I still don’t.
But I don’t think I have any other option.
I have to take care of Avery.
Swallowing hard, I stare at my phone.
Damn it.
Maybe I should call Jude. See what he thinks. But I know what he’ll say. It’s the same thing Jayden and Lucy will say too. No, I can’t call them. They wouldn’t understand. They have good jobs; they haven’t felt the complete and utter failure I’m feeling. Plus, I know they’ll try to throw money at me, and I don’t want their money. I don’t want to owe anyone anything.
No, there is only one option.
Dialing my dad’s number, I wait for him to answer. I haven’t talked to him much in a while, and he doesn’t even know Avery is pregnant. I don’t know, I just didn’t think he needed to know, which might bite me in the ass now.
“Son, I was seriously about to call you,” he says with a laugh. “I just got the craziest email.”
I pause. “Yeah? What about?”
“Avery,” he says and I pause.
“What about her?”
“Well, I guess she’s at the studio with Stu. And he emailed me razzing me about being a grandpa again. I was confused, ’cause I didn’t know I was going to be a grandpa.”
“Wow, okay. Because that’s the reason I’m calling,” I laugh, but he doesn’t laugh with me.
“So, it’s true?”
“Yeah, she’s pregnant and we got married,” I say simply, and he draws in a sharp breath.
“Well, then.”
“Yeah,” I say, letting out a breath. “Sudden, I know. But it was just right.”
“All right, wow. I’m surprised by all of this.” He pauses and I hear him shuffling papers. “Not to sound like a dick, but you’re sure it’s yours?”
“Yeah, I know it is.”
“Being who you are, Jace, I wouldn’t put it past anyone to try to—”
“Dad, it’s mine. She wouldn’t do that anyway. She isn’t that kind of person,” I say, shutting that down.
“I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“Then don’t ever say that again, okay?”
“Okay,” he says simply. “I guess congratulations are in order?”
“Thanks.”
“You should let me take you out, celebrate.”
“Um, yeah, sure,” I say, but I have no intention of going. I just don’t want to piss him off before I ask for what I called for. “Listen, the reason I was calling was to tell you. And also to ask if there is any way you can change my trust fund from me getting it when I turn twenty-one to me getting it now.”
I wait for him to say something, but all I hear is papers moving. As seconds pass, I start to panic. This was my only plan, the only idea I had that was going to make everything easier on us. “Um, the reason is the family dorms on campus are full, and I can’t use my scholarship money on an off-campus apartment. Plus, it costs so much more. I could get more hours at the coffee shop, but I’m already so tired and shit. I really need the money, Dad, so if you could change it, that would be great.”
Sucking in a deep breath, he lets it out as I wait. God, this is demoralizing. “Listen, son, let’s talk about it over dinner, okay?”