Time Will Tell

Teagan left her cell phone here. She called from her house phone and told me she was coming by to get it. She also told me she had to tell me something – something she would rather tell me in person.

She’s getting back together with her ex. That has to be it.

I can’t blame her. I mean, I knew it was only a matter of time before she couldn’t handle it anymore, or some guy could offer her things I can’t, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon. I mean, we’ve only been going out for about three hours.

I look around on the floor for her phone and can’t find it anywhere. I hear something behind me and turn to find Gracie, hitting Teagan’s phone against the coffee table.

“No,” I sigh, taking the phone from her. I’ve just taken away her favorite new toy and so obviously she’s going to scream her lungs off.

There’s a knock on the front door and then I hear it open. “Hey,” Teagan says tentatively.

“Great timing,” I say sarcastically to her. “She just got in trouble for trying to break your phone.” I toss it to her.

She makes a face at me and walks over to Gracie, picking her up and then taking her into her room. I hear a loud noise and then the door closes and Teagan comes out without Grace.

“What did you do?” I ask her.

“I turned my back and broke one of her toys. It’s new to her, so she’s happy.”

I shake my head at her, amazed. “I could learn so much from you,” I say, grinning.

She laughs and closes the distance between us, wrapping her arms around my neck. I go to kiss her but she turns her face away.

“What?” I ask, already not liking what comes next.

She opens her mouth to say something and then stops herself and starts over. “There’s something I’ve got to tell you, but first I want to ask you something.”

“Okay…” I say. I don’t want to drag out the break up. I can only imagine how this is going to affect Grace. I mean today she fucking called Teagan ‘momma’! I thought she was going to bolt right then, but she said it didn’t bother her and she was pretty convincing.

“Do you know Reese? Reese Tucker?” she asks me.

That’s not what I was expecting. I shake my head, but the name does sound a little familiar. “Uh… I don’t know. Why?”

“He’s related to Celeste… sort of. I don’t remember quite what he said.”

“His name sounds familiar, but if I’ve ever met him I wouldn’t remember. Celeste and I broke up a long time ago. Now what was it you had to tell me?”

Her face turns red.

“Is it about Reese?” I ask, rubbing her arms. She nods. “So, tell me.”

“He wants me back,” she whispers. “And he kissed me.”

It’s insane to be this mad, because I’ve only been seeing her for such a short amount of time, but I’m fucking pissed that some other guy touched my girl.

“I told him to stop,” she defends herself. “And I told him about you – that’s how we got onto the Celeste conversation.”

“When did you break up?” I ask her.

She bites her lip and looks away. “Two months ago.”

I can’t help but feel a little shocked. She was with this guy two months ago. A guy she loved, and all of a sudden she’s with me. I’m her rebound guy.

“Two months ago?” I demand. “Really?”

She wraps her arms tightly around me. “It’s not like it sounds,” she says, burying her face in my neck. “At first he made me happy. He was great and I loved him, but I don’t know… he changed. I stayed with him for a long time, but I didn’t feel the same way anymore. And then I met this cute sleepy guy with Cherrio’s in his hair.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

She smiled up at me and shakes her head. “You just make me too freaking happy. You’re amazing, and I love Grace and I just… feel different when I’m with you. I feel good, like nothing in the whole world could be better for me.”

I give her a quick peck on the lips, smiling. “I feel the same way,” I whisper into her ear. She shivers and I kiss her neck.

She pushes me away then. “Are you mad at me?”

I shake my head. “No. I’m mad at him for touching you.” I sigh. “Three hours and I already feel possessive of you.”

She laughs at me and then kisses me. “Good thing I’m yours or else it would be weird.”

I kiss her back, wondering what I did to deserve this girl.

***************

I hold Teagan’s hand under the table. This is the first meet the parent’s dinner. I mean, I met her and her parent’s at dinner, but this time is a little different. Then I was just Sarah’s son, and now I’m Teagan’s boyfriend, and not to mention the guy with the baby.

She smiles over at me encouragingly.

Her sister, Kim, is here and she’s the one who’s watching me like a hawk. Everything I do, she sees. It’s weird. Her mom and dad’s only concern seem to be Grace, but to Kim everything is cause for concern.

“We’re just worried that this will mess with Teagan’s grades, and what happens if you leave her, and where is the mother of your baby?” her mom says.

I tell her about Celeste, I tell her that I would never want to screw anything up in Teagan’s life, and I tell her that Teagan is the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time, and I’m lucky to have her, so I would never do anything mess that up.

Her mom feels sympathetic towards me, and her dad likes that I care so much about her.

Teagan gets up and kisses me on the cheek. “I’ll be right back,” she says.

“Alright,” Kim starts once she’s out of sight. “I know what it’s like to have a baby and how it takes up all of your time, but Teagan is amazing and she deserves a guy who can treat her like she’s the world, and if you everhurt her I will hunt you down.”

I’m not surprised she’s the one to threaten me – not with the way she’s been glaring at me. “Teagan and I have only been dating for two days, so I don’t know exactly where this is going, but already she means so much to me. Yes, Grace is a big part of my life, but she’s not the only part. Teagan is important to me, and maybe she will mean the world to me sooner or later, but I would never do anything to intentionally hurt her, but if I ever do hurt her, then I’ll understand when you try to kill me.”

She eyes me for a long minute. “As long as we’re clear. You hurt her and I kick your ass to Albuquerque and back.”

I nod solemnly.

Teagan shows up then and sits next to me, taking my hand back automatically in hers. “So, what’d I miss?”