*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much.
NATALIE:
After I finish the burgers and hot dogs I take them over to the picnic table with all the condiments. I call for Max and Angelina to come out to eat. They shortly join me and take a seat at the table. It would be nice if I had some help but I assume that would be asking too much. "Looks, great," says Max as he gets his burger ready.
"Thanks," I say as I get my burger ready. I'm really not in the mood to eat a burger. I'm not really in the mood to eat anything. I am still having morning sickness but I have to eat for the baby. I just don't know how I'm going to explain the baby to Max or John for that matter. I don't know how to handle it.
After we have our burgers ready and our plates full Max gets ready to eat before Angelina interrupts him. "WAIT," she says.
"What?" he asks. He sounds kind of annoyed.
"We have to say grace. I'll do it," she says giving him a smirk. That's my daughter. We take hands and Angelina begins to say grace. "Dear God, thank-you for this food and thank-you for letting me meet my dad. He is a wonderful man. And thank-you for my mommy. Amen," she says before letting go of mine and Max's hands.
"Very nice," I say with a smile.
"Thank-you," she says.
"So where were you all day today?" asks Max interrupting us.
"I was out," I say.
"Where?" he asks.
"I had some personal things to take care of. Is that a problem?"
"No," he says. "I was just curious. Did you find a job yet?"
"No," I say taking a bite of my burger, "I didn't. I'm looking in New York though."
"New York? Why New York?" he asks.
"Because I will be closer to my parents and I have more opportunities. I want to get out of Hershey."
"But I'm not willing to move to New York," says Max.
"I'm sorry but that's where I want to go. You can either come with me or stay."
"You'll be my wife. I'll make the decisions," he says, "besides you can be a homemaker."
"What's a homemaker?" asks Angelina.
"Angelina, the grownups are talking please stay out of the conversation," says Max.
"She was just asking a question," I say. "Angelina, a homemaker is another word for stay at home mom something I will never be." I make it clear that I have no desire to stay at home. I didn't go to college for nothing. I want to put my degree to use. I'm not wasting it because he wants me to be a stay at home mom. I'm starting to see maybe he didn't change.
"But she needs to learn not to interrupt adults while they are talking," he says.
"I'll handle Angelina," I say. "She is my daughter. You don't discipline her."
"All right," he says, "but if we're getting married. I am a father figure to her."
"No. You're not her father. She has a father that I'm pretty sure wouldn't appreciate you disciplining her so leave that to me."
"Okay," he says. I can tell he is upset but I know John doesn't like him and I don't need him doing one thing wrong that could cause John to take Angelina away from me. This makes him quiet the rest of the way through dinner.
When dinner is over I am cleaning up while Angelina is upstairs. I'm in the kitchen putting things away in the fridge when he walks into the kitchen. He doesn't come in to help or ask to help but instead says, "why do you do that to me?"
"Do what?" I ask shutting the fridge.
"Make me look like an idiot in front of Angelina," he says.
"I didn't' think I was. I was just telling you not to discipline her."
"I am the man in the house. I have the right," he says.
"No, Max, you don't. She has a father that would rather you not. I don't know what you did earlier but it pissed him off."
"I don't give a shit if it pissed him off. She's not going to be on the phone disrespecting me."
"She's 7 and she was talking to her father. She is allowed to talk to her father. And why did you tell him to stay away?" I ask.
"Because he doesn't need to be around us at all. Every time he's around there's problems."
"No, Max, you cause the problems whether John is here or not," I say.
"Angelina has a smart mouth," he says.
"But it's not your place to say anything to her," I say, "and I don't like you going in her room. That is off limits."
"Why?" he asks.
"Because I don't want you alone with her… EVER!"
"You act like you don't trust me or something?" he asks. He's right I don't trust him. He tried to hit her before. I'm not risking him doing anything to her. He is only allowed around her when he's supervised.
"I don't," I say.
"Why don't you trust me?"
"I don't know you kicked the shit out of me and then you tried to hit my daughter. It is going to take a lot for me to trust you."
"You're ridiculous, Natalie," he says.
"I may be but she's my daughter and I need to protect her. You're not allowed alone with her."
"Whatever, Natalie," he says.
"Yeah, Whatever," I say.
JOHN:
I am sitting on the couch with Ashley looking at her. I can't believe she's pregnant. I thought we took all the precautions. I thought we did everything we could to prevent it. Obviously we didn't because here she is pregnant. She is sitting here rubbing her stomach. I really don't know how to react. This is not what I wanted. "So do you need anything?" I ask.
"The baby and I are all right," she says with a smile. "Here feel my stomach," she says.
"There isn't anything to feel," I say.
"Just feel it," she says taking my hand and putting it on her flat stomach. "Our baby is in there."
"Oh," I say.
"Oh? Is that all you can say?" She asks me. "We're going to have a baby. That's all I ever wanted."
"I know," I say.
"Aren't you excited?"
"I'm in shock. I thought we took all the precautions? I thought you were on the pill? And I thought the condoms were the extra step in preventing a pregnancy?"
"Things happen," she says. "I guess I'm just extra fertile and so are you."
"I guess so," I say. I am still trying to figure this one out. Even though she was on the pill we always used a condom in case of an accident. I don't remember having sex without a condom with her; Natalie yes but Ashley no. I would have expected Natalie to get pregnant before Ashley.
"Come on, John. We're having a baby. You could be a little more excited," she says.
"I'm trying," I say. It's really hard for me to be excited for something I never wanted. I don't know what kind of mess I am in.
"So Angelina seems like a little sweetheart," says Ashley.
"She is," I say. "She is a sweetheart."
"I bet. Who does she look like? I bet she looks like you," she says with a smile.
"She does," I say. "She looks like me."
"I bet she's beautiful."
"She is," I say.
"I can't wait to meet her. She's going to be a big sister. I bet she'll like that."
"I'm sure she will," I say. I remember Natalie telling me she has been asking to be a big sister. At least she gets to have a baby brother or sister now.
"So I was thinking about the name John for a boy and the name Emily for a girl what do you think?"
"Ashley, I don't' want to talk about baby names right now. I need to take time for this to sink in. I'm still not understanding after everything we did to prevent this it still happened. It doesn't make sense to me."
"You don't' want this baby do you?"
"I told you I didn't want to be a father," I say.
"You mean a father to my baby," she says. "If it's Natalie it's okay but me it's not. You are so excited over Angelina but when it comes to your baby with me you're not happy about it. It's okay," she says as she starts crying.
It wasn't' my intention to make her cry. I didn't mean to make her cry. It just happened. I feel bad. "I'm sorry, Ashley," I say as I wrap my arms around her. "Don't cry. I am happy about the baby it's just I need time to let it sink in. Please can you give me time?"
"I can give you time," she says with a smile. "I love you, John."
"I love you too," I say. It still doesn't make sense to me.
*A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading.