36. Tru
CHAPTER 36
TRU
N ow
I’d been throwing up on and off for the last week, trying to kill this bug I must have caught. Everything has been pretty chaotic with Van getting drafted to the Bellevue Bucks. After I finished tossing my cookies, I heard the door knock, then Brady’s girlfriend opened it.
“Are you okay?”
“Ugh… I’m over this.”
“Yeah… have you taken a test?”
I arched an eyebrow. “A test for what?”
“Umm… pregnancy.”
The words fell on me as if it were an avalanche she just dropped on my head. I never even considered that. She must have noticed my shock.
“I’ll be right back.”
I think I stayed there in a state of utter dismay until she walked back into the bathroom with what appeared to be a pregnancy test in her hands.
“Oh God…”
“Don’t freak out yet,” she stressed. “It could be negative.”
“Do you think it will be?”
“I’m not entirely sure.”
With shaky hands, I grabbed the test and proceeded to endure the worst three minutes of my life until I grabbed the box out of her hands and took every test she had in there. There in front of my eyes, it was clear as day.
Two plus signs.
A smiley face.
One plus sign.
Two pink lines.
One pink line.
And then the word…
Pregnant.
Clear as day for me to read. I took six different pregnancy tests, and they all gave me the same result.
Never did I imagine this was where I would be.
Knocked up.
With child.
Bun in the oven.
I was having a baby with the man I least expected.
Except after everything we’d gone through, done to each other, been through together. Deep in my heart, my soul, my entire being…
I loved him.
For the rest of the morning, I literally lost my mind.
She walked back into my bedroom, eyeing me like I was insane. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?! I’m trying to calm down. And isn’t milk good for a baby? Since I’ll be producing it!” I kept bouncing.
“By jumping up and down?”
“Yesssss!”
“Tru, I don’t think that’s?—”
“I don’t need your negative energy right now, So either you stay and pour more milk and use soothing words, or you can go.”
She sighed, shook her head, and closed the door behind her. “What do I do?”
“You can serve me another glass of milk.”
She peered over at the counter, seeing nine empty glasses sitting there. “Oh, you’re actually serious. We really need to take away your ability to look up things online during stressful times.”
“Oh my God! It’s legit! The internet says so. Milk is calming!”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Again with the negative energy!” I flopped on the floor, exhausted. “Ugh! What am I going to do?”
“I mean”—she plopped next to me—“you’re going to have a baby.”
“Thanks. Saying it out loud doesn’t make me have another panic attack at all.”
“It takes two to tango, Tru. Have you told him?”
Bowing my head, I hid my eyes. I wasn't ready to tell him the truth yet. Shaking my head no, I was unable to say it out loud.
I didn’t even realize my period was late, and I was never late.
Dammit.
I was a statistic. I spent my whole life trying not to be like everyone else.
“I know you’re scared, but that doesn’t change the fact he’ll be there for you. He’ll do right by you. By both of you.”
Sweat pooled at my temples, and my heart beat out of my chest. Desperately trying like hell not to scream out, “I’m pregnant!” to anyone who’d listen.
“You know Brady and I will help too. That baby will be so loved by everyone.”
“Except his family?”
“Meh, who cares about them? I know this wasn’t in your plans, but everything happens for a reason. I’m a firm believer in that. You’ll make it work.” She pulled me into a tight hug. “I’m here for whatever you need, even babysitting.”
“Okay.” I laid my head on her shoulder, sniffling. “I don’t know what I think.”
“You need to tell him, Tru. The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be.”
“I will. After I confirm with my gyno.”
“Alright. I’ll go with you.”
“What did I do to deserve you? You barely know me.”
“I love you too.”
A few days later, the OB-GYN confirmed what we already knew.
Pregnant.
To say I didn’t bawl my eyes out in the doctor’s office would be an understatement.
I cried.
And cried.
And cried some more.
I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts. I wiped the tears from my face and went to grab a water from the fridge when someone knocked on the door. Frowning, I shut the fridge and walked over to open it.
All the air left my lungs. “Clara?”
It was Vaughan's mom. She was in a white pantsuit and carrying a large gift bag in her right hand. “Hi.” She swallowed. “Is Vaughan back from class yet?”
I shook my head. “No, he should be back soon, though. His class ended a half hour ago.” Which also reminded me I needed not to look like I’d just had a sob fest in the kitchen.
“You can come inside and wait if you want?”
“Oh.” She smiled. “Sure, that would be nice.”
Why did I suddenly feel like I needed to offer her tea or biscuits or something? I wasn’t a host, just her son's girlfriend. She’d always been really kind to me, though. Also, I wasn’t in the right headspace to make any sort of small talk. I moved over to the couch and sat down while she took the leather chair and awkwardly set down the gift bag.
She obviously brought him a gift for making it onto one of the national football teams. He was already sent a practice schedule and a shit ton of daily workouts he needed to complete. His agent stopped by once, and I immediately felt like I needed to give him a firm handshake and ask him not to kill me. He looked lethal, but then again, I was sure that was what you wanted in an agent—someone willing to go to bat for you.
I exhaled. “So it’s exciting, right?” I sounded half dead.
Clara looked over at me. It wasn’t just eye contact. It was like she saw through me, and I didn’t have the energy to shield myself. I had nothing. So I could only stare back and beg her not to ask me if I was okay.
Because no, I wasn’t okay.
“Tru.” She got up and moved to the couch and sat down on it. “You’ve been crying.”
I opened my mouth to say allergies, but what came out instead was a choked sob as I completely broke down.
She quickly wrapped an arm around me and held me while my body shook. “Shhh, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay whatever it is. I promise.”
I pulled back and sniffled. “But what if it isn’t? I don’t even know how to tell him! It’s not like this is planned and…” Her eyes narrowed. "I’m pregnant. I found out a week ago, and I’m freaking out, and every time I think to tell him, I feel like I’m drowning. He’s so happy, he’s worked so hard, and this wasn’t part of the plan. I can’t even think about how this will affect his future or mine. We’re so young, and we just finally got back together, and I just?—“
“Deep breaths.” Clara smiled softly. “Do you want to be a mom?”
More hot tears streamed down my cheeks. “I never thought I did.”
“Until now,” she whispered, covering my hand with hers.
I nodded. “Until Vaughan. Only with Vaughan would I ever even—dream.” I choked out the word. “That I could be a mom—the one I didn’t have.”
“Oh, honey.” She squeezed my hand. “You would be a wonderful mom.”
“You’re supposed to be mean. Offer me hush money to stay away from your son or something equally as evil,” I joked.
She cracked a smile. “Yes, well, now that I’m divorcing Vaughan's dad, I’m feeling pretty good.”
“Divorcing?”
She shrugged. “It’s been a long time coming. We haven’t been together in a very long time as you know. On top of that, it was me that brought money into the marriage. I waited until a few of his companies started to suffer—we have an ironclad prenup—and wouldn’t you know, he couldn’t sign those divorce papers fast enough once I offered to bail two of them out of the red.”
I laughed. “Diabolical.”
“I’m a woman, and I let that man steal my power for way too long, too afraid about the image we had procured. You know? I saw my son's face at our last dinner and realized it was time to cut him loose too. Let him live his life the way he deserves and allow myself the grace to live mine.”
I grabbed both of her hands. “I’m so happy for you.”
“I’m probably going to throw a divorce party.”
“I’m probably going to ask to be invited.”
“There will be cake.” She winked just as the sound of a bag dropping on the ground had us both staring at the front door.
Vaughan stood there in his workout clothes staring between the two of us.
I jumped to my feet. “How much did you hear?”
He took a deep breath. “Well, it started at being pregnant and ended with cake. So pretty much all of it?”
“Van, I'm sorry I can?—“
His smile wasn’t panicked at all. Instead, he held up a finger and turned toward his mom. “I’m proud of you for leaving him.“
She started to cry. I reached for her hand and held it again. She squeezed it back, then walked up to Vaughan and gave him a big hug. “I bought you a gift. Now I think I’ll need to go shopping again but for smaller things…” She beamed. “Here, I thought I was bringing you something special, and I leave with something priceless.”
“I’m very emotional right now.” I sniffled. “You can’t say things like that.”
“If it’s okay…” She tucked my hair behind my ear and put her hands on my shoulders. “I would like a do-over. I don’t really deserve it, but I’d like to be a mom to you and a nana to that little one. I know you both need to talk, so I’ll leave. But think about it.”
“It’s already been thought about.” I hugged her. “But I have to talk to your son first.”
“Yeah, the son is still standing here having a nervous breakdown.” Vaughan raised his hand.
Clara stepped away from me and back toward the door. “You two talk.”
“Oh, there will be a lot of talking.” Vaughan stared me down. “And then a lot of silencing.”
His mom was gone.
It was just me, him, the baby growing in my stomach, and this giant secret I kept from him out of sheer fear and being overwhelmed. I took a shaky breath.
“You’re pregnant?” he asked with wide eyes.
I nodded, unable to form words.
“I need to hear you say it.”
I found the courage. “Yes, “I’m pregnant, Vaughan.”
He didn’t give it a second thought. He fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around my waist, and kissed my stomach.
Our future.
I allowed his lips to linger until my shaky hands curled in his hair, fully aware that I now had the power to bring him to his knees. He peered up at me as the father of our baby. Mostly as the man who had walked through hell and back.
“I can’t believe we’re pregnant.”
“Same.” I sighed. “Vaughan, I?—"
“Me first,” Vaughan said before I could fully exhale. He gripped my hands, then went down to one knee. What was he doing? What was happening? “Before you panic and think I’m on one knee because I feel forced into it, just know, I’m never letting you go. This was eventually going to happen. I was planning on it after graduation and stressing out that it would scare you away. We never did anything the normal way, Tru. I love you. I’ll adore this baby and pray it’s a little girl I can spoil so I don’t have a little boy growing up who can beat his dad at everything.” Tears streamed down my face. “I’m happy with anything. We’ve finally found each other again. I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you felt like you couldn’t tell me right away and that you took this on yourself.”
I was so done crying, but apparently, that was all I did now. Tears blurred my vision. “I love you.”
“Then be mine forever,” he rasped. “Please.”
I smirked through my tears. “Never thought I’d see Vaughan Aires on his knees begging me so politely.”
“I’ll be polite now. Naughty later.”
“Say naughty again.”
“Tru.”
“Yes.” I nodded. “I’m never leaving your side.”
He jumped to his feet and pulled me into his arms. “I think we need to move.”
“Nooooo, really? We were already planning on going after graduation…” I shrugged while he reached into his pocket and handed me a key.
I stared at it. “What’s this?”
“Our new house in Bellevue. I was waiting to surprise you.”
“You bought a house!” I shrieked.
He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. “I was going to ask you to move in with me, but I managed to skip that step right into a proposal and a baby.”
I pressed my face against his chest. “We do things so backward.”
“Meh, we wouldn’t be us if we did things right the first time. Straight lines are boring.”
“Agreed.” I kissed his mouth, then wrapped my arms around his neck. “When can I see the house?”
He twirled me around in his arms. “Once you let me introduce myself.”
“Huh?”
Before I knew it, he was on his knees in front of me again, but this time, he was cupping my hips and pressing his forehead against my stomach in awe. “Hi, baby. I’m going to be your dad.”
I would have married him on the spot by that sentence alone.
And thus began our love story.
Me.
Him.
And a baby.