Growth (Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott fanfic)

Chapter 6

I throw the pamphlets on my kitchen counter, setting my purse beside it. The hollers from the family next door creep through the thins walls into my apartment and I can't help but think about that happening when I have a baby. They would for sure wake up because of the noise.

Not to mention the fact that my bathtub isn't big enough to bathe a child in and my extra room is already being used as an office.

A knock echoes throughout the whole apartment as someone waits behind my front door. I forget to hide the pamphlets, already cursing myself out in my head about the knock ringing through the whole place, yet another thing that would keep me from raising a baby in this apartment.

I open the front door to expose Bridget standing with her purse on one arm and a grocery bag on the other.

"I brought sushi and chocolate ice cream," she offers, holding up the bag. Shit, now I have to make up an excuse as to why I can't eat my favorite meal.

"Not hungry." Is all I can come up with.

She gives me a concerned look, pushing past me into my apartment. "Is it your tummy? Is that why you went to the doctors?"

She pauses when she's about to set the bag down on my kitchen counter, eyes stuck on something laying on the counter. I realize it too late, running into the kitchen to hide them despite her already seeing the pamphlets.

"You're pregnant?" She asks as soon as I pick up the papers. Her face lights up and she squeals in excitement, pulling me into a tight embrace and swaying us back and forth. "RC, you're pregnant!"

I can't hide my shock at her reaction. I can't believe she's so excited about this information, considering she doesn't know who the father is, I'm at a young age to have a child, and I'm still at the beginning of my career.

"Okay, you're obviously not as excited as I am," she leans back but rests her hands on my shoulders for emotional and physical support. "What's going on in your head?"

"I don't know who the father is, Bridget," I try my best to blink back the tears but the effort is fruitless. I've done more crying these past few weeks than I have my whole life. I guess I can just blame it on the pregnancy hormones. "And I'm too young to have a child, and I'm not married, and I'm all by myself and look at this stupid apartment, Bridget, it's no place to raise a baby!"

I'm wailing by the end and Bridget pulls me back into her arms, burying my head into her shoulder so I have something to cry onto. She waits until I calm down and I'm soothed even more as her chest vibrates while she speaks. "RC, while I'm not exactly happy that you don't know who the father is, if you have an idea of who it is we can always get a paternity test. Or, if you just want to raise the baby by yourself with the support of your friends and family that's okay too. But I really think you should find out who the father is, if not for support than for the child to know. And hey, didn't you get a pay raise? You can move now." She shakes my shoulders teasingly and I let out a watery chuckle. "And if that doesn't sound good to you, I can look at adoptive couples with you. Or, I'll be there to hold your hand at the clinic."

I find comfort in her words. I guess I knew as soon as I found out this news that I would have a support system, but it's different to hear it from the support system itself.

"I can eat the sushi by myself," she mumbles into my hair. I laugh at that and watch her smile. I'm glad to have Bridget in my life, because these next nine months- well more than that, actually, are going to be hard. Even though this baby is unexpected, I've always wanted to be a mother, so I will do whatever it takes to make sure I am the best damn mother possible for this child.

~

I decided to wait a week to tell all of the rest of my friends, just to make sure keeping the baby is what I really want to do and it wasn't an in-the-moment decision. Luckily I only get a few questions about my doctors appointment, most of them from a persistent Alex Bowman but he agrees to wait until the dinner I'm hosting to ask anything more.

The couple on the floor above me decide to have sex on their living room couch often, which can be heard through the floor and in my kitchen. Everybody quiets down as the noises start to seep through and Bridget whines, "I can't wait until you move out, RC."

"You're moving?" Christopher asks immediately, looking up from the slice of pizza in his hand.

"Um, that's actually part of what I wanted to talk to you guys about," I begin nervously, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. "I have two sets of big news, so I hope everyone is sitting down." I look around the kitchen, bile beginning to rise in my throat. They're my friends, I know they'll support me no matter what. It'll just be hard to get out what I want to say and especially to face their judgement about the unknown factor. Bridget gives me a reassuring look. "I'm pregnant."

It feels like the room stops. Christopher stares at me dumbly, Alex gives me a blank expression, and Morgan gages my appearance to see how she should react. Bridget begins to clap to break the awkward silence and that gives Morgan the courage to stand up and pull me into a hug. Christopher is right behind her, mumbling a "Congratulations" in my ear.

"Is it Chase?" Alex inquires. The tension suddenly returns and I study Alex's unsure reaction. He doesn't know how to react and I don't blame him- he is my boss at the end of the day and getting pregnant right after getting hired isn't the most professional thing.

"What?" My mouth is dry.

"Who's the dad?" He rephrases his question.

"Um," I avoid eye contact with everyone, choosing to stare at the leg of the dining table instead. "I'm not exactly sure."

"You're not sure?" He questions, stunned. "But Chase is an option?" I nod numbly and out of the corner of my eye I watch as he pulls his baseball cap off, running a hand through his hair. "Goddamn this is going to be awkward at work."

Morgan rests her hand on my lower back to show her support for me.

"So how many other men are potentially the baby's father?" Alex continues.

"Just one," I mumble.

"Do I know him?"

"Alex, please, not here-""Holy shit, I do," he breathes out. I raise my eyes to make eye contact with him and plead with my eyes to get him to stop. Please stop guessing, because I know deep down you know who it is.

"Holy shit," he repeats, standing up from the dining chair. It squeaks with the sudden motion. "It's Blaney, isn't it?"

"Alex, please listen to me I didn't know-""You slept with best friends? With competitors?" He gives me the dirtiest look and I shake with anxiety, wanting to explain myself but I can't get the words out. "RC, you have no idea what you've just done. See you at the office tomorrow, if you're not too sick to show up."

He has his shoes on and he's out the door before I can say something else.

"It's okay," Morgan whispers as I sob into her shirt. "It's all going to be okay."

"That went well," Bridget chirps sarcastically from the table. I guess Morgan gives her a look because she shuts up quickly.

Bridget leaves with some words of support, knowing all I want is to be alone right now. Morgan's putting her shoes on when Christopher approaches me.

"Hey, RC, I know you're having a hard time right now and I know you don't want to be lectured even more, but I think you should really figure out who the father is before you get much further into the pregnancy. He deserves a chance to be there for the pregnancy and get prepared for the baby as much as you do."

I can't stop thinking of his words for the rest of the night.

EDITED: Yes

B