It's okay to be scared. Being scared means you're about to do something really, really brave.

-Unknown

-Maggie-

"I should've noticed something happened. Why didn't you tell us Maggie?" Mom eyes were red and swollen as she spoke, her voice a bit scratchy. For the past five minutes she just cried while we sat quietly. I wanted to hug her, but Luke suggested I give her a moment, which I realize now was best.

When Luke and I came downstairs no one said anything. Dad just simply walked into the living room and we all followed. He was currently pacing the room while mom was sitting across from Luke and I. As for Sarah, she went running off to the bathroom to throw up. By this point I had Luke's hand in a death grip. All of this was extremely hard to handle.

"I realize now that I should've told you guys, but I couldn't when it happened. I can't- it's just, saying it out loud confirmed it, and I didn't want to face it. Like the sooner I let it go the sooner I'd forget about it. It didn't work." I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes momentarily. "I also didn't want you guys to put yourself to fault."

"Of course we'd put ourselves to fault," I opened my eye to look at dad as he started to raise his voice. "We knew you were working late that night! I should've waited outside and made sure you came out safely. Had I been there none of this would've happened!" I let go of Luke's hand and stood up.

"Had you been there Graham wouldn't be here!" Everyone looked at me with their eyebrows furrowed and I sighed. "I'm not defending that man, trust me I'm not. But when you say none of this would've happened it's like you're saying we wouldn't have to deal with Graham. Imagine a life without Graham." Mom frowned and looked down at her lap while dad's expression softened a bit.

"Graham is family Maggie, he has been since the day he appeared in your stomach. But I'm disappointed in myself for making you go through all this alone. Had I not yelled at you the day you told us you were pregnant- I just can't believe all of this right now." He excused himself before walking out of the living room. Mom reached forward and squeezed my hand. "Honey, I'm gonna go talk to him. Just, wait here." I nodded my head as she stood up and left in the same direction as dad. When she was out of sight I closed my eyes and leaned all the way back against the couch.

"I did not expect them to find out that way." I mumbled. I felt Luke nudge me and opened my eyes to look at him. "What matters is that they know. Everything is going to work out soon. We just have to wait. You did a good job handling it." I smiled softly and rested my head on his shoulder. "Thanks." Sarah came in the living room a few minutes later. Her eyes were red and her mouth was pulled down to a frown. When she looked at me her eyes began to tear up. I got up and walked up to her. She opened her arms as I reached her and began crying as we hugged.

"I can't believe you never told me." She said. I tightened my arms around her as my own eyes started filling up. "It was hard to just say it." She sobbed and pulled back, giving me a weak smile. "I know. Hey, you and I are gonna go to the police station and we're going to make sure that man gets what he deserves." I nodded my head, inhaling deeply.

"Okay, well I'm gonna go brush my teeth again. I have the taste of vomit in my mouth." Sarah scrunched up her nose and turned around to go upstairs. When I turned around Luke's jaw was clenched and he was staring at the floor. I furrowed my eyebrows and sat down by him. "Hey, what's wrong." He shook his head slowly, not moving his eyes from the floor.

"He knew you didn't recognize him, yet he risked it and reminded you. It's like he wants to be thrown in jail. Had things been my way it'd be worse." I sighed when I noticed he clenched his hands into fists.

"You could've gotten in trouble if you beat him up Luke. That's another reason why I didn't tell you. Ending a date waiting outside your cell didn't sound appealing." I said, trying to lighten the mood. He managed to let out a single note laugh before finally looking at me. "I don't know, I'm pretty sure had you not tossed your cookies I'd be the one waiting outside the cell." I scoffed and opened my mouth to protest, but after thinking better about it I nodded my head slowly. "That's probably true." I mumbled.

Mom and dad came in seconds later, dad finally being composed. He had his car keys in hand and gestured for me to stand up. "Maggie, we're going to head to the police station and make sure we find this guy. You're gonna have to tell them everything that happened; are you ready for that?" I nodded my head slowly, standing up with Luke right beside me. "Let me just get Graham ready and-"

"No need, Sarah and I are staying here with him." I sighed and thanked mom before Luke and I followed dad out the door. Luke got a hold of my elbow as we stepped outside and gestured his chin towards my dad's retreating back. "Ride in his car, okay? You two need to talk alone. I'll be right behind." I looked at him gratefully and went off to follow dad, getting in the passenger seat of his car.

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at me as I clicked on my seatbelt. "You aren't going to ride with Luke?" He asked. I shook my head and intertwined my fingers together. "He's going to follow us." Dad nodded and turned on the car, starting back out of the driveway. I noticed his fingers tightly clenched around the steering wheel, making his knuckles go white.

I waited for the tense atmosphere to disappear before I started talking. The only sound in the car right now was the air conditioner as it softly blasted cool air. "I didn't want to feel like a burden," I started. I closed my eyes momentarily as I continued speaking. "If I would've told you the truth from the start, not only would you guys have blamed yourselves but I would have to see the pity in your eyes every time you would look at me. I didn't want you guys to love me because you felt it would protect me. I wanted you guys to love me for me, not because I was some basket case."

"I wouldn't have-"

"Yes you would've, and don't deny it. I know you love me now for who I am, but I also know that right now, part of you is loving me because you feel terrible for what happened. Tell me it isn't true." Dad stayed quiet for awhile, confirming what I just said. He looked at me as we came to a stop light.

"You're right; a part of me loves you even more because I feel terrible for what happened, Maggie. But I have the right to feel terrible, because I am your father."

I opened my mouth to speak but he continued.

"I am your father and I have every right to dread what happened to you, because you are my little girl and any dad that finds their self in this situation would feel like they didn't try hard enough to protect their princess. And yes, I will treat you like a basket case at first, because knowing the truth makes me realize that I will be the grandpa that didn't protect her daughter enough, and because of that I have to watch you raise Graham as a single mother instead of raising your kid with someone you fell in love with as you grew older- all because I couldn't stop it from happening. You never got that first date, the 'I love you', the years of falling in love or the marriage. What you got were tears while someone touched you with anything but love-"

Some honking from people behind us made dad start driving again. He sighed and trained his eyes forward again, gripping the steering wheel. "It isn't fair to you." He mumbled. I stayed quiet the rest of the ride, letting everything he said process itself in my mind. When we got to the police station dad got ready to leave the car but I stopped him. He closed the door again and turned to look at me.

"It's true. I didn't end up with Graham because I fell in love with someone after a first date and the 'I love you' or even the marriage a few years after. I won't be able to raise Graham with his real dad because he was just a sick man who wanted pleasure and got it from me." I stopped to swallow down the lump forming in my throat. "But right now? I have the best sister in the world, who manages to lighten up the mood by saying the weirdest things on Earth, a son who can light up an atmosphere just by laughing, two parents-who even though they drifted away for awhile- still loved me unconditionally from the inside, and I even Luke; someone who didn't judge me even after hearing what everyone was saying about me at school and stuck by my side- despite my stubbornness." I let out a small laugh when dad tilted his head slightly side to side, knowing just how stubborn I can get.

"My point is, I don't have the love from the guy who got me pregnant. Instead I got something bigger and better, which is the love from five people combined. I couldn't ask for anything more and I never will." I opened my arms for a hug and lifted my eyebrows. Dad smiled and accepted my hug, kissing the side of my head.

"I love you sweetheart." I tightened my arms around him and leaned my head in his shoulder.

"I love you, too dad." We got out of the car after,everything being cleared between the two of us. Luke was leaning against his car a few spots from us and came forward when he saw us. He took my hand as we followed dad inside the police station. "How'd it go?" He asked. I smiled and squeezed his hand as a silent thanks for letting me speak with dad.

"It went really well."

As we reached the doors Luke looked at me. "Are you ready?" I looked in front of me and nodded, letting out a shaky breath. Right now what I had in my head was the future, when Graham would ask me about his dad. I knew for a fact that the police station right in front of me would be the first thing to pop into mind before I would tell him the truth. It would be hard butting would be one of those moments where I would have to prepare myself for. "Yeah, I'm ready." I said.

We walked into the police station where dad was already talking to a police officer. The man in the uniform looked at me when we appeared by dad and began to speak. "Miss Brown, would you mind coming onto a room so we can ask you a few questions about that night?" I shook my head and let go of Luke's hand.

"No, not at all."

And so it begins.

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