Never Say Forever (LAMS READERS CHOICE)

Chapter Thirty

Starting now, I will not be counting any votes that aren't in the comment section specifically designed for you guys to put the votes in. It's kind of difficult searching through different comment sections just because I think I saw someone place a vote somewhere else. Sorry, it's just easier this way. 

~o~

Option Two: Have dinner with Martha and Frances

"You want to go out to dinner? Tonight?" The brunette woman in front of me asks, raising an eyebrow in a way that made me question asking her.

I nod. "Yeah, you, me, and Frances. I think it could be a nice little family dinner, one where we can get to know each other and maybe work things out between us?"

She crosses her arms and frowns. "No, there's nothing to work out between us. You're not a part of this family."

I sigh and rub the bridge of my nose. "She's my kid, too, you know." I tell her.

"As far as I'm concerned, you abandoned her before she was even born. You abandoned me so you wouldn't have to deal with her. You're not a father, you just happen to be partly responsible for her birth." She scoffs. She was really not happy with me, like even more than before.

"Whether you like it or not, I am her dad. Look, I don't want to fight, but I do want to be a part of her life now." I say, hoping she wouldn't get angrier.

"Don't want to fight? No, you just want to.. Oh, what did you say? 'Get rid of Frances.'" She shakes her head. "I heard you talking to Alex. You said you wanted to get rid of her before you went any further with him or whatever."

I raise an eyebrow. She was listening in on our conversation? "Why were you listening to us talking?" I ask her.

She rolls her eyes. "I was going to come in and talk to you, but that doesn't change what I heard. You want to get rid of your own child."

"Oh, so now she gets to be my kid." I scoff. "I wasn't talking about her, Martha. I don't want to get rid of our daughter." I explain as calmly as possible.

"So what? You know another Frances and I'm supposed to believe you want to get rid of them?"

"Yes, actually. Not that you need to know, but I have an ex boyfriend named Francis. He isn't quite aware of the 'ex' part yet, because he's manipulative and I'm afraid to talk to him." I admit. I didn't feel like I had to tell her all of this, but clearly she wasn't going to believe me otherwise.

She stops and stares at me a moment, seeming to be reading my expression and thinking about the information I just told her. Her face then softens a little bit. "You're.. Telling the truth?" She asks quietly.

I nod. "Yes, I am. Why would I invite you guys to live with me if I just wanted to get rid of my own daughter?" I reply.

She bites her lip. "I'm sorry, I jumped to conclusions. You're right, because if you really have changed, you wouldn't want to get rid of her."

"So.. dinner then? I'll buy for the three of us." I ask again, hopeful that she'll agree.

She hesitates before sighing. "You like.. Truly want to fix what you did? You actually want to be a part of Frances's life? You do understand that it's a lot of responsibility you'll have to own up to, right?"

I smile gently at her and nod. "Yes, I understand all of that. I never should have left you in the first place. Let me be a part of this."

She slowly nods. "Alright. You get one shot, John Laurens. Don't throw it away, because if you do anything like this again-"