I'm Going to Be A Mom ... At 17?! (A Teen Pregnancy Story)

Chapter 20 - Epilogue - A Happy Beginning

I'm Going to Be A Mom ... At 17?! (A Teen Pregnancy Story)

Chapter 20 - Epilogue - A Happy Beginning

Laughter erupted in the living room. I picked up the plate full of vegetables, chips, and dip, and made my way there, smiling. 

"Yay, chips!" May yelled, hopping off the couch to grab a handful. Her sister Kayley followed suit, and soon everyone was eating it. I sighed and sat down next to Isaac, who had Hudson on his shoulder, and he smiled at me. Rosalie sat on my other side, rubbing her stomach. She was four months pregnant with her third child, which was going to be another girl. Her husband Phil was talking with Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa were in the kitchen carving the turkey. I took my sleeping angel from Isaac and kissed his forehead. He was so tiny. Already I loved him a ton.

After a delicious dinner, we all went back to the living room. The tree had tons of presents under it, and I could tell May and Kayley were extremely excited to open theirs. 

"Mom, can we start opening them?" Kayley asked. May was grinning.

Rosalie smiled. "Go ahead. But don't go too fast, we wanna see what you got from Santa."

My cousins ripped open their presents with greed, and there was much screaming as boxes with barbies emerged from the wrapping paper. Grandma and Grandpa got books they wanted, and Rosalie got some baby clothes from me. I got gifts from everyone, and Phil and Dad got things they wanted as well. So in the end, everyone was happy.

"There's still one more present," Isaac said. "May, see if you can find it. It's a bit small."

Accepting the challenge, May looked everywhere under the tree until she emerged with a small wrapped box. "Here you go." She held it out for Isaac.

"No no. This one's for your cousin." He smiled.

May gave the present to me. I handed Hudson to Rosalie, and I turned back to Isaac. "Is this from you?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded. "Open it, don't keep us waiting."

"Okay okay!" I laughed. I carefully unfolded the paper and discovered a small velvet box. My eyes widened.

"Open it up," Isaac instructed.

Everyone was silent, watching. Dad was smiling knowingly. I slowly opened the box and gasped. It was a diamond ring!

"Jenna," Isaac said, "will you marry me?"

My face broke into a huge smile and I laughed. "Yes!" I kissed him and hugged him, feeling excited and so, so happy. Everyone was clapping and the girls were cheering.

I turned to Dad. "Dad, did you know about this?"

He laughed. "Maybe."

"Da-ad!" I laughed and turned back to Isaac. "I love you," I told him.

"I love you too." He kissed me again and I took Hudson back in my arms. I smiled at my baby. Now he was going to have a real father. One that would stay.

And suddenly my mind flickered to Emily. I hadn't seen her in a long, long time. Her parents told me she ran away with the teacher. I sighed. She was probably due very soon. Last I'd heard of Ben, he was heartbroken and had moved to college early. Isaac didn't know what to make of it either, but sometimes I caught him staring at nothing, thinking. I knew he was thinking about her. I did it too. 

It still hurt sometimes. A lot. I didn't know what was going to happen, but I guess I would wait for her to come back to me, if she was going to.

Life doesn't treat everyone the way we want it to. I thought that getting pregnant was the worst thing that ever happened to me. But in truth, it had done a lot of good. I would have been stuck with Mason. I wouldn't have Isaac. I wouldn't have this beautiful baby boy.

I guess I could say that this is my happy ending, but it isn't. I'm happy, but it's only the beginning.