Sam stood beside Hannah, his imposing figure offering quiet strength. Hannah had asked that he be there for the conversation, and Maddie was grateful for his steady presence. She could feel Hannah’s nervousness, and she gently placed a hand on the girl’s arm in support.
The door opened with a creak, and a middle-aged man stood in the doorway, his face haggard and drawn, the stubble on his cheeks a few days old. Maddie didn’t know the man, but she immediately knew that grief had carved itself into his features.His eyes were tired, and his expression grew wary as he took in the sight of Hannah standing with Maddie and Sam.
“Dad,” Hannah said, her voice shaking. “Can we talk?”
Her father’s brow furrowed, his gaze moving between the three of them. “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice gruff but not unkind.
“I just want to talk to you,” Hannah said.
“About what? Why do you need these folks?”
Hannah swallowed hard, and for a second, it looked like she might retreat, like she might run from this unwelcome confrontation. But then she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, her voice small but determined. “Because they’re here to support me. I’m sorry, it wasn’t planned, but…I’m pregnant.”
The words hung in the cold air, freezing everything in place. Maddie held her breath, her pulse pounding in her ears as she waited for the man’s reaction.
Silence spooled out, thick and uncomfortable. Hannah’s father stood frozen in the doorway, his face unreadable. Then, slowly, his expression shifted—first to confusion, then to disbelief, and finally to anger.
“You’rewhat?” he said, his voice rising with shock. “Pregnant? Hannah, how could you?—”
“Please,” Maddie interjected gently, stepping forward. “Let’s sit down and talk about this. It’s taken a lot of courage for Hannah to get here.”
Hannah’s father looked at Maddie, his eyes wide with fury. “You knew? An adult? And you didn’t think you should tell me?”
Maddie kept her voice calm. “It’s her information to share and she needed time, plus, she was scared. We’re only here to support and help in whatever way we can, I give you my word.”
Sam nodded. “She’s right, Bill.”
Bill’s chest heaved as he stared at his daughter, his emotions clearly a whirlwind of anger and hurt. “Scared? What about me? How am I supposed to deal with this?”
“She’syourdaughter,” Sam said, his voice low and firm. “She needs your support now more than ever. Let us come in and sit down so we can discuss this.”
Hannah’s father seemed frozen in place. Only his face twisted with emotion, and Maddie could see the battle waging inside him. But then, slowly, his shoulders slumped, and he let out a shaky breath.
“Come inside then,” he muttered, stepping back from the door. “So we can...talk.”
As they stepped into the warmth of the house, Maddie felt a surge of relief. It wasn’t going to be easy, but they had made it through the hardest part. Hannah’s news was no longer a secret.
Hannah squeezed Maddie’s hand and, for the first time in days, Maddie saw a flicker of hope in the girl’s eyes.
As they sat down around the small, worn kitchen table, Maddie knew it would take some doing, but they would get through this together, one step at a time. She’d promised Hannah she would be here to support her in whatever way she needed, and Maddie still meant that.
No matter what Hannah’s father ultimately decided, Hannah and her baby would not be alone in this.
Chapter Thirteen
Tension thickened the air in Bill’s small house as they all sat at the kitchen table. The faint ticking of the wall clock was the only sound that filled the silence, amplifying the nervous energy that hummed between them.
Bill, visibly shaken, sat across from them, his gaze traveling back and forth from his daughter to Maddie and Sam, as if trying to make sense of everything. He looked tired and worn down, the same way Maddie had felt right after losing Jack.
Finding out his daughter was pregnant couldn’t be easy, not on top of everything else he had to deal with.
But Maddie’s heart ached for Hannah the most. She was the one who had to bear the heaviest burden.
The girl sat stiffly, hands clasped tightly in her lap, her eyes downcast. The quiet girl Maddie had come to know, who had been holding onto this secret for so long, now seemed smaller than ever. Vulnerable. Maddie could sense the fear radiating off her in waves, and it made Maddie want to reach across the table and shield her from the storm she knew was brewing.
Hannah’s father cleared his throat, the sound rough and strained, breaking the uncomfortable silence. His face had gonenearly colorless, and the furrows in his brow seemed deeper than ever.
“I—I don’t understand,” he said, his voice hoarse. He looked directly at Hannah for the first time since she’d broken the news. “How could this happen? I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.”
