Run, Girl (If You Can)

Chapter 246: Options

"Keeley, can you tell me what you're feeling right now?" Keisha asked in a soothing voice. "I want to help you but I need to know what you want."

Tears filled her eyes as she saw the genuine compassion on the other woman's face. "I have to keep this baby but…"

"Will the father not support it?"

"No, he'd marry me tomorrow if he could."

"Is he bad to you?"

Keeley shook her head. "No, he's very good to me."

"Then what's the problem here?"

She buried her face in her hands, too mortified to be seen as she gave a rough explanation. She gave Keisha the bare facts. They were together before and he was cold, distant, and left behind a bunch of misunderstandings (though that was the understatement of the century).

He came back and was different but she wasn't in love with him anymore and even hated him. Over time she got used to him and considered him a friend but didn't want to commit again in case everything was the same as before.

Keisha furrowed her brow as she tried to make sense of it all. "And you're staying with him right now because your dad is allergic to cats?"

"Yes," she said miserably. "And I was actually kind of having fun too. I was letting myself enjoy being with him and forgetting about all the reasons we didn't work out in the first place. I can't marry him."

'Not again,' she added on silently.

"I want you to know that I'm on your side no matter what and whatever I say now is just to let you see your options clearly, okay?" Keisha waited for Keeley to nod before continuing.

"If you keep this baby, legally, it's half the father's so you will have to come to some sort of custody arrangement. Even if you don't marry him you'll still have to deal with him regularly for a minimum of eighteen years, not including later special events like graduations and weddings.

"As a single mom, it will be a lot harder for you to date, hang out with friends, or have a life of your own. Even if you have friends and family members helping you it's going to be rough, especially financially. Right now you don't even have your own place to live and don't have a job lined up after graduation.

"Even with child support, it might be rough. Your child will have to be in daycare and after school programs while you work. I'm only telling you all of this because this same thing happened to my sister. She had a friends with benefits situation going on and he said he would support the baby but wouldn't marry her."

She reached out to hold Keeley's hands. "I want you to think about which would be harder for you personally. Staying with this guy who is good to you but you don't currently love or dealing with it on your own but still having to see him to co-parent."

Honestly, she wasn't sure. She wasn't able to shake Aaron anyway. The universe's cosmic joke on her continued. It really was trying to set them back up together permanently, wasn't it?

She could marry him as he was now and have fun and be treated well at the risk of dealing with the wrath of her former in-laws once again. Or she could not marry him but still have to deal with him all of the time and the baby would be in an unstable environment.

That wouldn't be fair to the baby. This was her choice—her stupid choice to have a one night stand with someone she knew wasn't right for her—and she had to own up to it.

Keeley looked up at her friend ruefully. "I know what I have to do. But how do I tell him?"

It was that moment that the lock clicked as it was opened and Jeffrey stood in the doorway, realizing he ruined an emotionally charged moment. He awkwardly placed his hand on the back of his neck.

"I should just go."

She sighed. "It's fine. The major drama is out of the way anyway. It's your house; you shouldn't be locked out of it."

He nervously sat on the only other available cushion next to Keeley. "Are you alright?"

The truth would get out sooner or later. She may as well tell him. "I'm pregnant," she mumbled.

Jeffrey's eyes widened. "I didn't even know you were dating anybody."

She leaned forward and buried her head in Keisha's shoulder, wanting to die of embarrassment. "I'm not."

His fiancée shot him a look and he immediately panicked because he said the wrong thing. He was quick to defend himself. "Not that there's anything wrong with that! Um…should I congratulate you or not?"

"Go ahead," she said quietly. "I'm keeping it. A baby is something worth celebrating."

"Congratulations then!"

He was trying so hard and but his ability to make anything awkward never changed. She might have laughed at his earnestness if she wasn't so stressed out. How on earth was she going to tell Aaron?

Keisha cleared her throat. "Before we were so rudely interrupted…you were asking how to tell him?"

She sat up straight and nodded.

"You could always just say it casually…but if he wants to marry you already and knows you don't want to get married that could spark a heated discussion…definitely practice what you're going to say beforehand."

Jeffrey squinted at them both in confusion. "Wait a second here. Who wants to marry you? Why haven't I heard about this? I thought I was supposed to be one of your best friends."

Keeley looked up at him with a wry smile. "I haven't told anyone. One of my friends figured it out because he talked to her once about me without mentioning my name but that's it."

"So…who is it?"

His fiancée reached over and smacked him on the arm. "You don't just ask a girl who the father of her baby is!"

She smiled to reassure Keisha. "It's fine, he'll figure it out eventually anyway…it's just a little embarrassing because he already knows the guy."

The squinting grew even more pronounced. "I don't know any guys that you know."

It hit him like a sledgehammer a moment later and he jumped off the couch in shock. "Aaron Hale?! You seriously got knocked up by Aaron freaking Hale? And he already wanted to marry you before this?!"

Keisha didn't see what all the fuss was about. "Who's Aaron Hale?"

Jeffrey was about ready to tear his hair out as he paced in circles. "You're not from New York so you wouldn't know but he's one of the richest, most powerful men in the city and he was obsessed with Keeley in high school."

He turned toward Keeley in agitation. "I had no idea you were still in contact with him! I thought you hated the guy."

She looked down guiltily. "He's different than I thought he was. He's really nice to me and I have fun with him."

He dropped back onto the couch as if his very soul had deserted him. "Nice? Fun? Are we talking about the same Aaron Hale here? He's terrifying."

Well, he had been when Jeffrey knew him. His reaction wasn't too surprising. Especially since Aaron had been particularly cold to him for daring to be her date to the Valentine's dance.

"He's not like that around me. He's actually very warm and considerate."

Jeffrey shook his head. "I'd have to see it to believe it. Hang on then…does that mean in the future whenever I see you I'll have to see the Ice King too?"

The exaggerated look of horror on his face made Keisha crack up. She wiped tears from her eyes with a grin on her face.

"It takes a lot to scare this one. You must have caught yourself quite a man, girl!"

Keeley scowled. She wasn't wrong, but they were totally making fun of her.

"He's really not so bad. He has normal friends now. He even organized a bachelor party as someone's best man recently and played paintball and drinking games like an ordinary guy. And he gets along well with my dad."

"Whoa, he hangs out with your dad? I thought you said you weren't dating him," Jeffrey said in awe.

"…it's complicated. But that's not the point; how am I supposed to tell him?"

Jeffrey shrugged. "If he really wants to marry you already you can make a special occasion out of it. Be romantic. Let him know you're cool with spending your life with him. Be sure not to let him know how reluctant you are! He might murder you!"

"He is not going to murder me!"

It would make him sad though so she didn't want to do that. She had to find the right words. Aaron already knew she didn't love him. If she told him she was willing to stay with him and raise their child together so long as he continued supporting her the way he had been recently it should work.

His idea about a romantic gesture had merit though. She might have an idea. It would require waiting a little over a week but she could hold off that long.

"I think I figured it out," she announced. "Can we please change the topic now? I want to do something completely unrelated to pregnancy since I don't get to see you guys very often."

Her friends exchanged a glance and said "sure" in perfect sync before suggesting they play board games. That could be a good distraction.

She didn't want to think about the life growing inside her again until she got back to New York. Right now, she needed to live in the moment.

===

Keeley wasn't able to hold off until she got back. Jeffrey and Keisha were great about distracting her throughout the rest of her trip and she had a lot of fun with them but the second she got on that bus back to her hometown the thoughts wouldn't stop.

She found herself cradling her completely flat stomach. This was where everything truly went wrong before. What if someone in Aaron's family found out? They would scheme against her again for sure.

'Mommy's going to protect you this time, baby,' she thought fiercely. Even if she had to go give birth all the way in New Jersey, she would not let anyone within Alistair Hale's sphere of influence near her child again.

She tried to imagine Aaron's face when she told him but couldn't do it. The first time it happened he was still emotionally constipated and his face was about as expressive as a rock. He did his pleased little smirk but that was it. That idiot.

It would probably mean a lot more to him this time as well because of the one they lost before. She wasn't worried about his reaction. She was worried about finding herself trapped as Mrs. Hale again.

She took deep, calming breaths. Aaron's security had increased tenfold. His father didn't even know where he lived, let alone have any servants spying on him.

The last society party he went to was Lacy Knighton's birthday back in April and that was only so he could humiliate her. He wasn't a part of that world anymore. She wouldn't have to go back.

He had been very supportive of her dreams as well. Since Keeley was going to agree to marry him, they would share assets anyway. She could accept his offer to fund her research.

She would get to stay in that big, beautiful, luxurious apartment forever. She would still be able to see Valentina, Jennica, and her dad regularly because she wouldn't have to leave New York. This was actually a pretty good deal.

So why did she still feel hollow inside? Probably because it felt forced. Her choice in the matter had been stripped away by whatever cosmic chance reincarnated them.

No matter what, she would be stuck with Aaron. She may as well choose the easiest way for her child. Well, her dad would be thrilled. That was something. So would Aaron. The only real loser in this scenario was her.

Keeley would live a decent life but not the life she had chosen for herself. She was nothing but a puppet to the whims of the universe and that made her feel so powerless.

She tried to be positive. Maybe if she started thinking about all the things she had to look forward to with this baby it would help. Last time they didn't even get as far as coming up with names.

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