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“Your future is hockey. That’s your dream. It’s not fair. None of this is fair. You said it yourself. I won’t let you throw away your future. I can do this, Damien. I can do this by myself.” Her words are final, but this discussion is not over yet.
She’s giving me an out.
I don’t want it.
There’s another way. There has to be. I need more time to think. I need a plan.
“Let me ask you something, Gia. What do you want most in life? More than anything on this entire planet.” I drop my free hand to her hip. I need to ground my thoughts somehow so that I can think this through. Get it together, Henderson.
“And all the galaxies of the universe?” She asks as she smiles through the pain that’s etched on her face. Her playful words offer a levity that feels like a breath of fresh air that I think we both desperately need.
“To infinity and beyond, yes.” I smile at her briefly before continuing because I already know what the answer is, and I need her to remember too. “What do you want?” I repeat the question quietly. She’s told me this before. Maybe not the answer to this exact question, but I know her.
Her eyes search mine, and I recognize the instant she begins tracking with me.
“Legacy.” She answers confidently.
My memories of Gia date back further than she herself might remember. You learn a lot about a person over a lifetime of memories.
“To leave your own personal mark on this planet,” I suggest because I know what’s most important to her. I know what drives her. It’s one of the things that makes her so special.
She’s not driven by personal gain. Not in the way that most successful people are. Gia is one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met. I’d also bet my entire future career on her becoming one of the most successful. Just not from the standard societal viewpoint.
Not just in her career, but in the game of life. Gia will be a phenomenal mother to this child.
“Exactly. I want to make an impact. I want to be a ripple in the sea of change and growth.” I hear the strength in her voice rise as she slowly comes back to me.
This is our moment.
“You hold our legacy inside of you. That baby is our legacy, Click. He or she is our future.” My voice trembles. I pour my heart and soul into every word that leaves my lips.
“Our future?” She tilts her head to the side as she looks up at me. As if just now considering the fact that she’s bound to me for life. I can’t figure out if she likes the idea of that or not.
I suck in a breath and prepare myself to present her with the plan that’s quickly been coming together in my mind the longer we’ve stood here.
Another way. Another option. A future for us. Together.
Everything falls into place. Now if I can just get it out without her falling apart before I can get her to understand how this can work.
“Hear me out. We don’t have to make this weird, Click. We’re already family. Now our family is growing by one more. We’re both admitted students on scholarship here at Rafferton. We both already live on campus. Separately, but we don’t have to. We’ll get married before the baby comes. They have housing specifically for married couples. It will be affordable, and we’ll both still be able to attend college. We can adjust our schedules to accommodate the baby’s schedule. I saw a posting just the other day for a maintenance position at the rink. It’s part-time. I’ll get a job. We’ll get extra help if we need it. Some of the older guys on the team have kids already. I’m sure they’d be more than happy to share what they know about raising a baby on campus.” The words rush from my mouth. I try to get it all out in the open before she can cut me off. Even as I say it, I know how absurd it all sounds, but it’s all I’ve got.
Yesterday I was worried about midterms. Today I’m proposing marriage to my best friend’s little sister.
“Hell no,” she reels, her voice louder than it’s been all night. “Nobody said anything about marriage, Damien. This is the twenty-first century. I am not marrying you just because we’ve decided to have this child together.” She pulls her hand from mine, but I won’t give up. I see our future. I see us as a family. Not in the traditional sense, but nothing about this is traditional.
“Temporarily. It doesn’t have to be forever, Click. It’s not a bad idea if you’ll just consider it. It’s a way for us to do this affordably and still be able to accomplish our goals. We won’t have to switch off weekdays and weekends. We already know we’re good together as friends. Neither of us is in a relationship. We can have it all. Do you want to raise this baby with me? As equals?” I reach for what feels like the unreachable.
Two parents. One home. For now, anyway. We can give this baby everything we never had. We can co-parent together. We’re already family. This can work. Even if something about calling it co-parenting feels weird. For some reason, the term doesn’t feel like enough. Regardless, it is going to have to be. I’m hanging on by a single thread of hope here.
“You’re asking me two very different questions and expecting a single answer. Yes, I will agree to co-parent with you as equals. My dad died when I was still in preschool, you know this about me. My memories of him come from photo albums. Until Jeff came along, T was my dad, or he thought he was. Still does. I want this baby to know their daddy.” My heart stutters with one word…daddy. A smile stretches my lips, and my eyes fill with tears that I don’t try to hide from her.
“Daddy,” I whisper the word. “Say that again, Click.” I’ve never been in love, but my heart is so full at this moment that it feels like it might burst from my chest. I already love this baby so damn much.
“You’re going to be a daddy, Damien. It’s weird, huh?” Slowly, Gia brings her hand to her belly.
She gives me permission with a single nod of her head, and I don’t hesitate to place my hand over hers.
Two hearts will become a third. The miracle of life is an amazing thing to behold. We did this. We created this child together. Planned or not, there is a living, growing baby in there, and part of it belongs to me.
