Aftershocks | Calum Hood

16

10 weeks

"Mack? Mack, is that you?" He said into the phone urgently, sitting up in bed and cutting on the lamp in his hotel room. He glanced at the clock and saw it was just after three in the morning but he didn't care. He'd give up all of his sleep to fix things with Mack.

"I heard your interview." She replied without a greeting.

"Which one?" He asked, they'd done so many in the last few weeks that they all blurred together.

"One from London. They asked about my wedding."

"Oh, um. I tried to say as little as possible."

"What you said was fine. You told them I mean the world to you?" She said, her voice phrasing it as a question.

"You do. Mack, you have to know you mean everything to me." He assured her.

"If that was really true Cal you wouldn't have left things like they were."

"I was an asshole, Mack. I get that, I'm so, so sorry." He rushed, needing her to understand his feelings.

"Cal nothing's changed. The baby could still be yours or Tanner's. There's nothing I can do about it."

"You're further along now, Mack. Get the paternity test."

She sighed heavily on the other end of the phone line and he feared he'd said something else wrong.

"I'm not getting the test, Cal."

"What are you talking about Mack? Of course you're getting the test." He snapped, his anger ignited by her blatant refusal to think or behave rationally.

"No. I'm not." She said firmly. "I want you to love me because you do, not because you feel obligated to."

"I don't feel obligated to." He countered, his frustration growing as they had yet another argument that led to nowhere. "I love you, Mackenzie. I'm so, so sure of it. If the baby is mine I'll love it endlessly. It's just, I-"

"You just don't know if you could love someone else's child as your own." She said simply.

He forced down the bile that rose in his throat when he thought of the baby being Tanner's.

"Mack, you're being ridiculous. I just want to know if I need to prepare myself for it to not be my kid. I really don't think I'm asking for too much here." He pleaded, trying to get her to see his side.

"That's where we disagree. If you want this you need to figure our how to be okay with this going either way. The baby is going to be a part of my life from here on out and I can't be with someone who can't accept that."

"Wait, that's n-" He started but the line went dead. She'd hung up on him. He let out an exasperated groan as he fell back against the bed. He rubbed at his eyes angrily.

He needed sleep but he knew it was useless to try at this point, his adrenaline pumping because of his frustration. He just wished she would give him a chance to explain himself. To let them work out their problems calmly, like adults.

They had had fights before of course, they had been friends for nearly five years now so it was only natural. This one felt different somehow. Their new sort-of relationship hung in the balance and he feared he was beginning to run out of ideas of how to fix them.

•

Mackenzie was chopping vegetables for her dinner when a knock sounded on her front door. She hadn't been expecting anyone but she set her knife aside, dried her hands and proceeded to her front door.

"Just a minute." She called as her visitor knocked again just before she reached the door.

Her eyes widened as she came face to face with the person on the other side, Tanner.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" She stuttered.

"Can I come in?" He asked, already breezing by her and into the living room of Calum's house.

"What are you doing here Tanner? How did you even get this address?"

"I, uh, I bumped into your mom at the grocery store this morning. She asked how I was doing. Which, not great to be honest, still not doing great." He said as he began to pace the living room. "I told her that I'm back at work. I've reined in the drinking, most night anyways. If I'm being honest I just did a shot before I came in here because I'm nervous as shit." He said without taking a breath.

"Why? Why are you nervous?"

"Well, Kenz, your mom thought that I might like to know a bit of news she had."

Mackenzie reached for the back of the couch to steady herself as her stomach fell to her feet. She was going to murder her mother.

"Is it true?" He asked, bringing his pacing to an abrupt halt.

She raised her eyes, meeting his gaze as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

"Kenz, just tell me. Are you pregnant?"

She closed her eyes, needing a minute to gather herself and decide how to proceed.

After a moment she sighed and nodded her head.

"Is, is it mine?" He mumbled.

"I don't know." She said honestly.

A look of pain washed over his face for a moment and she felt a pang of guilt in her gut. Her guilt lessened as the pain faded and he instead just looked angry.

"Guess that answers my question about him." He said, his voice sharp.

She looked away, not wanting to drag Calum into this. Things with him were too rocky, too uncertain.

"When will you know for sure whose it is?" He asked his face softening once more.

"Um, I don't know." She said cautiously. "I don't think I'm going to have a paternity test done. Not until after the baby is born at least."

She dared a glance up at his reaction. His face was emotionless, set in its position like stone.

"I'd be there for you. If it's, ya know, mine." He said earnestly.

"Tanner," she said softly shifting her head to the side.

"Come on, Kenzie. I know everything ended badly and I've been a real dick but, you loved me once. I know you did."

"Tan-"

"Come on. If it's mine you're not going to keep them from me are you? I swear I'll do right by them."

"I-, it's just," she started unsure of how to continue. They didn't make a "what to expect when you're expecting and don't know who the father is" handbook. "Why don't we just wait to cross that bridge when we get to it." She offered softly.

"Okay. I see you're uncomfortable. I didn't mean any harm Mackenzie. You walked out on me, but I didn't just stop feeling the way I felt. The way I still feel. If the baby is mine, I want to be there for them, and you. I hope you'll allow me to be.

He moved forward and placed a swift kiss to her cheek before turning and retreating out the door.

When he was gone she stared after him for a long while, wondering when her life had become so confusing. She felt completely and utterly lost and she couldn't turn to her Calum to fix everything.

An: still hate Tanner?

What happens next?

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Ily,
Sav 🖤