AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The thing is, I’d love to get approval on dating your daughter… but you have to know, I will still win her heart back even if you don’t. This is merely a courtesy and out of respect.”
Walter nods slowly, letting my words sink in, and then he leans forward. “You’ve got my approval, but I’m watching you.”
Melanie's eyes shine with unshed tears, and she dabs at the corners as if they’ve already fallen. “Of course, you’ve got our approval. Is there anything else you need?”
“Actually,” I say. “Do you happen to have an extra blanket and small basket?”
“Of course, is that all?”
“I’ve got everything else figured out,” I say politely before she disappears from the room.
There’s a heavy silence in the air, then Walter leans closer to me and says, “If you hurt her, don’t think you’ll get the chance to come back here again and plead your case. I’m trusting you with my baby girl.”
“Of course, sir, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Everything feels as though it’s falling right into place when Melanie walks back in with the basket I asked for, along with a blanket draped over her arm.
I’ve been waiting weeks to be able to do this, and I can’t stop my heart's rapid beating, no matter how much I try to calm myself down with breathing exercises.
Wren arrives as I place the last items in the trunk. I give her a small smile and hold the car door open. Her unsure nod says it all, and we slide onto the leather seats without a word as I drive the vehicle out of the driveway at an unhurried pace, leaving her folks and my bandmates watching from behind.
***
Just as I imagined, our sedan pulls up to the spot where Wren and I had a picnic before, and she hops out of the car in a far better mood than when I saw her earlier. She looks scared as she carefully inches closer to me, making me wonder if this is a terrible idea, but the moment I hold my hand out to her, relief floods into her features, and she takes my hand.
This feels right.
There’s a few things scattered around me – the picnic basket full of food that Melanie suggested I pack, a guitar case resting next to that and right on top of that is a notebook of things I never thought I’d make known to another person before.
It’s a notebook full of my deepest thoughts.
Wren settles onto the blanket slowly, eyes casting over the scenery the same way they did the first time as if she’s never witnessed it before, and I take a moment to study the side of her. Her shoulders are tense once again, and I frown at the sight.
There’s something off about her.
She’s worried.
I reach forward, clasping her hand in mine, and give her the best smile I can manage. “Did I make a mistake doing this?”
Immediately, she shakes her head, and a tear falls down her cheek that I reach out to wipe away with a frown. “Not at all, Ryker.”
Wren rubs her hands together, then sighs heavily. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
She stares at me as though she’s scared of what my reaction will be, and that scares the shit out of me.
Is it that she doesn’t want to be with me anymore? Did I take too long to get back to her?
“Okay,” I say softly, trying to keep my nerves in check.
“This is hard, telling you, but I know you deserve to know before anything goes further,” she says while closing her eyes for a brief moment to take a deep breath.
When she opens them, her eyes are glazed with more tears, and it breaks my heart in two. “I’m pregnant, Ryker.”
“W-what?” That’s all I can manage right now.
Everything goes deadly silent. Not even nature in the background can be heard around us, and Wren curls into herself to hide away from me. Her cheeks are pink from embarrassment, and I still haven’t figured out what the hell I should say.
When I made my surprise arrival, this isn’t the type of conversation I had in mind. I think back to the moments we shared, trying to figure out where the slip-up was, but it doesn’t seem so important anymore.
