“I’ll give you a hundred bucks cash if you just bring us to a fucking hospital!”
“This better not mess up my driver’s score,” he mumbles as he puts the car in drive.
It’s been two days since I heard my baby’s heartbeat for the first and last time.
Cervical incompetence. That’s what caused me to miscarry the baby I only got to know about for a matter of hours.
How can God be so cruel?
Why should I even believe He’s real when so much has been stolen from me?
My mother. My marriage. My baby.
“Do you want a cup of tea?” my dad asks, startling me from my thoughts.
I pull the sleeves of my sweater over my hands and ball them into fists. “No thank you.”
“Taev—” he starts but hesitates, rubbing the back of his head. “I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk about this with considering everything you’ve just gone through, but are you sure this is what you want?”
Tears well in my eyes for what has to be the hundredth time today, and I sniffle before nodding my head. “I’m sure, Dad. I need to move on from this.”
He sighs. “I understand that, honey. But don’t you think you should try to talk to Jackson before you blindside him like this?”
My bone-deep agony is temporarily replaced by anger as I stare at my dad. “Are you seriously trying to defend him rightnow? I just miscarried our baby after watching my husband kiss another woman.”
My dad crosses his arms and looks down at the floor, unwilling to meet my eyes that I’m sure are full of fury. How can he defend someone he hardly even liked? Especially after I unexpectedly came home this morning and told him that not only had I eloped behind his back, but I also managed to get myself pregnant at eighteen.
“I’m not defending or excusing his actions, Taevin. I’m simply trying to do my job as your father and make sure you’ve fully thought this through. I don’t want you to make a rash decision when you’re hurt and angry. You exchanged vows. Filing for an annulment would mean on paper that your marriage never happened.”
“That’s exactly what I want. Besides, Jackson broke those vows.”
“Didn’t you break them first when you left?” he counters, and my stomach sinks. But there’s no sense in telling my dad the reason for my leaving now. Not when Senator Wilson went so far as threatening my father’s position at the church too.
Regardless of who broke whose heart first, this is what is for the best.
“I want an annulment, Dad. And I came here to ask for your help. If you can’t do that, then I’ll do it on my own from my apartment in Nashville,” I snap back at him.
My dad puts his hands up in surrender. “Alright. If you’re sure, I’ll help you. Just give me a day to have the paperwork drawn up. Then you can sign it before you fly back to Nashville and the lawyer will send it to him.”
“Thank you,” I murmur just as my phone rings.
Kyle’s name flashes across the screen and before I answer, I look up at my dad. “I’ve got to take this, I’ll be right back,” I tellhim before walking up the stairs to my room and answering the call.
“Hey Kyle,” I greet.
“Taevin! There you are, I’ve tried calling for hours now. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. I just got settled at my dad’s house in Minnesota. I’ll probably be here for another day or two before I fly back to Nashville.”
“But you’ve got the studio booked for a recording session tomorrow afternoon.”
“I won’t be there, Kyle,” I tell him, barely restrained frustration lacing my tone.
“You can’t throw away your entire future because of a bad breakup, Taevin.”
As much as I want to snap at him for assuming he knows what happened or what’s best for me after only knowing me for two months, I swallow down my angry retort and take a deep breath.
“It wasn’t just a bad breakup. I, um, I actually was pregnant.”
