Time Will Tell

“So you and Teagan worked things out?” my mom asks, eyeing Teag, still asleep on the couch. I smile.

“Yeah,” I answer softly. “I can’t believe I ever hurt her that way in the first place.”

“So she wasn’t with her ex, then?”

I shrug. “She says she wasn’t, and I believe her. He’s such a prick, though. I’m getting tired of him.”

“Look on the bright side – at least she doesn’t have a baby with him.”

I frown at her. “Very funny, mom,” I say sarcastically.

“Honey, you just have to understand where she’s coming from. She cares about you despite your having a baby with another girl, and all of a sudden this girl wants you back and would do just about anything to make it happen. Then you get into a fight and she sees you kiss the girl. It’s got to be hard for her.”

“She thought I didn’t want her,” I say, shaking my head and crossing my arms over my chest. “I don’t understand why she thought that – she’s explained it to me twice now, but… I never saw things the way she did.”

My mom looks at me for a long moment. “She’s probably just trying to shift from being with her ex to being with you – things are a lot different for her now. She’s got a boyfriend with a baby, and baby mama traumas.”

I roll my eyes at her, but she laughs. “I hope I’m not as cheesy of a dad as you are of a mom,” I tease her.

She pushes my shoulder and grins at me. “Go wake up your girlfriend before her dinner gets cold.”

I glance back over at Teag. “I want to give her a few more minutes – she was really tired.”

“Spent after you two made up?” she asked, her voice thick with implications.

I make a face at her. “Inappropriate,” I scold her. “I think sometimes you forget I’m your son.”

She shakes her head. “We’re both adults, and you have a baby, so it’s not like I don’t know that you have sex.”

“I’m not comfortable with this conversation,” I tell her, shoveling a fork full of lasagna in my mouth.

“I hope you used a condom.” She says innocently.

“Mom,” I say with my mouth full. “Stop.”

“I love Grace, sweetie, but I don’t think I can handle another grandchild yet.”

I groan. “Yes, we used two condoms, and she’s on birth control.”

She nods at me, looking pleased. “As long as you’re being responsible.”

“Momma,” I hear Grace say. I look over and see her patting Teagan’s face, leaning against the couch.

I shake my head and get up to walk over and stop her from waking her up. I pick her up and she protests, holding her hand out to Teagan and crying.

Teagan groans and opens her eyes, looking up at me sleepily. “I’m sorry,” I say.

She just shakes her head at me, holding out her arms for Grace. I smile and hand her over. It’s obvious that Grace is happy Teagan’s back. She really did miss her – she did keep asking me where her momma was at, and that she wanted Teagan to tuck her in, and she even pitched a fit. I didn’t know what to do then, because hell, I wanted Teagan, too.

Grace squeals and starts mumbling things in her baby-talk.

“Hey, sweetie,” Teagan says, letting Grace cuddle up to her. She rests her chin on top of her head and closes her eyes. “I missed you.”

I smile. I glance over at my mom and she’s smiling at them too. When she looks over at me she smiles smugly. Somehow she knew we’d be great together.

I shake my head at her and she laughs.

“Baby, are you hungry?” I ask Teagan.

She looks up at me and grins. “Yeah.”

“Hello, Teagan,” my mom says while I fix Teagan a plate.

“Hey Miss Roberts,” she says.

“I think we all missed having you around,” my mom continues.

“I missed y’all, too.” Teag mumbles.

I walk over to the couch and she sits up and makes room for me. When I sit down she snuggles into my side and rests her head on my shoulder.

“I love you,” she says softly, kissing my neck. Grace tugs on her shirt, demanding attention and Teag leans down and kisses her forehead. “I love you, too.”

My mom sits down in the rocking chair and we all turn our attention to the movie on TV. I can’t help but thinking that I could live this way, all of us together, forever. That’s what I want from Teagan – forever.