Page 70 of It Happened Back Then
“We need to talk about Blossom.”
That gets his attention. He folds the paper up and looks at me, assessing me. But he knows what I’m about to say.
"She told me everything. About what you said to her when we were eighteen. About the baby." I swallow hard. “Our baby.”
He sits up straighter in the chair, no remorse in his expression as he says, "I did what I thought was best for you."
"No," I snap. "You did what you thought was best foryou.” My voice rises with that last word.
“Don’t raise your voice to me, son.”
“She waseighteenandalone! And you looked her in the eye and told her to keep it from me?”
“I told her she needed to think about your future. About what that baby would mean for you.”
I’m so furious right now. “It would have meant everything!”
He exhales slowly. "She was just a kid. Scared.”
“Exactly! And you were like a father to her when she lost her own. You should have helped her through it, not make her feel bad about it.”
He looks away from me now, no doubt remembering that he and her father were great friends. “I saw the way she looked at you, like you were her ticket out of here. That’s not love, son. That’s desperation."
"You didn’t know how we felt about each other."
He stands now, jaw tight. "You were going places, Bennett. She was–"
"She was pregnant. Withmychild. And you made her feel like it was a mistake." I step closer. "All these years, she pushed me away thinking if I had stayed, she would have ruined my life."
His expression falters. "You would’ve stayed and missed out on what you have now."
"Maybe or maybe not, but it would have beenmychoice to make! You didn’t protect me from anything. You stole it all.”
Silence stretches between us until I fall onto the couch. "I loved her," I say quietly, "and you made her think she wasn’t good enough for me. She pushed me away for years. And it was awful.”
He runs a hand through his graying hair. "You wereyoung. I thought I was helping."
"You didn’t."
There’s silence before he asks, "Do you still love her?"
"More than ever before."
The front door opens and Mom walks in carrying two bags of groceries. “Bennett! I saw your truck out front. Are you hungry? I'll make us lun–” She stalls as she takes in the scene in front of her. “What’s going on?”
“We need to talk.” It comes out harsher than I want and when I look at my dad, he’s staring at me with regret. And this moment, I realize Mom didn’t know a thing.
“Of course, let me just put these down.” She hurries into the kitchen, and I stand again. Dad sits back down, letting out a breath as he does, and Mom comes back in, taking a seat on the couch. “What’s wrong?”
“I have some news.” They both stare back at me. “Blossom is pregnant. We’re having a baby.” I know she’s going to be mad I told them without her, but I needed to do this alone.
Mom looks at me and tears well up in her eyes instantly. “Oh, Bennett!” She jumps from the couch and wraps herself around me. I hug her but remain standing, never taking my eyes off of my dad.
“Congratulations! Oh, this is such great news! Henry, isn’t this great?” Dad clears his throat and only nods. “How is she feeling?”
“She’s okay. We have a doctor’s appointment at the end of the week. After what happened when we were younger, we want to make sure everything goes alright.”
Mom pulls back slightly to meet my eyes. “What do you mean? What happened?” Mom looks back and forth between me and my dad. “What’s going on?”
