“From the first moment we met, I’ve known how special you are,” Bryce began. His voice sounded close and distant at the same time. “And the more time we spent together, the more I realized that I’d never meet anyone like you again. You’re beautiful and smart and kind, you have a great sense of humor, and all of that makes me love you in a way that I know I’m never going to be able to love anyone else.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Bryce kept going, his words coming even faster.
“I know you’re going to have the baby and that you’re supposed to leave right afterwards, but even you admit that going home will be a challenge. You don’t have a great relationship with your parents, you don’t know what will happen with your friends, and you deserve more than that. We both deserve more, and that’s why I brought you here. That’s why I went fishing with my grandfather.”
No, no, no, no…
“We can stay here,” he said. “You and me. I don’t have to go to West Point, and you don’t have to go back to Seattle. You can homeschool like I did, and I’m sure we could get everything done so you can graduate next year, even if you decide to keep the baby. And after that, maybe I go to college, or maybe we both go. We’ll figure it out like my parents did.”
“Keep the baby? I’m only sixteen…” I finally croaked out.
“In North Carolina, if there’s a birth of a child, we can petition the courts and they’d allow you to stay. If we live here together, you could be emancipated. It’s a little complicated, but I know I can find a way to make it work.”
“Please stop,” I whispered, knowing I’d somehow been expecting this since the moment he’d kissed my hand.
He suddenly seemed to recognize how overwhelmed I felt. “I know it’s a lot to take in right now, but I don’t want to lose you.” He drew in a deep breath. “The point is, I’ve found a way that we can be together. I have enough money in the bank to afford to rent this house for almost a year, and I know I can earn enough working with my grandfather to pay the rest of the bills without you having to work at all. I’m willing to tutor you in school, and I want nothing more than to be the father of your baby. I promise to love and adore her and treat her like my own daughter, even adopt her, if you’re willing to let me do that.” He reached for my hand, taking it, before lowering himself to one knee. “I love you, Maggie. Do you love me?”
Even though I knew where all of this was going, I couldn’t lie to him. “Yes, I love you.”
He looked up at me, eyes beseeching. “Will you marry me?”
*
Hours later, I sat on the couch, waiting for my aunt to return in what can only be likened to shell shock. Even my bladder seemed stunned into submission. As soon as Aunt Linda got home, she must have noted my expression and she immediately sat beside me. When she asked what had happened, I told her everything, but it wasn’t until I finished that she finally asked the obvious.
“What did you say?”
“I couldn’t say anything. The world was spinning, like I’d been caught in a whirlpool, and when I didn’t speak, Bryce finally said that I didn’t have to answer right away. But he asked me to think about it.”
“I was afraid this might happen.”
“You knew?”
“I know Bryce. Not as well as you know him, obviously, but enough not to be completely blindsided. I think his mom was worried about something like this as well.”
No doubt about it, and I wondered why I alone hadn’t seen it coming. “As much as I love him, I can’t marry him. I’m not ready to be a mom or a wife or even to be a grown-up yet. I came here just wanting to put all of this behind me so I could go back to my normal life, even if it is kind of boring. And he’s right—things could be better back home with my parents or my sister or whatever, but they’re still my family.”
Even as I said the words, my eyes filled with tears and I began to cry. I couldn’t help it. I hated myself for that, even as I knew I was telling the truth.
Aunt Linda reached over and squeezed my hand. “You’re wiser and more mature than you think you are.”
“What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to need to speak with him.”
“What should I say?”
“You need to tell him the truth. He deserves that much.”
“He’s going to hate me.”
“I doubt that,” she said, her voice quiet. “What about Bryce? Do you think he really thought this through? That he’s really ready to be a husband and father? To live in Ocracoke as a fisherman, or doing odd jobs? To give up West Point?”