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“Whatever.”
“Grab a seat while I close everything down.” She flipped the open sign to closed and began wiping down the counters. “Emory is on her way with lunch.”
Moving toward the back of the store where River had a makeshift living room set up, I plopped down in a denim blue overstuffed chair. Closing my eyes, I thought about the lies I’d told them in the past; how much it was tearing me up not to come clean, but my father’s disease would have to be a conversation for another day. It wasn’t the Alzheimer’s I was worried about; it was the question which would ultimately follow. Why did I lie?
The truth was…I didn’t have the first damn clue. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. I’d been carrying such a heavy burden for so long that when River asked about my parents, I panicked, plain and simple. At the time, I had no idea she would become one of my closest friends or that she would introduce Emory into my life. And with the two of them came the entire del Toro clan. These were the kind of people who made me feel comfortable enough to want to purge my soul of its demons. Unfortunately, the secrets I kept locked inside weren’t entirely mine to divulge. However, with Alec and I involved, I was certain it wouldn’t be long until my deception came to light. I prayed they would forgive me when it was all said and done.
“All right. I’m here. Time’s up, Quin.” Emory rushed across the space with a bag from the diner in her hand. She sat across from me on the couch while River chose the wingback chair to my right.
“What’s for lunch?” I asked, trying to buy myself a little extra time.
“Food later. Talk now,” River demanded.
So I did. I talked until my voice was hoarse. They were the closest thing I had to sisters, so I told them about my crush on Alec, which led to our one night together. Then I gave them the rest.
“Oh my God,” Emory––or Ems as I’d dubbed her––cooed. “You’re gonna have a baby.”
“Yeah.”
River hadn’t moved and I wasn’t even sure if she was breathing.
“Do you think she’s in shock? Should I call 911?” I cocked my head to the side.
“I knew it,” River slammed her hands against the arms of the chair as she stood. Taken aback by her sudden outburst, I wasn’t prepared when she grabbed my hands and hauled me out of my seat into her arms.
“Holy shit.” She rocked us back and forth. “You’re gonna be a mom. Ems, get over here. We’re gonna be aunts.”
“I’m gonna puke if you don’t stop shaking me around. Morning sickness is no joke.”
“Sorry,” she mumbled and let go.
The three of us talked and munched for a while longer until I felt my energy level take a nosedive. Opting to take a nap before dinner, I said my goodbyes and headed home. The rusted-out truck sitting in front of my house, however, jolted me to life.
Motherfuckers.
I’d barely put the car in park before I threw the door open and hurried up the front steps. The first thing I heard when I quietly pushed the front door open was Mom’s shaky voice.
“We’ll have your money.”
The second voice turned my stomach almost as much as the words he spewed next.
“Word on the street is our girl has got herself hooked up with a cash cow, so we’re thinking we want more.”
Stepping into the kitchen, three heads turned in quick succession. The first belonged to my mother, who was backed up against the sink. I could see from where I stood how nervous she was by the force with which she was wringing her hands. The other two sneered as I took a step closer, my body vibrating as anger coursed through my blood.
“Get out of our house,” I demanded.
“Is that any way to talk to your parents?” the woman, my biological mother, chirped.
She was skinny, and not because she took care of herself. No. She was crackhead skinny with greasy hair, which hadn’t seen shampoo in who knows how long, and when she smiled, her teeth were almost entirely black.
Ignoring her taunts as I left the room, I scurried out the back door. With shaky hands, I entered the six-digit code on the shed, reached inside to grab the shotgun we kept against the front wall to scare off any wild animals who made their way onto the property, along with a handful of shells. Hopefully, it worked just as well against the two-legged vermin who were currently infesting my house.
Barging back through the screen door, I allowed it to slam shut behind me. Loading two shells into the chamber at the back of the gun as I approached the kitchen, I snapped the barrel into place. Up until then, they hadn’t paid me much attention, however the sound of the shotgun clicking had the pair of assholes, who shared my DNA, backing away from my mother with their hands raised in the air. I’m sure they had a lot of practice being held at gunpoint with their criminal history, and it would have been amusing if I wasn’t so pissed off.
“Out. Now!” I yelled.
“Fuck, okay.” My sperm donor took a step backward. “But this isn’t over.”
