“Evan, you know I want out of this town. Small town life is not for me. I’ve been saving. We’ve talked about this.”
She’s right; we have. I think that’s a big part of why she was never the one. I love being on the farm, living in Kentucky. This is my home. Misty has always been honest about her plans to move on. Her parents are both big shot business moguls, who never paid any real attention to her. To hear her tell it, she was never good enough for them.
Running my fingers through my hair, I take a deep breath. “Please don’t do this.” My voice cracks on my plea.
“I just…I don’t want to be a mother.” She cries harder.
“How long have you known? Give it a few weeks to sink in. It’s a shock for sure, but that’s our baby.”
“I found out four weeks ago. I’m two months along. I’ve thought about this, Evan, and it’s always the same answer. I don’t want this.”
“I do,” I say with conviction. That baby is a part of me. My mind races for a solution and before I know what’s happening, words are falling from my lips. “Sign over rights to me.”
“What?” She’s looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Have the baby, then sign the rights over to me. I’ll never ask you for anything. You don’t have to be a part of his or her life, just…please, Misty.”
Silence grows between us. The only sound is her soft cries and the rapid beat of my heart against my chest. I know she needs to process what I’ve just said, so I bite my tongue, giving her time.
“You really want this that badly? We’ve never talked about having kids.”
“Yes, and I know we haven’t, but that doesn’t change the fact you are now carrying a part of me and I want that, more than I ever thought possible. Please don’t do this.”
“So, how would this work? You’d just take the baby and what? Go on with your life?” she asks.
“Yes. I’ll make sure you have whatever you need during the pregnancy. We can go to a lawyer and have it written up. You sign over all rights to me and that’s it. You can leave and go wherever you want. I won’t ask you for anything else. Please, Misty.” My voice is soft and pleading. I want to scream at her and demand she not do this, but I can’t. That’s only going to piss her off. Misty has a mind of her own. I need for her to come to the conclusion that this is the best option.
“My parents agree with me; I’m not cut out for motherhood.”
What the fuck? I’ve only met her parents once. They live in Tennessee. Misty moved here to stay with her cousin, Heather, while attending college. She dropped out, but never moved back home. The one and only time I met them, they made sure to tell their daughter what a disappointment she is, as they snubbed their noses at the both of us.
I don’t comment. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all. “Please, I can call the lawyer now, get the process started. I’ll make sure you have anything you need.”
“Evan, there will be medical bills, clothes, things for the baby. My parents, they won’t help.”
“I know and I got it---all of it.” I hold her gaze as I say the words, willing her to keep my baby.
“If I agree to this, I’m leaving as soon as I can. I don’t want this life, Evan.”
I nod. “I know, and I won’t stop you. As long as you’ve signed all the papers, you are free to go and live your life. You won’t hear from me again.” I wipe my sweaty palms against my thighs. She’s considering it, but I have no idea which way she’ll go.
“It needs to be clear in the papers that I want nothing to do with the baby. I know it sounds harsh, but I just…can’t.”
“Whatever you want. We can go to the attorney together.”
She paces to the window and stares out at the green pasture, arms crossed over her chest. “Okay,” she whispers.
I exhale the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. She said okay. “Thank you, Misty. I’ll call him now and get it set up. Have you been to the doctor? When is your next appointment? I want to be there for all of it.”
“Yeah, I went. I’m supposed to go monthly for check-ups and then more frequently closer to time. I have an appointment this afternoon. I was going to tell them to…you know. I just wanted to tell you first.” She turns to look at me. “I never expected this turn of events.”
“Thank you for talking to me first and agreeing to this.” I’m going to be a father. A single father, by choice. I’m grateful she’s agreed to this, but at the same time, I want her out of my life. As soon as the words she was “taking care of it” left her mouth, I hated her.
“I want to be there for your appointments. Anything else you need, you let me know. I’m going to go call the attorney. What time do we need to leave?” I don’t give her room to tell me no.
“I have to be there in an hour.”
“Great, just let me make this call, and then we can go.” I head to my office, leaving her alone in the living room. I just moved into this house six months ago. When I built it, I made sure it was big enough for a growing family. That was always in the back of my mind, but I never dreamed it would be this soon.
Stepping into my office, I shut the door and take a seat at the desk. Cell phone in hand, I swipe the screen, find the family attorney’s number, and hit send.
My call goes to voicemail. “Mr. Fields, hi, Evan Chamberlin. Listen, I have an urgent matter that was just brought to my attention, which I will need your services for. When you get this message, please give me a call.” I don’t bother leaving my number; he has it. Mr. Fields has been my grandparents’ attorney for years. When I took over the farm, I continued that relationship.
I find Misty still standing by the window. Being so lost in her thoughts, she doesn’t hear me approach. I bite back the panic that she’s changed her mind. I squeeze my cell phone a little tighter, willing it to ring. I need to get these papers drawn up and signed before she does.
“Ready?”
She startles a little from the sound of my voice. Turning to look at me, her face is void of any emotion. It’s just…blank. “Yeah,” is all she says as she grabs her purse and walks toward the door. Mutely, I follow behind, locking up. She ambles to my truck and gets in the passenger side. At least she’s not trying to get out of this.
The twenty-minute drive is uneventful. We don’t speak except for me asking which office she goes to. The silence is welcome. I’m still raging mad at the thought of her “taking care of it,” even though I’m relieved she’s agreed to sign all rights over to me.
As soon as I put the truck in park, Misty is climbing out and heading toward the door. I catch up just in time to reach around her to open it. She says nothing as we walk inside and I follow her to the receptionist’s desk. I don’t know if she has health insurance, but I need to make sure they know all bills should come to me.
“Good afternoon, how can I help you?” asks the chipper girl sitting behind the desk.
“Misty Newman here for my appointment with Dr. Combs.” Her tone is flat.
“Great, let’s see. It says here you have Medical Mutual for insurance coverage. Is that still in effect?” the receptionist inquires nicely.