“Hello,” I answer.
I hear music and what sounds like a lot of people yelling in the background, but no one is answering me.
“Talon, are you there?” I yell into the phone.
“Blake? Can you hear me?”
“Barely, can you move somewhere else?”
“Give me a minute,” he says, and I hear him moving.
The background noises get softer.
“I found a bathroom. What’s the big emergency that has you blowing up my phone?” Talon asks, and I can barely understand him. His voice is hardly audible, and he’s slurring his words.
“Are you drunk?” I ask.
“A little. The guys invited some people over.”
“Isn’t it like noon there?”
“They’re still going from last night. We finished recording the album and we leave on tour next week. We’re celebrating.”
“You’re not going to make it home before the tour?”
“Nah, I’ve decided to hang around here. Springbrook isn’t home anymore, and there’s nothing there for me.”
As if Cole and Foster may have implied, I was nothing to them, but Talon just came out and said it aloud. My chest constricts, and my vision blurs. I need to get off the phone and get home.
“Okay, I need to get off the phone. I’m driving.” I say to say to him, ready to hang up.
“What was the emergency?”
I’m surprised he even remembers what we were talking about.
“Nothing important. My parents are going to help me with it. Goodbye, Talon.”
I hang up and spare us both more of that awful conversation. I break down in my car on the side of the road. This whole day was cursed, and I want to get home, crawl into bed, and forget any of this ever happened.
Six Months Later
I wait in the car for my parents so that we can leave. Today is my twenty-four-week appointment with my OB, and my parents are coming to see the ultrasound. My dad is eager to see his grandson for the first time.
After today, my self-imposed deadline is up. I need to tell the boys about the baby. I also need to tell my parents that there's more than one potential father. I’m sure that will go over well. But that’s future me’s problem. Now, we need to make the hour-long drive to my doctor’s office.
Both of my parents come out of the house and get in the car. It’s already dark out, even though it’s barely past six. I took the last appointment of the day so my dad could come along.
“Are you going to call Cole as soon as we get home?” My mom starts on me as soon as we get on the road.
“Celia, give her a break. She’ll tell him when she’s ready. He’s the one who abandoned her. She owes him nothing,” My dad tells her.
I smile. My dad has been Team “Cole Sucks” since the day I gave them the cliff notes version of what happened between him and me when I visited. It was enough to stop them from hounding me about him every day. I appreciate his support now, but I also know that leaving this tension to fester will do no good in the long run. There are a lot of issues to be worked out before my son is born in a few short months.
First on my list is telling my parents that I’ll need a paternity test. Next is telling Cole because he’ll be the easiest to reach. He has a new girlfriend now, so that should be fun.
Nope, I can’t think about that.
Next, I’ll let Foster know and hope he doesn’t hate me. I’ve heard his hockey career is over, and I feel terrible for him. The final thing to do is try to contact Talon. I have no idea where in the world he is right now. I’ve deleted all my social media accounts to protect my mental health. I don’t need to see pictures of them all having a good time while I work my ass off to support my son. I’ve had to quit school and took a job at the grocery store. It blows my mind how much stuff a little baby needs. And it will only get harder when he gets here in just a few months.
