My heart begins to race, and I know I need to spit this out, but it seems like I’m walking through thick honey and can barely move.
“I’ve decided to move to Texas in a few weeks.”
They both stay quiet for a moment until finally, my father speaks. “What prompted this decision?”
“Well…” I pause, wishing I would’ve bought a bottle of water because my throat is as dry as the Sahara. “I recently found out I was pregnant, and the father lives in Texas. We’re going to see where things go between us, but I also want the baby to have him in his or her life.”
Tears of happiness stream down my mother’s face. “River,” she says in a hushed tone. “We’re going to be grandparents.” She looks at my father, and his eyes meet hers as if he’s seeing her for the first time in a decade.
“Hell, had I known
