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“Hello?” answered Monica.
“Hi, um, Monica?” I stammered.
I didn’t know which was more nerve-racking. Facing Heart’s parents or her best friend.
“Who is this?” she asked skeptically.
“It’s Daniel. Daniel Jacobs. Heart’s…” I didn’t know what to call myself. Boyfriend. Baby daddy. Friend.
“I know who you are. What’s going on? Is everything okay?” she asked in a panic.
“No, no. Everything is fine. I’m sorry to alarm you. I’m with the baby right now—”
“Wait,” she cut me off. “She had the baby? It’s too early! Is she okay?”
I smiled and looked down at my daughter. “She’s perfect. Heart is perfect. She’s with her parents,” I reassured her.
There was a pause on the other line and I checked to see if she hung up. She hadn’t.
“Her parents?” she asked skeptically.
“Yes, her parents came to meet the baby. I called them last night,” I said, trying to keep the confusion out of my voice.
“Well, shit,” said Monica.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m just surprised after her last visit with them.”
“Oh?”
“You don’t know, do you?” she asked.
Clearly, I didn’t. I wondered if I had made a big mistake in calling them last night. Were they even welcome here? I felt heat creep up my neck.
I realized I didn’t know much about Heart’s family life, nor did she know much about mine. The time we spent together, it never came up. It felt like we had skipped go and gone straight to the finish. The baby on my chest was proof of that.
I knew in my soul that I loved Heart, though. She loved me. Maybe we had done things backward, but I would spend my life getting to know her. I couldn’t wait for that.
“What don’t I know?” I asked. I might as well get started on knowing Heart from the person who knew her best.
Monica chuckled. The cockiness that she knew and I didn’t was palpable, but I ignored it. I deserved it.
“Heart and her parents hadn’t spoken for years before you came along and changed everything.”
Years. Shit. What had I done inviting them here? No wonder her mother had sounded so taken off guard on the phone. And Heart had seemed in a daze when she brought them into the NICU. It all made sense now. But why? I had to ask.
“What happened between them?” I asked cautiously.
“Oh, I’ll leave the details for Heart to fill you in. But let’s just say they haven’t been the most supportive parents of her decisions. From her major in college, to her career, to getting pregnant before marriage.”
I swallowed hard. They had seemed more than kind to me. A stranger who they clearly knew nothing about who had gotten their daughter pregnant. Would it be wrong to say I was relieved they didn’t know all the details of the past few months? They would probably be much cooler to me.
“Heart had spent so long trying to live up to their expectations of her. To earn their love. Nothing was ever good enough. Those two are a real piece of work,” continued Monica.
“Wow,” was all I could say in barely a whisper.
No wonder Heart was so guarded. So unsure of how wonderful she was. No one had told her in recent years how special she was. So stubbornly strong in thinking she could do everything. She hadn’t needed to rely on anyone else. The thought broke my heart. It all made sense now.