Married with Children

Chapter 21

"Marcus!" Rose yelled. "Stop running!"

Marcus wasn't exactly running but he was moving quickly. He stopped suddenly and Rose nearly bounced off him. "She is pregnant!"

"I know."

"Pregnant!" He shook a fist.

She wrapped both her hands around it and lowered it. "I know."

He eyed her suspiciously. "She told you? And you didn't tell me?"

"We knew-"

"We?!"

"Don't yell at me, Marcus! Judy, Jeanette and I knew. We're mothers. Of course we knew. The girls confirmed it Saturday."

"And you didn't tell us?"

"They have to tell you."

"They?!"

W

"Hey!" Puck pulled on Mercedes' arm. "I'm talking to you!"

She snatched away from him. "Don't yank on me!"

He set his fists on his hips. "Don't walk away from me!"

"I don't have to listen to you!"

"I am your husband-!"

"This isn't real!" That was her real hang up. The assignment wasn't real. And she wanted it to be.

"What?" He stared at her like she wasn't speaking English.

"None of this is real!" She cried. "You're not my husband and I'm not your wife and Ella isn't ours!"

That really hurt his feelings. "You don't want us?"

"How am I supposed to want you? I can't have you! What's the point?"

"Mama,-" He stepped forward.

"My name is Mercedes Catherine."

"You're my Mama." He cupped her small face with his big hands. "If you want me, you got me."

She swallowed hard, trying to stop crying. "How?"

He was going to break his own rules but hadn't he already by feeling those emotions for her? "I care about you so much."

"Really?" She knew she loved him but he wasn't offering love. He wasn't offering anything.

"Really. We can raise this baby together with Lil Mama."

He still wasn't saying anything about the two of them. "I don't know. Daddy seems pretty upset."

"I'll do whatever I have to to keep us together."

Her heart melted and she bowed her head.

He kissed her forehead, not even noticing his mom watching them.

W

"She's going to a convent!" Maribel raged.

Enerilson watched her pace.

"She's grounded until that baby is old enough for a convent!"

He said nothing but thought about how they had Santana at a young age. His own mother had blown her top and still didn't like his wife, even though he'd achieved his dream.

"And him! He didn't use condoms!"

"Mamí." He spoke up then. "We don't know his trials."

"I'm trying to vent, Ene!"