AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We haven’t really talked since high school. I ended the friendship, done with his antics and how he was always stirring up trouble. We wanted different things out of life.
While I was growing up, eager to take on responsibility and make a life, Kellen was… I don’t know. He seemed stuck or content to go nowhere fast.
“I heard you were looking for me.” He swaggers into the house, cocky as ever, and bends to pet the dog.
“Yeah. Come in.” I lead us into the living room.
“Hey, Kellen.” Wren gives him a halfhearted wave from where she’s perched on the arm of a chair.
He isn’t her favorite person. Not only because of his interference in our lives. No, Kellen has also caused problems for Zoe in the past, among other people.
“Hi Wren.” His voice sounds like a velvety rumble, the very one he always said the women loved.
He stands there, stance wide, chest puffed out as he admires her from head to toe. Anger charges through me like a bull at how blatant he is. Surprisingly, what bubbles to the surface is my recent fury at learning how he lied to her back in grade school about me. And why? Because he wanted her for himself.
His lie set Wren and me on divergent paths—Wren thinking I liked Dot, of all people, and oh, how the irony isn’t lost on me. I want to punch him. Instead, I settle for marching over to the chair and bringing Wren into my lap.
I’m a fucking caveman. I should care but can’t seem to curb the Neanderthal in me. Without words, I’m making sure he gets the message loud and clear.
Stay away from Wren.
We are together, and if he dares try to make a move, he’ll have to go through me first.
She lightly hits me on the shoulder, face a pretty pink, and her look reminds me that she doesn’t need my interference. Wren can take care of herself, and most importantly, she doesn’t want or even like Kellen. I’ve got nothing to worry about.
I whisper, “Sorry,” at the same time Kellen chuckles and points his finger between the two of us.
“I heard that you two are finally together. About fucking time. I always knew you were meant for each other.”
“Then why the fuck did you try to get in the way?” My question is razor-sharp and designed to cut, and Wren instantly tightens her hooked arm around my neck.
I loosen my jaw and sheepishly nod, conveying I’m done and sorry for my churlish behavior.
“Hey, boys, let’s not rehash the past.” Her warm but pointed gaze does the trick, and my racing blood starts to slow and cool. Then she turns to Kellen. “You know that I saw you and Dot in the alley a while back. What was that about?”
He stares at me, suddenly looking a lot less sure of himself. “Uh, Oliver… You and Dot have been done for a while, right?”
“Yeah. For years.”
“Phew.” He mocks wiping his brow, and I’m losing patience but clamp my jaw shut because if I speak, he can’t. “Yeah, well, we’ve kind of been fucking for a while now.”
“Kinda?” Wren and I say at the same time and I add, “Which is it? You are or you aren’t?”
“We used to. Not anymore. We haven’t been together in about a month.”
Wren sits up in my lap, more alert than before, and I feed off her hopeful energy. Is she thinking what I’m thinking? Was her hunch right? Oh, God, I fucking hope so.
“Okay. I don’t care, man.” I lean forward. “So, in the alley, what was that? A lover’s spat? Did you break up or what?”
“I got her pregnant. The baby’s mine.”
“I knew it.” Wren springs to her feet and does a little dance but quickly checks herself. “Uh, sorry.” Her expression clouds, eyes finding Kellen. “Why is she lying?”
We’ve talked about this before and can both guess why, but we wait for Kellen to confirm it.
“Apparently, I’m good enough to fuck but not be seen with or to be a father.” Tone scathing, he scowls and grinds his teeth together.
“So in the alley…” I tug Wren to my side and wrap a hand around the back of her thigh. “She was telling you to go along with her lie?”
