Megan Morozov rested her head on the toilet seat and relaxed her grip on the lid, shivering as she flushed it and listened to the water flow down the pipes. With a soft groan, she got to her feet, walked to the sink, and brushed her teeth. When she turned towards the open bathroom door, Grandma was standing there.
"Okay?" She asked calmly.
"Yes ma'am." Megan replied.
"First trimester," Grandma said as they walked down the hall and back towards her room. "It gets easier with time."
Megan was five weeks pregnant, and even though she wasn't sure whether she was having a boy or girl, she knew she wanted a girl. She had already agreed with Grandma and Mom to name her Madison if that was the case. Carter if the baby was a boy. The middle and last names were still up for debate.
Back in her room, Megan got back in her bed and returned her pillows to their places behind her back before settling back down. Already, she'd gotten used to rubbing her hand over her stomach, and she did it now as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
The father of Megan's baby was her current boyfriend, Cameron Porter. Despite both of them being recent college graduates, their families were handling the situation fairly well now. Cameron's grandmother, Olivia, had been initially unwelcoming of the news.
'He has plans,' she'd snapped when Megan had gone to Cameron's house with her mother, Sofia, after learning the test results. 'You expect him to throw them away for a child that might not be his?'
Sofia had responded in a dangerous tone.
'Cameron has been Megan's only boyfriend and partner. You will not insult her with your implications. Especially in front of me.'
Olivia had gone quiet then. And although she never made any more speculative remarks, she also never apologized to Megan when they got together again. From then on, she adopted an attitude of tolerance without complete dismissal.
Olivia Porter had always been a harsh woman, but she considered it necessary. When Cameron started dating Megan, she wasted no time laying ground rules about what she would and wouldn't allow. Despite the respect and obedience of both teens, Olivia saw the bright, young girl as an ultimate distraction. She felt it would only be a matter of time before her presence directed Cameron away from her plans regarding his future.
Now that the girl was six months pregnant and intent on having the baby, Olivia was devastated. All the hard work she'd had to do after the death of Cameron's parents. The messes she'd had to clean up to make sure there were no more unpaid debts. Then there was everything that came with raising a young black boy in the States. Keeping him out of trouble, and involved in school. Instilling the right morals.
This girl was set to ruin it all.
Olivia could already see it. In her work as a couples counselor, she'd seen it thousands of times. As Megan's hormones and emotions raged unchecked, all those smarts of hers would go out the window along with her common sense. She'd demand for Cameron to marry her. Insist on it. And when he refused, her true viciousness would emerge. Every ounce of love he thought he had for her would go down the drain, never to return. He would have no peace. No happiness. Only stress and misery. Meanwhile, that entire Russian family would convince Megan that squeezing every dime from Cameron was in her best interest.
At home, Olivia crumpled the baby shower invitation in her fist as she stood in her bedroom, mind racing. Then, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them.
This girl and her baby weren't going to ruin Cameron's life.
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