Chasing Forever

14. News

      As soon as Mason left to head home, I started to obsess over how telling my father the news was going to go. Not one of my conjured up fantasies ended well, to say the least. 

     I had planned to wait until after dinner to tell him, thinking that a little bit of time to catch up and butter him up might help. Now, though, I just wanted to blurt it out the second he walked in the door so that it was done and over with. Once it was out in the open, I would be able to deal with the consequences. 

     I was waiting for my dad when he got home, so the second he picked his head up after walking through the door heading to the garage he saw me. A giant smile spread across his face, and I felt guilt wash over me. 

     "Well, I'm pleasantly surprised to see you here waiting for me."  The smiled faded from his face, and he started to rub his chin while he looked at me. "What's going on, kid? I can tell something is on your mind." 

     I took a few breaths, and he just kept searching my face. I had been living with him for a year and a half now, and he was getting better at reading me than even my mom had been. I wanted to make sure I got my news out of the way so that he didn't somehow figure it out before I told him. 

     "Well, I have to tell you something." He nodded, urging me to continue. "I don't know how you're going to handle it. I'm worried that you're going to be so disappointed with me." 

     "Ever, honey...you could never disappoint me. There's nothing you could ever do that would make me love you any less. Whatever it is that's bothering you, we can handle it. Now, what's going on, princess?" 

     He said exactly what I wanted to hear. I was still terrified, though. Just because he was supportive in theory, it didn't mean that he would stay that way. He was too well known in this town, and everyone would be talking about this. The fact that Daniel Weston had an embarrassment of a daughter.

     I started to freak out a little bit, and I felt a tear slide down my cheek. 

     "Ever, honey, calm down. We don't have to do this right now if you aren't ready. No, I need to do this. Right now. I don't want to lose my guts about it." I took a couple of deep breaths, and gave my dad a weak smile. "I just found out yesterday that I'm pregnant." 

     I couldn't tell what my dad was thinking after the words came out of my mouth. It wasn't even clear if he could actually think through the shock. His face was unreadable, and I was nervous. 

     "Well, okay. I'm going to be a grandfather." He started nodding slowly, and I squinted my eyes at him in confusion. "You'll be eighteen fore the baby comes, you'll be done with high school by then. I don't think this is really that bad of a thing, in the long run. It would be best if that Mason fellow moved in here, to be closer." 

     Part of me wanted to laugh, and part of me wanted to cry, but I knew I had to set him straight. 

     "Mason isn't the father, dad..." His face twisted into an awkward and embarrassed expression, and I decided to just stare at the ground. 

     "I'm sorry for assuming. Who is?" 

     "Chase."

     "Everything is going to be okay> I haven't really seen or talked to David since you kids split up, but I can give him a call. I'll have him contact Chase for you, okay?" 

     I wanted so badly to be selfish, and have Chase come home. I missed him so badly that it hurt. The right move for my children was to make sure that their father wouldn't resent them for even a second. I knew that Mr. Evans made Chase feel like he needed to push himself so hard because of the things he gave up to be a father....I didn't want that cycle to continue.