Hometown Glory

Four

"So after I didn't hear from him, I left. I couldn't be here anymore."

"But you should have told us. We would have stayed and  helped you, Georgia. You didn't have to run."

"How could anyone help me? You guys were on tour and I didn't want to ruin that for you. Cancelling a tour? Not a chance. Plus, I know your mother wouldn't take it very lightly if her fifteen year old son's 'girlfriend' called from Tulsa and said she was pregnant. So once I didn't hear from Zac, I left."

"But why, Georgia? I don't understand."

Georgia signed, running her hands over her face. She and Taylor were sitting in her car in an empty parking lot, drinking their coffee and trading tour stories, until things turned serious when Taylor asked her why she'd left.

"Because, Taylor, people here knew about Zac and I. They knew we were a thing. If I walked around here with a growing belly, they would know. I tried to protect him, Taylor. I didn't want his reputation to be ruined because of our dumb mistake. After you guys left, I waited for two weeks. Zac called once, for about five minutes. That's it."

"Tours are exhausting, G." Taylor said quietly, looking defeated.

"I know. I've done one myself." Georgia smiled slightly.

"And we're so proud of you, Georgia. All of us. You have no idea."

Georgia smiled wider. "I never got to say thank you for what you've done for me. If it wasn't for you and your brothers, I wouldn't have had a tour or a music career. I'm literally in debt to you guys for the rest of my life." She laughed.

"You don't owe us anything. You deserve it so much, Georgia. More than anything." Taylor told her gently. "We really are so proud of you."

"I'm nervous to see Zac at the wedding." Georgia frowned.

"I know you are. By the way, he doesn't know that Bailee is his. He thinks you moved on after we went on tour, and got pregnant by another guy."

"Seriously?" Georgia asked, shocked. "Did he not do up the math?"

"Bailee's birthday isn't public knowledge, Georgia." Taylor told her. "Believe me, I tried searching online but couldn't find anything. But my god, she looks so much like you from the pictures I've seen. She's beautiful."

"All I see when I look at her is Zac." Georgia smiled, thinking of her daughter. "She has his laugh, and his smile. And her hair is wavy just like his."

"I can't wait to meet her. Are you bringing her to the wedding?"

Georgia nodded, sipping her coffee. "Yeah. We have matching dresses."

Taylor laughed. "That's cute."

"Let's head back. I wanna see your mom before I go home."

Georgia was glad that she had (somewhat) cleared the air with Taylor. She was thankful that he wasn't mad; more so understanding than anything else. Georgia knew Taylor would tell Isaac, which she was fine with, because it saved her the time of telling him, too. The story was starting to become exhausting to her and she'd only told it twice.

She hoped she wouldn't run into Zac at all while she was back in Tulsa. But of course, with the wedding coming up, she knew she would find herself right under his nose in no time.