Page 32 of Fearless

“She?”

“Yup. I think you’re having a girl. Which do you want?”

“I haven’t thought about it yet,” I shrugged.

Tracing the circle on the page with the tip of my finger, my mind began to race. The timing couldn’t be worse to bring a baby into my life, not with the assholes breathing down our necks. Maybe, just maybe it was time to ask for help. I knew, without a doubt, if Alec and his brothers had the first clue what was happening, they’d do everything in their power to make it stop. I just wasn’t sure if I could take the risk. My freedom wasn’t the one at stake.

“All right, we’ll talk more later. Let’s get to work.”

She handed me the printout, then resumed her place behind the counter. I carefully returned them to my purse and strode to the front door to flip the lock on the door. There was a small crowd of loyal customers gathered at the front, waiting patiently, as they did every morning. In a world where coffee shops were on every corner, the vast majority of our town chose to come here to support a small business over a huge corporation with its fancy drinks.

That was the way it worked in Mountain Grove. We were a tight-knit community where everyone knew everything about everybody else. At least they thought they did, but we had effectively shut them out of our lives. My father’s pride was the biggest reason. He didn’t want the town he loved so much to see him fall from grace, so we hid our struggles the best we could. There were a few who knew our secret, but it was still a lonely existence when you couldn’t share your burdens.

I plastered on a smile and worked side by side with my best friend for the next seven hours. To A Tea was River’s dream and I was thrilled she allowed me to be a part of it. Time was running out though. I had to come clean.

Once my shift was over, I left to get ready for my date. By the time I shut my bedroom door, I had exactly ninety minutes to prepare. Stripping out of my clothes, I walked toward my bathroom, stopping abruptly in front of the large mirror beside my closet. I turned sideways, rubbing my hand against the slight curve of my stomach. Even though it was early in my pregnancy, I could feel the subtle changes in my body. My breasts, for one, had become more sensitive and I swore they’d gotten larger.

“I’ll make sure you’re safe, little one. I swear it.”

_______________

DESCENDING THE STAIRS, a little over an hour later, I found my parents in the living room watching a nature program on the TV.

“You look beautiful, Quinny,” Mom gushed. “Doesn’t she, Charlie?”

Dad turned his head, then stood, a frown marring his face.

I was wearing a navy blue, V-neck dress which hugged the few curves I had, and stopped just above my knees. It wasn’t nearly as revealing as the dress I’d worn to my senior prom, so I wasn’t sure why he was upset. Then again, it didn’t take much these days.

“Where?” Frustration was evident in his tone. The ability to express himself—another casualty of his disease—waxed and waned, but I knew what he was asking.

“I have a date tonight, Daddy.”

The knock at the door made me cringe, knowing who was on the other side and what could potentially go wrong. My father marched to the door and threw it open, the knob banging against the wall as it hit.

Alec stood in the doorway looking like he’d just walked off a magazine shoot. He had on tailored khaki pants and a light blue button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing the barest hint of olive skin. Continuing my very blatant perusal, my eyes stopped briefly on the dark brown braided leather belt at his waist, before they dropped to the obvious bulge at his crotch.

My father’s abrupt, “Who are you?” pulled my attention back to the man in question. Alec shifted the bouquet of flowers into the crook of his arm before using his fingers to spell out his name while also speaking it out loud.

“Alec.”

Dammit.

I would have cried over the fact he’d made an effort to learn some sign language if I wasn’t so mortified by the lie I told. The lie River had obviously passed on to the man staring at me from the front door.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Alec.” Mom shouldered her way between them. “I’m Millie and this is Charlie.”

“No,” Dad grumped.

“Stop being rude, Charlie.”

Ignoring them, my father turned, storming in my direction. He grabbed my already bruised arm, causing me to cry out, as he began pulling me toward the kitchen.

“What the fuck?”

I looked over my shoulder to see Alec fly past my mother, his eyes wild with fury.

“Go there.” Dad pointed up the steps.

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