Enchanted - Taylor Swift
"No, listen. Halloween is from September through October. Christmas is from November 1st through December 25th, with a break for Thanksgiving... Obviously." Brinley states, matter of factly.
She continued to ramble on, although, I couldn't understand half the shit she's said today. Between the thick southern accent, and the fast talking, I couldn't keep up. "Brinley." I interrupt her, putting my hand out. "Slow down. I can't understand you." I say, lightly chuckling.
She sends me a sheepish smile, "Sorry..."
"It's okay, just, you have to talk slower. I can't understand your fucking accent." I say, signaling to turn left.
"Not my fault you can't keep up." She shrugs her shoulders, looking out the window. I wasn't stupid enough to know she was grinning.
I shake my head, a small laugh escaping my lips. "You're something else."
"I know."
"Hey, can I ask you something?" I hesitantly ask.
"What's up?"
I knew it wasn't my business, but I was too curious not to. If she says she doesn't want to talk about it, I'll drop it. "Did he at least tell you why he cheated?"
She sighs, looking back out the window. "No. He didn't actually own up to it. He didn't deny it though, especially when I showed him proof."
"Prick."
"He didn't need to. I know why." She says quietly, looking down at her lap.
"We don't have to talk about it."
"It's fine. I probably should anyways." She says, taking a deep breath through her nose, before letting it out of her mouth.
"He wants kids. Not because he loves them and wants his own. Someone has to carry on his family name." She says, rolling her eyes.
"And you don't want kids?" I glance over at her. She stiffens slightly.
"No, I love them. I'm a pediatric surgeon.", she says and I nod my head, "It's just... I can't have kids."
My stomach drops.
"I'd told him there were other ways to have kids. But, to him, if I can't have kids, then, that's my problem to figure out." She confesses, her voice choking up.
I grip the steering wheel tighter and my knuckles begin turning white. That motherfucker.
"Apparently, adoption isn't the same because it's not biologically your child, and it'd be a disgrace for someone else to carry your child.", she says, wiping under her eye, "I think it doesn't matter. If you can't have kids, and you happen to be able to adopt, it's your baby, blood or not." She shrugs her right shoulder.
I didn't know what to say. She didn't need my pity. He needed his nuts chopped off. "Well... He shouldn't be able to reproduce anyways." I say softly, and she chuckles.
"And it didn't help that he got me pregnant a couple of years ago." She says before a look of regret appears on her face. "Sorry, you didn't need to know that.", she looks out the window, "I tend to tell people things they shouldn't know. Well, only if I'm somewhat comfortable around them."
"You can talk about it. If you want." I say, looking over at her.
"You don't wanna hear about my sob story of a life."
Oh, but I did.
"I don't mind. Can't be much worse than mine." I say, smiling over at her.
She sighs again, looking out the windshield. "It was two years ago, I was killing myself with school, trying to get my MD and PHD. I'd forgotten a couple of days for my birth control." She says as I sit there and listen.
"He'd told me, one time without wouldn't hurt. Let me tell you, pulling out is not a form of birth control. I'd told him that several times, he obviously didn't listen. Only he could ever be right in this world.", she scoffs, "It didn't work. I'd been scared shitless, I wasn't ready to have a baby. But, I was still excited.", she looks down in her lap, "I didn't make it past the first trimester. Hell, I barely made it to two doctor's appointments."
"I'm sorry."
"Of course, I was the problem. Which, technically, I am. My OB/GYN, told me when I was in high school that it looked like there might be some fertility problems, I'd just hoped it wasn't true." She says, still looking in her lap.
"Let me guess, Ethan blamed the whole thing on you?"
"Yeah. You know, it's my fault I have PCOS, so I may never be able to make it past 20 weeks. Heaven forbid he grieves the loss of his own child." She looks out the window, her elbow rested on top of the sill as she rests her chin on her hand.
"Brinley..."
"I'm okay, really. It was hard, but I've healed... For the most part." She says, and it seems sincere and true.
"Okay." I say softly. "I want ice cream, where do you recommend." I say, changing the subject.
"Milk & Sugar Creamery." She says without any other thoughts.
"Cool. Don't tell Charlie."
*
"So, are you close with your parents?" I ask, shoving a spoonful of Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream in my mouth.
"Extremely. Although, they're back in South Carolina. It's hard sometimes, but they can't leave." She says, biting into her waffle cone.
"Why?"
"Farm." She says and I nod. "They come and visit as much as they can. I do the same, but it's easier for them to come here."
"What about you?"
"My mom and I are insanely close. She helps with Charlie all the time. My dad left when I was little, I've never really met him." I say and a small frown forms on her light pink painted lips.
"Sorry about your dad. But, at least you have your mom." She says.
"Thanks and, she's amazing. I think you'd like her."
"Yeah?" She asks, grinning.
"Definitely."
"Okay. I have to ask." She speaks up nervously. "Charlie's mom?"
I sigh, "She was a crazy ex-girlfriend. She was the only girlfriend I've really ever had. In college and high school, I was all grades and hockey first, everything else second."
"Straight A's?" She asks in a teasing manner.
"Amen.", I smile softly, "Anyways, she'd started getting obsessive and controlling. So, I broke up with her. I'd trusted her one night, and apparently gotten her pregnant. She didn't even tell me until after Charlie was born."
Brinley's mouth gapes open.
"She was 12 weeks olds when I met her. It was like four in the morning, she showed up and told me she gave up custody rights and left. I haven't seen her since."
"Did she say why she left?"
"Charlie had cancer. Instead of just asking for, I don't know: child support. She dropped her and left." I shrug.
"That's fucked up."
"I thought about it, for a long time. At first, I was like: what, she's never gonna get to meet her mom? But then, I was like you know what, I'm grateful she did. I needed Charlie more than I knew and she had kept her from me." I shrug my shoulder.
"I know it sounds shitty. I'm not glad about the fact that Charlie may never know her mom. But, would she have ever known me?"
"I see where you're coming from. I'd probably be the same way." She says, setting her crumbled up napkin on the table in front of us.
"Oh, speaking of Charlie. I have a favor to ask..."
"Go ahead. The worst I'm gonna do is say 'no'." She says, a playful smile on her cupid's bow shaped lips.
"You're gonna be at the game, right?"
"Obviously."
"Would you mind letting Charlie sit with you at the game? Something came up with my aunt, so my mom can't make it over here until after the game." I ask, knowing it might be a lot, but it was worth a shot.
"Totally. I love that kid." She says, smiling over at me.
"Thanks. You're the best." I say, flipping my wrist to check the time on my AppleWatch.
"I know." She flips her hair dramatically.
"Shit, we gotta go."
"Where is she anyways?" Brinley asks as we stand up, scooting our chairs in.
"With my best friend's wife. Who also happens to be my best friend." I say and she nods.
"Everybody's married or getting married." She says, chuckling.
"Tell me about it."
"You at least have a kid, so that's something, considering you're how old."
"I've got nothing but an ex fiancé who's sleeping with my cousin, and a whole bunch of sick kids as my friends while my best friend travels the world every weekend." She laughs.
"I'm not any of those."
"No. You're worse. You're a Tiger. That's a very big no-no in our household." She says, her eyes widening. "My father would kill me if he found out I was hanging out with you right now."
"And spending the night in my hotel room." I tease.
"Okay, one: you make it sound bad. two: don't remind me. I'm currently a disgrace to the Sharks."
"Hey, if Charlie can still love you, after finding out your a Sharks fan. I think you can handle spending a little quality time with me." I tease.
She laughs, "Yeah, okay." She pats my arm before hopping into my already started car.
*
"Brinley!" Charlie yells, running past me with her arms wide open.
Brinley squats down, wrapping her arms around Charlie, before standing up. "I missed you Brinley." Charlie says, pushing Brinkley's hair behind her shoulders.
"I missed you too, cutie." Brinley says, smiling at her.
"Oh hey Sis, I missed you too." I say and she turns to me.
"Hi Daddy." She waves before turning back to Brinley.
"I see how it is." I laugh, turning to Elsie, my best friend James' wife.
"How was she?"
"An angel, as always." She says, handing me Charlie's backpack. "So, you're hanging out with her, huh?" She nods towards Brinley, an eyebrow raised.
"It's not like that. She broke up with her fiancé and she happened to be at the restaurant right next door to the athletic store. We ran into each other when she was walking out. She was a mess, I wasn't just gonna leave her there, and she can't really go home right now." I say, scratching the back of my neck.
"You're a good person, Christian. But, I'm not stupid." She says, a teasing smirk on her lips. "We both know you think she's hot. I can't blame you, look at her." She whispers, her eyebrows raised.
"She's got that whole Anastasia Steele thing going on. Maybe it's just the bangs..." She says, looking over at Brinley.
"Who?"
"You know, Fifty Shades of Grey?"
"Never seen it." I say and she rolls her eyes.
"First of all, it was a book first. Second of all, maybe you guys can watch it together..." She wiggles her eyebrows. "I mean, your name is Christian. So, you're halfway there to recreating it."
"Wait... isn't it about like a dominant and submissive relationship?" I ask, my eyes slightly widening.
"Sure is."
"Hell no." I say, shaking my head.
"Why are you talking about a dominance and submissive relationship?" Brinley asks, appearing beside me with wide eyes. Charlie rested on her hip as she covered her ears.
"Fifty Shades of Grey." Elsie answers, smiling cheekily.
"Oh. Good movie." She nods her head to the side. "But again, why?"
"I said you've got a whole Anastasia Steele thing going on, with the bangs and all." She says, lightly laughing.
"Oh. I'll take that as a compliment, because Dakota Johnson is amazing." Brinley says.
"Damn straight."
"Moving on. Brinley, this Elsie. Elsie this is Brinley." I motion between the two of them.
"Hi." Brinley says, smiling over at her.
"Hi. It's nice to finally meet the girl Charlie is apparently obsessed with." She says, reaching over and pinching Charlie's side.
"It's nice to meet you too. How far along are you?" Brinley asks, referring to Elsie's baby bump.
"24 weeks." She says, grinning widely.
"Do you know what you're having?"
Elsie shakes her head, "No. James wanted it to be a surprise."
"Ah. That's always fun." Brinley says, readjusting Charlie on her hip.
"Yeah, except it sucks for planning."
"I bet."
Elsie looks down at her phone, "Hey, I gotta go. But, it was nice meeting you. I'll see you at the game?" She asks, looking at Brinley.
"Yeah, I'll be there."
"Great. We can go out to dinner afterwards, if you want." Elsie suggests.
"Sounds good, although, I might have my best friends with me, is that okay?" Brinley asks.
"Of course."
Word Count: 2,112