AN:Hi,
I am happy about everyone who follows my story. By the way, I will try to give an update once a week. But I don't know if it will always work, so don't be surprised if there isn't one in a week. In any case, I promise to publish updates regularly.
Have fun reading!

Chapter 3

"I'm sorry," George repeated as he and Lemon arrived in the living room of her apartment.

Lemon was standing opposite him with her hands clasped in front of her chest. She was glaring at George, but he thought he could see fear behind the anger in her eyes. Her defensive stance only intensified his impression of vulnerability. But perhaps that was only because George now knew that Lemon was growing a baby. This awareness automatically gave George a protective instinct.

But in wanting to be there for Lemon, he first had to repair what he had previously messed up. After the conversation, George had almost gone mad from all the thoughts, so he had decided to go to the Rammer Jammer. It wasn't the best solution, in fact it wasn't a solution at all, but it was the only thing he could think of to calm himself down.

The reason the plan hadn't worked was that after an hour or so, which George had spent alone with a drink in a quiet corner, Tom and Wanda had turned up. A pregnant Wanda. And he had watched as Tom had carefully helped her onto the chair and then placed his hands on her swollen belly...

At that point, George had realized that he was behaving completely unacceptably. He had gone back to his houseboat and thought things over in peace until he felt he had his head under control. At least enough that he wouldn't make things worse again during a conversation.

Now he wasn't quite sure anymore. When Lemon stood in front of him like this, he found it extremely difficult to concentrate. But it was necessary, so George did his best. He had to explain to Lemon what he had meant before. And that he would help her. Otherwise, the whole thing would become more and more of a disaster for Lemon.

"Lemon, I didn't want you to think I didn't care. I do care, a lot."

Lemon blinked but made no other response to George's words. He took a deep breath. By the time he had made his way back to Lemon, he had realized that he would have to be honest if he wanted to resolve the situation. At least in most areas. That was why he continued.

"I reacted like that because I was terrified of pushing you away if I forced you to do something. I didn't want to put you under pressure."

Please say something. George begged the woman opposite him in his mind. He couldn't stand the silence.

Finally, Lemon spoke up. "And what is your opinion? Do you want me to abort it?"

George was speechless. He had prepared himself for all sorts of things, but he hadn't expected this. Lemon looked at him seriously. She wouldn't give in until he had answered her.

"Honestly? I would wish you to keep the child. I'd hate it if you would abort." George admitted, holding his breath as he awaited Lemon's reaction.

When he saw the smile that appeared on her face, a huge sense of relief spread through him.

"That's good." Lemon said, looking equally relieved, "Because I'm going to keep the baby."

George couldn't keep the smile from his lips any longer. "We're going to be parents." He said in awe.

The smile on Lemon's face began to crack again. "Do you think we can do this? Because I honestly don't know if I can. I mean we both..." Lemon left the sentence unfinished. George still thought he knew what she meant.

"Of course we can do it." George reassured her "If we both put our minds to it, I can't imagine anything else. Because, you know, I already love the baby."

Just like you. George didn't say that out loud.

The last few hours had caused a huge mess in his head and even though he found it hard to imagine how Lemon was feeling, George was aware that she was probably a lot more upset. The least he could do was not cause her any more emotional chaos. And a declaration of love wasn't exactly helpful. Besides, George was afraid that if Lemon found out about his feelings for her, she would immediately block and distance herself; because, on top of everything else, it would be too much for her. That's why he had decided not to tell her about his feelings for the time being. The moment would come when he would tell her and until then George would be the father of her child. That was the best solution for the moment.

Lemon still didn't seem reassured by his reply. "That's not really what I meant." She stared at a point somewhere behind George's shoulder. Then she turned her gaze to him.

"I've always wanted children, you know that."

Yes, George knew that. They had talked often enough about their plans for the future. Only George couldn't see the problem behind it.

"And for half of my life, fifteen years of it, you were the one who was the father of those children in my dreams. I had no other relationship in my life that actually had a future. I never imagined any man as the father of my children. No other man. You were the only one."

Lemon blinked hard to keep the tears out of her eyes. George was at a loss for words. Now he knew what the problem was. He just had no idea what to say. Lemon was already talking anyway.

"Now we're having a child. That's not something that can ever be changed. We're going to be a little family, whether we want to or not. A family like I used to imagine. Except we're not like we used to be. We're not together anymore and we're far from being a real family." Lemon swallowed.

"I don't know if I can take that. Because the child will remind me every day of what I've lost. Because things will never be the way I wanted them to be back then. I know you can't change that, and I don't blame you. I'm just wondering how it's supposed to work. I'll be reminded of the broken dreams every day. Maybe I won't mind at all. But maybe it will hurt again and again," Lemon concluded. The tears were running down her face now.

George was fighting a battle with himself. Part of him wanted to tell Lemon about his feelings right now. Say that the dreams didn't have to be broken yet. But the realistic part told him that the good reasons he had previously thought of for postponing his declaration still applied. He couldn't overwhelm Lemon with the next shocking news just yet.

"I can't tell you what it will be like with the child." He finally said honestly. "But I can promise you that it will work out somehow, because it just has to. And if it gets too much for you, all you have to do is tell me and I'll give you the space you need. I'll leave as soon as you tell so"

George fervently hoped that he had found the right words. Apparently, he had, because Lemon nodded slightly and managed a small smile.

Lemon felt incredibly relieved now that George knew her worries. And he could hardly have reacted better. George had said, we can do this. We. Together. He wouldn't leave her alone. She glanced at him and realized that George was still waiting for an answer from her.

"Okay. But just so you know. Right now, I don't want you to go." The corners of George's mouth lifted at Lemon's words.

Lemon expelled the air she had been holding for the last few minutes without realizing it. She turned around and sank down on her sofa, then looked back at George. He was standing a little unsteadily in the middle of the room. Lemon made an inviting gesture with her hand and motioned for him to come to her. She knew that there were still a lot of unanswered questions, but for the moment it was enough that George and she would answer them together. George had now sat down next to Lemon.

"How long have you known?" he wanted to know.

"Four days," Lemon admitted. It would be understandable if George complained about learning about the baby so late. "I just didn't know how to tell you." She therefore defended herself.

"After my reaction, I can hardly blame you." George simply said. He hesitated briefly, then asked, "Who else have you told about it?"

"Henry. But I guess he doesn't really count. And Wade..." Lemon listed, unsure how George would take it.

"Wow. That's less than I would have thought."

"'Well. Like I said, it's only week eight. Anything can still happen," George nodded slowly in agreement. "Oh, by the way," Lemon remembered. "I have a basic check-up in Mobile tomorrow. You can come with me if you want."

"Of course I want to come with you," George replied directly. He seemed genuinely pleased. No one said anything for quite a while. They just sat next to each other on Lemon's couch in silence. Lemon had unconsciously folded her hands over her stomach.

At some point, George began to speak again. "May I...?" he asked quietly. Lemon turned her head in confusion. As soon as she met his gaze, however, she realized what he intended.

"Sure." She said with a smile. She took George's hand and placed it carefully on her stomach. Even if you knew, you couldn't see any swelling yet. It was still too early for that. Nevertheless, George seemed almost bursting with happiness. There was a broad smile on his face while he kept his eyes on Lemon's stomach.

For some reason, George's joy made Lemon feel uneasy. What if the opposite of her actual fears came true? What if it wasn't going to be disastrous and she and George were constantly arguing, but what if they got on well? What if the past dreams weren't the problem, but the fact that these dreams were current again? What if I fall in love with George again?

No sooner than this thought had entered Lemon's head than she felt ashamed of it. The mere fact that there was a possibility in her head that this would actually happen was too much. It was completely absurd and stupid. Surely it was only because of the hormones that Lemon was even thinking about it. She shook her head imperceptibly, quickly shooing the thought away. Instead, she leaned back into the pillows. Tomorrow was a new day and once she got used to her new situation, everything would work out. At least Lemon hoped so...

"You idiot! Finally a man who is actually interested in you and you let him go. How much longer are you going to wait!"

"I told you it didn't work out with Henry, Grandma. It was a unanimous breakup. Besides, I can make my own decisions!" Lemon hissed at her grandmother.

Word of Henry's departure had spread quickly around town, which Lemon pretty much didn't care about. As long as the important news remained secret, she didn't mind the gossip. Unfortunately, Grandma Betty was anything but pleased, which she now made Lemon understand.

"Oh Lemon, dear, I'm just worried about you. You're over thirty years old. There's not an infinite number of options left. You have to make do with what you have left, otherwise you won't find anyone else."

"Thank you very much, but I can take good care of myself." Lemon replied curtly.

"I don't see it like that." snorted Lemon's grandmother. "In any case, our deal is off. You'll have to find the money for your restaurant yourself. Maybe then you'll realize how difficult it is to live alone and finally choose a man you stay with!"

Lemon shook her head, exasperated. If only her grandmother knew what Lemon's biggest worry was... Lemon was glad that at the moment she only had to justify her break-up with Henry and not her ex-fiancé's illegitimate baby.

"I'm beginning to think you have a serious problem. Don't you want anyone in your life, Lemon? And be happy?"

"I am happy," Lemon contradicted. She wasn't entirely sure herself how true that was, but it didn't matter in front of her grandmother.

"And what about me? All I want is a granddaughter I can be proud of!"

"Lemon is a woman you can be proud of." Lemon wheeled around. George was standing behind her in the doorway.

"She stands up for herself and always does her best for everyone she cares about. Lemon is strong-willed and determined, when she sets her head on something, she gets it done and no one can stop her. She has built her own restaurant and no matter how many times she has had to fight setbacks; Lemon has never given up on herself or her dreams. You should be darn proud of her! And if you can't see all that, then I can't help you either!"

Lemon was taken aback by George's little speech. Grandma Betty seemed to feel the same way. She stood there, her mouth slightly open for another snide comment, but she couldn't seem to come up with anything.

"That's... So I... And this coming from you!" she finally uttered. Realizing she had nothing more to say, she threw her head back, turned around and stalked off.

Lemon looked at George with a big grin on her face. "Thank you. That was really sweet of you."

"Um yeah..." George fiddled nervously with the buttons on his shirt. In retrospect, his flaming defense seemed a little embarrassing to him. Lemon laughed silently at his discomfort before she released him.

"Come on, let's go. The appointment is soon."

George felt as if Lemon and he had been waiting forever, even though he knew they had only been in the treatment room for a few minutes. George was just incredibly nervous. Finally the doctor appeared. It was a man of around fifty with mottled gray hair and the typical white doctor's coat. He closed the door behind him and then approached the two of them with a friendly smile.

"Good morning, I'm Dr. Miller. You must be Miss Breeland, right?" he asked Lemon, extending his hand to her.

She shook his hand. "That's right."

"Pleased to meet you." Said the doctor. He seemed nice.

Now Dr. Miller turned to George. "And you are...?"

"George Tucker."

"He's the father." Lemon added in explanation, giving George a brief smile. The father. That still sounded rather strange to George's ears.

Dr. Miller now also shook George's hand before leading Lemon to a treatment chair and asking her all sorts of questions about her well-being.

After half an hour, the check-up was already over. The sex could not yet be determined, it was too early for that. But that wasn't the most important thing for George, because the baby was doing very well and so was Lemon.

"Congratulations! You're going to be the parents of a healthy child." Dr. Miller said with a beaming smile after the treatment was finished.

"Excuse my curiosity, but may I ask about your relationship? The difference in your surnames leads me to believe that you are not married?"

George had been expecting the question for the entire check-up. After all, the doctor dealt with couples who were expecting a baby every day. And he must learn a lot about their relationships. Directly and indirectly. It was probably one of his standard questions to avoid putting his foot in his mouth from the outset. But the relationship between Lemon and George was not very easy to describe.

"We're not together. I'd say we both know exactly which night the baby came from." Lemon summarized succinctly.

Dr. Miller raised an eyebrow but nodded in understanding. Then he couldn't suppress a small smile.

"You must have been lucky, Miss Breeland. There are a lot of women in your situation who are standing here without the father. I'm always happy when both parents come to me to the treatment, and even more so in a case like yours."

Lemon smiled over at George. "Yes, I also think I'm pretty lucky."