Chapter Twenty-Three
Sophia
Mom and Ted living at our house. Mom had told me they’d try living in both homes before deciding which one to keep for themselves, so I hadn't been to Elijah’s home yet, but that just left me relieved, because I was in familiar surroundings.
Of course, Mom realized I was pregnant and came up with the idea of leaving our house to Elijah and me while she moved in with Ted. I wasn’t sure what I felt about this plan.
I woke up in my bed and raised my arms above my head as I stretched out my body. I moved to get out of bed and went to the bathroom for a quick shower. If it were just Mom and me, I’d be a lot more relaxed, but Ted was around. After the shower, I pulled on a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt, and hoodie, then left my room. Before, I would have just woken up and gone down in the camisole and shorts I slept in.
They were both in the kitchen, just like they had been every time I came down here. They stood side by side as they made breakfast, and I couldn’t help feeling nostalgic. That used to be Mom and me, but with no room for me, I sat at the breakfast bar and watched them.
“Morning,” I said, bracing my elbows on the counter then leaning my chin in my hands.
They glanced at me and shot me smiles, but as Ted went back to frying some eggs and bacon, Mom came over to hug me.
“How are you this morning, honey? Do you feel sick or anything? Did you wake up feeling uncomfortable?”
Seeing Mom fret as she ran her hands over my face and arms like she expected to see the evidence of a terrible night, warmed my chest up. It had been the perfect decision to come home instead of sticking it out at school. I’d get some time off, but with tests coming up, I wasn’t sure how long I should stay away for.
“I feel fine, Mom,” I said, patting her hand. “I’m probably not so far along to be feeling those symptoms.”
Mom looked at me with sympathy. “Oh, honey. Whatever you think you know about pregnancy, you can forget it right now. It’s so different from whatever you could think. You are definitely at the time to be feeling sick. For some women, they feel that before they even notice a missed period. It was like that for me.”
Ted cleared his throat as if to remind us both that he was still there, and I felt my face warm up with a blush as I stared at my mom, stricken. She just rolled her eyes at me.
“Oh, the both of you, acting so shy. It’s not like it’s a secret or anything! But do tell me if anything makes you sick, or if there’s anything you’re particularly craving. Watching your diet during this time is crucial.”
She hurried back over to help Ted, and I folded my arms on the counter and buried my hot face in them.
This situation was a new one for me. In the time since Dad passed away, Mom had dated a few times, the first time that I could remember was around when I was twelve. But, all they’d ever done was go out on a few dates, and from what I remembered, it was only three different guys. I never met any of them, but Mom didn’t keep secrets from me. In all that time, this was the first time she’d brought someone to our house. It was odd to me, but seeing how well they looked together gave me mixed feelings.
I was happy for Mom. I’d felt guilty about wanting to move out of the house when I found a job because I didn’t want to leave her alone, but it was a step I needed to take to move forward. Now, she wouldn’t be alone when I did. But, I also missed it just being us two, and I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be just the two of us for a long while.
“Okay,” Mom said as she plated food and brought them over to me. “This is all stuff that’s good for your pregnancy. We’ll set up a proper diet for you later, but this can start you off. Your appetite will start to grow, too, but I’ll explain more about that later.”
I looked down at the plate. I had some eggs cooked with spinach and well-fried bacon. On a separate plate were some apple slices, and a small bowl of what looked like plain Greek yogurt. I also got a glass of water, and a carton of milk put in front of me, unopened, probably in case I decide I wanted some. I watched as she settled down with a mug of coffee and wrinkled my nose at her. Even her bacon and eggs were cooked differently from mine.
“Can I get a coffee?”
“Try to have less coffee; if you could just not have it at all, I would feel better about it. It’s not dangerous per se, but too much can be bad, and you might not help yourself from getting refills if you start. If it’s only one mug of mocha that would be fine, but survive on this for today.”
“Why are you acting like you know everything about pregnancy anyway?” I asked. “You only ever had me, and that was years ago.”
She arched an eyebrow at me. “Honey, I was about as young as you when I got pregnant, and I was very curious about the changes occurring in my body,” she explained patiently. “Besides, back then we only needed your dad to work, so I had a lot of free time. I did a lot of research, and it’s not the kind of thing to be easily forgotten. I’ve been bringing out my books from the time I was pregnant with you. I even kept a diary up until a month after you were born. I could show you it later if you like.”
Mom was enthusiastic about this whole baby thing, which was the opposite of what I’d expected. She didn’t even seem to care that the father was her new step-son. Ted had been surprised, but he didn’t seem to mind, either. They both seemed psyched to be having a grandchild from both their children.
Maybe… Did I overreact before?
I had thought things would be weird, with our parents married and Elijah and me dating. Our parents seemed to take it easy enough, though, and I regretted not just talking it over. It didn’t mean I was completely ready to forgive Elijah for what he did, though. But I was carrying his child…
I sighed and got through breakfast. In the past week, I’d been wondering what to do about Elijah, and I still had no idea if I should even talk to him or not. He’d kept things from me, but I still felt a little guilty for keeping something this serious from him.
After breakfast, I went back to my room and fell into bed. One thing that I’d noticed was how I felt drowsy almost all the time, and especially after I ate. Mom said my appetite would increase, and I was already eating more than usual. I closed my eyes and went to sleep almost immediately.
A while later, I was woken up by knocking on my door. I blinked my eyes open and yawned, sitting up in bed.
“Sophia, are you awake, honey? You have a visitor!”
It was Mom, and by the way, she said visitor, I knew who it had to be. For a moment, I was frozen, because I didn’t know how to react. Should I be glad that he finally came to look for me, or stay angry at him? Before I could decide, my door opened, and there Elijah stood, looking at me with a frown.
“What are you doing here,” I muttered, sullen.
Elijah sighed and walked into the room, his frown deepening.
“Is that all you can say to me, Sophia?”
I wanted to retort, but I just pursed my lips. He already knew.
“I know what I did was wrong,” he went on to say. “I admit to it, and I will apologize for it as many times as you would like. But you keeping a baby from me is not any better.”
“It’s not like I meant to keep it a secret,” I complained.
“The point is that you did. Sophia, this is a big thing, and it involves the both of us. What, were you going to hide the baby from me forever? Were you going to disappear somewhere to have the baby and not tell me? Shouldn’t we be working this out together?”
I sneered. “None of this changes what you did—”
“I didn’t come here to excuse myself,” he cut in. “There’s no way I can do that. And I know you can be unforgiving sometimes, but Sophia, it’s not like it was all a lie. I fell in love with you. Can you honestly tell me you didn’t feel the same way?”
I looked away from him, mouth set in a stubborn line, even as I felt my face warm up a bit. That was the first time I’d heard the words for him, and of course, I’d fallen for him, too. If I didn’t love him, even pregnant, I would have been even angrier. What I felt underneath, though, was fear that it had all been a lie. It was one thing for him to lie. I wouldn’t mind so much if he didn’t like X-Men and the books and music that I did. When we talked, it was over a variety of topics, like our lives and our plans for the future. Even outside the dating site, I’d come to realize that Elijah and I were really compatible.
But if he only got together with me as a joke, that would hurt.
“I don’t know what happened between you two,” Mom said.
I whipped my head around because I hadn't noticed she stayed at my door.
“But Sophia, considering the circumstances, it would be easier if the two of you tried to fix your relationship, okay? I’m not saying you forgive him, but he’s ready to apologize and explain himself, I think you should give him a chance. A child is too big a responsibility for you to remain petty.”
I frowned at my mom. It wasn’t like I needed her to tell me this for me to figure out that much. I sighed and looked at Elijah.
“You, sit.” Then I turned to Mom. “Could you please give us some space? We need to talk.”
She smiled, then closed the door as she left.