Just So You Know (boyxboy)

ten

[ Nathan ]

"Maxey, we need to talk." I sighed, pacing my living room floor.

"Absolutely not." My mother said, making me look at her and she was shaking her head in disapproval. "You're going to give him an anxiety attack if you start it that way."

"Okay, then how would you start?" I raised a brow, folding my arms over my chest.

"I would just come right out and say it."

"Is that what you did?" I asked, snarkily.

"It's exactly what I did." I had expected her to be so smiley while answering. She patted the couch cushion next to to her for me to sit. "Your dad was a free spirit, wanted to go everywhere and do everything that he could. We never dated, just had an off and on fling. You were more of a surprise than anything. I knew I was ready to be a mother, but your dad...he wasn't. I sat him down and told him, 'I'm pregnant.' And I wasn't going to waste your time while he decided if he wanted to be there or not. We didn't really communicate during the pregnancy, but I let him watch you be born and he held you and loved you. But we both knew being a parent wasn't what he wanted. He gave up his rights and the rest is history."

I let her words stew in my head.

I invited Max over later that night and had his favorite movie on, waiting to hit play, and his favorite food from Taco Bell waiting for him.

"What's all this about?" He laughed as he sat on the bed, taking a drink of the Baja blast. "Trying to bribe me or something?" He was only joking, but when I didn't laugh, he stopped, too. "You're freaking me out, what is it? What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath in and let it out. "You remember Alyssa? The girl I dated a couple years ago?" He slowly nodded. "Well, we were hooking up on and off after we broke up and uh...she's pregnant with my baby."

He was quiet for a long time. "How long have you been keeping this from me?"

"The whole time." I said. "She's due in the beginning of June."

"Beginning of June? It's the middle of May, right now!" He shouted. "Why did you tell me this sooner?!"

"I know! I know!" I threw my hands up in defense. "Alyssa was going to give him up for adoption, but I didn't want her to. I wanted to be there for my son, unlike my dad was for me. I want this experience, so she let me have full custody of him. And I wanted to wait to tell you until after I did."

"You should have told me sooner." He looked away from me. "What does that mean about...us?"

"I love you, and I want to be in a relationship with you. But I also need to raise my son. I know it's asking a lot of you, but if you wanted to continue this relationship, now with a baby...we could be a family. One where you prove your dad right and I prove my dad wrong." I reached my hand out for his. "You don't have to think about it, right now. You've got all the time in the world to think about it."

He looked at my hand. "You mean less than three weeks?"

"No." I shook my head. "I mean I'm not going anywhere. If you said no now and then changed your mind later, I wouldn't hold it against you."

"What happens if I said no and didn't change my mind?" His voice was so quiet, I almost didn't hear it.

"Then that's the choice you make, isn't it? I'm not asking you to do anything you don't want to do."

He nodded, silently, and I could see in his eyes that he was in deep thought. He took my hand that I offered him and let out a breath I hadn't realized he was holding. "Okay. I'll be your baby's dad."