Milly knew she couldn't face this here. She wasn't about to let her mom destroy her with an audience.

"I need to take my break," Milly muttered, heading for the door. She didn't wait for Bryan's response; she just needed to get away from her parents before they could start talking here.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw her parents following her.

"Milly, you looked good," her dad said as he reached for a hug. She welcomed it, and he whispered to her, "Give her a chance."

He went inside, not staying out with them.

It was just her mom now.
No Austin or Dad.
Milly's stomach churned.

Her mom climbed into the car and gave Milly that look which meant to follow her. And Milly did walk into the car.

"Milly, I'm sorry for the way I acted. It wasn't fair to you," her mom said, her voice holding regret.

Milly could see the dark circles under her mom's eyes. It was the first time she had ever used the word sorry. But Milly's heart ached.

It wasn't enough.

"It is serious, what you are going through. And me lashing out wasn't called for. Like, I knew what the doctor and nurse were saying was true, but it was hard to control my emotions. And honestly, I had been worried not hearing from you," her mom added.

Milly remained quiet as she let her mom speak. She knew her mom meant it.

Her mom's fingers kept reaching over for Milly but stopped just short of touching. And Milly didn't reach out to her, even though she wanted her touch. She couldn't trust her, because the ache she had caused still simmered in Milly's chest.

Her mom looked over at her. "You are still hardly showing. I didn't start showing with you until right after Thanksgiving. All that food made you come. How did the doctor say the baby is?"

Milly's mouth opened. She was actually trying to show effort, asking about...

"I hadn't gone to the doctor yet," Milly replied. The thought of returning to that office reminded her of what had led to all of this.

"Milly, you can't keep avoiding this. You need to make an appointment with an OB-GYN," her mom said. Her voice was stern but held softness. Her mom started texting on her phone.

Milly turned to the window, not interested in the lecture.

"This is serious. You needed to make sure your baby is safe," her mom added.

Thumping began in her head and Milly rubbed her temple viciously. "Mom, I don't have money for a doctor."

"Sorry for coming off harsh. Just trying to help," her mom said as she resumed texting.

"There is a free clinic. I am going to make an appointment for you. Jackie's daughter worked there, so she could get me a spot," her mom continued as she texted someone.

Her phone beeped.

"Okay. Jackie just told me her daughter said Friday at noon worked. She'd squeeze you in. And no excuses. I'd be outside your apartment by eleven, so be ready," her mom said firmly.

Milly nodded.

It didn't feel like she had a choice, but part of her knew she needed to go and give it a fighting chance. She grimaced at the thought.

Then her mom looked at her with a soft smile and tenderness. "Are you taking those prenatal vitamins?"

Milly nodded. Guilt stuck in her throat.

She hadn't been doing the best job.
For her.
Or....

Milly didn't know if it was the pregnancy hormones or the softness her mom was seeping out, but a tear escaped.

Her mom's eyes began to water too. She reached over and pulled Milly into a hug.

It was tight and trembling.

Milly naturally leaned into her, inhaling the familiar scent of coconut. She hadn't felt this in years, and her heart cracked.

Only temporarily.
But she needed it.

"Milly, I had to let you go," her mom whispered barely audibly, covered in Milly's shoulder, but Milly heard everything.

Her ears were open as she listened to her mom continue.

"I can't do it. But don't ever wonder if I stopped loving you. I will always love you."

Milly remained silent, soaking into the hug. It didn't ease the ache.

If anything, it deepened it.
More tears fell.

"I expected so much from you," her mom continued, her voice tinged with regret as she slowly pulled back. "Hearing about it... hurt me. Especially finding out from strangers."

She reached over and gently wiped under Milly's eye, then looked down at her lap.

"I just... I wished you'd trusted me enough to tell me."

The words settled between them, heavy and unspoken. Milly knew she couldn't have. And she also knew her mom knew it too. Even if she had told her, she still would've reacted the same.

"But learning you hadn't gone to the doctor..." her mom hesitated, then stared at Milly, her voice softer. "It proved to me. I am a reason why you aren't taking care of yourself."

She lightly touched Milly's cheek, her thumb warm as it brushed away another tear.

"Maybe I made you feel like you were a problem or something was wrong with you."

Her hand dropped back into her lap. She looked down, tears dropped from her eyes.

"You are my baby. My first child. My only daughter."

Her mom's voice cracked on daughter, and she took a shaky breath to pull herself together.

"And I know you are smart, Milly. So smart. Even smarter than me. But I just didn't know what to do. I got scared."

She exhaled deeply, voice lowering.

"I was seeing you become me. A teen mom too."

Milly didn't need her to explain. She already knew. Her mom had her at sixteen. Her dad was seventeen. He got disowned. She was forced to marry him. All because of the pregnancy.

Her mom stared out the windshield now, voice barely above a whisper.

"If something happened to you..." She swallowed hard. "I wouldn't be able to continue living anymore."

Milly's throat tightened and tears spilled from her with snot escaping her nostril.

Her mom reached for the soft cloth she always kept in the door, and gently wiped Milly's face.

With determination and regret in her eyes, "Don't cry. It's... It wasn't your fault. I was the one who failed you."

She squeezed Milly's hand.

"I am going to see you Friday."

Milly searched her mom's eyes. The tiredness, redness, and the dryness of her lips made Milly know her mom felt like she did.

She thought about asking if she could come back home, but her mom's earlier words still echoed.

Her mom was offering an olive branch, but not that kind.

"I am going to see you Friday, okay?" her mom repeated, and wiped Milly's face one more time.

Milly walked back inside.
Her body felt so numb and her mind was blank.

Her dad walked over, giving her a tight hug, and offering her some money.

"Thanks for giving her a chance," he said, rubbing Milly's cheeks. A habit he always did since she was little. A small smile came.

"And Bryan, I hoped you weren't steering my daughter into any trouble," he added with a grin, looking at Bryan, who just laughed.

Bryan and Sage looked at Milly, observant.

"How was the conversation?" Bryan asked.

"It was..." Milly paused.

It wasn't bad, but it didn't fix anything yet.

She was glad they had it, but at the same time, it didn't feel like a real apology. A part of her knew it was her mom's way of saying sorry.

Like her mom was never good with words. But she had tried to use them, and her actions meant a lot. Even with that, she knew the apology wasn't for her, more like she was apologizing to the baby. And maybe for losing her image as a mom.

Bryan waved a hand in front of her, as he snapped his fingers, taking her out of her mind. She grabbed it and glared at him.

"Just making sure you were still with us," Bryan said. "You totally zoned out back there."

"It was just my mom. Nothing special," Milly answered.

Bryan looked at her. "You were doing better than me. Honestly, I would've blocked my mom. And to be frank, Cammy, you looked so much like your dad. You had nothing of your mom. It was scary."

And just like that, the week went by fast. Milly had wanted it to go slow. She wasn't in any rush for Friday to arrive. Part of her wanted to freeze time, avoid the weight of everything waiting for her. But somehow, it was already Thursday evening.

Bryan and Sage were deep in an argument.

Milly sat quietly on the stool looking at customers walking around. The banter made her smile faintly, at their lack of care about everyone, but she wasn't really there. Her brain drifted to tomorrow.

And her mom.

"Milly, could you please explain to Sage that when you were moving into a place, you didn't just drop your boxes everywhere?" Bryan asked. "In the kitchen, bathroom, my room, and they were only her clothes." His arms flailed in frustration as he showed pictures of how cluttered her boxes made their apartment.

"My boxes were the least of the problem," Sage scoffed, arms crossed. She turned to Milly with raised brows. "Be honest, if you knew someone was moving in, would you walk around the house in just boxers? Yes, only boxers. No shirt, no pants, nothing. And his dick print was visible."

She threw a hand in Bryan's direction with a sharp glare.

"That might be the reason my boxes weren't making it to the room," she added, flicking her hair over her shoulder and gritting her teeth. "Everyone was too distracted looking at him."

Bryan leaned back smugly against the counter, flashing a lazy grin. "Well, I did look good. Come on. And who didn't want to be comfortable at home? It wasn't like it was anything new for you to see."

But her mind stopped. Had they ever hooked up? They never said they had, but the way they talked, the way they were around each other, always made her wonder.

"You guys hooked up?" she asked suddenly, breaking into the conversation.

That stopped them mid-argument. Bryan's eyes widened, and Sage's brows shot up. They both shook their heads quickly and muffled "no" but it was hardly coherent.

"Where would you get an idea like that from?" he asked, with a forced laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, we're best friends," Sage added, waving the thought off. "Like, he is hot and I am fine, but nah. I couldn't hook up with him. He is a whore."

Bryan gasped in mock offense, placing a hand dramatically over his chest. "And your the Virgin Mary? Please. You rotated a boyfriend every month. Like I felt it was in sync with your period. Once you were done with that, you needed someone new."

Sage rolled her eyes and let out a loud laugh, nudging him in the side. He doubled over with laughter too, shaking his head.

"Look what Cammy dirty mind caused," Bryan said through his grin, giving Milly a playful wink. "Cammy, if you wanted a shot with me, just ask."

Sage scoffed and swatted him on the arm. "If you wanted to feel used, give him a chance. He'd fuck you, and before you were even fully dressed, he'd be working on his next target."

Bryan chuckled and shrugged like he wasn't even offended. "Gotta be smart. One of the benefits of being bi. You got a flavor from everywhere."

Milly let herself smile again, even if it didn't reach all the way. Their chaos had a comfort to it.

"I'll deal with the boxes when I got home," Sage said, pulling out her phone. "Matty said he'd give us a ride and help take the last of them to your place."

Bryan slung an arm around her neck and leaned on her, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "That was all I wanted."

Sage rolled her eyes again but didn't push him off.

"Anyway," she turned to Milly, brightening, "did you want to come to our housewarming party tonight? Since you're off tomorrow? Small gathering. And I could guarantee we'd have virgins for the little person."

She reached toward Milly's stomach playfully, but Milly swatted her hand away.

Milly's stomach churned being the pregnant girl, even if it was theirs. Made it a no. And she knew with Sage and Bryan, "small" meant half the city showing up.

Loud music.
Crowds.
Alcohol.

And tomorrow, she had the appointment with her mom.

"I can't," she said softly.

At the same moment, Bryan poked Sage's waist and whispered, badly and loudly, "Her mom."

Sage's expression shifted immediately. "Shit. I forgot," she said, her voice gentler now. "Are you ready for that tomorrow? And the doctor for the little person?"

Bryan reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a package of sour worms, offering one to Milly. Milly blinked at it. Her fingers hovered before she took it. She had been craving them for days.

"I don't really want to go..." she began, then went quiet. Her throat tightened.

She had to go. She needed to know the baby was okay. That she was okay.

"Well, your mom didn't have to take you. I could," Bryan offered, standing a little straighter, his tone suddenly serious.

Sage narrowed her eyes at him. That made him throw up his hands.

"I might not have a car," he added quickly, "but I knew a lot of people who did. And they would gladly lend me it."

Milly looked between the two of them. She wanted to say yes. Their presence felt safe, like a buffer. But no matter how afraid she was to go with her mom, part of her still wanted it to be her. She needed her mom to show up.

"No thanks. My mom would take me," she said.

*
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What are everyone's thoughts about Denise's (Milly's mom) apology?

In the argument between Sage and Bryan, who do you think was right and who was wrong?