Anything but Normal - Melody Carlson [62]
“Sophie Ramsay?” a woman’s voice said. Sophie looked to see Mrs. Leopold coming around the corner. She was the church receptionist and the one person at the church who usually knew everything about everyone.
“Hey,” Sophie said softly. “Is Pastor Vincent around?”
“I believe he’s in his office. Did you have an appointment?”
Sophie shook her head. “No, I just wanted a few minutes with him, but if he’s busy I can—”
“No, no, let me just buzz him.” She was already on the phone, telling him that Sophie was here, and the next thing Sophie knew, she was being welcomed into his office.
“Have a seat.”
“Thanks.” She sat down and took a deep breath. “I know you’ve probably heard by now.”
He nodded, folding his hands on his desk.
“But I decided to come speak to you face-to-face.”
“I respect that, Sophie.”
“I know you’re not my father, but you’re kind of like a spiritual father, so I know that I’ve hurt you too. So I just want to say how sorry I am and that I hope you’ll forgive me.”
His smile seemed genuine. “I already did forgive you.”
“You did?”
He nodded. “Trying to set a good example.”
“For Carrie Anne?”
“I’m sorry she’s being so hard on you, Sophie. If it’s any comfort, I think she’ll come around.”
“I’m not really surprised that she’s mad. I mean, I was pretty mad at myself at first. And a lot of times I still am. I can’t believe how stupid I was.”
“You need to forgive yourself too, Sophie.”
“I guess I’ll have to work on that.”
“So, how are your parents handling it?”
“My mom’s actually being really understanding—I mean, once she recovered from the shock. My dad . . . well, he’s still angry.”
“I’m sorry.”
“So am I. Really, really sorry.” She shook her head. “If I could turn back the clock, I would. I prayed and prayed at first for God to somehow change things, take the pregnancy away—anything to escape.” She pressed her lips together. “I even considered an abortion.”
“That’s not surprising.”
“I was surprised. I mean, you know me, I picketed the abortion clinic. I am totally pro-life. And yet when it impacted my life . . . I wasn’t so sure.”
He cleared his throat. “Sophie . . . may I ask you something?”
She shrugged. “Why not? My life’s pretty much an open book these days.”
“Well, Carrie Anne said that you’re telling everyone that your boyfriend is not the father of your baby. Is that correct?”
“Yes. Wes is absolutely not the dad. I’d swear it on a stack of Bibles. We’ve never had sex.”
“Carrie Anne said you told her that it was a guy at church camp, is that right?”
She nodded, and now her mouth felt drier than sandpaper. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks, and her pulse rate increased. She hadn’t even considered Pastor Vincent’s connection to Dylan when she’d come here today. She’d simply wanted to make things right with her pastor.
“Sophie, may I ask who the real father is?”
She swallowed hard. “Can I tell you this in confidence?”
“Certainly.”
She took in a deep breath and held it. “Dylan Morris.”
Pastor Vincent’s blue eyes grew wide. “Dylan Morris?”
She nodded and looked down at her lap. The room was silent. She imagined she could hear Pastor Vincent breathing . . . and her own heart pounding in her ears. Had she really just told him that his best friend’s son was responsible for her pregnancy?
“I must say, you’ve caught me by surprise, Sophie.”
She looked up. “You don’t believe me?”
“No, I’m not saying that. It’s just that—”
“I know. Dylan is a family friend, and he’s a good Christian and—”
“Good Christian men make mistakes too, Sophie.”
“Yes . . . believe me, I know.”
His countenance softened. “Dylan does have a way with the girls.” Suddenly Pastor Vincent looked concerned. “Does Carrie Anne know yet?”
“No. I can’t even imagine how she’d react if she did.”
“She still has quite a crush on Dylan.”
“I know.”
“This really