Oh, Capri, Spencer

September 7, 2010
7:23 PM

Brielle Brooks was that nice, polite, understated girl next door. She didn’t have the looks of a super model or even of one of those plastic Barbie replica cheerleaders from school. She was quiet unless she needed to be social. She was well mannered and smart and there was something charming about her. She was a nice girl. Her parents had had her when they were her age and although it wasn’t always easy, they made it work. She was close to both of her parents, but there were some things she felt more comfortable talking to her mom about. Her best friend in the whole wide world was her mother. She had girlfriends her age and she was even close to some of them, but no one would ever be able to take the place of her mother. Brielle lived a good life. She was fortunate to have parents who loved her and supported her. She had goals and dreams that were within her reach. She worked hard and it showed off.

Bree just started her senior year of high school. She was young for her age at seventeen, but she was mature and brilliant. She was the president of the Student Government Association and she was involved in lots of clubs and extracurriculars. She was a busy girl, but if she wanted to get into Princeton she had to make sure she was qualified. Princeton University was Brielle’s dream school. She knew that was where she wanted to be, to study pre-law, since Freshman year. She had her whole life mapped out. It was going to kill her being at a school so far away from home, her family, and her boyfriend, but her ambitions were important to her and they all seemed to understand. After college, she was going to start her career. She would get married to her boyfriend, Spencer Gunn, eventually and maybe they’d even have kids someday.

Spencer and Brielle had been going out since the sixth grade when Spencer worked up the courage to ask her to a school dance. Bree was only just starting to grow apart from that phase where all boys had cuties, so she was a little apprehensive. She liked the fact that he had worked up the courage to even talk to her, though. At that point in her life the only boy she really knew as a friend was Chris. Chris was like her older brother, though. He played with her when she was lonely and he protected her when she was scared. He was gone by then, though, and Bree was back to being lonely. Brielle said yes to Spencer and it was probably one of the best decisions of her life. Their relationship evolved from cute little kid affection to high school romance. In high school, they were easily the ‘it’ couple. People were jealous of them and their relationship. While most of the people their age were busy experimenting and giving all they had away to the first person who would take it, Spencer and Brielle stood back and watched. What they had was different from most of the people there. They were in love.

Brielle usually tutored some of her peers after school, but today she cancelled and promised to reschedule for tomorrow. She had a more pressing matter to attend to. Bree was late, more than a few days late, and she was really worried. She was sexually active with her boyfriend, Spencer, and even though they used protection she knew it wasn’t always a one hundred percent guarantee. As soon as Bree came home, she greeted her mom and her almost four-year old sister, Brianne, quickly before rushing herself up the stairs to take the three pregnancy tests she made her friend drive to another town to get with her after school. She couldn’t just stop at the pharmacy in Evergreen to pick up the kits because, unfortunately, Evergreen was a small town and if anyone saw her or what she was buying, there was no way she’d be able to control the damage it would do. Bree wanted to make sure what she feared was true before she opened that can of worms.

Bree locked herself in the bathroom and stared at the three different pregnancy kits in front of her. She got three because she read somewhere that sometimes the kits were defected and could give off false answers. She figured that if one kit could be defected, then two could be, but what are the chances that three kits in a row were defected? Bree took a deep breath and looked at the girl staring back at her in the mirror. She was shaking. What happened to the little girl she used to know? She was all grown up now and she was about to take a pregnancy test. She didn’t tell Spencer about this possibility yet. For all she knew, she was being paranoid and she wasn’t pregnant at all and she didn’t want to scare him. After all, she was on the pill. How likely was it that she was pregnant while on the pill? Brielle’s mom took her to the doctor for contraception about a year ago. Her mother and father had gotten pregnant when they were her age and her mother did NOT want the same thing happening to Brielle. They loved Brielle and they wouldn’t give anything up for her, but they struggled and they didn’t want Brielle to go through that.

After what felt like hours, Brielle finally manned up and took the pregnancy tests. The few minutes it took to get the results were agonizing. Why did these things have to take so damn long?! She was getting dizzy. What if she was pregnant? Everything she worked for, everything she planned on doing would go down the drain. Her parents had lectured her so many times about practicing safe sex, or just not practicing it at all. She didn’t think she’d be able to tell them. She didn’t even know how she’d be able to tell Spencer. She tried to remind herself that she didn’t know anything yet and that maybe she wasn’t pregnant at all. She was trying to remain calm before she had all of the facts, but it was a very hard thing to do.

Oh my god. The timer she set on her phone went off and she silenced it immediately. It was time. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and took a couple of cleansing breaths. This moment could change her life forever and she wasn’t ready for that at all. Brielle opened her eyes slowly. She gasped at what she saw. The first test showed positive and she glanced at the second one, hoping more than anything that the first test was wrong. The second one showed the same result as the first and the third matched the first two. Brielle grasped the counter before she thought she was going to collapse. She was pregnant, she was really pregnant. She looked down at her flat belly. She was always tiny. There was no physical evidence that there was a baby in there somewhere and that’s part of what made it so hard to believe. The full impact of what that meant hadn’t hit her just yet, but it would soon.

Bree took all of the time she needed to calm down. She put the evidence of the pregnancy tests back into the brown paper bag it came in. She wiped her tears and splashed water on her face to get rid of some of that red blotchiness. If her mother saw her like this, she didn’t think she’d be able to keep what was wrong from her. Bree didn’t want her parents to know yet. She didn’t think she could face their disappointment right now. She needed to talk to Spencer, first. He was the only person she could possibly talk to about this, but she didn’t know how. She didn’t know what any of this meant. What if he didn’t want to be with her after this? What if he decided he couldn’t take this kind of responsibility? What if he couldn’t love her anymore after this? This was certainly not what she had ever planned on or wanted. She didn’t want to be seventeen and pregnant. She wanted to be young. She wanted her only care in the world to be applying to college and making the most out of her senior year. This couldn’t be happening. It had to be some kind of awful nightmare that she was going to wake up from.

Bree opened the door to the bathroom cautiously. The hallway was clear and she snuck into her room, closing and locking the door behind her. She curled up on her bed and hugged her favorite stuffed dog named Chester to her chest. She wanted to be a little kid again. She wanted to crawl into bed with her parents after this awful nightmare she was having. She wanted them to hold her and promise everything would be okay the same way they did with Brianne now. Bree spent the next hour going back and forth. She didn’t know if she should tell Spencer or not. She didn’t know what to do or what he would do if he knew. They were both so young and she was already so scared. She felt like the floor was being ripped from beneath her. How was she supposed to handle all of this on top of losing her boyfriend? She loved Spencer more than anything and the thought of losing him was unbearable.

It still hadn’t completely hit her. She knew she was pregnant, she could see the evidence, but what that really meant hadn’t fully hit her yet. Bits and pieces of it hit her slowly and each blow was a little harder than the previous one. In the end, Brielle decided she needed to tell Spencer. She was scared and confused. She didn’t know what this all meant or what she was supposed to do now. He was the only one who could help her. He had a right to know anyways. He was the father. It felt so weird to think about that. Spencer was going to be a father and Brielle was going to be a mother. That is, if they even kept the baby. Brielle’s fingers were shaking as she rolled over and reached for her phone. She was careful not to roll on her stomach. Could that even be harmful to the baby? She didn’t know. She didn’t know what to with this thing inside of her, but she didn’t want to hurt it.

Brielle had Spencer on speed dial, saved in her recent contacts, and set as one of her favorites, but that didn’t stop her from pounding out every single digit of his phone number on the keypad before hitting send. She’s had his number memorized almost since the day he got it. She waited nervously as the phone rang. She called him a lot to talk to him, to hear his voice, so this wasn’t out of the ordinary. When she heard that click and his voice pick up on the other side, her breath caught. She suddenly forgot how to speak. How did you tell someone that their life was about to change forever? “Hey, baby.” She said, wincing at her own choice of words. She tried to sound as normal and upbeat as possible, but it was hard to keep her breathing straight. “I, umh, I was wondering if—” She paused. No. She was saying this all wrong. “I think we—” She said, pausing again. There was nothing settling about the words I think we need to talk. “Do you wanna go somewhere? Grab some ice cream real quick, maybe?” She asked. She knew it was a school night, but she didn’t think she could tell him this over the phone. She wanted to hear his voice, but she wanted to see him. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to be with him.

Spencer always loved hearing from his girlfriend. They had been together for a long time, even for as young as they were, and he was crazy about her. Sometimes people at school made fun of them for that, but it rolled right off of his back, he didn’t care if people teased him for his commitment to his girlfriend, because it was true. He loved her, and he wasn’t going to split with her for any reason, not when he felt so amazing about her. Some of his friends advised him to take a break, to play the field, because he was apparently popular with the ladies, but he wasn’t willing to do that at all. He was crazy about Brielle, and he wanted to be with her and no one else. What was the fun in playing the field if your heart already belonged to someone, anyways? He saw no point in it, and he just preferred to be with her, to spend some time with her and he didn’t see the point in wasting his time with someone he didn’t care about or really even know when there was someone he cared about who cared about him right back.

It didn’t matter to Spencer that it was a school night. He had gotten his work down, and he was always willing to see Brielle. Usually he called her for dates and whatnot, but he always liked it when she was the one who called him, because it meant that she was thinking about him, and he liked knowing that she thought about him. He did notice that something seemed a little off with her, but she was the kind of person that got stressed out easily, and he was sure that it was something to do with school, with a test that she was going to have trouble with, with a paper that she wasn’t sure was good enough, even though it was probably amazing. She was a great student, and very smart, and he didn’t understand why she didn’t always see that in herself. Still, if she needed his reassurance that she was doing just fine, he was more than happy to give it to her, more than happy to tell her what it was she needed to hear to believe that the work she was doing was good. It didn’t occur to him that this might be something else, that it might be something bigger than homework and grades.

“Of course I want to go somewhere.” He smiled into the phone, glad that he would get a break from the boredom of being at home. His father was in DC and his mother had been out with friends all night, leaving him in the house by himself, and he had been doing homework most of the time, Shaye had been over earlier but now he was alone and that was no fun…unless Brielle was there, though he knew that they couldn’t do that, not on a school night. “I’ll come pick you up, I’ll be there in 15.” He hung up the phone and grabbed his wallet, checking to make sure that he had enough cash for ice cream and didn’t need to get any from his parents. He was all set, but it took him a few minutes to find his car keys. He knew that he should have a place for them, so that they were always in the same place, but he hadn’t gotten around to it yet, and besides, he always managed to find them – this time wedged between his schoolbooks and a picture that he kept of himself and Brielle on his desk.

He left a note for his mother on the kitchen table in case she came back first and headed outside. He was halfway to his car when he noticed some daffodils growing in the yard. With a smile, he picked them, tying them together quickly with a rubber band and driving off. He pulled up in front of Brielle’s house not too long after that and walked up to the front door, flowers in hand. He didn’t always bring her flowers, but he liked to as much as he could, just a reminder of how much he really did care about her, and if she was stressed out, well, she might need that reminder now more than she usually did, and he was more than willing to provide it. She meant a lot to him, he was crazy about her, and he wanted to do what he could to make her feel better, though he didn’t know just how much his life was about to change as he knocked on the door and waited for her to answer it. He didn’t know that behind those doors lay a future very different from the one he had planned on thus far.

Despite everything that was happening, Brielle found herself grinning into the phone. She could practically hear his smile on the other end and just hearing his voice warmed her heart. She momentarily forgot why she called him and she was transported back to a few hours ago and everything before it when they were the carefree high school sweethearts everyone envied. Spencer was attractive and he knew how to play the guitar. He was every teenage girl’s dreams and sometimes Brielle didn’t know how she got so lucky. She didn’t know why he chose HER out of all of the other girls in their sixth grade class, but she was glad he had. She was aware of all of the other girls who checked him out, but she didn’t get jealous. He was all hers and even if they didn’t understand that a relationship was meant for two and there was no room for them in the equation, she knew he didn’t give those other girls the time of day. Spencer made her feel special and happy and warm and fuzzy. He was absolutely perfect and she realized that the reason she was so hesitant to call him tonight was because for the first time in her life, she was afraid of losing him. “Okay. See you then.” Brielle said. “I love you.” She whispered into the phone. She was terrified of what was going to happen.

Brielle hung up the phone with Spencer, but she didn’t move. She stared at the screen on her phone and contemplated calling him back and telling him nevermind. She had no idea if she was making a mistake by telling him now, like this. What if the three pregnancy tests she took were wrong after all and she was freaking them out for no reason? She was terrified that this would change their relationship for the worse. She was scared that he would blame her. She tried to think back to if she missed a pill or took it late, but she was so sure she hadn’t. She was precise about these things. She was a smart girl and she would never put them at that kind of risk. They had beaten the odds, though, and now they were pregnant. She still couldn’t believe it. She decided to let Spencer come. She needed to be with him, now more than ever. Maybe he would be the one to get her to realize the extent of what was happening.

Bree threw some of her things into her bag, including the paper bag with the pregnancy tests in it. She didn’t know why she was bringing them with her. She needed to dispose of them somewhere away from home, but she also didn’t know if Spencer would want proof. This was a big shock, after all. She grabbed a sweater, taking into account that it was cooler now that the sun was gone, and her phone. Bree looked into the mirror to make sure her face wasn’t too red or blotchy. She applied a touch of foundation to mute the color in her cheeks from all the crying and she wiped the mascara that had run off. She told her parents she was going out and that she promised to be back before her midnight curfew. They told her to be careful and not to take too long. Bree was a good kid and her parents trusted her a lot, although it occurred to her that maybe they wouldn’t trust her so much now that she had gotten herself knocked up.

Bree kissed her little sister goodnight before heading down the stairs. Brianne was the love of her life. She would protect that little girl through everything. She made a silent vow not to let this precious little girl share a similar fate to Brielle’s. Bree heard someone knock on the front door and her heartbeat quickened as she assumed it was Spencer. Her hands were shaking and even though she tried everything to calm down, she couldn’t. This was it. Bree took a deep breath and walked down the stairs. She opened the door and stepped out of the house before she had any more time to change her mind. She shut the door behind her and made sure it was locked, even though she didn’t think it was likely for anything to happen in this town. “Hi.” She said as her tired eyes met his. She tried her best to smile. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and slid her hand into his. Her eyes drifted down to the flowers in his hand. “Oh, Spencer, you didn’t have to bring flowers.” She said, blushing. He was probably the sweetest guy ever. I have something for you, too. She thought to herself. It wasn’t anything like flowers, though. She would wait a little bit to tell him. A part of her was exploding, but she needed to do it away from the house. She needed to make sure the time was right.

Spencer loved it when Brielle told him that she loved him. Sure, it wasn't anywhere near the first time that he had heard that from her, in fact, she had said it a lot by now, and so had he, but for some reason, it never got old for him, it never turned into something that he didn't want to hear or something that he took for granted. Having the love of a girl, a woman like Brielle was something that a lot of men tried for years to find and never got, but him? He was young and yet he already had it, he had everything that most men spent their whole lives looking for, and he just wanted to make sure that he hung onto it, that he didn't lose her, or come close to losing her, for any reason. If she wanted to go to Princeton and she got in, he would find a way to go there with her.

He had no idea what was waiting for him with Brielle, he didn't know that what she was going to tell him would change his life, and even if he had known, he would have gone to her anyways. He didn't know if feelings like the ones that he had really could last forever, but he hoped that they would, because he didn't ever want to stop feeling for Brielle the way that he felt about her now. She was the love of his life, his first love, as so many people said, but he was so convinced, even at such a young age, that she would also be his last. There was no one out there for him that was better than she was, because you simply cannot do better than the person that you are in love with, and he was in love with Brielle - the fact that she loved him back just made his little world go around.

Spencer had never really had to deal with any kind of hardship, however, and that was what gave him his unique outlook on life. He was able to be happy, to have his head so far in the clouds that nothing else mattered, and he pleased there. He liked his idealistic little world, and he didn't want anything to come along and spoil it. He had a good family, he had a great best friend, he had great friends, and he had a truly amazing girlfriend. Really, what more could anyone want? He couldn't think of anything, but then again, he never tried. Why want more when what you had was perfect, after all? He saw no reason to ask for more than what he had, because he was so pleased with his life the way that it was.

Spencer returned her quick kiss with one of his own and squeezed her hand gently, giving her the flowers. "I know that I don't have to, but I wanted to." He shrugged. "You sounded a little bit stressed on the phone, so I wanted to make sure that you had something pretty to think about later when I have to go home." He liked it best when Brielle was happy, and he smiled again, letting go of her hand so that she could put the flowers inside. When she came back, he took her hand again, leading her to the car. "So I was thinking we could go get ice cream, then walk over to the meadow? It's a good place to talk, and it sounds like something's on your mind." Again, he was still assuming it was school related, nothing to really be bothered about. He had no idea just how serious what she needed to talk about really was.

He started the car, waiting for her to be buckled in before driving. Making Brielle happy was his number one priority right now, though a lot of the time, that was how it was. He loved her, and that mattered more to him than anything else, except maybe his parents. He was an only child, so he was very close with his mother, and his father, though his father was in DC about half of the time fulfilling his duties as a Senator. He was a good politician, though, and as a result, Spencer didn't much mind him leaving, especially because when he was around, they got along well. Really well. "Do you want to start talking about whatever it is now, or do you want to wait, babe?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he drove.

Spencer and Brielle weren’t even eighteen and they have already been together longer than most couple who got married have. They knew each other inside and out. They were perfect together and everyone saw it. Of course, they were young, and because they were young so many people thought they were entitled to voice their opinion on their relationship. A lot of older people called it puppy love. They didn’t think they would last and criticized every move they made. They made lighthearted comments about how the couple didn’t know what love was, but Brielle was sure that it was the commentators who didn’t know what love was. If they had any idea what love looked like, surely they’d be able to see it in Spencer and Brielle. They were young and so was their love, but even though the relationship started in the sixth grade, it didn’t mean it wasn’t real. They were young, not stupid.

Brielle bit her lip. He brought her flowers for absolutely no reason. These were the kinds of things she bragged to her friends about. They were sick of hearing about it, but she could never get enough of him. He always knew exactly the right thing to say to her. She wondered how he did it. She wanted to throw her arms around him and bury her head in his chest. She wanted to let it all out and tell him right then and there, but she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t do it in a place anyone else would find out. She needed to know what his reaction was going to be like before she ousted her situation to the world or even knew where to go from there. Brielle put the flowers inside and tried to pull herself together while she was in there. It was no use. Her whole world was falling apart at the seams. She was a little girl and she was terrified. Somewhere inside of that tiny belly of hers, a baby was growing. Their little baby was growing. She shuddered at the thought of it before opening the door. The cool night air felt good on her face. Bree made sure the door was locked before slipping her hand back into his.

Bree nodded. “That’s fine.” She said. It was more than fine. It was perfect, just like he was. She felt guilty for what she was going to tell him later. She felt guilty for letting him be this happy when she knew that it could all come crashing down as soon as they talked. Brielle wasn’t entirely sure how she had made it from her porch to his car, but she had. She felt like she was floating. She was trapped in between a world of a harsh reality and a world of ideal consistence.

Sitting in his car, Brielle’s mind exploded with thoughts and fears and every single emotion imaginable. She was uncertain of what was happening, what was going to happen, and she needed certainty. She worked so hard for her future. She worked hard to be the top of her class, to go to Princeton, and to make something of her life. What was going to happen to all of that now? She hated not knowing. She both loved and hated that he knew there was something on her mind. He knew her better than anyone, in a way differently than her parents. It was like he was in her head, but that couldn’t be. If that was the case, he’d know what was on her mind and how much trouble they were in. Bree bit her lip and looked down at her fingers in her lap. They were still shaking. She shook her head in response. She wanted to tell him now more than anything, but she wouldn’t be able to get the words out. She needed to wait a little longer. She put her hand on top of the console, palm up, for him to grab. She just wanted to be with him now. “Thanks for coming to get me.” She said, her voice small. This wasn’t going to be easy at all.

Spencer took Brielle's hand, keeping his eyes on the road. The last thing that he wanted to do was crash the car and get her hurt. He would never forgive himself if something bad happened to her because of him, if something hurt her, and he had been able to stop it and hadn't, he wasn't sure what he would do. He instantly stopped thinking about that, however, because that was simply not the sort of thing that Spencer thought about. "You're welcome." He smiled at her gently. "I'll always pick you up, you know that." It made him feel like a gentleman, picking her up, and besides, he liked to treat her well, it made her feel good, and that made him feel good, so really it was a win/win situation.

She was being quiet tonight, and that made him a little bit nervous. It was clear that something was wrong with her, that she was upset, but he had been so certain that it was school, that she was just anxious about a test or paper. He hadn't allowed himself to think that it might be something more, something worse, and he wasn't going to allow himself to go down that route. She wasn't going to break up with him, she loved him, she had just said so, and she had taken his hand. These were the things that people did before they dumped someone, and he was well aware of that. He wasn't afraid of her leaving him, but he was afraid that something was wrong with her, and that made him eager to get to the meadow.

He pulled up in front of the ice cream shop and got out of the car, running around to hold her door open for her. He bought them each a cone, then left the car parked, taking her hand as they walked towards the meadow - after all, it wasn't far enough to merit driving, and they had their ice cream to think about it. He would be unable to drive with the cone, and it was a nice evening; he wasn't sure how many more of those they would have left before the weather changed and they had to start worrying about things like rain and storms, and even snow. He liked nights like this, and getting to walk hand in hand with his girlfriend while eating ice cream was just one of the pluses. Right now, though, he was having trouble enjoying himself, because he was worried that something was wrong with Brielle. Most of the time he let that slide, he pretended that everything was fine, even when it wasn't, but right now, he couldn't do that. He had to know what was eating away at his girlfriend, and he hoped that she was alright.

"What is it, baby?" he asked, squeezing her hand gently once they were far enough away from other people to talk in peace. He wanted her to know that he cared, that no matter what she had to say, he would be by her side. "And before you say anything, just know that I love you, alright?" He leaned in, kissing her softly. If something was wrong, she would need his support, and he wanted her to know that she had it. whatever it was, they could deal with it together. That was what she wanted, right? Otherwise she wouldn't have asked him to come out tonight. If it was something big they would figure it out, and if it was something huge, well, they would find a way to deal with that too. It was love, and love meant making sacrifices for people, even in complicated situations, and that was exactly what Spencer was willing to do...though he didn't know the first thing about complicated situations.

Brielle blushed and was thankful that they were in a dark car. “I know.” She whispered as she looked out the window. Spencer was always there for her, and she was always there for him. She loved it when they had little unexpected dates, but this one just left her nervous and filled with dread. Brielle was being quiet because she was afraid that if she talked too much, she’d give everything away. She was at war with herself. She mostly just wanted to snuggle up with him beneath the stars and lay there forever. She was so so so scared that the dynamic of their relationship would change the second he knew what was happening. She was afraid that this parasite in her belly would tear them apart. She couldn’t remember a time she had ever been so scared about so many things in her life before. She was Brielle! She was the little neighborhood kid who sat outside in the summer selling lemonade to raise money for a good cause. She was smart and she was responsible. Now she was also another statistic. She was a pregnant teenager and soon that was all anyone was going to think of her as.

This thing inside of her was already changing her. She was lying to her parents, she was acting weird around Spencer, and she wasn’t being herself. Brielle never went anywhere unless her work was done. She always got assignments done ahead of time and she ALWAYS turned them in on time. They were never done sloppily or half-assed. She always put effort into everything she did. She had been scared when she got home, though. She knew something was off about her body and she didn’t know what. She needed to find out what was wrong with her as soon as she possibly could and the second she did find out, she regretted doing so immediately. There she was, in her boyfriend’s car, trying to figure out how to tell him his life was going to change forever. She hadn’t even started her homework for the night and she didn’t have any desire to start it later. For the first time ever, Brielle was letting her schoolwork slide by as her world fell apart around her.

“Thanks.” Bree muttered when he handed her the cone. She didn’t have an appetite, but the ice cream was a cool and welcome distraction. She liked walking hand in hand with him. Her friends mocked her for how cute they were in public, but Bree didn’t mind. She liked being cute with her boyfriend. Each caress was more important than ever to her now. She was worried that maybe this was the last time he’d hold her hand. Maybe this was the last time they’d be cute together like this. She ignored the looks from the strangers standing around the ice cream place as they headed for the meadow. Let them think what they wanted; it was too late for all of it now anyways.

Bree felt like she had spent forever trying to figure out how to tell Spencer and she hadn’t gotten very far. She was being selfish. She was thinking about how happy she was with him and she didn’t want anything to screw that up, especially this baby. His lips were cold on his, thanks to the ice cream, but the kiss warmed her up in such a glorious contrast. She didn’t want to lose him. She couldn’t lose him. “I know.” She said softly. She didn't say it back because she couldn't open herself to that. Not when she was so scared she might lose him in a few minutes.

She sighed heavily and sat down on the soft grass, still holding his hand, and pulling him down with her. She didn’t think her legs would hold her up much longer. She was dizzy with fear and confusion and dread. All of the sudden, she felt old. She was no longer the little teenage girl she was a few hours ago. She had aged in such a short time. Bree was quiet for a little longer. She desperately tried to group her thoughts together into words, but it wasn’t happening. She contemplated pulling out the three pregnancy tests and telling him without saying anything, but that seemed too harsh. That was how she found out and it wasn’t easy that way, at all. Bree forced herself to eat her ice cream before it melted into a sticky mess. It at least bought her time. Eventually, she sighed again. She opened her mouth with every intention of telling him, but that wasn’t what came out. “Do you ever think about us? Like…what’s going to happen with us in the future? After we graduate?” Bree asked. It was a valid question, at least, and she realized she needed to know he was going to stick around before she could tell him. She needed reassurance from him. It didn’t occur to her that she might sound like she was trying to break up with him.

Spencer liked ice cream, but he liked Brielle a lot more, and he wanted her to feel better, he wanted her to be okay, and he didn't know how to make that happen. He cared about her so much, but he was afraid that something was wrong, and that it wasn't something that he would be able to help her with. He wasn't great at dealing with problems, especially not big ones, and if she had a big problem and she wanted his help dealing with it, well, he wanted to be able to, but he wasn't sure that he would know what to say or how to comfort her. There were a lot of problems that someone their age could have, but he hadn't really spent much time thinking about it, at least not until right now, and that was because he had to, because he was afraid something was wrong.

Brielle worried sometimes, but aside from that, she, himself and Shaye didn't really have many things that they had to deal with. Shaye was upbeat and happy, Spencer was cool, collected and romantic, and no one really fought with each other. He was in the perfect situation, and he was glad for that, glad to have people around that kept him happy and safe-feeling. His parents were still together, they were loving and supportive, and that meant that he didn't know how to deal with pain and agony, not his own, let alone someone else's. He wanted to be there for her, and he was going to do what he could...he just hoped that it would be enough for her. He wanted to be enough for her, to be everything that she needed, but he was afraid that he never would be, that he didn't have what she needed and that she would have to turn elsewhere.

Usually when they came to the meadow, when they fell onto the grass together, kisses immediately followed, but this time was different, this time he had other things on his mind, and it was clear that she did too. He waited patiently for her to talk, for her to tell him what was wrong, but instead, she asked him what their future held, and he didn't really know how to answer that. They were young, and he hadn't really thought much past the next few months, but he was willing to do that if she needed him to. "I don't know," he admitted, biting his lip as he finished his ice cream, leaning back against the grass and looking up at her. "I don't know a lot about my future, but I do know that it won't mean anything if you're not in it." He leaned up, kissing her softly, buying himself more time to think about what it was she wanted him to say.

He wanted to go to college, that was important to him, and he knew that it was to her too, so college would definitely be something that they did, but he wanted to do it together, to be with her through everything. "I want to go to college, you know, follow you..." he shrugged. He knew that sounded lame, that following a girl to college wasn't always the smartest, but he was with her and he didn't see that ever changing, he didn't see himself wanting anyone else. "I love you, Brielle, and I don't really know what my future holds, aside from college, but I know that I want it to have you, I want to be with you for a long time." He looked at her, right in the eye so that she would know he wasn't lying to her.

Brielle was more of a thinker than she was a talker. She could think about everything from current events to scientific equations to her feelings, but when it came to putting all of that into words, she wasn’t very good at it. She could write a speech, rehearse it until her voice was raw, and then deliver those practiced words flawlessly in front of hundreds of people, but when it came to what she was thinking or feeling she was usually at a loss for words. Spencer was so good at saying all of the right things. He was perfect at knowing just how to make her feel better and she felt terrible for not being able to return the favor. She felt horrible for letting him say all of these incredibly sweet things to her while she stalled on telling him this dreadful news.

Bree was scared to tell him she was pregnant for all of the wrong reasons. She was thinking about herself more than anything. She was scared that he was going to break up with her because of it. She was scared of losing everything she worked for. She was scared to tell her parents and scared to hear what everyone would have to say about her condition. She didn’t think about what would happen to him because she was too busy thinking about what might happen to them. It finally hit her that as the father, he deserved to know. It wasn’t fair for her to keep all of this from him.

Bree looked into his concerned eyes. How had she gotten so lucky? She watched her classmates get pregnant after a night of wild partying or a careless one night stand. She watched the fathers act like they had nothing to do with it and left the teenage girls to take care of everything on their own. She was so scared that was going to happen to them. She was scared that she was going to lose all of the support she had from Spencer, her parents, and her friends. Spencer wasn’t like that, though. He was sitting here promising her everything he had. She was worried that as soon as he knew the truth that it would all go down the drain. She figured that by being pregnant with his baby, a nightmare come to life, he would somehow find her less desirable in every way imaginable.

Bree sighed. She nearly melted when he said he wanted to be with her for a long time. She knew a lot of girls fell for lines like that all the time and a lot of the times the guys feeding them those lines were in it for one thing. It was different with Spencer, though. On the one hand, he didn’t need to feed her cheesy lines to get what he wanted, clearly, and on the other hand he was genuine. She really, really, really did love him. Bree grabbed his hand and brought it to her cheek so her face was resting in the palm of her hand. “I know we’re still young, but I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. I want to be with you forever.” She said without taking her eyes off of him. They were young, but they had been together for so long. She couldn’t imagine being with anyone else and the thought of not being with him was too painful to bear.

Bree bit her lip. She didn’t move his hand from her cheek, but tears brimmed her eyes. This was it; she was finally putting her feelings into words. She was finally telling him. Just as the tears began to fall, Bree took his hand and moved it down to her heart. “I love you to the moon and back, Spencer Gunn.” She said. Her heart was racing under the warmth of her hand. She was high on adrenaline from all of these feelings she had for him and the fear that was rising inside of her. “I love your smile, I love the way you flip your hair, I love the way you bite your lip, and I absolutely love the way you kiss me randomly and any other time.” Bree said grinning as she remembered the kiss he just planted on her. “I love how you hold me in a way that makes me feel like I’m in the safest person in the world. I love the way that you know all of the right things to say and I love that you say them to me. I love you so so so so much and I don’t think that is ever going to change.” She was crying now and she hated that she couldn’t keep the tears from coming.

Bree closed her eyes. This was the hardest part. She scooted closer so she was across from him with only a few inches separating them. She opening her eyes and looking directly at him, trying to gauge his reaction. Bree took his hand off of her chest and it was shaking as she rested his hand on her belly. “I want to be with you for a long time, too. I want to be with you forever. I need you here with me. And our baby.” She held her breath and braced herself for his reaction. This was it, this was the make or break moment. “Spencer, I’m pregnant.” She said it in one breath as if it wouldn’t come out any other way. She took her hand off of his, but didn’t move his hand. That was when it hit her. She was really, really pregnant. This wasn’t some horrific nightmare. It was very much real.

Brielle loved him. She loved him, and she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. That was what he wanted to hear, what he needed to hear, and the fact that she had said it made him feel so much better about everything. Yes, he was still worried that something was wrong, but they were seniors in high school, talking about the future, that was normal for people in their position. He was sure that a lot of couples had this conversation right around this time of year, and he wasn't upset that she had brought it up, he was glad that she wasn't leaving it untouched, because if she had, that might have meant that, well, that she didn't see them lasting past 18.

For Spencer, Brielle had been his first for pretty much everything. The pretty brunette with olive skin had been his first crush, his first date, his first slow dance. When the time had come, she had been his first kiss, his first girlfriend and a couple years after that, she had become his first sexual partner. She was his first love, and for a lot of people, that would be nothing more than a memory further down the line, but he wanted it to be more than that for them, he wanted Brielle to be his only crush, his only date, his only slow dance, his only kiss, his only girlfriend, his only sexual partner, his only love, and sometime, a few years from now, he wanted her to be his only wife. He was so much more sure of this than he knew a boy his age normally was, but he didn't care. He loved her, he wanted her, and he didn't think that was weird, he knew that other people would understand if they felt what he did.

"Forever...forever sounds good to me." He smiled, leaning in and kissing her, gently caressing her cheek with his palm. He wanted to keep kissing her, to lay her down in the grass and kiss her under the stars until it got late and they both had to go home. However, he knew that there was more that she wanted to talk about, more things that needed to be touched upon before that later hour came, and he didn't want to keep her from saying to him what she had come here to say. She had something that she wanted to talk about, something that seemed to be grating on her, and he didn't want to be the person that kept her from saying what she needed to say. He cared about her. A lot, and he wanted her to know that he was there for her, that he would listen to her when she wanted him to, when she needed him to, so he pulled away, content to just hold her close.

When she started speaking, at first he was incredibly flattered. She talked about everything that she loved about him, and all of the things that he did that she liked, and he felt his ears growing hot. She didn't talk like this normally, and he wondered what she was building up to...until she started crying, then the flattery left and the fear set in. He had seen this in movies, where a girl loved a boy or a boy loved a girl, but they broke up with them any ways for one reason or another, and he instantly became terrified that that was what was happening now, that everything she said was leading up to her leaving him, and he didn't think that he could handle that. He loved her, he needed her and if she left him...where would he be then? She was the love of his life, what would happen if she just simply wasn't there anymore?

Then she dropped the bomb, something that, never in a million years, had he seen coming. She was pregnant. Brielle Brooks was pregnant, and she wasn't the sort to cheat, so that meant it was definitely, one hundred percent, completely and positively his child...and he didn't even question that, he had no reason to. She wasn't breaking up with him, she wasn't leaving him for someone else, or just to leave him, she was having a baby. His baby. He had no idea how to respond to that, if there even WAS a proper response to that, and he needed a minute. He pulled away from her, standing up and taking a deep breath. This was a lot to take in, and while it was almost certain that he was worrying her, he didn't think about what was going through her mind right now. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys, fiddling with them as he paced around...what Brielle didn't know was that he wasn't thinking about what to say, he was thinking about how to say it.

Finally, he turned around, still standing, but facing her. "I love you," he said simply. "I love the way you laugh, talk, smile. I love the way you think, I love the way that you worry when you're stressed out, I love that you care enough about school to GET stressed out. I love that you call me just to hear my voice, and I love that you let me call to hear yours. I love that you're with me, Brielle, and I love that you love me." He bit his lip. "You don't know that sometimes, I let your calls go to voicemail just so you'll have to leave me a message and I'll have a recording of you saying that you love me...you don't know that I see no future without you." He moved closer to her, getting on his knees and kissing her softly. "I love you, Brielle, and i'm going to love that baby. Our baby."

The next thing that he did may have been hard for some men, but for Spencer, this was one of the easiest choices that he had ever made in his life. He had been on both knees, but he re-situated himself so that he rested on just one of them. He pulled out one of the key rings that he had been fiddling with, the one that he had pulled loose when he was pacing around. It was the smallest one that he had, and it had held his house key, but he had put the house key on the same ring as his car keys, and it really wouldn't matter in the long run. "Brielle Brooks, I love you, and I know that in 8 or 9 months, when that baby is born, there is finally going to be someone in this world that I love as much as I love you, and when that happens, I want us all to be together." He took a deep breath, holding out the key ring. "Will you please, please marry me?"

Brielle held her breath for his reaction. Her chest was tight and felt like she was going to explode. She still didn’t know if she had made the right decision in telling him like this. There had to be another way to do it. She felt like she blindsided him. Hell, she had been blindsided. Was there even an easier way to do this? She wanted to let him down easy, but she felt like she had dropped a bomb on him. She cursed the dark of the night. The darkness made it nearly impossible to read his expression and she was dying to know what was going to happen now.

Unfortunately, Bree got her answer. He pulled away from her and stood up. She couldn’t move and she was sure she forgot how to breathe. She didn’t take her eyes off of him. She needed some kind of clue as to what he was thinking. Everything she was scared of, everything she didn’t want to happen, was happening. She was sure this meant that he didn’t want to be with her anymore. She knew this was a possibility, but the promises he made just moments ago rang in her ear and she had hope. For some reason, the fact that he pulled away from her so quickly hurt. It was like he didn’t even have to think about how he didn’t want to be with her anymore, he just knew. There was no hope for her trying to hold her tears back. They streamed down her face like rivers. It killed her that he couldn’t even be near her anymore. She let out a sob unwillingly and looked at the ground. He had his keys out now and he was playing with them. Not only was he going to break it off with her, he was going to drive off without her. Bree sniffled and wiped her tears away, but it was no use. More fell in their place.

Bree’s breath caught. She didn’t know when he turned around, but he was facing her now. She was so scared. Scared of what he was going to say, scared of how she was going to handle all of this, and scared for what was going to happen with their baby. She was scared that there even was a baby. She listened to every single word he said and somewhere in the middle of his speech; she realized that she wasn’t losing him after all. She would never lose him. She felt foolish for even thinking that he would leave her. Her heart fluttered and her stomach did back flips when he kissed, or maybe that was the baby inside. There was a moment there when she didn’t think she’d ever feel his lips on hers. She was still crying but she didn’t know if it was from relief or happiness.

“Oh!” Bree gasped when he got on one knee. When guys got on one knee it was usually because they were praying or proposing ad while the former was an appropriate thing to do when you found out your girlfriend was pregnant, Bree knew Spencer wasn’t all that religious. Once again, Specer had said and done all of the right things. He took an awful situation and turned it into one of the best moments of her life. Bree looked at the makeshift ring in his hand with wide eyes. This was really happening. She felt like she was growing up at the speed of lightning. When she woke up this morning the biggest thing happening in her life was an AP Physics exam she had that afternoon. Bree took her eyes off of the metal ring and looked directly into Spencer’s eyes. She searched his face, but there were no indications that he wasn’t be serious. No, this was a very serious matter. It was their future together. “Yes.” Bree said as soon as he finished his last word. For a person who over thought every little thing, she didn’t have to think about it at all. This was what she wanted more than anything. Bree slipped her finger through the little ring and surprisingly, it wasn’t that loose. “Yes!” She said kissing him quickly. “Yes!” She said kissing him again. “YES!” She said once more, throwing her arms around him and forcing him back onto the soft ground as she kissed him. She went from seventeen to worried about a test in high school to seventeen and pregnant to seventeen and engaged in no time at all. She was still scared, but right now she was more happy than anything else.

Brielle pulled away from the kiss when she couldn't kiss him any more. She shifted so she was laying with one side on the grass and leaning on him. Her head was resting on his chest and all that was left of her tears was the stains on her cheeks. She held up her left hand and admired her new ring. "I love it." She gushed. She loved what it meant and she loved that he gave it to her. Bree let her hand drop as everything started coming into view. She was more than thrilled that Spencer was there with her, for her, forever, but there were other things to take into consideration. "What am I going to tell my parents?" She whispered, her voice filled with dread. They had gotten pregnant when they were her age, but they worked hard to make sure she didn't make the same mistake they did.

Spencer was almost surprised that Brielle said yes. Sure, that was what he had been hoping for, and it was what he had been almost sure that she would say, but somehow, in the time between him asking and her quick yes, he had allowed his mind to fill with doubt. What if that wasn't the reaction that she wanted from him? What if she wanted his support, but not his wedding ring? Marriage was a very serious thing, as was having a kid, and maybe she didn't want to deal with both of them at once! It was all very complicated, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it, he was afraid of being rejected, afraid that he had reacted wrong, and that he wasn't giving her what she wanted.

He wanted her, he loved her, and he wasn't just proposing because she was pregnant. Sure, it was those words that had allowed him the courage to do it, but he knew that he wanted to marry her. Brielle was the girl of his dreams, and what was the difference in marrying her now, or marrying her in five years, really? If there was a child on the way, that was going to make it easier to justify to her parents and to his, but really, this was what he wanted. He wanted to live with her, to love her, to be close to her, to be her husband, and if that meant having a child with her, then he was alright with that as well. Hell, he had wanted a family, and if it was happening now, he would find a way to make that work, because he loved her, and that's what you do when you'e in love.

"Thank you." He smiled, instantly returning her kiss. He wanted to be careful of her, because he didn't know much about pregnancy, he didn't know if he could hurt the baby doing certain things, but he wanted to make sure that he didn't hurt her or the baby. There was a lot that he was going to have to do, a lot that he was going to have to read about, but he was up for the challenge. He loved Brielle, and he was gonna love that kid, too. He was a loving guy, and he had had a positive family image for his whole life, meaning that he didn't really get uprooted much by family things, and he wasn't worried about them. He loved the life he was living, and he was happy to welcome a wife and child into that life.

"We can work out logistics later, right now..." He smiled, kissing her again. She hadn't just said "Yes" once, but she had said it four times. Four times meant that she must really want this, that she wasn't just doing this because it was the easy way out of being pregnant. She loved him, she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, and he wanted that too, he wanted to be with her, to love her, and to have a family with her forever. He pulled away from the kiss after several minutes, knowing that there were probably things that they should talk about before they went home, and she brought one of them up right away...not that he blamed her, it was definitely something that needed mention.

Brielle's parents weren't quite like his. His father was a senator and his mother was a stay at home mom and housewife. He loved them both, and they loved him, and they had been ready and stable when they had started their family. What was more was that they had always been supportive of him in everything that they did, and they loved Brielle. They would know that marrying her was the right thing to do, not necessarily because they believed in teenage love, but with his father as a senator, he couldn't have a son with a baby out of wedlock...and he loved Spencer, he would allow his son to take his own risks, and if necessary, make his own mistake...but Spencer knew this wasn't like that. This wasn't a mistake at all.

"We'll deal with them together, alright?" He reached for her hand, kissing it gently before letting both of their hands drop together, his fingers laced with hers. "Whatever we say to them, we'll say it together, holding hands. i'll be there for you, no matter what, baby." He kissed her softly, then flopped down on the ground, kissing her stomach gently. "Other baby." He grinned and looked up at her, his eyes bright. "This is real. We're getting married, we're having a baby." Did she have any idea how happy he was right now? This might not be every high school senior's dream, but Spencer loved her, and he wanted this. For both of them. They could easily be happy together, he felt, and with a kid, that was just that much better. "I'll start looking for part time jobs first thing after school tomorrow."

Brielle felt like she aged years in the matter of a few hours. She had gone through so many extreme mood swings in the past few hours than she did in the past few weeks. Just minutes ago she was scared out of her wits that her boyfriend, the one and only boy she has and ever will love, was going to up and leave her. Now, she couldn’t be happier that he was there with her. He kissed her and she kissed him back with certain urgency as if that was the only way to know he was really still there, that this wasn’t some kind of dream. Relief bubbled up inside of her and she was grinning into the kiss. This was what she wanted. She wanted a family with Spencer and while she never would have planned to have one this soon, she was glad it was happening this way.

Bree didn’t need to know all of the specifics right now. She didn’t need to figure out how this was all going to happen or start planning every detail. For the first time, she didn’t feel the need to get everything done RIGHT NOW. She was happy how they were now; lying on the soft grass under the stars in the arms of the person she loved the most after he proposed to her. It honestly didn’t get more romantic than this. There wasn’t a place she’d rather be than right there with him, in his arms. Pretty soon, they’d be married and she could be in his arms all of the time.

Most girls Brielle’s age were busy planning where they were going to spend their senior year winter break, their senior year spring break, and how to make their beach week the biggest party ever. While they were preoccupied with parties and getting the most out of their senior year socially, Bree was going to be planning for a baby and a wedding. She’s always had a firm grasp of what she wanted her future to be like, but right now it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Spencer was with her through whatever happened.

Brielle’s parents were always supportive of her and she had never once been a disappointment to them, but if there was one thing that would make them disappointed, this would be it. She had no idea what to expect out of their reactions, but knowing that they would be disappointed in her for the first time killed her. Her parent’s loved Spencer and they would be thrilled to hear that the two of them were getting married…if the circumstances were different and they were a few years older, that is. It didn’t matter what was wrong or how scared she was, Spencer had all of the right words to make it better. “Together?” Bree repeated, gazing at him. Her lips broke out into a grin. The word danced playfully off her tongue. “I like the way that sounds.” She said, giggling as he kissed her belly. He was going to make a great father to this lucky little baby inside of her.

She ran her fingers through his curls, down the outline of his jaw, and then cupped his chin. “Yes, we are.” She said leaning in and kissing him softly. “Maybe it’ll be a boy.” She mused. “A little baby Spencer running around. You could even teach him to play the guitar.” She said, gazing up at him hopefully. Bree pressed her head against his chest, leaning on him. She didn’t remove her hand from his, but she used her free to rest on her belly. “I am so scared about everything, Spencer.” She said, sighing heavily. “But I think we are going to be alright.” As long as she had him, she would be more than alright. Bree gave his hand a little squeeze.

There were a lot of details that needed to be worked out, so many, in fact, that had Spencer stopped to think about them, he might have balked a little, but never away from Brielle, not away from marrying her and having this baby with her. They would take things as they came, one at a time, and hope that everything worked out for the best, that they were able to run everything perfectly, even though they were so young. Yes, most people who got married at their age didn't make it, but that was different, and Spencer was sure of it. They weren't just getting married because Brielle was pregnant; sure, that had been the catalyst, but that wasn't the only reason, and it was important that people know that, at least in his opinion. He loved Brielle, he loved her more than anything or anyone in the world, and he would have married her no matter what happened, so really, this was just everything that would have happened normally happening just a little bit sooner, and he didn't mind at all. If this was where their journey was taking them, then so be it - at least he got to be with her.

He wanted to do everything together, plan everything together, because if they two of them were working side by side, not only would the harder stuff be made easier, but he would get to spend more time with his girlfriend. No, she wasn't his girlfriend anymore, she was his fiancee. He smiled as that realization hit him. Fiancee...Brielle was his fiancee. He liked the way that sound, loved it, even, and he hoped that she felt the same way. They weren't just dating now, they were engaged, and soon, they would be married and have a family. Everything was lining up for Spencer, yes, a few years sooner than he would have expected, but this was a new challenge, and he was going to welcome every last bit of it with open arms and an open heart. If this was what it was going to take to be with Brielle, he would do it, and it would be perfect. After all, they were in love, and people in love made it, it was as simple as that, wasn't it? Their love would keep them together, and their love for the baby would help to fuel their new family. "Together, baby, is the only way TO do it." He leaned up, kissing her again. She shouldn't have to do anything like that on her own, not now, not ever.

The idea of having a son made him swell with potential pride. He would secretly rather have a son than a daughter, simply because he knew what teenage boys were like. He was different than most, yes, but he was friends with the rest of them, and he knew where their minds were. He didn't want his future precious daughter to have to deal with that kind of thing, with boys like that trying to get into her pants all of the time. Sure, he had gotten into Brielle's pants, and he had wanted to, but he hadn't said things just to get there. Everything that he had told Brielle was true, and now here he was, planning to marry her, so that was completely different. "I'd teach a daughter guitar just the same," he stated, lying back on the grass and wrapping his arms around his future wife. "Don't be scared, okay? We'll figure it all out, together, and it will be fine." He kissed the top of her head gently. He would do anything to keep her safe, happy and healthy, and he was sure that by now, she had to know that. "Leave it to me, okay? I'll take care of the hard stuff, you just focus on taking care of that baby inside of you."

Brielle didn’t get wrapped up in reality TV, but she knew enough about some of the shows to realize that a baby meant changing everything. Those girls on the TV, and the ones in her town, usually got pregnant to a short term boyfriend or a guy they barely knew at all. If the couples got married and tried to make it work, it usually didn’t. She didn’t want the media to control how she felt about getting married or having this baby, but she couldn’t help but to wonder if she and Spencer were going to face a similar fate. She didn’t want to walk into this marriage with negative thoughts, but it felt like everything was working against them. Sure, she figured they’d get married some day, but every statistic in the world told her that teenage marriages usually ended up in divorce. Especially when there was a child involved. She wanted to believe that they could beat the odds, though. They had something most of the couples their age didn’t. They really were in love. They were both all in this. Maybe the whole world would doubt that they could do it, but Brielle was putting all of her money on this. She was sure they could make it work together.

Brielle pushed all of these awful thoughts out of her head. She shouldn’t be thinking about divorce before they were even married, and even then she didn’t think they’d ever get to the point where they couldn’t stand to be with each other. In fact, Brielle couldn’t stand to be away from him. She was dreading the thought of going home without him even though she would see him a few hours later at school. She didn’t want to be without him, ever. Pretty soon, she wouldn’t have to worry about all of that. Once they were married, they’d move into a house of their own. At least, she assumed they would. It only seemed right. Anyways, if that was the case, she would get to wake up next to him every morning and fall asleep in his arms every night. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect life.

Bree nestled her head against his chest. “Ohh, a girl.” She said, playing around with the thought of having a little girl in her head. She would be happy with a daughter or a son, but she knew more about daughters than she did about sons. Spencer would be there to fill in the gaps, of course, but she would loving having a little girl she could dress up and, when the time came many many years from now, she could teach her how to put on makeup or do all the girly things. “Maybe we could put her in pageants like that one show.” Brielle mused. She wasn’t really being serious, but she would get a kick out of his reaction. Oh, Toddlers and Tiaras. The only thing crazier than that show was the mother’s on it.

Brielle didn’t know what she would have to give up for this baby. There would have to be sacrifices, of course, and she was afraid that it meant giving up everything she dreamed about and worked hard for. How could she go to Princeton when she had a baby to take care of? Normally, that was the kind of thing that she would freak out about, but she was unusually calm given the situation. That was the Spencer effect. She would give up Princeton and every opportunity after it if it all meant she’d be raising a family with the man she loved. Spencer was really the only thing she needed to be happy and right now, she couldn’t quite figure out why she wanted to go to school halfway across the country. Not if it meant she wasn’t going to be with him. “Do you think we’ll be good parents?” Brielle asked, looking up at him. She really hoped they were. She wanted to give this baby the world.