Planning a wedding?
A baby bump?
Derek was stupefied for a few seconds before the realization hit him.
After all, he'd been around the block a few times; he knew what was up.
âKarenâs...pregnant?!â
Kenneth seemed just as stunned, âShe didnât tell you?â
Derek shook his head. It almost knocked him off his feet; he stumbled back a few steps.
Kenneth quickly steadied him and patted his back for comfort, âUncle, donât get too worked up. I
know this news is a shocker, but think about how they stick together every single day, the
pregnancy thing is bound to happen. Besides, Jeffreyâs given Karen the kind of commitment most
guys wouldnât be capable of.â
âSince when are you team Jeffrey?â Derek had the impression Kenneth wasnât Jeffreyâs biggest fan.
âItâs not about taking sides, itâs about the fact that Karenâs already expecting. Whatâs the point of
talking about anything else? Donât you just want to make sure Karen's treated right?â
Derek nodded and let out a heavy sigh, âYeah. The Turners are influential and loaded; if they
decided to mistreat Karen, I fear she wouldnât stand a chance!â
And now with a child on the way...
âUncle, even if Karen ended up with a Joe Average, thereâs no guarantee he'd be a stand-up guy.â
âYouâve got a point.â
Kenneth smiled, âLetâs just let them be. I can see Jeffreyâs sincerity, and him stepping up like this is
no small feat.â
It took Derek a long while, but he finally nodded, âWell, well!â
Outside, Karen and Jeffrey were on pins and needles! They were too scared to barge in, yet worried
Kenneth might bad-mouth Jeffrey to her dad.
After all, Jeffrey was Everettâs guy, so Kenneth disliking him made sense.
âShould I go knock on the door?â Jeffrey was the most worried.
âYeah, go check on them!â
âAlright.â
As Jeffrey stood up, he saw Kenneth guiding Derek towards them.
Quick on his feet, Jeffrey helped support Derek on the other side.
Not being pushed away gave Jeffrey a glimmer of hope.
âKaren, is there something else you need to tell me?â
âUm...â Karen hung her head, hemming and hawing, âDad, I...Iâm pregnant...and Jeffrey and I have
gotten our licenseâ¦â
âYou, my girl, have really stirred the pot!â Derek chided, but without any other actions.
It was clear he had already been mollified.
A long silence fell among them, until Derek finally spoke and turned his eyes to Jeffrey.
âSo, when do you plan to have the wedding? I canât have my daughter walking down the aisle with a
baby bump; we canât afford that kind of talk!â
âWhenever you say, sir, even tomorrow!â
Derek pondered for a moment, then declared, âLetâs aim for early next month, you pick the day.â
âGreat!â
Jeffrey nodded eagerly, his gaze flicking to Kenneth. He wondered if Kenneth thought he had
agreed to whatever terms were set to get him on side-that must be why Kenneth had spoken up for
him. Otherwise, Derek wouldnât have taken this news lying down.
In the end, everything settled down without further drama.
Karen also breathed a sigh of relief.
While Derek pulled Jeffrey aside for a private chat, Karen looked up at her cousin.
âKenneth, why did you suddenlyâ¦â
âSuddenly help you out, you mean?â
âYeah.â
Kenneth curled his lip slightly, âDorothy turned me down, quite definitively.â
Karen looked down, âIt was to be expected.â
âYeah.â He exhaled deeply, âSo I figured, I might as well play cupid for someone, right?â
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