Daphne stood in the doorway.
Chapter Twelve
Daphne
“Hi, sweetheart,” my father said.
“Hey, baby.” From Brad.
“Coverage for what?” I repeated.
Dad cleared his throat. “Brad and I were just discussing his health plan at the ranch. Once you’re married, you’ll be covered.”
“Oh.” Of course I needed coverage. Who knew when I might go crazy again? That was what my father was thinking. He would never say it, but that was where his mind was. What he didn’t know was that I’d never lose it again. I was determined. I’d fainted twice in the last month at school. When I got anxious, I tended to hyperventilate. I was also determined that wouldn’t happen again. I needed to keep my health. I couldn’t let my little dove be deprived of oxygen.
I’d be okay.
I knew it.
For my little dove.
I had to be.
My father stood. “I’m going to take a quick shower. Then we’ll go see your mom.”
I nodded. I wanted to see my mother, but I hated the idea of going to the hospital. Would she end up in the same facility where I’d spent most of my junior year? And then I’d have to visit her there?
Ugh. I couldn’t deal with that thought at the moment.
Brad smiled and patted the spot beside him. “Sit down, baby.”
I returned his smile, even though I wasn’t feeling it, and sat next to him. The warmth from his body seeped into me, comforting me.
“Do you want me to go with you to see your mom?”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to do what you need me to do. If it’s easier if I’m not there, I understand.”
I sighed. This wouldn’t be easy no matter what. My father would be there, but my father was no longer the most important man in my life.
The man sitting next to me was.
And always would be.
“I can handle it on my own,” I said.
He took my hand. “That’s not what I’m asking. I don’t doubt that you can handle it. Do you want me there?”
“Yes. Yes, I want you there.”
“Then I’ll be there.” He stood. “I need to take a quick shower as soon as your dad is out. We won’t be long.”
I nodded as he walked back into the house.
Alone on the deck.
I’d spent hours out here last year. God knew I didn’t have any friends to hang out with. That was the great thing about college. I’d chosen a small and very exclusive school in Denver where no one else from my senior class went. I’d gotten in on a full scholarship due to my test scores and GPA, but no doubt also in large part because of the essay I’d written about my rise from mental illness.
I liked to write.
Maybe Brad was right. I should pursue a career in writing. But what would I write? A personal statement about the horrors of my mental illness might impress college admissions staff, but no one would pay money to read it.
And would I even pursue a career? I’d be lucky to finish my second semester. What if the baby came early? Once I had the baby, would I go back to school in Grand Junction? Or would I do what most students in my situation did—never finish?
I’d promised myself I’d live life to the fullest now. I’d find joy in every moment. That goal had become easier once senior year was over. Senior year without close friends and with your classmates whispering behind your back didn’t lend itself well to joy. So I’d thrown myself into my studies. Prepared for my SAT and ACT and gotten near perfect scores. No clubs, no sports, no prom for me. Just the books, and it had paid off with the scholarship.
The scholarship to the college Brad Steel attended.
Fate.
Always fate.
And now…our baby. My little dove. It had to be fate. We’d tried to prevent his conception, but he was determined to come anyway.
Fate.
Fate always found a way.
Fate had led me to Brad Steel.
In a way, that horrid year of my life had led me where I was today. Before, I always assumed I’d attend CU with Sage and everyone else. I never would have tried to get into Stilton. My parents certainly couldn’t have afforded it without the scholarship for tuition.
Everything happens for a reason.
Dr. Payne used that phrase a lot.
“Why do some things have to be so painful?” I’d asked once.
“What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”
I liked Dr. Payne, but he was the master of the cliché.
Of course, clichés were clichés for a reason. They made a lot of sense.
For the first time, I was thankful for my junior year.
It had led me to Brad.
I laughed out loud. My life sure was heading in a different direction from where I’d assumed it would head. Married at eighteen? Who did that anymore? Mother at nineteen?
This was my life now.
No time to plan any kind of wedding, and my parents couldn’t afford it. Brad and I would probably be married at city hall. I could live with that. Not like I had a choice.
Still, what girl doesn’t dream of being a princess in white for a day?
I’d had those dreams once, when I was younger. Before I had other more important things to think about—like keeping my memory intact.
Now silly girlhood dreams seemed like exactly that—silly girlhood dreams.
I’d been forced to grow up quickly, and now I was doubling down. Soon I’d be responsible for another person—my little dove who I already adored.
I’d rise to the challenge.
Continue to find the joy in everything.
Because my little dove needed me.
“Daphne?” Dad opened the screen door leading to the deck. “You ready, sweetheart?”
I nodded.
Whether I was ready didn’t matter. I’d go see my mother. I’d set foot in the hospital. I’d be strong.
I had no other choice.
Chapter Thirteen
Brad
Lucy was asleep the whole time we were at the hospital. Daphne sat with her for a half hour, holding her hand. I didn’t pressure her.
Finally she said to me, “We need to get back to campus.”
I nodded. We said goodbye to Jonathan, and I gave him my address and phone number in case he wanted to reach me. Then we drove back to college. Daphne was quiet, but she seemed okay.
“Do you want to stay with me tonight?” I asked.
“No, I need to talk to Patty. Tell her what’s going on. I guess tomorrow after classes I’ll go talk to the registrar and the campus housing person. Patty will probably be thrilled to have a single room for the rest of the year.”
“Probably only the rest of the semester,” I said. “They’ll most likely fill the room with a transfer student in January.”
She nodded. “Well, she can have her fun for a few months, anyway. The girl gets around.”
“She does?”
“You know she slept with Sean the first night we were on campus. She also slept with her first nighter—who’s a pig, by the way—and still sees him. Whatever happened between her and Sean?”