29. Haley
29
HALEY
A unt Cindy’s reaction went about as well as I figured it would go.
When she came home from work early, I thought she did because she was so concerned about me when I felt so crappy that morning.
Instead, she wanted to know if it was true.
“Mrs. Martinez said she heard the barista from the café say that she overheard Mrs. Young telling her friend that she disowned Eli because he knocked you up and he refuses to leave you or make you get rid of the baby.”
She’d let that all out in a frantic rush the second she flung the door open and gawked at me on the couch.
“Is that true?”
I opened my mouth to reply, but she lowered her gaze to the coffee table, where the pregnancy test sat on a paper towel.
She drew in such a loud breath in a scandalous gasp that I feared she’d knock herself over.
Pointing at it, she said, “It is true!”
“Surprise…” I said weakly, using jazz hands.
“Oh, my—” She let out a loud breath and dropped to the chair. “My God, Haley. I thought I told you to be careful.”
“And I was. You know I take the pill.”
“And yet…” She raised her brows.
“And yet, it happened.”
She was quiet for a long moment, staring at me. I saw all the emotions flit over her face. Surprise and then shock. Understanding and confusion. Disappointment and then joy. In the silence, I gave her a chance to overcome the pairs of opposites that flogged her.
“You’re not…” She furrowed her brow. “Are you going to listen to that awful woman and get rid of it?”
I laid my hand over my stomach. “Hell no.”
She grinned. It was weak at first but brightened. “Another baby in the family.”
I held my arms out, and she came over to hug me, rocking me on the couch as she laughed and expressed her excitement for another baby to welcome into the world. Unlike Mrs. Young, Aunt Cindy knew this little boy or girl would be a blessing to cherish, no matter what.
“And that means another person in the house.” I cringed, waiting for her reaction.
“Well, obviously!”
“No, not just the baby. Eli, When he moves in with us until the baby comes.”
She sobered up. “Until you move, too?”
I nodded. “I don’t want to raise this baby near his parents.”
“I doubt he would, either.” She frowned, though, watching me and looking like a worried parent.
“We’ll still move. I don’t know if this pregnancy will mean waiting or what, but my future isn’t here, Aunt Cindy.” It couldn’t be if I wanted the best for my baby, which meant not raising him or her in such a closed-minded community full of people who held biases and judged too quickly.
“I know, but…” She sighed. “He’s going to stay here to help you with the pregnancy?”
I nodded my head. “Well, sure. He’s going to be hands-on.” There was no question that he would want to take care of me every step of the way. “But also because he has nowhere else to go.”
For the next half hour, I explained it all. How his mom came here, what she said. How his parents treated him and their act of disowning him.
“And it looks like they cut off his phone already.” I lifted mine. “I tried texting him and calling him throughout the day, and it’s like his number is shut off. Natasha wanted to talk to him, too.”
Aunt Cindy pursed her lips. “I think I still have my old phone. He could use that and get a new number for it.” She shrugged. “I’ll add him to the plan and he can, well, I don’t know, help out around the house so we can call it even.”
I also told her about his school issues, and in the end, she agreed with me that plans would have to wait for a final decision about whether he could graduate or not.
Eli showed up soon after, with Finn and Davina in tow.
“So, is this, um, home sweet home until the end of the semester?” he asked me as everyone came inside. We decided a dinner of pizza was in order before bringing all his things in.
“Yes,” Aunt Cindy said as she got out plates and napkins for this impromptu need to host a meal here. “You are welcome to stay here until graduation.”
He hugged her. “Thank you. I’ll pay you back, Aunt Cindy.”
“Hush.” She smiled, hugging him back. “Pay it forward by being a good man for my niece.”
“He already is,” I said.
“I will do my best to be the first and only man for her,” Eli replied, almost cockily before coming to me and kissing me. “Because that’s how much I love her.”
Those three words. He’d said them like it was the most natural truth to share.
My cheeks would hurt from smiling this much. Yet, I grinned, gazing up at him with all the love my heart could hold. “I love you, too.”
Over the rest of the night, we settled into this new reality. Of love, as Eli and I shared little looks as if wanting to remind ourselves that we’d reached this point of intimacy, comfortable to say those three all-important words. Of friendships, as Davina and Finn stayed to eat with us and bring Eli’s things inside.
We also discussed what could happen next. It was obvious that we’d finish the semester, but longer-term plans had to wait for the college’s decision about Eli.
It seemed so surreal at first, getting used to Eli always being here with me. He moved into my room, but we both agreed to abstain when Cindy was home. My aunt got along well with him, appreciative of all the little things he could take care of around the big house and yard that needed repairs. Davina and Finn came over often too, and of course, we were still on campus, in class and readying for finals that would be coming up soon.
The only thing that would make it all better was if we knew what would happen to Eli.
At last, news came from the unlikeliest person.
After dinner on the Friday before finals week would start, Natasha showed up with Grayson.
Aunt Cindy and I were excited to see him, and even Eli seemed to have a good time with the boy, patient to help him with his lisp. His name was a hard one with the l , and Eli was gentle with helping him get it right.
“I wanted to come and share the news in person,” she said after saying she and Grayson could only stay one night to visit.
“What news?” I asked as we all sat in the living room as Aunt Cindy and Grayson did a puzzle on the coffee table.
“About Eli.” Nat smiled at him. “I think Greg said that the college committee would tell you Monday, but I didn’t want to wait with the news.”
“Who’s Greg?” Eli asked. Then his eyes opened wide. “Wait. Greg Larson? The college president?”
“That would be his father, Greg Sr.” Natasha rolled her eyes. “Greg Junior hates to be reminded that he is supposed to be a junior at anything, even in name. My Greg,” she amended with a blush.
“Yours?” I teased.
She nodded. “Greg and I met at work. He’s one of the owners of the company, and from day one, it was clear that we would be enemies. Workplace enemies.”
I smiled, thinking back to how she’d said she loved the idea of enemies to lovers. I saw where this was going.
“He and I developed a mutual hatred, but it sort of turned into a friendship when I was promoted to assist on a project. And that friendship got to be a little more. Until”—she leaned over to cover both of Grayson’s ears—“it seemed that he slept with his ex who hates me and lied about it. And I wanted nothing to do with him.”
Aunt Cindy and I raised our brows as she moved her hands off Grayson’s ears.
“I planned to never speak to him again,” Nat said matter-of-factly with a glance at me. “But when you called and told me about his issues at the college, I recalled how Greg once told me that his father thought West was a pain to deal with.”
“So you… talked to him?” Eli guessed.
She nodded. “I did. I remember how helpless I felt here in this town, and I realized I would never live with myself if I didn’t try to help. If I didn’t speak up. I prepared all the details and brought them to Greg.”
“And did he”—I covered Grayson’s ears—“sleep with this ex?”
“No.” Natasha shook her head. “He didn’t, but he did lie about where he was that night in question because he panicked that it would look like he was with his ex and didn’t want me to think that.” She rolled her eyes. “Greg was desperate for weeks to get me to talk to him again. And I’m talking hardcore, nonstop groveling. It took talking to him about Eli’s situation for me to listen to him and give him another chance. Which…” She rubbed the back of her neck, smiling shyly. “I have. And he was able to talk with his father on your behalf.” She smiled at Eli. “Mr. Larson has more sway and power than Preston’s dad. Maybe they won’t donate as much as usual, but according to Greg and his father, that’s not a loss. They’re a pain to deal with.”
“So… what does this mean?” Eli held my hand and squeezed it.
“You can graduate—so long as you pass your courses. There won’t be any record of ‘bad’ behavior. Mr. West also lost his argument with the scholarship committee. It won’t be revoked, and you won’t owe a penny.”
He lunged at me, hugging me and kissing me soundly.
Aunt Cindy and Natasha joined in the celebrations, too, but Grayson was confused.
It was over.
The wait was over.
No more dreading and wondering and worrying and stressing.
Eli would be able to graduate as planned, and our futures were still ours to enjoy and plan on.
“Thank you,” he told Nat after hugging her. “Thank you for having my back.”
“I’ll admit it did pay off for me as well.” She smiled. “Greg and I are officially dating,” she told us when Grayson ran off to go to the bathroom. “And he is wonderful with Grayson.”
I couldn’t have been any happier. For all of us. For Grayson to have a good male role model in his life. For my sister to open up and find love. For Eli to be able to graduate and not have to pay back his funding. For Aunt Cindy to see our family grow.
And I was completely content to lower the last of my guard and have faith that with love, with this strong man at my side, my future would be brighter than ever.
All we had to do was make it to the end of the month and graduate.
“Will you tell your parents?” Aunt Cindy asked once we cleaned up the living room before calling it a night.
“No.” Eli shook his head. “They don’t deserve to know about my success.” With a long, sincere look at me, he smiled slowly and let me see the love he felt and needed. “I’ve got my family right here, and that’s all that counts.”