Redeem Me (Kin #6)(35)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I folded my hands and placed them on the table. “You can give it to me straight. I know you’re pissed off.”

My mom reached across the table and touched my hands. “We just want you to make good choices.” She looked at my dad before continuing. “Taking care of Cameron, and being responsible is a step in the right direction. We’re just worried about you being with Cameron long-term. What are you going to do when her parents get involved? You’ve got no hold on her Parker. She could go to them at any time, and we’re afraid that when she has the baby they’ll keep he or she away from you. After everything we’ve all been through with the twins, it’s hard for us to see you with a similar situation. Your father and I respect that you’ve made the decision to be there for Cameron, but you also need to consider how this affects the future. Have you thought about marriage?”

I pulled my hands away and immediately began rubbing my eyes. They made me feel uncomfortable. It was as if they were pushing me to make another leap, after already accepting that I was going to be a father, technically for the third time. “Not really. I mean, I know I’m going to marry, Cam. We’ve mentioned it, but there’s no date or anything like that.”

“Perhaps it’s time you started thinking about it. If you were married her parents couldn’t do anything about it. It would be a legal binding contract.” My father sighed and showed the palms of both hands as he spoke, like he was out of options. I wasn’t used to seeing this side of him, who was obviously concerned for me. “I’m not trying to push you into doing something you don’t want to do. We’ve been down that road, and I’m learning that it gets me nowhere. I’m just stating an obvious resolution that you could consider. The choice is yours, and we want you to be sure before making it. I don’t think anyone in this family can go through what happened with the twins again, Parker. We’re just concerned that you’ll change your mind. In this case, we won’t have an opportunity to know our grandchild; not if her parents have anything to do with it.”

“Okay, first, I’d never let them take my kid. They’d have the nanny raise it, and force Cam to complete her studies. It’s not what either of us want. As far as marriage, well if she wants to elope then I’d do it. There’s no sense of waitin’ when we both know it’s what we want. I think at this point she’s willin’ to do whatever it takes to get away from her parents. If havin’ my name helps then I say let’s do it, and not because it’s a good idea, but because I love her.” I chuckled to myself realizing that in just two short days so much had changed. “Look, I’ve told you this before, and I’ll say it again, that night with Ashley was a mistake. We barely remember it happenin’. Shayne’s a great father, and he’s my brother. I’ve got no regrets. That being said, I know you have reservations about me being a father. I don’t know the first thing about raisin’ a kid, but I do know that ever since I found out last night, I’ve felt like I had to protect it. I can’t explain the way I feel, but it’s there, and it’s strong enough to make me want to do whatever it takes to protect he or she from being terminated. Her parents will have to go through me before they do anything, and I’m sure as hell not goin’ to let them near Cameron.”

“Let’s assume that what you’re saying is true. How do you plan on supporting your family?”

“I’m goin’ to play professional football. I don’t give a shit if I’m signed by some Canadian league. As long as I’m makin’ money I’ll be happy. If the football doesn’t pan out, I’ll take my degree and use it to get a job. I’ll work two or three jobs if I have to. All I care about is takin’ care of Cam. She needs me more than anyone ever has. I’m all she has.”

“She has us too,” my mother added.

I don’t know why, but hearing my mother saying that got to me. I felt like I was getting choked up. “That means a lot to me. For a while I’ve felt like you were never goin’ to want to be around me again.”

“We felt like you were making bad choices, and we just didn’t want the past coming back to haunt you.”

“It won’t, not if we all agree to never discuss it again.” I wanted nothing more than to bury that secret so far into the ground that it would never be recovered. I was tired of it haunting me, and being reminded of it every time I was around them. Decisions had been made, and they were going to have a great future. I had no regrets.

“That’s fine by me,” my mother said.

“For now I will agree to keep the peace. I just worry that somewhere down the road the truth will come out. I don’t want you or your brother to have to deal with the repercussions of that.”

“Dad, let’s just worry about today, please. I can’t take much more. In two days my whole life has changed. I’m tryin’ to be positive for Cameron, but inside I’m scared to death that I’m goin’ to fail.”

“You’re not going to fail, Parker. Your dad and I won’t let you. We’re going to help you through this, and we’ll figure it out. Her parents will come around. Once they see that baby for the first time they’ll fall right in love.” I hoped that my mother was right, otherwise we were in for a long road ahead of us.

Before making Cam some soup, I sat at the table talking to my parents as if we hadn’t already been through hell and back. I told them that I’d called Shayne and asked for advice. My mom seemed pleased that the two of us were getting along, while my father remained conflicted. I could understand why he was reluctant to trust my choices this time, but hoped that eventually he’d see my feelings were genuine.

All in all it had turned out to be a good day. For the time being I could work and make some extra money to save up for the arrival of a new baby. Cameron would be safe from her parents, and I wouldn’t have to worry about what their next move would be. Since she’d left both her phone and her vehicle in Pennsylvania, they wouldn’t have much to go on. I’d turned off my phone and removed the battery when we arrived at my parents. God only knew if they could find a way to trace my whereabouts, and I wasn’t about to make stupid mistakes.

It was obvious they didn’t want us together, so I was determined to make it my life’s mission to take care of Cameron and our unborn child. I’d made a ton of mistakes, and I knew I had a lot of work to do, but her being a part of my life was so important that it was worth any changes I’d have to make to better myself.