Eleven years ago…

"You still haven't heard from him?"

Nikki shook her head as she and Neil headed to their lockers.

"I told you—he hasn't replied to any of my texts or anything. And he wasn't at school today."

"Did you ask David and Gwen?"

"They told me he left the house this morning and they haven't seen him since. David's worried, but Gwen said he's probably playing hooky." She spun the dial on her locker and snapped it open. A folded piece of paper with her name on it fell to the floor. Out of confusion, she picked it up.

It was Max's handwriting. She knew that for sure. After knowing him for seven years, it was as familiar to her as her own. And it wasn't unusual for him to leave notes in her locker; he usually did it when he wanted to ask her on a fancier date than they usually went on.

"A note?" Neil asked.

"It's from Max."

"How the hell do you know that?"

"It's his handwriting. He writes like he wants to dig the pen or pencil into someone's eyes instead of the paper."

"Jesus Christ."

She unfolded the paper and could see a significantly longer message than he usually left.

Nikki,

I am so, so, so sorry for leaving a note instead of talking to you, but I can't do this face-to-face.

I'm leaving Sleepy Peak. I can't stay here anymore. Unfortunately, that means that I can't be with you. It has nothing to do with me not loving you—because believe me, I do. I love you so fucking much. And it's because I love you that I have to leave. The world I'm going into is more dangerous than any of the other shit we've been through, and I'm not dragging you into it.

So, yeah, I've become that douchebag who breaks up with a girl through a note instead of to her face. God, I hate this. At least it wasn't a text, right? At any rate, I'm not coming back until a problem I have is taken care of. It might never happen, so I wanted to give you one last goodbye.

Nikki, you are the best goddamn thing to ever happen to me. You are beautiful, smart, funny, sweet, spunky, and you've put up with me and my bullshit for seven years now. Four as a friend, three as my girlfriend. I was always told, before Gwen and David, that I was a piece of shit who didn't deserve anything good in his life. Then, it all seemed to happen at once. I met you, David got me away from my birth mom, Gwen became my stepmom, I got a little sister… I'm so grateful for all of it.

I love you. Nikki, I love you more than I can say. You make me feel like I'm worth something, and I wish I didn't have to leave. I don't want to leave. I want to stay with you and get through the rest of the hell known as high school. But I can't. If I do, you'll get hurt. That's all I seem to do—get people hurt. At least I'm leaving so that you can have a clean slate and start over with a new guy. I want you to move on and forget about me.

Tell David and Gwen not to worry. I know what I'm doing and I trust they'll understand.

I hope you understand why I'm doing this.

Love,

Max.

Nikki blinked as she reread the note. Her chest tightened and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

Max was gone.

He'd left her.

"Nikki, what's wrong?" Neil asked, worried.

"He's gone."

"What?"

"Max left. He left Sleepy Peak and he gave me this note to say goodbye. He couldn't even say it to my face." She sniffed and shook her head. "God, what an asshole!"

"Let's go home," Neil offered gently. "We'll work this out."

She slammed her locker shut and followed him wordlessly out to the parking lot. They headed home, Nikki reading the note aloud to Neil as he drove.

"This doesn't feel right," Neil sighed, running a hand through his brown hair. "I mean, Max never outright says how he feels like this. He's baring his soul for you in writing."

"Um… he's talked like this a couple times. The soul-baring part, not the leaving-you-and-breaking-up-through-a-goddamn-note part."

"I've never heard it."

"He only does it when we're in… private."

"So, you're telling me that Max only gets this open when you two fuck?"

"Hey! Don't talk about it like that!"

"That's what it is, Nikki! You thought nobody knew? We're not stupid. You've spent more nights at his house than at home!"

"Shut up!" Tears were streaming down her face. "I trusted him!"

"Yeah, I did, too! This is such a shit-bag thing to do!"

Nikki felt nauseated, and it wasn't just from the fact that she'd been dumped through a note left in her locker. She'd been feeling that way for the past few days. She just hadn't mentioned it to anybody because she thought it was a passing bug. Now… now she wasn't so sure. There was a high possibility that it was a different cause—one she didn't want to admit because it meant something that would change her life in a permanent way.

Two lines.

Two pink lines.

Nikki's hands trembled with fear as she looked at the test in her hands. It was positive and there was no turning back now.

She was pregnant.

What am I going to do?

Her mother was going to kill her. And it wasn't like she could call her father, either—he hadn't had contact with her since she was ten. He'd severed it in an effort to get over Candy, not realizing he was condemning his daughter to live with a woman who was only concerned about herself. Carl would side with Candy in whatever she was going to do. Max was gone.

Nikki sank to the floor of the bathroom, burying her face in her knees and letting the test drop to the floor. Despite the fact that her entire life was being thrown into chaos, there was a strange sense of calmness to the moment. She wasn't as alone as she thought; there was somebody depending on her, somebody growing inside her belly right now. Already she could feel an attachment, though the baby likely wasn't any bigger than her pinkie nail. She knew that this was going to be a commitment.

As she sat there, contemplating the situation, the door opened and Candy stuck her head in.

"Nicolette, what are you—" Her voice broke off as her eyes landed on the pregnancy test on the floor. "What the hell is that?"

"A pregnancy test," Nikki replied, refusing to look her mother in the eye. Candy grabbed the test and looked at the result, her expression turning to anger rather than motherly worry.

"You're pregnant?!"

"Yes, Mom. I'm pregnant. And it's Max's baby, too." Her mother had never approved of Max due to the fact that he was more of a troublemaker than her daughter. She thought Nikki should be with a boy that could reign her in rather than encourage her. She hadn't made her disapproval a secret, either.

"That bastard. And he left you. I told you he would. I told you that when you started datin' him in the first place."

Nikki glared at the tile.

"Now, obviously, you're not havin' this baby."

"What—no! I'm having the baby!" Nikki leapt up so she was looking her mother in the eye.

"Nicolette, you're seventeen! You can barely take care of yourself!"

"No, Mom! This is my baby. I want to keep it."

"You're not ready to be a mother!"

"And you weren't, either, when I came along! At least I'm sure who my baby's father is because I've only ever slept with one person!" Candy opened and closed her mouth. "I know that you don't know who my real father is! That's why Dad left! Because he couldn't live with such a whore!"

"You, a pregnant seventeen-year-old, are callin' me a whore?!"

"Yes! Because you didn't want a baby! You wanted to have fun and party your entire life, but then I came along and screwed it all up for you!"

"You don't talk to me that way! I am your mother!"

"Then act like it and support me on this! Be my mom instead of pretending to be a slutty college student!"

WHAP!

Nikki rested a hand on her cheek. Candy had just slapped her.

"Now, Nicolette, I'm givin' you a choice. Either you get rid of the baby or get out of my house. What's it gonna be?"

Nikki stomped out of the bathroom and grabbed her backpack and purse.

"I guess I'm not your daughter anymore, then."

Neil and Carl were watching from the staircase.

"I'm warnin' you—you walk out that door, you aren't a part of this family anymore!" Candy yelled.

"Good! Better an orphan than the daughter of a woman who wants to decide what I can do with my body!"

"Go, then!"

Nikki ran out the front door, slamming it shut behind her. Neil blinked and ran into his sister's room, finding that she'd already packed a bunch of stuff into a box. It was all the stuff she'd gotten from Max over the years—from their time at Camp Campbell to their recent three-year anniversary. He decided that somebody needed to back Nikki on this, so he pulled out her suitcase and started packing her clothes into it.

"Neil, what are you doing?" Carl hissed.

"Somebody has to help Nikki. She's my stepsister, but the sister part is more important. I know Candy's just going to get rid of all this stuff if I don't do this."

"Are you sure?"

"She's a pregnant seventeen-year-old who just got disowned by her mother. Somebody has to look after her." Carl nodded, agreeing that something needed to be done.

Once everything was packed up, Neil loaded it into his car and called Nikki's phone.

"Hello?" Nikki asked in a strained voice, as if she'd been crying.

"Nikki, it's Neil. Where are you?"

"I'm in town. I'm trying to figure out where to go."

"Listen to me. Find a safe place to wait, then tell me where you are. I'm coming to get you."

"Why? I'm not your stepsister anymore. Or did you not hear the screaming match I just had with the woman formerly known as my mother?"

"Shut the fuck up. That doesn't matter to me. You're my sister no matter what happens, and I'm your older brother. That means I'm supposed to look out for you. Now, do what I said so we can figure out the next step."

"Okay, okay. Thanks, Neil."

He listened as she walked along, not wanting to hang up for fear her phone might be disconnected. After a few minutes, she stopped.

"Okay. I'm at Campbell's Diner. Jesus Christ, he's really trying to be an honest businessman now, isn't he?"

"I'm on my way."

He pulled up to the diner within a few minutes, where he saw Nikki standing by the door. She ran to the car and slid into the passenger seat, dried tear-tracks on her cheeks. After giving her a hug, Neil parked in one of the spaces and turned to face her.

"So, any ideas?" he asked her.

"No. None except maybe running into the woods and living there."

"Not with a baby on the way, you're not."

"My dad cut off contact with me when I was ten and I don't have any other relatives. I don't want to go to a shelter, because that will lead to a legal battle I can't fight. Max isn't here, so I can't stay with him and David and Gwen…"

"Wait, what was that last one?"

"I can't stay with Max, David, and Gwen."

"Maybe you can. Max might not be here, but you're pregnant with their grandchild! They'll be sure to let you stay for a little while until we can figure something else out!"

"You think so?"

"I'm sure of it."

"Let's go, then."

"Nikki? Neil? What are you doing here?"

Nikki took one look at David's face and she knew he'd been crying, too.

"Max isn't here. I'm sure he told you that he was leaving…"

"Yeah, he did. But… something happened, and I need a place to stay for about a year," Nikki replied.

"A year? What happened?" He led her and Neil inside, closing the door behind them. Gwen was on the couch, a blank look on her face as Lizzie curled up next to her.

"Well, Max and I were together for three years, and… long story short, I'm pregnant."

Gwen immediately sat upright, startling her daughter as she whipped around to face Nikki.

"That asshole got you pregnant and left?!" she snapped.

"I didn't find out until today. I took a test… and just to be safe, I took two more before we came here. All of them were positive. There's no way Max could've known."

"So, why are you here?" David murmured.

"My mom saw the test before I could figure out how I was going to tell her. She started saying that I wasn't going to have the baby and… we got into an argument. Stuff got said and she told me that I could either get rid of the baby or leave. I chose to leave, because I can't get rid of the baby. I'm already attached…"

Gwen got up and hugged the seventeen-year-old girl, who had started crying again. David joined them, tears streaming down his face as well.

"I just need a year to figure things out," Nikki choked out from her sobs. "That's all I'm asking."

"You can stay as long as you need," Gwen stated. "We have room for you and the baby."

"Thank you…"

"I have her stuff in the car," Neil spoke up. "I got it out of the house before Candy could get her hands on it."

"Nice move, nerd," Gwen laughed, high-fiving him. David, Neil, and Nikki headed outside to start unloading.

"Mommy, why was Nikki crying?"

Gwen looked down at her six-year-old and sighed.

"You know that Max and Nikki were boyfriend and girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, they're having a baby, and Max left Nikki by herself to take care of the baby. She was crying because her mom doesn't want her to be a mom."

"So Nikki wants to be a mommy like you?"

"Exactly. Nikki wants to be a mom, but she can't live at home anymore. She's moving in with us instead. And, because she's having Max's baby, that means you're going to be an aunt."

Lizzie's eyes widened and her mouth formed a perfect 'o'.

"Wow! Really?"

"Yep. That also means Nikki's your big sister now." She glanced out the window and opened the front door for David, Neil, and Nikki. David was carrying a suitcase and a box, while Neil had a couple of smaller boxes. Nikki just had one box in her arms, which she set down on the couch.

"This is all the stuff Max has given me over the past seven years," she said softly. David ran upstairs with her stuff and came back down.

"Everything?" he asked, sitting down.

"Everything. I kept all of it, and I boxed it up the day he left."

"What the hell were you planning to do with all of it?" Gwen inquired.

"A bonfire. I was going to burn it all, but the weather over the past couple weeks hasn't been the best for burning. I took the pregnancy tests because I realized I was almost a month late."

Gwen reached into the box and pulled out a lanyard. She remembered Max making one with Nikki's name on it that she'd teased him about. Now Nikki was pregnant and sitting on the couch, emotionally vulnerable because Gwen's dumbass son had decided to leave.

She was going to murder him when he came back.

"Pick what you want to keep with you and we'll put the rest in the attic," David told Nikki. "That might help."

"This." She reached into the box and pulled out a smaller one. Opening it up, she revealed a forest-green pendant on a gold chain. "It's the only piece of jewelry I own that I actually like."

"Wait, when the hell did he give you this?!" Gwen yelped. "That looks expensive!"

"On our second anniversary. He bought it a couple weeks earlier. I know because he left the receipt in his car and I saw it. It cost a couple hundred bucks." Her face fell. "I was going to burn it… oh my God."

"But you didn't," Neil assured her. "You can keep this stuff and show it to your son or daughter—tell them about their dad one day."

"Yeah, you're right. My top priority now is the baby. And finishing high school."

"See? You're already doing great!" He grabbed his keys. "I'll see you at school tomorrow. Call me if you need something."

It happened when she was about to go shopping for the baby with Lizzie and Gwen. The baby hit her with enough force to make her yelp in pain. Gwen immediately rushed over to see what was wrong, then glanced downward.

"Nope. We're not going shopping. C'mon." She helped Nikki out to the car, Lizzie trailing behind in confusion. "Lizzie, grab the green bag from Nikki's room."

"Okay!" Gwen climbed into the driver's seat and buckled up.

"What's going on? The baby's just kicking!" Nikki protested.

"No. Nikki, your fucking water just broke. This baby is coming now."

Nikki's eyes widened as Lizzie climbed into the backseat, the green bag in her hand.

"Wait, now?! But the baby's not due until December! It's barely November!"

"Well, it's you and Max's kid! Guess they're impatient, just like their parents!"

Nikki felt spasms of pain washing over her. She was beginning to panic before Gwen started coaching her through the breathing they'd learned a few months earlier. Lizzie was anxiously waiting in the back as her mother handed her the phone.

"Call Neil and your dad," Gwen instructed. "Tell them Nikki is having the baby and we're on our way to the hospital now!"

"Okay!" Lizzie hit her dad's name. "Daddy? Mommy said to tell you Nikki is having the baby. See you there!" She hung up. "Daddy said he's going to call Neil and meet us there!"

"Great. Get ready, Nikki. Parenthood is about to hit like a freight train."

"I already feel like I've been hit by a freight train! God, this hurts!"

They got to the hospital and Nikki was admitted to the maternity ward. Apparently, the baby was incredibly impatient, because Gwen was informed that Nikki was well on her way into labor. She was allowed into the room because she was the only legal guardian there for Nikki. Lizzie was looked after by a nurse until Neil and David got there.

After about two more hours, Nikki had given birth to a healthy baby girl. She arrived at 10:32 AM on November 7, weighing just five pounds, three ounces. A very tiny but healthy and fully-formed baby, the doctor said. Especially considering she was born a month early.

"She's perfect," Nikki whispered, holding her daughter. Gwen smiled, but David found himself wishing Max could see this. Max had once told him that if he ever had kids, he wanted to be there for them and be better than his own parents had been.

And he couldn't.

"What are you gonna name her?" Lizzie asked, hopping onto the bed.

"I'm going to call her… Lovetta Mae Greene."

"You're… you're taking our last name?" choked out David.

"I want her to be a part of this family. She's my little wolf child, and I'm going to make sure she's raised right." Nikki smiled, but David was crying tears of joy. Neil was happy to see his niece, even if he knew his stepmother would no doubt disapprove of the little girl. Gwen was suddenly struck by the realization that she was a grandmother. And she had just turned thirty. As for Lizzie, she was happy to not be the youngest in the family anymore.

As Nikki looked at the faces in that hospital room, and down at her newborn daughter, she made a silent promise.

As broken as our family is, you will always be loved. I know your dad isn't here, but I know he would love you so much if he was.

I promise that you'll never feel unloved.