Page 24 of Redemption

I wrap the white stick in toilet paper, toss it in the garbage, and wash my hands before exiting the restroom.

The gray-haired pharmacist is looking at me with concern. “Are you sure you’re okay, dear?”

I fight back tears. “Yes, thank you. I’ll be fine.”

I get to my car as fast as possible and start the ignition. Once I’m a safe distance away, I pull over on the side of the road and proceed to break down. Fat tears roll down my face uncontrollably as I calculate that I must be only four or five weeks along. What am I going to do? I’m too young. I just turned eighteen a few weeks ago! How am I going to tell Beck? My parents? Everything I thought I knew about my future is gone now. Beck and I were both accepted into NYU. We just received our letters last week. Now, instead of moving up north in the fall, I’m going to be a giant pregnant lady going into my third trimester. I can’t have a baby right now. How would we even support one?

There’s a women’s clinic about an hour away. I can ditch school and drive there tomorrow morning to discuss my options. Oh, what am I saying? I fully support a woman’s right to choose, but I can’t imagine myself doing that. Especially not with a baby that Beck and I made.

I gasp and place my hand on my stomach. “Oh my God, there’s a baby in there. I have a baby inside of me.”

As soon as I can hold back the tears to see clearly, I pull back onto the road and head straight for the ranch. I need to talk to Beck, and then we can worry about what to do together.

I spot him coming out of the machine shed as I make my way up the long drive. Instead of parking in front of the main house, I pull up beside him and push the passenger door open.

“Get in, Beck. We need to talk.”

He places his hands on the roof of my car and leans in the open door. “What’s going on, darlin’?”

I take off my sunglasses so he can see my bloodshot, tear-filled eyes. “Please just get in. We need to talk, and we can’t have this conversation here.”

He purses his lips when he gets a good look at me. “Give me a second to tell my dad I’m taking a break.”

“’Kay,” I say, sniffling.

A few moments later, Beck slides into the passenger seat and slams the door shut. “What’s going on, Pres?”

“Just hold on a sec. Not here.” I shift my car into drive and head toward the pond. My car isn’t made for off-road, so it’s a little bumpy getting there, but I manage. I park the car and immediately step out toward the dock. I can hear Beck’s footsteps behind me, but he hasn’t said a word. He’s waiting me out.

The water’s too cold to put my feet in this time of year, so I take a seat, curling my legs under me. Beck sits down next to me and wipes a stray tear from my cheek.

“Presley, what’s wrong? You’re freaking me out here.”

“I’m freaking out too, Beck! How could this have happened?”

“How could what have happened?” His eyebrows pinch together.

I look him straight in the eye. “I’m pregnant.”

His eyes widen. “Seriously?”

“Do you think I’d joke about something like this?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “Holy shit, Pres. How far along?”

“About a month, I think. I just took a home pregnancy test; I haven’t seen a doctor yet.”

“But you’re on the pill.”

“Obviously, it didn’t work,” I sniff. “What are we going to do, Beck? This ruins everything.”

“Hey, look at me, Pres.” He grabs my hand. “Why does this have to be a bad thing? We have a baby on the way—that should be celebrated.”

“Are you crazy?” I jerk my hand away. “What about New York? How are we supposed to be parents, Beck? We still live with our parents. And we sure as hell can’t raise a baby in a dorm room.”

Beck grabs my hand back. “Presley, take a deep breath and just listen, okay?”

I take a few calming breaths. “Go ahead, Beckett. Tell me why you think this will all work out.”

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