shop." It sounded silly and ridiculous on her own ears, but she loved it, too.
Both her parents took a sharp look at her and clearly they didn't think it was great. Her dad's arms hung long by his side. "You started an ice cream store...in winter? Did you even think about anything?"
"I started it at the end of Summer. Bella Warren doesn’t get feet of snow on the ground and have harsh winters where you can't even go outside. It's getting colder now and I'm still doing fine. My profits go up every week."
He shook his head. "You have no idea what you've done. You could have had a future, now you're going to count pennies the rest of your life just to keep your electricity on. Where are you living?"
"The store has an apartment in it." That was close enough. It didn't look like they were visiting any time soon. "I don't have any extra expenses, just the store itself."
Her mother pushed away from the table. "I have no idea what to say to you, so I'm going to take a walk. I don't know what happened to you, but I didn't raise an irresponsible daughter."
She should let her mom go, but then she'd be stuck in the house with her dad staring at her like she'd grown another head. "There's more."
An empty laugh filled the room as her mom turned back. "I can't image what else you could have done."
Tasha swallowed and blinked at tears. She'd been prepared for disappointment with opening the shop since the day she signed the lease. Knowing the coming response to what she had to say cracked her chest open. "I'm pregnant."
Her mom collapsed back in the chair.
Tasha didn't bother looking toward her dad. He didn't say anything so that meant she likely wouldn't enjoy the expression on his face. In all the times she'd imagined her future and being married, having kids, this moment wasn't among them. There was supposed to be a party with a box to be opened and blue or pink balloons would fly out. It was happening like this regardless. "I'm about six weeks."
Her dad returned to the table and took a seat himself. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned away from her. "Do you even know who the father is?"
She flinched at the cruel remark that sliced off another piece of her. "Yes. Of course."
He lifted a shoulder. "I wasn’t sure."
Her mother shook her head. "Is he going to do anything?"
"He's aware and is prepared to be involved."
"For now." Her mom snorted. "Do you have any idea what you're in the middle of? What you've done to yourself."
"Yes."
"How long have you known this boy?" Her dad's voice was deeper than she remembered.
She recalled that heavy tone from years ago when she was a girl. She couldn't remember what she'd done, but she remembered the disappointment. This time she wouldn't cower under him. This was her life, her choices to make and while things weren't ideal, she was still proud of it. "Since August."
Her dad rubbed his temples. "Let me get this straight. You dropped out of school, lost your scholarship, got yourself pregnant and biggest of all, this baby is due at what should be the height of your busiest months in this ice cream store."
She licked her lips. She hadn’t really thought that far ahead with it all put together like that. "Yes."
Her mom brushed at the table. "Get rid of it."
Tasha blinked. "Get rid of what?"
"The store, the baby. Go back to college. If you worked so hard before, you can do it again and pay your way through the last bit of it. I’ll pay for your books to help if you go back."
Tasha sat back and covered her stomach. Not to protect what was inside so much as to stop her from puking up the cheeseburger she'd had on the way. This baby was a complete unexpected curve ball in her life, but get rid of it?
As in put it up for adoption? Or did her mom mean abortion? Unthinkable. All of it was completely unthinkable.
She always wanted kids and she was an adult, not some fourteen year old teenager who couldn't even drive to the store for diapers. If there was anything the last
Both her parents took a sharp look at her and clearly they didn't think it was great. Her dad's arms hung long by his side. "You started an ice cream store...in winter? Did you even think about anything?"
"I started it at the end of Summer. Bella Warren doesn’t get feet of snow on the ground and have harsh winters where you can't even go outside. It's getting colder now and I'm still doing fine. My profits go up every week."
He shook his head. "You have no idea what you've done. You could have had a future, now you're going to count pennies the rest of your life just to keep your electricity on. Where are you living?"
"The store has an apartment in it." That was close enough. It didn't look like they were visiting any time soon. "I don't have any extra expenses, just the store itself."
Her mother pushed away from the table. "I have no idea what to say to you, so I'm going to take a walk. I don't know what happened to you, but I didn't raise an irresponsible daughter."
She should let her mom go, but then she'd be stuck in the house with her dad staring at her like she'd grown another head. "There's more."
An empty laugh filled the room as her mom turned back. "I can't image what else you could have done."
Tasha swallowed and blinked at tears. She'd been prepared for disappointment with opening the shop since the day she signed the lease. Knowing the coming response to what she had to say cracked her chest open. "I'm pregnant."
Her mom collapsed back in the chair.
Tasha didn't bother looking toward her dad. He didn't say anything so that meant she likely wouldn't enjoy the expression on his face. In all the times she'd imagined her future and being married, having kids, this moment wasn't among them. There was supposed to be a party with a box to be opened and blue or pink balloons would fly out. It was happening like this regardless. "I'm about six weeks."
Her dad returned to the table and took a seat himself. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned away from her. "Do you even know who the father is?"
She flinched at the cruel remark that sliced off another piece of her. "Yes. Of course."
He lifted a shoulder. "I wasn’t sure."
Her mother shook her head. "Is he going to do anything?"
"He's aware and is prepared to be involved."
"For now." Her mom snorted. "Do you have any idea what you're in the middle of? What you've done to yourself."
"Yes."
"How long have you known this boy?" Her dad's voice was deeper than she remembered.
She recalled that heavy tone from years ago when she was a girl. She couldn't remember what she'd done, but she remembered the disappointment. This time she wouldn't cower under him. This was her life, her choices to make and while things weren't ideal, she was still proud of it. "Since August."
Her dad rubbed his temples. "Let me get this straight. You dropped out of school, lost your scholarship, got yourself pregnant and biggest of all, this baby is due at what should be the height of your busiest months in this ice cream store."
She licked her lips. She hadn’t really thought that far ahead with it all put together like that. "Yes."
Her mom brushed at the table. "Get rid of it."
Tasha blinked. "Get rid of what?"
"The store, the baby. Go back to college. If you worked so hard before, you can do it again and pay your way through the last bit of it. I’ll pay for your books to help if you go back."
Tasha sat back and covered her stomach. Not to protect what was inside so much as to stop her from puking up the cheeseburger she'd had on the way. This baby was a complete unexpected curve ball in her life, but get rid of it?
As in put it up for adoption? Or did her mom mean abortion? Unthinkable. All of it was completely unthinkable.
She always wanted kids and she was an adult, not some fourteen year old teenager who couldn't even drive to the store for diapers. If there was anything the last
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