That Was Unexpected! (Unexpected, #1)

Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

Tomorrow, Dad and Becky were holding a sixteenth birthday party for me and it turned out that tomorrow was actually my day of birth. I insisted that they didn't, but of course, nobody listened to me. Taylor had requested that a baby shower be tied in there somewhere, and Becky was all too eager. I didn't know what Taylor's plans for inviting Chad were still going ahead, and honestly, I didn't want to even think about it.

"Excited?" Taylor whispered as we watched a Friday night movie in my bedroom. Dad had found an old television in the shed, and suggested that I put it in my room.

"About what?" I asked, playing stupid. I snuggled into his arms a little more, pulling the covers further up. It was oddly cold for the first day of February.

He kissed the top of me head, "About your birthday. You know, you'll then be only two years younger than me."

"I'm three years younger than you, Tay," I replied, eating some popcorn.

"Yeah, only after both our birthdays are over. You're technically two and a half years younger," he clarified, talking through the romantic kiss on the screen.

"Tay," I whined, "You just interrupted Noah and Allie's rain kiss." I elbowed him for it was my favourite part of the movie.

"Honestly Nas, how many times have you seen The Notebook now? Like three thousand times? You should know every line by now," he saw something glisten in my eye so he added, "and you should be over crying about them. You know how it ends."

"Oh, shut up Tay. Just because you don't like it," I said, moving away from him. Honestly, it wasn't Taylor's comments that had upset me, but somehow, I couldn't let tomorrow's plans get out of my mind. I rolled over, not interested in the romantics on display anymore.

Suddenly, everything was quiet. The movie had been either turned off or muted, and I felt Taylor shift his weight along the bed until his arms could wrap around me. "I'm sorry, Nas. That was rude of me. I don't know why I said those things, I'm sorry," he apologised before kissing various sections of my face.

"You've invited Chad for tomorrow, haven't you," I said, knowing that that was the reason I was upset. Previously, I didn't want to know anything about it, but I felt that if I could prepare for the onslaught to my heart, then it might go more smoothly.

Taylor let out a large sigh before answering me, "Yes, I did," his arms tightened around me. "He's been staying with his mum for the past week, and she's driving him and Dallas down tomorrow. I thought that it would be best if he knew who I was, and what role I was planning to fill for his child."

I let a few tears fall, and Taylor wiped them away. In my heart, I knew that Taylor had done this, but I had been trying to deny the fact.

"You don't have to talk to him or anything. I didn't do this to hurt you, love. I would have made meeting him a plan in my books anyway. I thought that it would be better if he knew the situation his child is being born into," he soothed, stoking my face as the sobs began to ease.

"Stop calling bub his child, Tay. Bub's more your child than his," I turned around so that I could see his face. I found one of his hands and placed it on my belly, "This is your child Tay." I looked into his eyes as the baby began to kick. "Chad wasn't there for me at all. He ran away from me after I told him," I wiped a few tears - happy tears - from my eyes, "You, on the other hand, have been there for me the whole way. It began when you overheard me telling Courtney. You didn't freak out about it - you were calm and understanding about it all. You even held my hair back as I threw up right in front of you," I smiled at the memory of the hug afterwards, "I love you, Tay. I don't hold any emotion for Chad - even hate is too much for me to feel for him. Hence, I want this baby to be known as Taylor Elliott's child, not Chad McMurray's."