DISCLAIMER- IT PAINS ME TO SAY THIS THAT I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS... BUT MALLIE IS ALL MINE!
IMPORTANT AN AT THE BOTTOM-READ?
Tanya's lips tightened; her blue eyes turned a shade darker. He expression hardened like she'd been turned to stone.
"I dont sleep around, Edward. Plus i've never been with anyone but you," she stated icicly."And if you say that again, I will slap your face Edward. For your information, I couldn't put your name down on the birth certificate because you were not there when I went to register Mallie, I was told I could only put your name down as the dad if we were married or if you were present at the time." She glared at me, I stared at her, finding it harder and harder to breathe. Then Tanya sighed. "Look, I... I didnt come here to argue with you. Tha wasnt my intention."
"Then why did you come?"
Tanya fished in her pockets for her ciggarettes. She took one out and it was almost at her lips when she unexpectedly snapped it in to halves. Tobacco drizzled onto the carpet. Tanya dropped the two ends into the her jacket pocket before running a shaky hand through her hair.
"Edward, I need to talk to you but I am running out of time."
"I don't understand" I didnt understand a lot of things. Tanya had turned up at my housr and thrown a bomb into my whole life. A bomb that was sleeping peacefully in its buggy. "How... how come you didnt have an abortion?"
Tanya regarded me, then shrugged. A shrug which was meant to mean very little but, combined with her sombre expression, showed just the opposite. "Edward, I did think about it. I thought of nothing else for days and weeks. I even went to my doctor so he could send me to the local hospital to have it donw. But in the end I didn't."
"Why not?"
"Because from the time I found out I was pregnant, Mallie never felt anthing less than real to me. So how could I go through with it? I just couldnt do it."
"Did you.. did you think about giving her up fo adoption when she was born?"
Tanya studied me, her face a mask. "You blame me," she said quietly.
"No. No, I dont. I just... Im tryin to wrap my head around all this." Trying and failing.
"I took one look at Mallie and I couldnt do that either. My aunt did her best to persuade me to give her up but I just couldnt. My mother had already chucked me out for getting pregnant and my aunt only agreed to let me saty because I said id have the baby adopted once it was born." Tanyas eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "But the time I looked at Mallie, she felt like the only thing I had left in the whole world. If I lost her, Id have nothing..."
"Your mum kicked you out?" I didnt know what else to say, how to react to that. How could ten forgettable minutes of not much turn both our lived inside out and upside down like this? "Why didnt you let me know?"
The faintest of smiles appeared. "What would you have done,Edward?"
"I...I...I have no idea, but to go through all that alone..."
"Edward, you had trouble holding a bag containing a poopy nappy. You held Mallie like she was a ticking bomb. So what is it that you think you could've done?"
The blank look I gave her answered the question enough for her, I guess.
"Wxactly," said Tanya. "That's why I didnt even give your name to the child support people when they asked who the father was."
"But your aunt let you stay after the baby was born?"
"Yeah. Only temporarily though," said Tanya. "But I have found somewhere else to live now."
"Is that why you and your baby are heading north? Because of your aunt?" I asked.
Tanya nodded. She glanced down at her watch. "Edward, could you do me a favour?"
"What?"
"Could you look after Mallie for a while? I need to pop to the shops and buy more nappies and some other stuff?"
Hell no! "Why cant you take it with you?"
"Stop calling her 'it'. And Mallie doesnt like to be moved so soon after falling asleep. Shell wake up and cry."
How exactly was that my problem? Except the baby was supposed to be...my...my.. mine. I started to turn to look at it, but I couldnt. If I didnt look, didnt... acknowledge it, then it wouldntbe real. None of this would be real. How I wished there was someone standing in front of me to tell me what to think and how to feel. Because to be honest, I didnt have a clue. All I felt was... scared. Scratch that - terrified. Heart-thumping, cold-sweating, sick-to-my stomach, mind - numningly terrified. What did Tanya want from me? I stared to shake my head.
"Please, Edward," Tanya wheedled, "I'll be back long before Mallie wakes up, I promise. She will sleep for a good couple of hourse now."
"Tanya, if she wakes up, I wouldnt have a clue what to do." And god knows, that was the truth.
"You wont have to do anything. I will be back in fifteen minutes or less, OK?" Tanya was already heading out the sitting room and heading for the front door.
"You cant just dump her on me," I protested.
"At least you are calling Mallie, 'her' now rather than 'it'."
"Tanya, I am serious," I said. "No way are you leaving a baby here."
"Oh, get over yourself Edward. I am coming back arnt I?"
"YOu cant leave your baby here," I insisted my tone broken-glass sharp with panic. "I was going out."
"Yeah, but not immediantly. You said you were waiting fro your exam results. I will be back soon." Tanys was at the now-open front door. " And she is not just 'my' baby. She is yours too. Remember that."
"Tanya, hang on this isnt right. You cant just-" but she was already heading along the pavement.
"See you in a couple of minutes, Edward."
"Why dont I shop for the things you need and you can look after the baby?" I called after her. She turned arounf but didnt come any close. Her gaze kept skidding away from mine. If I didnt know any better, I would have thought she was only a breath away from tears.
"Edward, what brand of nappies do I buy. What kind of food does Mallie like? What do I put on her skin each night after her bath? What cream do I use when she has a bum rash? What book do I read to her every evening before she goes to sleep?"
"Well you are not going to get all that now, are you?" I pointed out. "Just tell me what to buy and I well go and get it for you."
"Edward, what is your problem? Are you worried she is going to jump out on you and bite your ankles or something? I will be back soon and then we can sit down and have a proper talk, OK."
No, it was not OK and I didnt want to talk or anything else with Tanya. I wanted, needed her to go away with her baby and never come back. If only I could just go backto bed and erase my morning, wake up and start all over again. With increasing frustration, I watched as Tanya carried on walking. With each step she took away from me, the knot inside my stomach grew tighter. I went back indoors. I wanted to slam the front door and keep on slamming it until the stupid thing fell of its hinges, but I couldnt handle the baby waking up before Tanya came back.
I had a kid. Called Mallie. My daughter...
Oh God...
What was I going to do?
Carlise...
What was Carlise going to sya?
And my brother?
And my friends?
OH God...
The doorbell rang. Tanya. She had come back. Thank goodness, but that was quick... Oh...I got it now. She was going to tell me it was all a joke. Probally set it by one of my mate. Emmett more than likey. This was just the kind of stunt he would pull. If this was his idea of a wind-up then when I got hold of him, it would be on! I wrenched open the front door.
"Morning, package for your father that needs signed for and a few letters," said the postman cheerily. In a daze, I scribbled across the electronic signature box with the inkless pen the postman held out. He handed me an A4-sized letter and an assortment of envelopes. The top letter was addressed to me. I raised my head to thank the postman but he was already on his way to the next house.
Shutting the front door, I half fell, half leaned against it. I didnt want to move from the spot and I certainly didnt want to go and sit in the living room. To tell the truth I was petrified to go back in there and if I stayed still, closed my eyes and waited, then maybe, just maybe, none of this would be real. I placed Carlise's padded letter and what looked like to utility bills on the telephone table. On autopilot, I tore open the envelope addressed to me. It was my much awaited exam results, I peered down at the piece of white paper in my shaky hands.
Four A-stars.
In the sitting room, the baby started to cry.
AN- THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO MY REVIEWERS, IT REALLY DOES MAKE ME WANT TO WRITE MORE. I WILL REPLY INDIVUALLY TO ALL MY REVIEWERS BUT MAYBE NOT STRAIGHT AWAY. IF YOU WOULD LIKE A 'TEASER' THAN PLEASE SAY IN YOUR REVIEW AND I WILL SEND ONE OUT TO YOU.
I AM UNSURE WHEN MY NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE MAYBE TOMORROW OR SUNDAY.
A FEW OF YOU HAVE ASKED IF BELLA WILL BE IN THIS STORY. RIGHT NOW I AM UNSURE AS I WANT TO MAKE IT BELIEVABLE AND ALL THE OTHER TEEN DADS STORY BELLA IS EDWARDS GF AND STICKS BY HIM WHICH WOULD BE HIGHLY UNLIKEY IN REALITY (NOT MEANING TO OFFEND ANYONE.. STORIES ARE GREAT!) SO ITS UP TO YOU. TELL ME IN YOUR REVIEW IF YOU WOULD LIKE BELLA IN THIS STORY OR NOT? AS EDWARDS GF OR JUST A FRIEND, MAYBE AN ENEMY.:)
REVIEW GUYS! IT ACTUALLY MAKES ME SMILE, THROUGH MY SORE THROAT AND STUFFY NOSE..:)