Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
This certainly hadn’t been the reaction I envisioned from them, this stunned silence. And I didn’t know if them being quiet scared me more than if they were raging at me and telling me how disappointed they were.
“A baby?” my mother finally breathed, and I nodded.
“Yeah, a baby,” I echoed.
More silence. More thickness.
Devon reached under the table and took my hand, giving it a squeeze. His reassurance went a long way in making me feel like this was the right decision, the right time to spring this on my parents. My mother ended up walking over and sitting beside my dad, both of them looking at each other for a suspended moment.
“Honestly, I guess I can’t say I’m surprised things turned out this way.” It was my father who spoke first, his words having everything in me freeze. That certainly hadn’t been what I thought he’d respond with.
For my entire life, my parents had been very “by the book” on how they handled teaching me about life and how they taught me to be a responsible adult. My father was a little more lenient than my mother, but if I could sway him into seeing this really wasn’t the end of the world—unconventional, yes—then I could help my mother fully understand that I wasn’t going to hell.
“You know I wish you guys would’ve done things a little bit… differently.” It was my mother who spoke then, and that was pretty much what I expected her to stay.
What she wasn’t outright saying was that she wished I was married before getting pregnant. My mother’s parents had been very old-fashioned, meaning if she would’ve gotten pregnant out of wedlock, they probably would’ve sent her to her aunt’s farm for the summer to have the baby. It wasn’t talked about, and that’s just how it was.
It was another time, another world. Things were different now.
“Are you happy?” my mother asked.
I felt the smile spread across my lips instantly. “I am,” I said softly.
“Devon makes you happy?” my father was the next one to ask.
I nodded, my grin spreading. “He does. Very much.”
“Then I’m happy for you sweetheart,” Dad said. He looked at Mom then. “And I know your mother only wants you happy too.”
Mom glanced at me. “You’re my baby girl,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “And your happiness means everything to me.” She wiped away her tears. “I love you, and I don’t want you to ever worry that something like this would change that.”
Now I was crying.
I was willing to fight for the relationship I had with Devon and for this baby. And if they couldn’t see that, then I would’ve taken a step back until they did, but now a part of me knew it wouldn’t come to that. They loved me unconditionally, and they wanted me to be happy.
“What are your intentions with Leila, Devon? What does the future look like for you?” Leave it to my dad to hit hard with the real questions right away, to not ease into it.
Devon tightened his hand on mine, and I looked over at him. I knew how he felt, but my heart still jumped into my throat as I waited for him to respond. What would he say to my father?
“I love Leila, sir.”
The corner of my lips twitched as I heard him be all proper with my dad, a man he’d known all his life. He was nervous; I could tell. It was kind of endearing to see my alpha man so unsure of how he should proceed.
“I love her, and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to make her happy.” Devon looked at me then and gave me a reassuring smile. “I want to marry her, sir.” My heart seized in my chest then. “I’ve known this girl my entire life, and she’s my world. We are starting a family together, albeit not in the traditional way you probably wanted, but I love her more than anything. So much.”
The tears threatened to overflow again, and I shifted on the chair, clearing my throat as I looked between my father and mother. And surprisingly… they were both smiling.
They looked happy.
I knew there was still a lot to discuss, a lot of ground to cover. But in this moment as I looked into my parents’ faces, I knew that no matter what, they were here for me.
I knew—felt—things wouldn’t be so bad. And I knew from this point on, being honest was absolutely key. Because withholding information only ever ended up causing heartache in the end.
And in my future, all I wanted was happiness and love, especially with Devin by my side, and the family we were creating.
Epilogue One
Devon
Six months later
“I didn’t know my belly could extend this far,” Leila said as she looked at herself in the mirror.
I was on the bed, my laptop on my lap, but my focus was on anything but work. Leila stood gloriously naked in front of the mirror that hung on the back of the bedroom door. She’d just gotten out of the shower, her hair damp, the ends curling, and the towel pooled around her feet.