The Gun and the Rose

17 | Time to Adjust

I paced around my kitchen the next day, racking my mind of ways to get Lucian. In the middle of my fifth lap, my phone rang, my mother's face filling up the screen.

"Hello, momma?"

"Rose! How are you doing, baby?" my mom asked, her voice warm, surrounding me.

"I'm okay, how's dad?"

"He's doing better, his back not so well."

"Did the medication the doctor prescribed not work?" I sat down at the kitchen table, staring out the window as I spoke.

"You can ask him yourself at dinner tonight! Come at seven tonight." It took me a moment to process exactly what my mother was saying. "Hello?"

"Yes, I'm here. I'm a little busy, I'm not sure if I can make it..." I trailed off, scratching my back. I was stressed, sure, but not busy enough to not see my parents. But, I wasn't ready to face my parents and tell them about the baby.

"Rosaline," my mother said sternly. "I have not seen you in over two months and I live just outside the city! It's not like I'm asking you to fly over here."

I sighed internally. "Okay, momma. I'll be there."

"Good!" I could hear her smile. "I'll make your favourites! See you then, baby!" I placed my phone on the table and took a deep, shaky breath, holding my head in my hands. My mother hadn't hung up for even a minute before my phone rang again. But this time my boyfriend's face was on the screen. I picked up.

"Hey, Ales," I said tiredly.

"How are you, Rosa?" he asked.

"I'm okay. My mom invited me over for dinner tonight."

"And?"

"I don't want to tell her about the baby. But I can't lie to my own mother," I explained, feeling more stressed with every minute that ticked by.

"So you want to tell her but are scared of her reaction?"

"Basically. I don't want to fight with my parents right now."

Ales cleared his throat. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you scared of her reaction? You're a grown woman, not exactly a teenager living with them anymore."

"My parents are traditional, Ales. I'm not married and I'm having a baby." A pause.

"Would it help if I went with you? I don't mean to overstep any boundaries because it's quite early in our relationship but I can offer some support," Ales offered. I smiled, so eternally grateful for this new man in my life.

"Yes, thank you. That would be amazing," I sighed in relief.

"I'll pick you up at six thirty, yeah?'

"Perfect." I put the phone down feeling much lighter than I did when he called.

***

I got into Ales' car which was waiting in the drop off zone in front of my building. The second I saw him, I smiled, leaning over to kiss him softly.

"What's the address?" he asked, holding up a GPS app. I told him and he set it up on the dashboard and started driving. I held his hand as he drove, letting myself sink into his comforting touch. After a few moments, we pulled up to a stoplight, and he frowned at me. "What's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing." I shook my head. Ales raised my hand and gently kissed the back of it.

"You know you can tell me anything right?" I nodded. "So tell me what's wrong."