You're Not My Mom

Ch. 25

Hayley's pov

As we pull into the drive way I can tell my dad's a lot more nervous now than he was at the park. So something tells me there's something here that he's nervous about me seeing. My mind is only reminding me of the 'my daughter gets nervous about meeting new people' and I have a strong feeling that he has another child he hasn't told me about yet.

"Before you walk in, I just want you to know that you do have a step mom." He says.

I turn my head to him as the words sink in, "Just a step mom?" I ask.

"For now yes, but you'll have a baby sibling in a couple of months." He says.

I just feel everything in me die. I'm not going to be his baby anymore, he's going to have a new baby. Right when he comes back into my life, I learn I've been replaced. Of course.

I fake a smile, "That's ok."

He ruffles my hair, "Come on, I think you'll like her."

I grab my backpack before getting out of the car and following him into the house. The scent of pumpkin and cinnamon is the only thing I can smell right now. It's a nice sent though, a fall scent, but it still smells good.

The second I step into the house I see a girl with short dirty blonde hair laying on the couch and curled with a blanket. The second she sees me she sits up with a smile as I stand closer beside my dad uncomfortable around the new face.

"You must be Hayley, your dads said so much about you over the years. You're absolutely precious, so beautiful. It's nice to finally meet you, he's spoken so much about you." She says with a light in her eyes.

I look up at my dad unsure and he gives me a soft smile, "This is Alexis, your step mom." He says.

I turn my head back to her and give a small nod as my dad puts a hand on my back, "Think you can manage a hello Hales?" He asks.

I look up at him again and see he's looking at me hopeful to see me say hello to her. I look back at Alexis as my dad rubs my back gently. She keeps the warm smile as she looks at me and despite being a tad bit uncomfortable, I manage to musk up the courage.

"Hi." I say quietly.

"Hi sweetheart." She says gently.

My eyes fall onto her stomach and unlike my mom, you can tell she's definitely pregnant. Her stomachs pretty big, but not like she's fat big. Just as in you can tell she's pregnant.

Her eyes travel to my dad from me, "Is she hungry? There's spaghetti on the stove if she wants any." Alexis offers.

"You want some spaghetti?" My dad asks.

I give a small nod and he leads the way to the kitchen and gets a bowl from the cabinet before filling it with spaghetti. He sets it on the kitchen bar before getting a glass of water and a fork. I follow behind him to the kitchen bar and get onto the barstool as he sets the fork in the bowl. I take the water from his hand and sip it before setting it down.

"Don't forget to call your mom tonight ok?" He asks.

"I'll call Demi, I don't want to call my mom." I say.

"No, you need to call your mom Hayley." He sighs.

I drag my fork through the bowl as I mix the noodles and sauce together, "They are married, usually when I call one then I call both. I'd just rather talk to Demi and my mom listen. I kinda don't have much to say to my mom right now. Demi's not my favorite person ever, but I like her more than my mom."

"Oh." He says a bit surprised.

"Yeah." I say getting a fork full of noodles.

I eat the fork full of spaghetti before getting another sip of water, "I guess you weren't in the emergency room for yourself were you?" He asks.

"No I was with Demi because mom ran off after Demi asked if I could see your parents. Then she called Demi this morning saying she was bleeding and her stomach hurt. I don't really know what happened, I think she's fine. The doctor didn't say it was a miscarriage, but I wasn't in the room to hear what really happened." I say.

"Well hopefully everything's ok." He says.

"I hope not, she doesn't need another baby. She can't even properly take care of me, never has. Demi's the one who does most of the parenting despite me not even being her kid. Mom checked out a long time ago." I say.

He remains silent as I get another forkful of spaghetti and eat it, "I'm sorry, I never wanted it to be the way it is." He says.

"It's not your fault, I'm not upset with you. I mean you're here now and she's finally letting me see you and spend time with you again. That's more than she has allowed you to do in a long time. Things are getting a little bit better." I say.

I really hope that Demi can just manage to talk my mom into letting my dad have at least partial custody of me. It's not fair to have things the way they are. He's my dad, he shouldn't just be cut out of my life like this. Especially when I don't want it that way.

"Well maybe Demi can talk to her. It seems like she listens a lot to Demi." He says.

"Yeah Demi is the only person she really listens to. If anyone can convince her to let you spend more time with me, its going to be Demi." I say.

After that silence happens and I finish the spaghetti. Once I do, he takes the bowl and rinses it out before putting it into the dishwasher. I finish the water in the cup before he takes that and adds it to the dishwasher.

"I'm going to show you what will now be your room. If you get to stay here more, we'll have to make it more you." He says.

I hop down from the barstool and walk behind him to a room down a hallway and he flips the lights on. I take my backpack off and set it beside the closet and look around the room, "You think you'll be ok sleeping in here?" He asks.

"Mhm." I decide.

It looks better than the room I have at my moms house. I like the little vines behind the bed and little succulent plant on the nightstand. The window has 3 more small little plants on the window seal and I just really like the room.

"Ok, the bathroom is right beside your room. That'll be your bathroom." He says.

"Ok."

"I'm going to give you time to talk to your mom and I'll check on you in a little bit." He says.

I frown but nod. I really don't want to talk to my mom. I just don't have anything I want to say to her. I really don't. I'll do it for my dad though. I know he'll be to blame if I don't actually call my mom.

He gives me a hug before kissing the top of my head and leaving me in the room on my own. I sit on my bed and pull my phone from my pocket and stare down at it for a few moments before finally just going to my contacts and finding Demi's number.

"I really hate this so much." I whisper to myself.

I don't get why my mom needs me to call her so badly. My dad went years without hearing my voice because she cut him out of my life. She can't go a day without me calling her, yet made him go years? Does she even realize how hypocritical that is? Like does she not hear herself speak sometimes? Because I'm begging to think she doesn't and just doesn't see how stupid her ideas are either...