From Teen To Mom

Chapter 4

Greyson and I spent the entire evening, extending into the late hours of the night, nestled comfortably on his couch, engrossed in deep conversation. To my surprise, we discovered several things in common between us. Neither of us had the privilege of knowing our fathers, we both shared a deep passion for basketball and football, and our musical tastes contained a wide collection of genres.

"I started dealing weed when I was barely 12. That was six years ago. My mom was heavily into drugs, and selling was the only way I knew to make ends meet, to keep a roof over our heads and food on our table," he admitted, matter-of-factly. "My family is well-off, but they refuse to enable my mother's addiction or help her raise us. Thankfully, she's now limited herself to just smoking weed."

"By the time I hit 16, I was dealing in a lot more than just weed, and I hardly ever got to see my mom. So, I got myself emancipated after my sixteenth birthday. I never really had a solid plan beyond that. Now, I work as a mechanic at my uncle's garage. I've found that I have quite the knack for fixing cars." He continued.

"I can't even imagine," I confessed, trying not to sound too horrified. "I've always been a planner. Since I was a child, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in medicine."

"You never dreamed of being a princess?" he teased.

I rolled my eyes, "No, never. Always a doctor. Although, there was a brief phase when I wanted to be an astronaut. I've always been fascinated by space."

"Me too. I've got a $5,000 telescope in the backyard. It's a Parallax Instruments 12.5" PI320 Newtonian Reflector Telescope," he revealed, catching me off guard. I had never seen him as an astronomy enthusiast.

My eyes widened in shock and excitement. "You're kidding! I've been wanting one of those for ages! You must be able to see everything!"

He chuckled, "Want to take a look?"

We ventured out into his backyard, which was a lush oasis featuring a pool with a waterfall, surrounded by overgrown grass, towering trees, and vibrant flowers. The telescope stood tall, pointed towards the moon.

The view through the telescope was breathtaking. The moon felt within reach and the stars looked closer than I had ever seen. As I adjusted the telescope, I explored the planets one by one. The clarity was astounding; I could see Saturn's rings in vivid detail.

"This is incredible!" I exclaimed, "Everything is so close up!"

"Yeah, I like to come out here and stargaze," he admitted. "I love being out here, on the edge of town. With two acres of land all to myself, surrounded by nature, and away from the city lights, the view of the stars is unbeatable."

As he began to light a fire in the fire pit, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. His life was far more intriguing than I had initially assumed. It was surprising to think that I had slept with him despite knowing so little about him - I didn't even know his birthday!

"Do you like s'mores?" he asked, breaking my train of thought.

"Yes, I do," I replied, smiling at him.

He returned my smile and said, "I'll be right back."

As soon as he disappeared, I pulled out my phone to text Alex.

Things went well. I'm just hanging out here. He's not going to bail.

Things were going surprisingly well. I found myself just hanging out with Greyson, feeling reassured that he wouldn't bail on me. My phone vibrates in my hand, and I quickly check the message.

"That's good. He better not,"

Greyson returns with a picnic basket and two large, fluffy fold-up chairs. I position my chair close to the crackling fire while he sets his chair right beside mine. He hands me a metal rod and a marshmallow from the picnic basket.

"Thank you," I say, appreciatively. I notice that he only lightly roasts his marshmallow to a golden brown before assembling his s'more. On the other hand, I prefer to roast mine until it's burnt black.

"That's disgusting," he chuckles.

"No, it's not," I insist.

"I knew pregnant women always ate weird shit," he jokes.

"I ate it like this before I was pregnant."

"Now that's just weird," he teases, and I playfully slap his shoulder. "Jerk."

It feels strange to openly discuss my pregnancy. At this moment, I feel normal, not like someone who is growing another life inside her body.

"What are you thinking about?" He asks, breaking the silence.

"I'm scared," I admit honestly.

"Me too. But this baby won't grow up without a dad like we did. I promise," he reassures me.

At least I know he will be there for our baby, but what about me? Could we ever become a family one day? I've always dreamed of my children growing up with their parents together. I don't want my baby to experience a broken family, constantly shuttling back and forth between parents every weekend. I wanted to have a baby with someone I truly loved. I feel a twinge of guilt as a tiny bit of regret lingers within me.