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“I’ll be back after I talk to Kat.”
Lucas taps my beer bottle with his.
* * *
Thirty minutes later, I’m on a conference call with my dad and siblings about to have a full-blown panic attack. I should have stayed at the fucking bar.
“I’m pregnant,” Kat says.
My heart stops the second the words leave her mouth. There’s no way Kat is pregnant, not my baby sister. My dad and three younger brothers are on the line with us. The tension between us is so thick you can cut it with a knife.
Teeth gritted, I close my eyes and try not to think about how I failed her, how I didn’t do my job, how I didn’t protect my sister.
“Did you say you’re pregnant, Kat?” Dad sounds confused.
Okay, so she did say it. I didn’t imagine those words.
“Yes, Dad. I’m pregnant. I wanted to tell all of you in person, but our schedules never line up.”
With each of us living in different cities, we only see each other for holidays and during the summer break. It’s not unusual for us to have family meetings over the phone, but I hadn’t prepared myself for this news.
“Are you sure?” Dad says in a hushed tone.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Kat declares.
“Did you go to the doctor?”
“Yeah, Dad. I have a blood test and a sonogram that confirm my pregnancy.”
Another awkward silence passes between us.
“I’m coming home,” Austin says in an authoritative tone. “I can take you to your appointments.”
After our mother died, I became the father to Kat, Theo, and Travis. Austin, the sensitive one, assumed our mom’s role. Our dad was rarely home because of his professional hockey career. Even when he wasn’t playing hockey, he kept his distance from us. He couldn’t deal with losing the love of his life. So, Austin and I split the household duties in an attempt to make up for the lack of parenting in our house.
Cradling the phone against my shoulder, I ball my hands into fists, wanting to smash everything in my bedroom.
Austin sighs loudly into the receiver. The twins are whispering, their voices muffled.
“How long have you known?” Dad says.
“Not long.” Kat sounds relieved to get this off her chest while I’m so angry I want to set my bedroom on fire.
“Honey, why would you keep something like this from us?” My dad pauses for a second. “I’m gonna be a grandfather…”
He sounds excited. All I feel is rage bubbling inside me like hot lava about to erupt from a volcano.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Kat says in a hushed tone. “I should have told you sooner.”
“I don’t get it,” Theo says. “How could you get pregnant? Is immaculate conception a real thing?”
Kat snorts. “Do I need to give you the birds and the bees talk again?”
“You had sex with someone?” Theo says.
“With who?” Travis sounds equally confused. “You never hung out with any guys other than us and… Dean.”
Dean? Motherfucking Dean Crawford. I knew they were more than friends. For years, I’ve tried to tell my sister that her so-called best friend wanted more than friendship from her. Or was she lying to us all along?
