.

"You - You were eleven and a half months old when we brought you to the adoption agency," Craig explained. "Just two more weeks and it would've been your first birthday." His voice broke and trailed off as he stared intently at the carpet, his eyes getting this glazed look. After a few seconds, he began to cry and sobbed through his tears, "You cried so much when I handed you over to the lady at the agency. We kissed you good-bye and told you we loved you.

I - I can still picture it in my mind – she carried you off down the hallway and I could still hear your cry... I stood there, wishing so bad that I could take you back and comfort you...

...But you were already gone."