“I- I’m sorry,” Teela mumbled. “The truth is, I have some news that I’ve been wanting to find a way to tell you and I just wasn’t sure how.”
“So, you have been avoiding us!”
“What kind of news?” her dad asked, his tone slightly softer.
“Uh- well- I know you both aren’t going to be happy about it but I- I decided that I wanted to- uh- well… I kind of… I’m pregnant.” She admitted that she could have broken the news a little better than she did, but the words kind of just tumbled out.
Her mom and dad froze. They sent each other a shocked expression. When her mom turned back, her face was more than just horrified. She was quickly growing angry. Her dad looked shell-shocked and helpless. He stared at her like she was a stranger, not the daughter he’d raised for three decades.
Her mom and dad looked completely opposite. Her dad was tall and dark haired. He’d always been on the skinny side. Her mom was shorter and a little more full-bodied. She had light honey hair and green eyes. Teela had come out a mix of both their genetics. They also had different approaches to handling problems, even if they were in agreement about the solution.
“P- pregnant?” Her mom stammered. “How are you pregnant? You’re not even with anyone!”
Teela sure as heck wasn’t going to tell her parents about the whole clinic thing. Amy went white as a sheet beside her and she wished she could assure her. Instead, she shifted a little and clasped her hands in her lap.
“Actually, I have been seeing someone. It was a surprise to both of us and I was waiting to tell you, because honestly, I knew how you were going to react. No, I’m not married. No, I’m probably not going to be, at least not for a long while, if ever. No, this child is not a mistake. Yes, I’m going to love it. Yes, I want it. Yes, it is your grandchild. Yes, the father and I are trying to make things work. Yes, we both want to co-parent no matter what our relationship is in the future. So, you don’t have to worry. I’ve got it under control.” She rested a hand on her stomach protectively while her parents stared at her like she’d just dropped down from the sky like some kind of alien bird demon thing.
They were both wearing matching outfits, Teela realized, now that she wasn’t so focused on figuring out a way to tell them her news. Jeans and blue t-shirts. She wondered if they’d planned it.
Before she could say anything, Amy was off, trying to be her wingman, but only digging them in deeper.
“She’s seeing a good guy. He has lots of money, so you don’t have to worry about the baby. They’re going to do a good job raising it and even if things don’t work out, she’ll be fine. The courts will see to that.”
Teela shut her eyes. She wanted to jam an elbow into Amy’s side. She would have tried it if they were sitting side by side on the couch, but the two separate chairs didn’t help anything.
“It’s Ross Day. The father. He owns all those grocery stores. He has lots of money. Like, tons. So yeah, the baby will be taken care of, and so will Teela. He’s like, a billionaire or something.”
Teela’s head swam. She barley registered the looks her parents were giving each other. She dropped her head into her hands, wishing she could just disappear. She wanted to set the record straight. She sure as hell wasn’t with Ross for his money, but holy shit, had Amy just said billions? Teela knew that Ross had money, but billions?
Before Teela could process anything else, her parents got to their feet. Her mom gave her dad a sharp, pointed look. “We’ll talk about this later, when we’ve all had time to process it.”
“Mom- come on…” Teela stood. She didn’t want her parents to walk out like that and leave everything unsettled and uncomfortable. She could only imagine what they were thinking.
“No, we’ll talk later,” her mom said firmly. “Come on, Dave. Let’s go.”
Teela’s dad shot her an apologetic look, at least, before he was ushered out the door. Teela didn’t even see them out and of course her mom banged the door harder than necessary, just in case she’d missed the memo about what a horrible, sinful, disappointment she was at the moment.
“Oh my fucking god,” Teela breathed. She turned to Amy, horrified. “You shouldn’t have said any of that. They definitely did not need to know.”
“Well, they would have found out sooner or later. I mean, you probably want Ross to meet them.”
“Not like that! Now they’re just going to think about him having all that money. They probably think that I spread my legs and got myself knocked up just so I could be taken care of for the rest of my life.”