An Unplanned Life (Unplanned Series) (8 page)

Chapter 17

Nicole

The morning sunlight was shining in my bedroom window. I rolled over and hugged Dailan tightly. “Good morning, sexy,” I said as I ran my hand down his bare chest. He stretched his neck to look over me at the clock.

“Wow,
it’s seven o’clock and Ella’s still sleeping. Are you sure no one came in and kidnapped her last night?” Dailan joked.

“Don’t even joke around about that!
” My paranoia set in and I jumped out of bed. I walked into Ella’s room. She was just starting to stir. I watched as she opened her sleepy eyes and smiled widely at me. She grabbed onto the bars and pulled herself up. She rattled the side of her crib as she waited for me to pick her up.

“Good morning
, baby girl!” I lifted her out of the crib and kissed her on the head. She took a handful of my hair and stuck it in her mouth. “No, that’s yucky,” I said as I gently removed my hair from her grasp. “Mommy will get you breakfast, just as soon as we get you in a nice dry diaper.” I laid her down on her changing table. It was getting harder and harder to change her now that she was getting bigger. She twisted and turned as I wrestled with the diaper to try and get it on her. “You are a wiggle worm this morning,” I said as I lifted her up in the air. She began to laugh. She laughed even harder when she saw Dailan standing in her bedroom door.

He took her from my arms and kissed her on the head
. “Why don’t you go lie back down? I’ll get her breakfast,” he said.

“No
, that’s okay. I’m wide awake.”

“Okay, then why don’t you get dressed and I will take you out for breakfast.”

“All right, but why are you being so nice?”

“What? I can’t be nice to you now?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I guess.”

I took a quick shower and dressed. I got Ella dressed and ready wh
ile Dailan jumped in the shower. I called Dailan’s dad to find out what time Ryan wanted us to pick him up. I talked to Ryan and was informed that he had eaten breakfast and they were fishing already. Ella and I waited patiently for Dailan to come downstairs. I thought about tomorrow; I hated going back to work after long weekends. But the good thing was that only fourteen more days of school were left and then I would have the whole summer to spend with Ryan and Ella. Dailan finally made his way down the steps while texting away on his phone and laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.”
He was still smirking.

“Dailan, tell me!”

“Oh, I don’t think you want to know.”

“Yeah, I do.”

He took a deep breath and laughed again. “Okay, you asked for it. Tommy slept with your sister.”

“What! Are you freakin’ kidding me? Her divorce isn’t even final
!”

Dailan shrugged his shoulders and grabbed Ella. “Not our business. Come on
; let’s go.”

I shook my head and sighed
, praying that she would be like the rest of the women in Tommy’s life - short lived.

We went to the same diner that Ryan and I had gone to the other day. After the waitress got done ogling over Ella, she finally took our order. “Wh
at - no emergency meetings today?” I asked.

“Nope, not today
, anyway.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“This big case is going to trial, which means I’m going to have put in a lot of extra hours to prepare for it.”

“Like how many extra hours?” All of sudden
, Rachel Wiser popped into my mind. Would she be spending those extra hours with him as well?

“Nicole, we
’re going to have to postpone our trip to Ireland.”

“What? Why?”

“I can’t be away from work for that long right now.”

“It’s
only for a week, Dailan! Your mother is so looking forward to seeing the kids.”

“There’s nothing I can do about it
. Nicole, if I lose this case, Mr. Allan will lose everything.”

I bit my lip and looked away. “Well, whatever
. You gotta do what you gotta do.”

“I’m sorry
, beautiful. I promise I will make it up to you.”

“Well, you can break that news to your mother.”

He waved his hand in a dismissing manner. “Dailan, I mean it. You better do it soon.”

I really liked Da
ilan’s mom, but she could be very opinionated and outspoken on many things. For instance, how I chose to raise my kids. The last time she had visited, Ella was three weeks old. I listened to her go on and on about how the doctors had parents brainwashed these days with keeping the babies on formula for a whole year. Her kids were drinking whole milk by eight weeks old. I tried to tell her as politely as I could that things had changed a lot since her kids were babies, but she was insistent, causing me to throw away the milk and not buy anymore until she left for fear that she would try and give some to Ella. Poor Ryan was going through cereal withdrawal by the time she left. It was a very long two weeks. But, still, I had been looking forward to going to Ireland. Ella would be almost a year old by the time we were planning on going so I wasn’t worried about the whole milk thing. I knew she wasn’t going to be happy when she found out we weren’t coming, but that was Dailan’s problem to deal with. The first time I had met his mother was right before our wedding. She wasn’t the warm and lovey type. I was given a rundown of her personality by Dailan’s dad beforehand and boy, was he right. I could tell right away that she didn’t think any girl was good enough for Dailan, which was fine. I supposed that I might feel that way about Ryan someday. But once I got to know her, she began to warm up to me and we actually got along quite well. Of course, having her live an ocean away probably helped a lot too.

Dailan called his dad when we finished up with breakfast
. He and Ryan had just gotten done fishing. We picked up Ryan and headed to the zoo. Tomorrow was Ryan’s actual birthday, and since he was going to be in school all day, he got to pick what he wanted to do today. He chose the zoo. I loved watching Ella’s excitement as she took in all of the animals. She squealed with laughter over the monkeys, screeching as loud as she could to try and get them to notice her. I sat down on the bench with Ella while Dailan and Ryan went into the reptile house. I pushed her back and forth in her stroller. I could tell she was getting sleepy and was hoping that she would take a nap so she didn’t turn into her screamin’ Mee-Mee self like she always did when she was tired. Ryan came running out of the reptile house with a smile plastered on his face. “Did you see a lot of icky snakes?” I asked, crinkling my nose. He nodded.

“Hey, you see that lady over there?” He pointed to a woman who
that was just walking out of the reptile house.

“Yeah.”

“She thought that Uncle D was my dad.”

“Really?”
I smiled over his excitement.

“Hey
, Ryan, did you break the news to her yet about the snake that you want?” Dalian asked.

I shook my head. “No snakes! Actually
, he was more excited over that lady who thought that you were his dad.” I smiled.

Dailan looked down at Ryan and
smiled before messing up his hair.

We had a great afternoon and
, by the time we got home and ate dinner, Ryan was exhausted. I got Ella ready for bed, got my stuff together for work, and headed downstairs. Ryan and Dailan were sound asleep on the couch as some gross zombie movie blasted on the television. I couldn’t stop staring at the two of them. I thought back to earlier in the day and the excitement on Ryan’s face over someone thinking that Dailan was his dad. The two of them shared a bond that was so much deeper. I looked at Ryan, watching every breath he took. I couldn’t believe that ten years had passed already. I kissed him softly on the cheek and caressed his face. For every tear that I had shed, every heartache that I endured; this sweet, little sleeping boy that I was staring at was worth every bit of it.

Chapter 18

Nicole

The past...

It was my eighteenth birthday. I was officially an adult. At seven months pregnant, I surprisingly still only had a tiny bump. Thankfully, I was still able to squeeze into my regular clothes, but I knew in a few more weeks, I wouldn’t be. They were just starting to become a little snug. I would smile when I would rub my hand over my tummy. I didn’t feel so alone, knowing that there was a life growing inside of me. I grabbed my books and coat, and walked downstairs to wait for Donna. “Happy birthday, Nic,” Justin said as he took a sip of his orange juice.

“Thanks
.” I smiled.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart
.” My mom handed me a card and kissed me on the cheek. She looked over at my dad and cleared her throat.

He finally looked up from his newspaper. “
Happy birthday,” he mumbled, immediately putting his head back down.

My sister came walking down the stairs, not even acknowledging me. “You guys do know that
the final payment on the banquet facility is due by the end of this week?”

“Yes, Renee, we know,” my mother said in a
dismissive tone.

My father slammed his coffee cup down on the table, causing both me and my brother to jump
. “Why don’t you ask your sister to use her birthday money to pay for it!” I felt a stabbing pain in my chest and my eyes began to fill up with tears.

“Nick!”
my mom yelled as he grabbed his car keys and slammed the front door behind him.

“Here.” I handed the card to my mother.

“Nicole, stop. This is your birthday present.”

She tried handing it back to me. “I don’t want it. I don’t want anything from you guys. I told you I wouldn’t ask you for anything and I meant it.”

“Nicole-”

I went outside to wait for Donna. I sat on the front porch, buried my face into knees
, and began to sob. I heard the front door opening behind me and prayed that it wasn’t my mother. I felt an arm wrap around me and was thankful to hear Justin’s voice. I raised my head and wiped away a tear. “I know you don’t want anything from them, but will you take this from me?” he said as he handed me a card. I smiled as I opened it. It was a humorous big sister card that was fitting for our relationship. Little did he know, but that card meant more to me than anything.

“Thank you so much
, Justin.” I pulled him to me and hugged him tightly, just as the baby kicked. I took his hand and placed it on my belly. “Come on, baby, move again.” I moved Justin’s hand around and felt another good sharp kick.

“
Wow, that was awesome!” Justin said, grinning from ear to ear.

Thankfully, I had pulled it together by the time Donna pulled in the driveway.
“Happy Birthday, best buddy!” She handed me two cards as Justin and I got into her car.

“Wow
, two cards!” I smiled.

“The other one is from my mom.”

“Oh, how sweet!” Donna’s mother was the best. She was a single mom and I envied that sisterly relationship that she and Donna had. She had always been so nice to me, especially now when nice people were few and far between.

“So, what did you get for you birthday?” Donna asked.

“Well, I got an awesome card from my awesome brother.” I turned around and looked at Justin in the back seat and smiled.

“And?”
Donna asked.

“That’s it. That’s all that matter
s, anyway.”

Donna looked at me sadly and shook her head.

I shook my head back. I didn’t want to talk about it anymore, especially not in front of Justin. I didn’t want him to feel like he was being put in the middle. He had to listen to enough crap over me at home.

We pulled into the school parking lot. Justin got out of the car and immediately ran over to a few of his friends. “Well, if they’re not going to do anything for you for your birthday, then come over my house tonight and we’ll have pizza or something.” Donna said, once Justin was out of earshot.

“Oh, thank you so much
, Donna. But I have a doctor’s appointment after school and then Tisha is taking me out to dinner for my birthday.”

“Okay, are you sure?” Donna asked.

“Positive!”

“Well, then
, I will buy you lunch in our delicious cafeteria,” she joked.

“Sounds perfect!”

Donna and I had first period Spanish class together, along with Rachel Wiser. We took our seats and waited for our teacher, Mrs. Skylar, or Senora Skylar, as she made us call her, to get her act together. She was such a scatterbrain. It amazed me how she could even be a teacher. My dream was to become a teacher and I was thrilled when I had gotten accepted into my top choice for college. But the excitement was fleeting; I knew that there was no way in hell that my dad would help me pay for it now. I would either have to bury myself in student loans and try my best to do it on my own or take a year off and work my butt off and save.

 
Half of the class was paying attention when Mrs. Skylar finally began to speak. “Oh, and we have a birthday today. 
Feliz Cumpleaños
, Senorita Morgan.”

 
"What, did you get a pack of diapers?" Rachel shouted from the back of the classroom, causing a bunch of the kids to laugh. "Rachel, that is enough!" Mrs. Skylar shouted.

Donna turned around and shot
Rachel a dirty look while mouthing the word "bitch" to her.

I tried my best to concentrate
, but I was failing miserably. I was so grateful when the classroom phone rang. That would throw Mrs. Skylar off for a good five minutes. 

She hung up the phone. "Nicole, Mrs. Daniels would like to see you.
” Mrs. Daniels was the guidance counselor. I hadn't a clue what she wanted me for and was almost afraid to find out. I gathered my books and walked out the door, hearing Rachel and her friends snickering behind my back.

I walked into the main office and the secretary immediately took me back to Mrs. Daniels’ office. Mrs. Daniels was an older woman, near retirement. She and I had gotten to know each other quite well over the past few months.

“Nicole, have a seat
,” she said as she finished typing something on her computer.

I sat down and took a deep
breath; even though I felt comfortable with her, I was still feeling a little anxious, not knowing exactly what she needed me for. “Nicole, each year I am asked to pick two seniors for the outstanding senior scholarship. You have absolutely amazed me with the way that you have maintained your outstanding GPA with everything going on. So I am happy to say that that you are one of the recipients of a forty thousand dollar scholarship. That will pay for a good chunk of your tuition, and then you can apply for financial aid and student loans for the rest.”

“Oh my God!
This is awesome!” I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Daniels!”

“No need to be thanking me
, Nicole. You earned that. I am so impressed with the way you have been handling this whole situation these past months. You have exemplified the meaning of strength and character. You are going to make a great teacher someday.”

***

I went through the rest of my day with a smile. This was the best birthday present I could have gotten. I didn't have to depend on my parents for anything now. I had it all figured out; I would get a job over the summer and work my butt off to save up for car insurance and I would be out of their way. Things were finally starting look up. I jumped in Tisha's car, ready to gush the news to her. "Well, someone looks like they’re having a good birthday."

"Guess who got a
forty thousand dollar scholarship?”

"
Nicole, that is wonderful news! I am so proud of you."

"Next year this time, my life will be back to normal, Tisha."

"Yes, it will
, baby girl." She smiled

I was suddenly overtaken with
by sadness. "What's wrong?” Tisha asked, as if she was reading my thoughts.

I looked down and gently rubbed my belly. "He won't be
mine anymore. He'll belong to someone else."

She took my hand. "Yes
, he will. But he will be with two people who will love him very much and be able to offer him the world."

I took a deep breath and tried to pull myself together before nodding.

"I'm doing the right thing, right, Tisha?"

"Yes, baby
, you are." She rubbed my hand gently. "Now we got lots to celebrate. Let’s get this doctor's appointment over with so we can go eat."

We finished up with dinner and Tisha dropped me off at home. I heard the
TV blasting from the living room. I figured that my parents were in there. But I didn't bother to look. I went straight up to my room, like I normally did. The less I saw them, the less they could be reminded of how much I had disappointed them. I sat on my bed and pulled out my history book to get started on my homework. I propped my pillows against the wall and placed my book on my belly as I finished sipping on my milkshake from dinner. I felt like I had flying saucers in my stomach with the way the baby was flipping around. I removed my book and ran my hand over my stomach.

"Hey
, you, did you like that milkshake too? There are so many things that I’m never going to know about you, like what your favorite ice cream is going to be or what color hair you’re going to have. You won’t even have known that I existed. But I will always remember you and I will love you forever. I promise that I will have a milkshake every year on your birthday and maybe when you get a little older, you’ll be having one too at the same exact time.” The tears streamed down my face. “This is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, baby, but I’m doing it because I love you and want you to have the best life ever.” I kissed my hand and placed it on my belly. “You will always be a very special part of me.”