Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 104288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Mom’s voice is thick when she finally speaks. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Maren.”
“Understand where we’re coming from,” Dad adds. “This is all so sudden, sweetheart. We didn’t even know you and Tuck were together. And now you’re having a baby and changing all your future plans? You never said a word to us about any of this.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “But I did. I told y’all time and time again that I hated the job I had at Wesley Elementary. I said I’ve been struggling to stay motivated in school because of it.”
“We thought it was just a bump in the road,” Mom says.
I shake my head. “It was a sign I needed to pivot. Which is what I’m doing now.”
Dad tilts his head. “All right. What exactly are you pivoting to? If you’re getting your master’s in early elementary education, where are you going to use it except at, well, an elementary school?”
I hold my fork and knife in a death grip. “I don’t know yet, but I’ll figure that out. I promise. And when have I ever not come through on a promise, Dad?”
“This very moment. Our deal always was that you did well in school, and we supported you.”
“Maren is still in school,” Tuck counters. “And if her past performance is any indication, she’s going to graduate top of her class.”
But Mom just shakes her head. “How’s it going to look when you show up pregnant to class?”
“My classes are virtual, Mom.”
“Fine. What about job interviews? You’ll be a single mom, which puts you at a disadvantage—”
“She’s not single,” Tuck bites out.
Mom looks at him. “Are y’all talking about getting married, then?”
My scalp prickles with sweat. “Mom, it’s way too soon for that. Give us time.”
“I’ll do right by your daughter, whatever we decide that looks like.” Tuck’s chest barrels out on a deep inhale. “I’m here to support her. You have my word on that.”
But Dad only frowns. “Forgive me, but we don’t know you, Tuck. And Maren—hell, you barely know him yourself.” He lets out a mirthless laugh. “Y’all want to be together, fine. You want to have a baby? That’s fine too, but it should happen a ways down the road. You should wait. Get to know each other first. Let Maren finish school and figure out her career plans. If you decide in a few years this is still what you want—”
“I know what I want.” My voice shakes.
Dad looks me in the eye. “You’re young. Chances are, you’re going to change your mind. Listen to me when I say you should reconsider your decision.”
I’m gripped by a sense of immense guilt. I feel like they’re talking about me—about their own decision to have me so young, and how much harder it made their lives.
Tuck goes rigid beside me. He wraps his hand around my nape, his grip warm, firm. “With all due respect, sir, we’ve made our decision. We’re having this baby, whether you like it or not.”
Tuck’s voice is like distant thunder. Not loud, but somehow still menacing enough to make us all go still.
My heart, though, works hard, getting bigger with every beat. It fills my chest, its edges feathering against the bottom of my ribcage, the column of my spine.
I look at Tuck—so fucking handsome with his full lips and furrowed brow—and everything inside me levitates. He’s defending me. Sticking up for us, even though it’s deeply uncomfortable.
No one has ever done that for me before.
No one’s ever trusted me that way. Trusted that I know what I want and then went to war to defend my right to have it.
But here’s Tuck, sword in hand, doing battle on my behalf.
If I wasn’t in love before, I sure as hell am now.
I grab onto the edge of the table, a futile attempt to keep my heart from floating away. But it does. It floats right out of my chest, a balloon on a string I can only hope Tuck will catch.
It’s terrifying, witnessing that part of yourself leave your body. I’m screwed. What happens next—it’s out of my control. This man could quite literally destroy me and my future if he wanted to.
Or he could build a big, beautiful life alongside me.
A life I would’ve never imagined for myself, but that I suddenly, desperately want.
twenty-three
. . .
Maren
One in a Million
We walk Mom and Dad back to the ferry. No one had much to say after Tuck’s declaration, so we ate in uncomfortable silence.
It was awful. But instead of stewing in self-hatred over the fact that I disappointed my parents, I was able to feel proud I stuck up for myself. Probably because Tuck stuck up for me too.
It’s weird saying goodbye to Mom and Dad. I don’t think any of us know how to leave things. What I do know is I don’t want there to be any bad blood between us. My parents have their opinions, but they’re good people. I know they only want me to be happy.