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“Go away, Alec. You don’t need to see this.”
He ignored my demand, staying right beside me until I was finished, then helped me to the sink so I could brush my teeth.
“Does this happen every morning?”
Spitting out the toothpaste, I shook my head. “I don’t understand why they call it morning sickness when it can happen anytime.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize, Alec.”
I turned around, leaning my butt against the counter. He mirrored the stance beside me.
“When are you going to tell River and Emory about your dad?”
“Today. After my shift. May as well rip off the Band-Aid.”
“I’d like my family to be there as well.”
My first instinct was to argue, to deny his request, but with the baby coming, they were going to be a part of my life, so it was only fair for them to know exactly what they were getting into. Mom and I had held on to Dad’s secret for far too long and it had cost us. It was time to let people in.
“Okay.”
“Do you want to grab a shower here or at home?” He took my hand and led us back into the bedroom.
“Home, I think. I don’t want to walk into work smelling like you.”
Stopping abruptly in the middle of the room, he spun and pulled me into his arms. With his face buried in the side of my neck, I felt his lips touch a spot just below my ear. It may have been a simple kiss, however, with the way my nerve endings reacted, you’d have thought I’d touched a live wire.
“I love the idea of you smelling like me.”
Rolling my eyes despite the fact he couldn’t see them, I replied, “Of course you do, Hot Shot. Saves you from having to piss on me.”
He threw back his head, the rumbled laughter shaking my entire body.
“I’m not a Neanderthal, Quin. There are other ways to mark you so everyone knows you’re mine.”
“Oh yeah?” I lifted up on my toes, rotating my hips against his growing hardness.
“Minx,” he whispered, nipping my lower lip before releasing me with a pat on the ass. “Get dressed.”
Forty-five minutes later, I was sitting on my bed with a piece of paper in my hand, breathing through my growing anxiety. As soon as I walked into the house and saw the anguished look on my mother’s face, I knew something was terribly wrong. She handed me the note she’d found under the windshield wiper of my car that morning when she’d gone out to get the newspaper.
Will he still want you once he knows the truth?
My bio-assholes had struck again. At least they hadn’t demanded more money again. It was only a matter of time though. They didn’t care about anyone or anything beyond getting their next fix. My parents paid for their silence out of fear, but we couldn’t keep this up forever. Something had to give. If anything, their threat was the wake-up call I needed. We needed help, sooner rather than later.
Mind made up; I went about showering then left for work. My nerves were still shot when I walked into To A Tea, though for completely different reasons. I’d texted both River and Ems, asking for a sit-down when the store closed at four, then I’d sent Pete a message letting him know I’d be late for my shift at the hardware store. They were my best friends, my sisters from another mister, so I knew they’d eventually forgive me. How long it would take to earn their trust again was the question. I’d be lost without them in my life, but I’d give them however long they needed to come to terms with my deception.
I spent the majority of the day in a stare-down with the clock on the wall, feeling each second tick by like the beating of my heart. When Emory, Alec, his parents, and brothers strolled through the door at three fifty-seven, I had to hold on to the counter to keep from hitting the floor.
Alec glanced in my direction and immediately veered off from the rest of the group, who were moving toward the back of the store. I watched as he blew right past the Employees Only sign, never taking his eyes from mine. He peeled my hands from the counter and placed them against his chest.
“Baby, breathe with me before you pass out.”
Feeling a slow rise when he inhaled, I did the best I could to follow his lead, even as my chest tightened with uncertainty.
“Good. Again.”
