Second Time Around

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Alyssa's door was closed and Kelly stared at it for a long moment. She couldn't fault Alyssa entirely for her reaction to the news that Kelly was pregnant. It had to be a huge shock to her, no matter how she seemed to be fine when Kelly and Tony were just dating. She remembered what it was like to be fifteen and having all the hormones firing at once and being uncomfortable in her skin. She hadn't forgotten how awkward and uncomfortable it felt to think about sex, never mind thinking about it in conjunction with her own parents. It was weird enough to think of your parents as real people, with real feelings and desires, it had to be even worse to come face to face with the irrefutable evidence that your parents had sex. She was older than Joe, but could only barely remember her mother being pregnant with him. Had she been Alyssa's age, she would have been skeeved out as well, no doubt.

The door handle was cool to the touch and Kelly held her breath as she turned it. Thankfully, it wasn't locked.

The room was dark, Enya played low, Alyssa's iPod a faint glow. "Lyssa?"

"Go away."

Kelly closed the door by. "Not until we talk this over."

The comforter rustled and pink light bathed the room as Alyssa switched on her lamp. "I don't want to talk about it, Mom."

"I know this is a surprise for you, it was for us as well."

Alyssa pulled herself up, sitting cross-legged, her gaze fixed on her legs. "It's..." She sighed, raking her fingers through her hair.

Kelly settled on the edge of Alyssa's bed. "It's what, Lyssa?"

She finally looked up. "It's hard to look at the two of you, knowing you--" Her cheeks grew pink--"you know."

"I know it is. It's difficult when you're hit in the face with the fact that your mom is an actual person and she feels all the things you do right now."

Alyssa visibly squirmed. "Mom, that's not helping."

"Honey, it's okay to feel that way. Really, it is." Kelly reached out to pat her knee. "And it's okay to look at me or Tony and be a little weirded out as well. It's perfectly normal.

"But, the fact remains that I'm pregnant. We're all going to have to adjust a little." Kelly gave her knee a squeeze, smiling as Alyssa relaxed a little. "And the time is going to come when you won't be embarrassed."

"What's it like, though?"

That caught Kelly off guard. "What?"

Alyssa's cheeks went from pink to scarlet. "Jake wants... well... he...."

Oh.

Shit.

Kelly bit the inside of her cheek, the roiling in her belly having nothing to do with morning sickness. "He wants to what?"

Alyssa took a deep breath. "I think I might want to go on the Pill."

It took every bit of reserve Kelly had to not jump up and scream at Alyssa that she was far too young to be thinking about the Pill and everything that went part and parcel with it. But, since she'd always tried to drive home that either one of them could come to her about anything, no matter what, all she could do was say, "Really."

"Yeah. I haven't done anything, Mom." Alyssa's cheeks went redder still. "But, what's it like."

"When it's with someone you love, it's an amazing, beautiful thing," Kelly replied slowly. "But, I think fifteen is a little too young to be seeing for yourself. Remember, Jake is two years older than you and--"