Small Town Summer ✔️

16

We sat in silence eating our ice cream. Staring at each other. Grant looked as though he was trying to find the right words to say.

"So this is why you broke up with me?" He asked, breaking the silence.

I nodded and stared at my ice cream trying to avoid his emotional gaze. "I'm sorry. I should have given you the choice. I really thought I was doing the best thing for you."

"So you were just gonna keep my son from me? Just till I was out of college? Till he was 3? Or forever?" He asked harshly.

"I- I don't know. I hadn't thought that far ahead. I wasn't really a well thought out plan."

"Obviously. In a town of 1500 people ya really couldn't have expected me not to find out. Someone woulda seen ya and word would have spread to me like wild fire. But I'm glad I found out before that happened. I'm happy I got to be there today. He really is perfect. Do ya have a name picked out?"

"No, I was kind of hoping it was a girl, so I hadn't really thought about it."

"Pssshh, nah we need a boy first. A couple boys, then a princess. She'll need protection from all the assholes of the world if she's even half as gorgeous as her mama."

I rolled my eyes. "Ok, Casanova." I laughed.

"Ash, I want ya to move to Mobile with me." Grant blurted out, quickly turning our conversation serious. "I want us to be together again."

"I don't think girlfriends and babies are allowed in the dorms, Grant." I laughes

"Well duh, we'd get an apartment, dork. You can finish school at home and then when the years over y'all could move in with me."

"I dropped out. I'm-"

"Dropped out? Ash, are you crazy?" He interrupted.

"I was trying to tell you I'm taking classes online. So I can finish school from anywhere."

"So you can move in now?" He smiled.

"How about after Christmas? That'll give us plenty of time to find a place and for you to find a job. I've stopped making videos but I started editing for a friend and it pays really well. You really don't even need to get a job, I co-"

"I'm not havin my pregnant girlfriend support us." Grant said quickly. "I'm capable of gettin a job babe. I can handle it."

I nodded, knowing that there was no reason to argue with him on this. There was no way he'd let me pay for everything.

Grant and I got home and began to search for a new apartment on my laptop. We looked at a lot of apartments but finally settled on 701 South. It was near the university, it had a pool, fitness center and the rent was well within our budget.

"It's perfect, baby, just enough room for our growin family." He said smiling at me.

I felt my son rolling around in my stomach and I grabbed Grant's hand and put it to my belly so he could feel.

Tears welled up in his eyes, "That's amazing! That's the most amazing thing I've ever felt. Hey can he hear me?" I nodded and he laid down and moved the laptop off my lap replacing it with his head. He turned so he was facing my tummy. "Hi buddy, I'm your daddy. I can't wait to meet ya. I know you're gonna be a big strong guy just like daddy, and smart and beautiful like your mama. You have the prettiest mama in the world, buddy. You're gonna be in shock when you come out and see her. She's like an angel. When you get older I'm gonna have my hands full tryin to keep your friends away from her. It's gonna drive you crazy, boy. But me and your mama are gonna be the best parents in the world, buddy. You're gonna be so happy. I love you so much already." He finished talking and I wiped tears from my cheeks. He kissed me belly but kept his head in my lap. "I'm so excited baby. I know it's not what we planned but I wouldn't take it back for the world."