Joe Keery Imagines Vol. 2

A Man of Mistakes - Gator

Everyone makes mistakes in their life. The biggest mistake I made was trusting Gator Tillman. We have been together since high school. At the beginning of this year, I found out I was pregnant. I don't think I've ever seen Gator more excited.

But that's when he started to change.

He didn't change toward me or the baby. He came home later and later. When he did finally come home, he was angry and jittery. I tried talking to him about it, several times. Each time, he'd brush me off and tell me he was fine.

Things escalated.

I was about six months pregnant when Gator came home drunk.

~ • ~

I jumped when the door was kicked open. I looked over my shoulder to see Gator struggling to take off his shoes.

"Son of a bitch!" He yelled.

"Gator?" I took off my blanket and slowly stood up. I couldn't help but place my hands over my belly.

"Sorry, baby," he whispered loudly. "Did I wake you?"

"Wake me? Gator, it's 5 o'clock."

"Oh," he chuckled. "My bad. Time got away from me."

"Where were you?"

"Hanging with my dad," he slurred.

Oh no.

"And he took you to a bar," I said instead of asking.

"Duh," Gator scoffed. I jumped when he threw his gun belt over onto the table.

"Gator," I hesitated.

"Don't start with me, Y/N," he snapped. He brushed past me, slightly bumping my shoulder. My heart sank when he went to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

"Are you sure you should. . ."

Gator cut me off by throwing the completely full beer at me. Luckily he was drunk so it hit the wall to my right instead of me. I looked at the broken beer bottle before turning my shocked eyes to my boyfriend.

"Get out."

"Y/N. . ."

"Get out!"

~ • ~

Gator came back the next day completely sober. He apologized and begged me to take him back. I was firm and clear about what he needed to do if he wanted to be a part of our child's life. He swore that he would do everything.

At first, it seemed like he really meant it. He started coming home right at 5:10. He'd bring home dinner and a gift for the baby. He was with me when I went into labor and he stayed by my side until we brought our daughter, Annabelle, home. Everything was going great. I actually started to believe that we could build a life, a family, together.

I woke up from that fantasy real quick.

It only took one shoot-out at the grocery store that Annabelle and I got in the middle of for me to kick him out for good.

~ • ~

"Y/N? What the hell are you doing here?"

"We needed more diapers," I said slowly, still shaken from the shoot-out.

Gator looked down at Annabelle in my arms. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her still asleep.

"Damn," he chuckled. "This little babe can sleep through just about anything."