Page 20 of Surgeon's Surprise Baby
“Is he happy?”
“Seems to be.But I’d rather talk about you.”
I wouldn’t,she thought.
Chapter Eight
The last thingAria wanted to talk about was her childhood.But she had a sinking feeling Ryan was going to insist.
Sure enough, he repeated his question from before.“You were raised by a single mother but other than that your father was never in your life, I don’t know anything else.”
She sighed.She really hated talking about that part of her life.Avoided talking about it as much as possible.But it might help him understand why she was adamant about him not being in Sophie’s life and then disappearing.“My father was a soldier.He was around whenever he could be, which wasn’t a lot.Then he was sent to Iraq after 9/11.After he was injured, he was discharged, and he came home.I didn’t remember that much about how he’d been before that, except what I did remember was good.He loved us, or I thought he did.But after the war he was different.He was unhappy.He had what my mom called ‘bad spells.’Until one day he walked out and didn’t come back.I was seven.So technically, he was in my life, just not for very long.
“My mom never said anything bad about him, either.I think she still loved the son of a bitch even after he left us high and dry.”She shook her head.“I will never understand why she continued to love him.But young as I was, and as little as I’d seen him, I’d loved him.When he left, I had a hole in my heart that was never filled.”
“I’m sorry.Do you know what his injuries were?”
“No but I suspect he had a TBI.”
“A traumatic brain injury could account for the change in him.He might have had PTSD as well.”
“I don’t know.I only know that he left and I haven’t seen him in twenty-plus years.”
“Did your mom ever get over him?”
“No.She asked for him on her deathbed.She died a few years before you and I got together.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated.“I guess your childhood was pretty rough considering your mom was all you had.Or did you have other relatives?”
“No.It was just the two of us.It was rough a lot of the time.Especially right after he left and Mom worked two jobs.I was in day care a lot.I learned to take care of myself pretty young.”
“How young?”
“Nine.It wasn’t that bad,” she said after seeing his expression.“My mom did her best, but she had a hard time making enough to support us without paying a fortune for babysitters and day care on top of that.”Which was why her mom had taken her out of day care as soon as she could.She’d taken the bus to and from school.Luckily the bus stop had only been a block from their apartment building.So if she wasn’t in school, she’d been at home alone, but her mom had called her at least once every day, sometimes more, to check on her.
And while she knew her mother had done the best she could, Aria was determined that Sophie would never have to grow up as she had; responsible for herself when she was still a child.
And then there was the father problem.Right now, Ryan promised that he would be there for his baby daughter, but Aria had a hard time trusting that.Not because Ryan wouldn’t try.She knew he would.He was a good guy, but he was also a man who didn’t seem able to stay in one place for long.She couldn’t and didn’t expect him to stay in Marietta forever.Truthfully, she wasn’t sure she even wanted him to.But if he did move she expected him to find a way to maintain a relationship with Sophie.To be there for her when she needed him.To not walk out of her life and never see her again, as though she didn’t matter.
“Is the fact that your father left you the reason you told me about Sophie?”
She shrugged.“Most of it.I thought she deserved to have a father—one who loved her.But if that wasn’t possible, she’d still have me and I’m determined she won’t have a life like mine was when I was young.Which is why I moved and am planning to have my own business.”
“I don’t think that’s the only reason.What’s the rest of it?”
She sighed.“I said it before.Telling you was the right thing to do.You deserved a chance to know your child.Whether you took it or not was up to you.”
“What would you have done if I hadn’t accepted responsibility?”
“I guess we’d have lived here without Sophie knowing the man who fathered her lived in the same town.But honestly, I didn’t think you’d do that.Besides, I figured you wouldn’t be around for long if you stayed true to form.”
“And now?Do you still believe I won’t stick around?”
She hesitated before deciding to be honest.“Yes.But as we’ve already discussed, I’m prepared for that.However, I expect you to maintain a relationship with Sophie no matter when or where you move to.”
“You really don’t think much of me, do you?”
“I didn’t say that.”
