"She's headstrong sometimes, just like her mom." Chance's voiced cracked. At this point Lauren couldn't help it. She burst into tears, crying silently into her hands. She looked to her right and saw a picture on Brooklyn's bedside table. Lauren wiped her eyes and took the picture frame.
"I remember this." Lauren sniffled.
On the bottom of the frame had words engraved spelling out: "Brooklyn-Louise Perez: July 10, 2009." The picture showed Lauren holding the child, and Chance standing next to the bed.
"We were so young." Lauren stuttered.
In the picture she saw her sixteen year old self, not knowing what to do as a teen mom. Lauren took a hard long look at it, as the flashbacks came back to her mind.
*flashback to eight years ago*
"What is she gonna do with that child? Her basketball career is over." Lauren heard her dad yell from downstairs.
"It already happened, Rick. All we have to do is be there to support her." Her mom replied.
Lauren was fighting back tears as she looked at the ultrasound of her daughter.
"Why did you let her go to that party?"
Rick yelled, slamming something on the table.
"It was after homecoming, I really didn't think anything was going to happen, so I let her and Chance go."
Lauren walked to the top of the stairs, carefully listening into the conversation her parents were having.
"Her life is ruined. How will she become successful now?" Rick yelled in frustration.
"Lauren!" Rick yelled. She flinched at the sound, but she dragged her feet down the stairs.
"After you give birth to that baby, you are not keeping it." Rick said, sternly.
"Rick, that's her child!" Her mom came to her defense.
"I said, she is not keeping it. That's final." After that, he stormed out of the living room and upstairs.
Lauren felt her heart shatter. She fell to the floor on her knees, sobbing.
"This is all my fault." She cried out. Her mother ran over to her, bending down to hug Lauren.
"I'm here for you sweetie. I'm here to support you." Sherry whispered, as she rubbed her daughter's back.
*five months later*
Lauren was breathing heavily in her hospital bed. Her tiny sixteen year old body was about to give birth to a baby girl. Chance was right there next to her, holding her hand. After hours of intense labor, Brooklyn was born. Lauren felt tears brim her eyes, as she looked down at her daughter.
"She's precious." She whispered, kissing the newborn girl on the forehead.
"Take care of her alright?" She said, looking up at Chance.
"I will. You don't have to do this Lauren." Chance whispered.
"It's not my choice." Lauren cried.
"Make sure that she grows up to be the strongest and most independent woman." Lauren said, her eyes swelling up from the tears.
A couple days later Lauren was at Chance's house getting together Brooklyn's things.
YOU ARE READING
The Secret. (Book Two of The Contract.)
同人小说A secret from Lauren Hill-Thompson's past comes back to her at an unexpected time. Relationships and trust will be put to the test. But wait, you didn't think that the contract ended yet, did you?
