The Promise (Thunder Point #5)(68)

“No more, and that’s a guarantee. I’ve done what I should’ve done years ago and had a vasectomy. But that’s not the point. The point is—”

She laughed outright. “Oh, but it’s a very good point, let’s stay on it. Now you’re completely safe, except for disease, of course. Now you can screw around without the possibility of pregnancy. How very clever!”

There was a painful clench in her chest. Before Ted’s home became too much to bear, she had wondered if she would perhaps have a child of her own. It was a decision that had to be made sooner rather than later. It wasn’t very long after getting to know his children that she’d decided she’d never bring a baby into that household. She stomped off ahead of him, and he grabbed her arm, spinning her around.

“Are you listening to me? I made a terrible mistake! I have regrets. I’m sorry, more sorry than you can imagine, and I believe I can make it up to you. And I’m not going to ignore the child. I’m having documents drawn for support and visitation—everything necessary to be responsible and meet my obligations. No matter what you think of me, I have never ignored my responsibilities!”

She shook free of his grip and said, “Don’t you ever lay hands on me again or I’ll have you arrested, you son of a bitch!”

“Sorry,” he said. “Sorry. You make me desperate. For God’s sake, am I not getting through to you? I need you. The kids need you!”

“How many need me, Ted? The three that probably threw a party when I left? Or three plus a baby who will be visiting?”

He lifted his hands again, as if he might grab her upper arms, but then he dropped them to his sides. His face was a little twisted, and he glanced away as if looking for some courage or inspiration. “You were right about them. The kids. You were right about me. I should’ve listened to you. They needed a firm hand. They needed discipline, and I fought you. I don’t even know why, but I just didn’t want to think they were that much trouble. When I was around, there weren’t many problems. I was confused. You were so angry with them, but when I was around, they were mostly fine.”

“You weren’t ever around!”

“I see that now. I realize now, I should have listened to you.”

“Fine. There’s still time,” she said. “Take a firmer hand now.”

“That won’t be enough,” he said dismally.

“Ted! Get into counseling. With them. Learn to be a better parent. Learn to show your children you love them enough to be sure they’re safe, and help them learn to respect themselves and their family. For God’s sake, I can’t do it for you!”

He looked at his feet. “Krissy’s pregnant,” he said.

That silenced her. Krissy? Fifteen-year-old Krissy? “Oh, God,” she said. She backed away from him and sat on one of the pilings holding up the dock. “How pregnant?” she asked weakly.

“Not very. Six or eight weeks. She got scared and told her mother. Her mother called me.”

“She must be terrified,” Peyton said.

“She’s a wreck. Her mother didn’t prepare her for this.”

“Did you?” she asked.

“Me? I’m her father!”

“My point,” she said, shaking her head. She stood, surprised to find her legs were trembling. “Ted, I can’t fix this for you. You have to get some family counseling, maybe get her mother involved. Krissy needs some family support right now. You all have decisions to make, and it’s very important that everyone is on board, going forward with this family event.”

“The decision is made,” he said. “She’ll terminate.”

“That’s what she wants?” Peyton asked.

“It doesn’t matter what she wants! She’s fifteen!”

“Oh, God,” Peyton said. “Is Krissy okay with that decision?”

“She’d better get okay with it because she’s fifteen, and that’s what’s going to happen!”

Peyton swallowed. She hated herself for even asking the next question. She didn’t particularly like Krissy. Krissy had always been mean and selfish around her. She was a horrible fifteen-year-old. She had lied, defied and treated Peyton not just disrespectfully but cruelly. But she was fifteen and pregnant. “Ted, has Krissy told you what she wants?”

“Irrelevant,” he said with a wave of his hand.

“What did she say?” Peyton asked.

“She thinks she wants to keep it, but that’s absurd. She can’t be a mother, she’s too young, she’s in high school. She’ll terminate.”

“Oh, man,” Peyton said, shaking her head. “You can’t force her to terminate the pregnancy. You guys need an intervention in the worst way.”

“What do you care? You’re pro-choice!”

She sighed and shook her head in frustration. How had she managed to ignore this side of him until she was giving up, until she was leaving him? Was it because in the beginning he hadn’t acted that way toward her? She took a deep breath. “Actually, you don’t know anything about my politics, but it appears you think you’re pro-choice, though I’d have to wonder if you even know what it means. Choice, Ted. Not pro-abortion. As far as I know, there is no pro-abortion network. I’d never condone forcing a woman to terminate a pregnancy. What the hell do you think a choice is?”