SEAL's Baby (Navy SEAL Secret Baby Romance) (78 page)

“They aren’t, but they really aren’t my
friends. I have Helena and Dylan and that’s it.”

“Doesn’t it make it hard to be the
captain?”

I laughed. “Actually, it makes it easier.
No one is asking me to cut them a break. I have a feeling soon Bailey or Barbie
will start talking to me again just so they can whine about how I’m running the
squad.”

“I guess you’ve learned a lesson.”

“I have.”

I really had. Helena was my best friend
and she really was the best. Dylan, well, I didn’t know what we were. He’d been
taking the bus or getting a ride to school. Supposedly, he had a project due,
so he’d been going into school early.

I suspected he just didn’t want to talk to
me. Maybe he was embarrassed about the other night. We had to talk. He had to
know that I was so glad that he was my first.

“Are you and Dylan getting along?” my dad
asked.

“Yes, we are, Daddy.” Better than you
could hope, I continued silently.

“He’s not a bad kid. I think even your
mother is coming around.”

“Why is she so resistant to liking Dylan?”

“You’ll have to ask her. That’s her story
to tell.”

Hm. Guess I would have to ask her. We’d
been spending a little more time together lately. She’d taken me for a manicure
and we talked like we used to when I was a kid. Guess it’s been hard on her
with me growing up.

She isn’t looking forward to it. Instead,
she’s trying to minimize the pain.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Taylor.”

“What if I didn’t go away to college?”

He looked at me, a very serious expression
on his face. “You have to go to college, Taylor.”

“I’m going to college, but I don’t know
what I want to do, so wouldn’t it be better if I went to the local community
college until I figured out what I wanted?”

“You’ll sort it out.”

“Daddy, everyone is getting their
acceptance and I haven’t applied yet.”

I didn’t know why I couldn’t tell him that
I wanted to be nurse. It wasn’t a bad profession. You could make money and
support yourself.

“Then you better get started.”

“How can I choose a college if I don’t know
what I want to do?”

He sighed. “I don’t want you to miss out
on the college experience, Taylor.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know if that’s what I
want to do. Don’t get me wrong, I want to be on my own at some point, but why
now?”

He brushed a hair off of my face. “We
raise our kids to leave us. That requires you to leave at some point.”

He was all about independence, and I was
more concerned about what I wanted to do. The words were on the tip of my
tongue, but I couldn’t say them. I think he might be disappointed in me. He
didn’t have engineering plans like my mother did, but he wanted me to go to
college.

I could compromise and get a Bachelor’s of
Nursing, but where? Maybe I could come to them with something, a plan, better
than what I had now.

A few months ago, I was content to go to
the local two year college.

Maybe I had to rethink that. I didn’t mind
going away now that I knew what I wanted. I would have to talk to my guidance
counselor.

“Looks like I’ve got you thinking.”

“You have, Daddy. Will you be okay if I go
do some research?”

“If this is about college, then go ahead,
kitten.”

“Yes, it is.”

I left him, feeling like my future was
brighter. I knew that I could go to college and study what I wanted. My mother
would be a tougher sell, but if I got my father on my side, then I’d have an
ally.

Chapter Twenty
Four

Dylan

I was happy to see Mr. Dean recovering. He
looked much better than he had in the hospital. Now, he wanted to get down to
business and get some things done before he went back to work.

One of them was to talk to a lawyer about
my situation. We had to get it resolved. I had no health insurance. What if I
got sick?

Mr. Dean drove me to a lawyer’s office in
town. He parked in front of the storefront. I dressed in clothing similar to
what I wore for a mathlete tournament.

The office was small with a woman sitting
in front who took our names. “Do you have an appointment?” she asked.

“Yes, we do,” Mr. Dean answered.

I sat on a leather chair while Mr. Dean
read flyers on a bulletin board. I was a little nervous. I’d have to make some
major life decisions.

My mother still wanted me to move back in
with her, but I couldn’t do that. This was my future. She was still using. I
could tell when she called me the other day that she was high. I didn’t want
that life, and I wished I could pull her out of it.

I wished we could be a family, but she’d
chosen drugs over me. At least, that’s how Mr. Dean wanted me to think about
it. Hadn’t I chosen the Deans over her? I didn’t know what to think.

A man in a suit came out of the back room
and held out his hand to Mr. Dean.

“I’m Robert Llewelin.”

“Rob Dean.” He indicated me. “This is Dylan
Cabot.”

“Let’s go on back. Anyone need coffee?”

“No, I’m fine. Dylan?”

“Nothing, thanks.”

My hands were sweating. I really didn’t
know what to think about this meeting or what exactly would come of it.

The lawyer sat down and rested his hands
on his desk. “Dylan, Mr. Dean told me a little bit about your situation, so
I’ve had time to think of options before our meeting.”

“Okay.”

“Since you are eighteen, you have all the
say in this. You don’t have to decide what to do today. You can take your time,
but you will want to make a decision because it does impact your future. You
understand?”

I nodded and tried not to chew my nail. I
held my hands in my lap.

The lawyer opened a file folder. “Here are
the options I’ve come up with.” He handed me a paper with legalese all over it.
“I can explain each option.”

“That would help,” Mr. Dean said.

“The first option is a guardianship. Mr.
Dean wouldn’t adopt you, but he would take over as if he were a parent. He
would be for all intents and purposes, your father. There would be no name
change or anything like that, but he would be responsible for you. You could be
put on his work-sponsored health insurance. His income would be considered if
you apply for financial aid.”

I nodded. “Okay. So, like a parent, but no
name change. Got it. I have to listen to him.”

“Well, as much as any teenage boy listens
to his father,” Mr. Dean said with a laugh.

I didn’t get the reference since I didn’t
have a father. I guess teen boys stopped listening to their fathers. I didn’t
laugh, I just read the paper.

“The other option is that you become
emancipated. You will be responsible for yourself.”

“Do I have to move out of the Deans’
house?”

“That’s up to Mr. Dean.”

“I won’t kick you out, Dylan. You can
stay.”

The lawyer continued. “You will be free to
live where you want. No one else’s income will be considered if you want
financial aid or get a loan. Any screw up will be yours, not anyone else’s.
You’ll be considered an adult.”

I nodded. “These are the only two
options?”

“They are. I know they are diametrically
opposed, but they are the two things that relate to your situation. I could
offer other options if you were under eighteen, but you are over that age.”

“I see.” I turned to Mr. Dean. “Do you
have a preference?”

“This is your decision, Dylan. You don’t
have to make it right now. You can ask the lawyer any questions you have.”

“I understand both options. I just don’t
know which to choose.”

“Like Mr. Dean said, you don’t have to
make this decision now. Think about it and when you’re sure, you can come back
and we’ll take care of things here. For both of them, court papers have to be
filed, so that’s why you need me.”

This was a lot to think about. Was I ready
to take responsibility for myself? Income and all? Or would I like to have a
family at my back? Mr. Dean wasn’t kicking me out, but would he if he found out
I deflowered his daughter? Which option would be best if that happened?

I didn’t think he’d find out. Taylor
wasn’t going to tell him, and I wasn’t giving up that information.

“I guess I just need to think now.”

The lawyer slid a card across the desk.
“Call me if you think of any questions, Dylan. It’s a big step.”

I tucked the card into my back pocket.
“Thanks.”

Mr. Dean rose and shook the man’s hand. I
did the same – one of those things I’d learned from Mr. Dean. I didn’t know
what to say as we walked out.

“Thank you for bringing me here.”

Mr. Dean patted me on the back. “No
problem, Dylan. I don’t envy you this decision. Just know that you always have
a home with us. I can’t imagine you doing anything to make me rescind that.”

I tried not to grimace. I’d already done
something. Something that I wanted to forget and do again at the same time.
Taylor was so hot and soft and warm, and I shouldn’t be thinking about his
daughter right now.

***

I received the call two days later. My
phone rang while I was about to get on the bus to go home. It was better if
Taylor and I stayed apart, so I didn’t wait for her after school these days.

She wanted to talk, and I wanted to stay
away from her. We couldn’t keep having sex. It wasn’t right. I wouldn’t be able
to resist if she was near me.

I looked at the number on my screen and
saw that it was my mother’s phone. She hadn’t called me in a few days, and I
kind of knew what was going to happen. The call was not a complete surprise.

I stopped on the sidewalk before I climbed
onto the bus. “Hello?”

“Is this Dylan Cabot?”

I’d been expecting my mother’s voice. This
was not her. “Who is this and why do you have this phone?”

“This is Officer Wylde. I’m at your
mother’s house.”

“Is something wrong?”

I began to sweat. I knew this call would
come someday. I had hoped it would be years from now. Guess not.

“Well, I don’t want to talk to you on the
phone. Can you get to your mother’s trailer?”

“Yes, sir.” Taylor would have to drive me.
“I can be there in twenty minutes.”

“Don’t speed.”

“No, sir.”

I hung up then ran through the school to
the football field. Taylor and the other girls were practicing. I walked right
up to her. “I either need the car or for you to drive me.”

She grabbed my hand, dragging me away from
the group. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know yet. I got a call from the
cops. They want me to meet them at my mother’s trailer.”

“Then, I’m coming with you.”

“You have practice.”

“I’m the captain. I can cut it short. Wait
here.”

She walked back to the group. No one
seemed to mind that they were done practicing for the day. Taylor came back to
me. “Let’s go.”

I followed her to the car in a daze. I
figured this was the end for my mother. It had all been too much for her. I
didn’t know for sure, but on some level, I figured that she was dead.

Taylor hadn’t been to the trailer, and her
gasp at the sight brought me out of my reverie. “It’s a little pathetic isn’t
it?”

“You never really described it other than
its size. I’m so glad my father let you come home with him,” she said.

It must look like hell to her, I thought
as I climbed out of the car. Officer Wylde greeted me at the door. He stepped
out of the trailer.

“You’re Dylan Cabot?”

“Yes sir.”

“I need to see some identification? And
who is the person with you?”

“Taylor Dean. She’s my sister.”

In a way. Not that I felt brotherly
towards her, at all. No, my feelings were not that innocent. I showed him my
license. He handed it back to me.

“I’m sorry to inform you that your mother
died.”

I took a step back. Even though I knew she
must have been dead, I hadn’t really prepared. I had held out hope that she was
just in the hospital. I wiped some tears from my eyes as Taylor appeared at my
side and wrapped her arms around my middle.

“I’m sorry, Dylan.”

I wanted to bury myself in her and forget
what had happened, but I probably had some decisions to make.

“You’ll have to identify the body, Mr.
Cabot.”

“Okay. Where?”

“The morgue. It’s in the hospital.”

“I know where it is, Dylan,” Taylor said.

She still held me as I tried not to cry in
front of the officer.

“You’ll take him there? I can meet you. Go
around back,” Officer Wylde said. “You’ll see a sign for morgue parking.”

“Okay. We’ll go there,” she said.

She tugged me to the car, opening the door
for me.

She stayed silent on the drive, but she
held my hand the whole way. She should have both her hands on the steering
wheel, but I needed the comfort. My mother was really gone. I shouldn’t have
been surprised, but I was.

The hospital was located on a side road.
Taylor maneuvered the car into a spot. She turned to me. “Can you do this?”

“I have no choice. I have to know that she
died.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

“You’ll come with me?”

“I can go as far as the waiting room.”

“Fair enough,” I said.

I was just happy that she was there. I
needed to lean on someone. I hadn’t thought to call Mr. Dean, but maybe I
should.

I stopped her before we entered the lobby.
“Would you call your dad and let him know?”

“You want to wait until you’re sure?” she
said.

“Not a bad idea.”

She squeezed my hand as Officer Wylde
walked up behind us. “Ready?”

“I am.”

Taylor took a seat as the officer led me
back to a cold room with drawers. I shivered, but only because of the
situation. A man in scrubs pulled a drawer out. He pulled back a sheet.

It was my mother. “It’s her.”

I turned away. The reality of it struck me
– all at once, I was alone in the world.

When I walked back to the lobby, though, I
realized that I wasn’t.

“It’s her,” I said.

Taylor took my hand as we walked out. She
pulled out her phone and called her father. She told him about my mother.

“I don’t want to go home yet,” I said.

“Okay. To the park it is.”

She drove to the same park we’d talked at
last time. We sat on the same picnic table. Taylor had yet to stop touching me,
which was good. I was cold. She was warm.

“I’m so sorry, Dylan.”

“I kind of knew it was going to happen at
some point.”

“Still. How can you prepare for something
like that,” she said.

You can’t. I knew that, but at least I had
some kind of family to help me out.

Chapter Twenty
Five

Taylor

Dylan moped few a few days, then seemed to
be okay. I didn’t blame him. It was selfish of me to delight in all the time I
was able to spend with him, but I did. I liked being with him.

I shouldn’t use a tragedy to take
advantage of the situation, but Dylan seemed to like that I was around. We
still hadn’t talked about that night. I hadn’t forgotten it. I had hoped he
hadn’t, either.

Dylan and I did homework together in the
basement every night. My father came down at least once a night to sneak some
junk food. It was proof he was feeling back to normal.

My mother and I were okay. We hadn’t made
any progress, but we hadn’t fought in days.

The prom was coming up and tickets would
go on sale in two weeks. No had asked me. I guess everyone assumed that I was
going with Dylan, but he didn’t ask.

I decided to bring it up while we were
doing homework. My father had already been downstairs and my mother was out at
a class to learn about getting her real estate license.