Night Owl -- A Rocky Lynch Story

Chapter Ten

The closer I got to my mom's house, the more out of place I felt. The suburban houses with perfect green lawns and pristine gardens only mirrored the seemingly perfect suburban LA families inside. This neighborhood had to be the reason there was a statewide drought. I found the light coral house that blended perfectly and pulled into the double wide driveway. I hesitated a moment before killing the engine.

I had no idea how my mom and stepdad would react. They weren't exactly the most predictable people. No matter what lifestyle I chose to lead, they seemed to support it with only minor suggestions. "Maybe you should cut down on the drinking," my mom would say, followed by, "but hey, you're an adult."

"It might be wise to get some more sleep dear," my stepdad had said on more than one occasion, but quickly clarified, "but you're still alive so you must be doing something right."

With a huff, I turned the key and pulled it out of the ignition. I pulled my sunglasses off and rested them on top of my head before reaching for the door handle. I was quickly met outside by my brother Lukas who was returning from a bike ride. "Hey Vicky," he said as he locked his bike back up by the front porch. "To what do we owe this visit?"

The sound of that nickname made me shudder. Only my close family called me Vicky, no matter how many times I requested they didn't. It just kind of stuck, and now I can't escape it. "Mom and dad home?" I asked, avoiding his question.

"Aren't they always?" he joked. "Yeah, they're working on some DIY repairs in the house, so everything is a huge mess." He ran his fingers through his messy dirty blond hair that was damp with sweat. "Why do you look so morose?"

Did I look that bad? I had no idea. I took a deep breath and messed with my own long braided hair. "It's nothing... or something kinda... I'd rather tell everyone at once, if you don't mind."

"Come in then," he replied and opened the door. He was right, it was a mess. Tarps and cans of paint littered the wooden floors. Various pipes and screws were on the kitchen table. "Mom, dad. Vicky is here," he called into the house.

"Well look who decided to come home finally," my stepdad joked. He was wearing a shirt that was messy with random strips of paint and cargo shorts. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Mom?" I asked as I hugged him.

"I'm right here," the rather small woman emerged from the bathroom. "Hi sweetie."

"She has something to confess," Lukas hollered from his room upstairs.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut it," I called back to him but my parents had the most concerned faces I had ever seen them wear. "Can I have some water?" I asked, suddenly plagued with a dry mouth. I was nervous to say the least. It was better to just come out and say it instead of tiptoeing around it; this fact I was sure of.

My mom returned with a glass of water and cleared some space on the table before we all sat down around it. Luke returned in a change of clothes with his hair perfectly combed. Suddenly, all eyes were on me. "So, what do you need to talk about dear?" she started.

Just say it, Victoria. There's no good way to break this kind of news. Rip off the bandaid. You need to just say it. After I swallowed my drink of water, I figured it was now or never. "So I'm pregnant," I kind of laughed.

While I laughed, they were silent. "Can someone react or something...?" I muttered.

"Whose is it?" Lukas chimed in with the first question and I was thankful. "That rockstar boy or?"

"Rocky, yes," I confirmed and looked back to my parents for more feedback. "Are you guys mad?"

My mom shook her head slowly. "I guess I just... didn't expect it," she said quietly.

I let out a completely genuine laugh. "Yeah, you don't know the half of it," I agreed.

"Are you going through with it?" dad added.

I nodded slowly. "I never thought I'd ever... It could be the only chance I have...." They never answered my question so I brought it back up as I chewed the inside of my cheek. "Are you mad at me?"

"Mad? No..." mom sighed. "I can't believe I'm going to be a grandma. I'm so young and still have so much of my youth ahead of me." Was that a joke? She smiled slowly with a twinkle. "Vicky, I'm so excited for you," she breathed. "I'm just... wow!"

"Wow is right!" dad smiled. "I hope you realize what this means for you, though."

"You might have to learn how to say no," Lukas winked as he took his phone out. So news of my nickname was really making its way around.

"A serious lifestyle adjustment," dad corrected sternly. "And we want to meet this man... Rocky, is it?" I nodded. Dad rolled his eyes. "That's a unique name. Don't go getting any ideas for your kid. Name it something normal." I snickered at that one. I would have to tell Rocky that later.

"And whatever you need," my mom said, getting up from the table. I got up in response as well. "I mean whatever you need. You're my little girl, Vicky. I'll help you through this."

"Thanks mom," I hugged her tightly and finally took a breath that filled my lungs completely. I felt lighter, but something inside of me knew that this wasn't going to be the hard part. News of my unexplained infertility hit my parents hard; they always wanted more kids in the family. Now they were getting what they didn't think was going to be possible until Luke had some of his own.

They invited me to stay for dinner and I obliged, but I didn't eat much. It was an order that I take some of the leftovers back to my place for later. I left there with multiple containers of food which were still warm. I put them on my passenger's seat and pulled out my phone before starting my car. Immediately, I dialed Rocky's number.

Only after two rings did he pick up. "Hey Tor," he said, his tone harder than ever to read.

"So I told my family," I said. "Everything's good..."

"Mm," he hummed shortly. "And I told my brothers.... That's a whole other story. Hey, can we talk later? I was kind of in the middle of...everything."

Something told me that things weren't going as well for him as they did for me. "Yeah, no problem," I said, followed by a short farewell. I really wanted this all to be over, but it was just beginning.