Page 58 of You'll Never Know
“Please,” she said. “Ten minutes.”
Her father pulled a breath in through his nose and exhaled. “Fine. Ten minutes, but no more.”
Taylor slipped past him and shut the door, then took Reed’s hand and pulled him toward the corner of the covered patio. They settled onto the porch swing. The sun bathed the horizon in orange and pink light. Reed took Taylor’s hand, but she immediately pulled it free and returned it to her lap.
“What’s wrong?” Reed asked. “Why are you mad at me?”
“I’m not mad.”
“It doesn’t feel that way.”
“Reed, I need to … tell you something.”
“Okay,” he said, waiting for her to continue. But she didn’t speak. She just sat there, staring at the mountains, shaking her head. When a tear cut from the corner of her eye, across her cheek, Reed had to resist the urge to pull her into his arms. Seeing her like this was absolutely killing him.
Finally, she spoke. “I’m pregnant.”
A churning sensation filled his gut. Had he heard that right?Pregnant?It was the absolute last thing he’d expected her to say. He’d thought maybe he’d said something bad about one of her friends or had accidentally insulted her the last time they’d talked. But this?Pregnant?Never this.
“I don’t understand,” he said, scratching his head. “We’ve been careful.” And they had. They’d been having sex for six months now, and Reed always used a condom. Except for the last few times becauseTaylor had gotten on birth control.
She brushed her fingers over the back of his hand. “I know.” She chewed her bottom lip and shook her head. “But it happened. I’ve taken the test three times.”
“Three times? And you’re only telling me now?” Reed’s shock swung toward anger. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I …” She turned away from him and hung her head. “I should have. I’m sorry. When it happened, I was so devastated. I didn’t know what to do. My mom saw me crying and I just blurted it out.”
“But you told your friends, too,” Reed said, still reeling. She must have. They’d been staring at him like he was the devil all week long, shooting daggers his way like this was his fault and Taylor carried none of the blame.
A tear dripped off her chin and landed warm on Reed’s wrist. “No, I didn’t. My mom called Laura’s mom. Word got out.” Her shoulders slumped. “I should have told you sooner, though. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do. I still don’t.” And then she was sobbing, crying and shaking her head.
Reed pulled her close and cupped her warm, wet cheeks and tilted her gaze to his. Her dark walnut eyes glimmered in the fading light. “Hey, okay. Yeah, this is serious. It is. But we’ll be okay. Taylor, we can do this together.”
“What do you mean ‘do this’?” she asked hesitantly.
“I can find a job, something that pays well. You can still go to college. We both can. Everything will be fine.”
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “You … want to keep it?”
He hesitated, stunned by her words. It felt weird to hear her call their childit.But he brushed that aside and said, “Of course, I do. Don’t you?”
“Reed, I …” Her voice quivered. She looked up at the sky, as if deep in thought. Her lips tightened.
A dark cloud of doubt spilled over Reed—like someone had released a vial of ink in his blood. “Wait, you don’t want to?” He couldn’t believe it, but he knew she didn’t. Already, he knew.
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” she said. “We’re just so young. I’m not ready to be a parent.”
“That doesn’t matter. This is our baby.” Reed could already see his face outlined on the child’s, could already hear its gurgling laugh. He’d never wanted a kid before—hell no, not at his age, it was the last thing on his mind—but if it was with Taylor, it was okay. More than okay. It felt right. And he’d sworn to himself if he everdidhave a kid, he’d never abandon it; not like his mom had abandoned him.
“It’s not your body, Reed,” Taylor said. “This isn’t your choice.”
“What are you saying?”
She closed her eyes and bowed her head. “I’m not keeping it. Wecan’t.”
Her words felt like a ball of ice landing in his lap. She moved to stand, but he grabbed her hand and held her there. “Wait, please don’t do this. Think about it at least.”
Tears streamed down her face. “I have. I’m sorry. If you truly love me, you’ll come with me tomorrow.”
