I squeeze her hand—a silent praise for standing up for herself, and a reminder that I’ve got her back.
“Are you saying a wedding is entirely out of the question? At any point?” Her mom counters indignantly, I look to Darcy, trying to gauge her reaction. There’s undeniably chemistry between us, but I doubt she cares for me in the same manner I’ve begun to feel for her.
“Mom, let it go. Tatum treats me well.” When she says that, a small bloom of hope fires up on the outskirts of the anger that's been simmering since this conversation with her parents began.
If mice existed in this home, you would be able to hear them scurry across the floor as the room seems to fall out of time, an uncomfortable hush filling the space. However, it’s short-lived, before Steven’s face turns the most ferocious red and he erupts, startling the three of us.
“That is unacceptable Darcy. You can’t go and whore yourself out, then bring random men into my home,” he booms, “expecting me to welcome them with open arms. You’re so selfish, did you, even once, consider how badly this will reflect on our family’s reputation? Youwillmarry him or you will no longer be welcome in this home or this family.”
Beside me, I hear a small whimper and out of the corner of my eye, I see that Darcy has tears running down her cheeks. Lorraine’s face is tight, her lips pursed tightly, nodding her head in agreement with her husband. My vision blurs as my better judgement is smothered by rage, boiling up within me, I drop Darcy’s hand, squeezing my fists at my side, white-knuckled and shaking, so I don’t cross-check this man for disrespecting the mother of my child like that. How could he call his own child such a vile name with no hint of remorse?
I take a deep breath and hold it for just a moment, giving order to the chaos in my brain. In as level of a tone as I can muster, I let him have it. “You know what? The fact that you aren’t even the least bit excited about your new grandchild, and having the gall to callyour own childa whore tells me everything I need to know about you. You've made it clear to me that I don’t want you to have any role in my child's life.” Steven glares in response, seething, but I can’t find a single fuck to give about what he has going on behind those soulless windows often misunderstood as his eyes. I extend a hand towards Darcy, helping her up and pulling her into my side, my arm protectively wrapped around her shoulder. “Darcy, I think we should go. Your parents clearly don’t deserve to be part of our child's life nor do they want to be.”
Lorraine follows behind us, desperate to capture our attention as we exit the estate's front doors. She’s now a blubbering mess, like she wasn’t in blind agreement with her husband's decisions two minutes ago.
“Darcy,” she wails between sobs, “Please… you know your daddy doesn’t mean any of that!”
I don’t slow down as I proceed to walk Darcy to the car, opening her door and closing it behind her. I hop in and peel out of the driveway, placing my hand on Darcy’s knee before speaking, “I am so sorry that he said those things to you, he’s just an uptight prick. You deservebetter, Darcy.”
She lets out an exasperated, hollow laugh. “That went way worse than I thought it was going to. I…” She sniffles, “I expected them to be upset, expected my Mom to try and start planning a wedding before being sorely disappointed. I didn’t expect to be called a whore and disowned.”
“Would a Coke Icee make you feel better?” I ask, squeezing her knee gently as I continue back into town towards our place.
“It wouldn’t hurt to try it.” I catch a small smile in my periphery. “Do you think it will go better with your parents tomorrow?”
“I know for a fact that it will. But, if you aren’t feeling up to it after today, we can reschedule.”
“That might be a good idea. I don’t want to go into tomorrow feeling so freshly heartbroken.”
“Okay, do you mind if I call my mom real quick?” I ask.
“Go ahead, I feel bad. Tell her I’m sorry.”
I press call on my mom’s contact and her sweet yet calming voice filters through the car speakers. “Hi, Tate. You're on speaker with dad.”
“Hey guys, just wanted to call about tomorrow. I’m going to come to dinner alone, Darcy isn’t feeling well. Can we reschedule for, let's say, three weeks from today?” I look to Darcy for confirmation and she nods her head at me.
“Oh, I’m sorry she isn’t feeling well, but yes, we’d still love to meet her.” My mom’s empathy radiating through the phone call.
“She’s looking forward to it, too, and is sorry to miss tomorrow. I’ll still swing by tomorrow night.”
“Sounds good, we love you. Send our love to Darcy.”
“Will do, love you guys.” Then the line goes dead and I see Darcy smile softly from the corner of my eyes, hoping this has helped her feel a little better after the shit show that was today. After securing her Icee, we head home so she can rest.
Chapter6
Surprise
Darcy || 13 weeks pregnant, September
The night following brunch with my parents I couldn’t stop thinking about how Tatum stood up for me. No one has ever stood up to my father like that, and admittedly, it was hot as fuck. Tatum’s vein popping as he clenched and unclenched his fist under the table, the protective arm he wrapped around me, and the way herepeatedlychecked in on me until we got home and I passed out. Now, three weeks later, I’m standing in front of the mirror, noticing how my black yoga pants are hugging my thighs a little tighter and my stomach looks a little swollen. I throw on a light green, oversized flannel that hangs off my shoulders revealing the lace strap of my cream bralette to show off the small wave tattoo that adorns my collarbone. It’s a small, but meaningful, reminder of my happy place. My long hair is in a messy braid hanging on my opposite shoulder. I pull my phone out, snapping a pic to show the girls, Ko, Harls, and Sin.
Kodi
OMG! A little bump!
Me
