She moved to let him in, a gust of cool air following him. It would warm up; the sun promised to shine on them soon, warming everything that its beams touched. They stood there awkwardly, staring at each other.

‘I told my mom and dad,’ he began.

‘Yeah, I told mine too.’ She waited.

‘They think the best thing to do is for us to get married now, not wait any longer. They kinda have this out-of-wedlock thing. They’re so pissed at me,’ he confided.

‘You want to get married now?’ she asked, unable to process what he was saying.

‘Yeah, they’ll give their permission if yours do.’

‘I think while my parents are on the same page about getting married, they’re gonna want to wait till I turn eighteen and graduate. It’s almost that time now. I’ll be eighteen when the baby is born, so I won’t need their permission. We can wait. Is that OK?’ She looked at him imploringly.

‘None of this is “OK”. I made a mistake – I shouldn’t have to pay for it for the rest of my fucking life,’ he said angrily.

‘Oh, I’m so sorry that this happened to you,’ she said sarcastically, hands on her hips. ‘I can’t imagine what that must be like for you.’

‘Don’t be a bitch, Vanessa. I’m just saying I didn’t think I’d have to plan my whole life in one night.’

‘Well neither did I,’ she hissed quietly so she didn’t wake her parents. ‘We’ll get married and have the baby in a couple of months. I think it’s a good idea if we both stay away from Maggie, give her the space she needs. Besides, we’re a couple now.’

She could have sworn that she saw a shudder run through his body as he turned toward the back door.

‘We can make this work, Mark. We can raise this child together, and we can be happy. I promise.’

‘Yeah,’ he muttered as he closed the door behind him. He didn’t sound convinced. Vanessa would have to work extra hard to show him that she and the baby were good for him. Worth loving. She curved her hand around her stomach. She loved this baby fiercely already and would do anything for him or her. Now that it was out in the open and she didn’t have to hide, she allowed herself to feel joy at the thought of this tiny human growing inside her. But Vanessa was still in two minds. Part of her was elated that she was marrying Mark, whereas the other part was keenly aware that he was in love with another woman. She’d make him forget about Maggie, and he would love her and only her. Once he saw their child and how wonderful a mom she would be, he’d fall in love with her. She was sure of it.

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