I Won't Give Up

I was able to get hold of Jackson to keep an eye on Ameila. Dawson, of course, didn't want to leave her behind, but I was able to convince him that it would draw more attention than we needed if we brought her with us.

Arriving at the school, we walked in. Dawson hid the engagement ring so no one would see it. Walking into Doris's office, we took our seats and waited for her. After about twenty stress-filled minutes, she finally arrived and sat behind her desk across from us. "Why did you lie to me about your relationship?" she asked bluntly, her gaze seeming more cold than ever.

"We didn't want to get people talking. I'd rather keep things under the radar because of how the school works," I said, crossing my arms. "In here, we were and will continue to be, just a student and a teacher. No PDA, no relationship, nothing more than two ordinary people going here. It's strictly professional. Out there, in our own home, we are a couple. We're happy, and we're able to act how we want without fear of talk."

"You could have told me when I first asked about it," she said, leaning forward and placing her hands on the desk. "All this could have been avoided."

"Not to be rude, Mrs. Mikels, but when you first asked us, we were put on the spot. Not to mention, you know if we had come clean then that the reputation of this school could have been put on the line," Dawson said, leaning forward a bit. "Yes, we're together, but we wouldn't let the world know until I was completely done with school and of a legal age. Here within the confines of this building, he and I -- as he stated -- are nothing more than a teacher and a student. We wouldn't risk the reputation of this school for anything."

"So, you two were never kissing or hugging or anything that would hint at a relationship?" she asked, sounding curious.

"Not once. There were times, yes, that we wanted to, but we refrained ourselves from doing so to keep everything professional," I said, raising my eyebrows. "And because I know you're wanting to know what she looks like," I said, pulling my phone out and opening my photos, "this is Ameila." I handed her the phone and she looked at the photo, her eyes seeming to smile.

"She's beautiful," she gasped. "I was never one to have kids of my own -- infertility at it's best -- but I do love being around little ones. I am actually considering adoption, but it's hard with such a busy schedule."

Handing back my phone, there was a knock on the door. I stood up and opened the door to reveal Jackson carrying a very happy Ameila. "I had to bring her. I'm thinking she was missing daddy. I tried everything to keep the crying down, but nothing worked," he said, handing her over to me. I held her as I used my free hand to put the diaper bag on my shoulder.

"Thanks for bringing her here, Jackson," I said, stepping aside to let him through the door. Closing the door behind me, I cooed at Ameila for a moment, smiling at her gurgling sounds. "Would you like to hold her, Doris?" I asked, locking gazes with the woman who seemed to have immediately fallen in love with her.

"You don't mind?" she asked, standing up and walking over to me.

"You didn't kick us out of the school for the secret we kept from you. I would be bad if I didn't let you," I replied, placing my princess in Doris's arms. Dawson soon came over and wrapped his arms around my waist, and I vaguely saw Jackson close the blinds on the door. "One day, she'll be walking the halls of this school, you can count on it," I said, causing a smile to appear on both Dawson's face as well as Doris's. For a long while, we stood like that, enjoying the company.