Finding The Father

Chapter Twenty "Happily Ever After"

I sat in the passenger seat of the rental car as Nick parked alongside of the road. I stared at the building with a thumping heart and a lump in my throat.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked with his concerned puppy eyes.

"Yes." I sighed and looked down. "No."

"Hey," He brushed my hair behind my ear and I looked into his eyes. "Everything is going to be okay."

"I'm just nervous." I exhaled with a shaky breath.

"Do you need me to come in with you?" He offered.

I shook my head. "No." I nodded as if to convince myself. "I should do this alone."

Nick lifted my chin with his finger and pressed his lips against mine softly. "That's for good luck."

I flashed him a smile before I pulled open the door and stepped out of the car. The building stared back at me tauntingly and I felt like I was going to throw up.

Pushing open the front doors, I looked around the garage. The familiar scent of oil and gas filled my nose. I could hear the sounds of a car engine trying to start.

Following the sound, I turned the corner and found Greyson leaning over the front of an old car. The hood was being held up over his head with a pole and his hand was inside the engine.

"Greyson?" I spoke out into the echo of the room.

He turned around and his eyes locked with mine. He was wearing his coveralls covered in oil. He smiled at me.

"Dylan. I knew you'd be back soon. Couldn't resist my charm, eh?" He said as he picked up a rag from the tool table next to him and wiped off his hands.

"We have to talk."

He sensed the seriousness of my voice and his smile fell for a moment, but he quickly picked it back up.

"Let me guess--your boyfriend broke it off because he knew you found me attractive and now you're here to beg for my-"

"Greyson," I cut him off and he stopped talking.

His smile fell a little. "Something wrong with your car?"

I shook my head and swallowed my heavy heartbeat. "Do you remember me?"

"Yeah. You and your friends came in to get your car fixed-"

"No. Before that." He stared at me and shrugged. "During spring break, my friends and I came to Vegas. We went to a music festival." I pushed a strain of hair behind my ear. "You were there too."

He thought about it for a second before his eyes lit up. "I remember you now. Backseat of my car." He chuckled. "Come back for a second round?"

I rolled my stinging eyes and shook my head. My wobbly hand reached up to my face and I wiped the fallen tears. His smile disappeared.

"I'm pregnant."

The words felt foregin to me. Like I'm not the one who spoke them. I could feel the atmosphere around us shift because of those two little words. The world felt like it was spinning and I feared I would faint.

His face went stern--it was a look I've never seen on him before. He put his hand on the car to hold himself up. He looked down at the ground for a moment in thought. The silence between us was so loud it hurt my ears.

"You're pregnant?" He said in a small voice.

I nodded and sniffed away the tears.

"I thought I should tell you." I told him and wiped away another tear.

"Well, I wish you hadn't." He said suddenly and threw the rag on the ground.

"What?" Greyson started to walk away and I followed him. "What do you mean?"

"I-I'm not ready for a kid." He told me as he walked towards the front desk.

"Neither am I! I'm a freshman in college. I live in a dorm! I barely make enough money to feed myself."

"Is that why you came here? For money?" He turned around suddenly and I raised my eyebrows.

"Excuse me? I don't want your money. I just figured you'd want to know since it is your kid and all."

"That is not my kid. I-I don't even know you!" He yelled.

"I ran around almost the entire state of Nevada trying to find you. I wouldn't have done that if I wasn't positive you were the father. But I guess I wasted my time." I said as a tear rolled down my cheek.

He stared at me for a moment. He was breathing heavily and seething with anger. I wasn't sure if it was all towards me or himself.

"Yeah...you did. Don't ever contact me again." He said before he turned and walked out through the back doors.

I stood there all alone with tears streaming down my face. My heart ached. The little bit of hope I had floated away as I turned and walked out of that garage.

With a heavy heart and wet eyes, I got back into the car with Nick. He watched me for a moment before I began sobbing.

"What happened?" He asked softly.

"He told me he wants nothing to do with me or the baby." I told him and my heart ached with every word. "We're all alone."

He sighed softly and reached his hand up to wipe away my tears.

"You're not alone." He told me in a whisper. "I'm right here."

Our eyes connected and I felt my heart stop. The way he looked at me made me melt like butter.

"Why aren't you running for the hills? My life is complicated and messy and it's only going to get worse from here. Why would you stay?"

He smiled at my words and brushed back a strand of my hair. "Because I love you. I've always loved you."

His eyes watched me carefully for my reaction and my lips stretched into a smile that I'm sure reached ear to ear. My heart fluttered with excitement as he matched my smile. I leaned over and kissed him with my entire soul.