by Dawn Martens
Fuck, that’s what I thought.
“However, if you talk to her about it before someone blabs to her, there is a small chance you’ll be okay, after of course she tears you a new asshole. I also feel bad for Ava already. Shit man, that’s her best friend, she might never forgive her either. Look at Trixie. Those three were best friends growing up, and now Kristi has not one thing to do with her.”
“Yeah, I heard about the Trixie falling out thing.”
“It’s worse than that now. She’s getting divorced. Chris fucking cheated on her after their baby died, got the other girl knocked up. Chris wanted to make it work out, but Trixie was not having it. The club has been helping her out the last few months, which has her parents losing their shit, since they hate me. Blame me for Kayla’s death. She really could use a friend.”
Damn, that’s right, I forgot that Trixie was Kayla’s cousin. Her parents are probably pissed that Trix is close with Vinny, since they hate him so much. You’d think after all these years they’d be over it.
“As far as the money Emma is using for your shop, that stops now. I’ll be paying Emma back everything she spent already, and I’ll be paying for everything. No arguing! You’re my brother. I’m helping you out.”
I grin at him. I never should have kept my distance from him all these years. This feels good.
I text Kristi that I’ll be crashing in Vinny’s room at the clubhouse and that I’d see her tomorrow.
I feel a weight lifted off me, but another one crushing my chest as I think about how I have to tell Kristi the truth.
Chapter 18
Bryce
The visit to Airdrie was great. I met Kristi’s dad, well, I hung out with him, since we already knew each other from when I used to live there. After a day spent with him and Kristi, the sudden urge to ask Kristi to marry me was overwhelming. I didn’t of course, but I did ask her dad’s permission, which made him smile, as he winked at me and said yes. But, first he demanded I tell Kristi the truth. Which felt like a Goddamn kick in the face. He knows, knew, shit. Did Emma tell him? Ava?
“I want to marry her.” I blurt out, then instantly feel like a moron. I was with Alana for years and never felt the urge to ask her, and now, with Kristi, after a few months I already want to spend the rest of my life with her.
He smirks. “Once you tell her the truth, you have my blessing”
My eyes feel as if they are going to pop out of my head. “You know?”
“Emma thought she was being sneaky, but I have good hearing, and I could hear her on the phone with that boyfriend of hers, telling him about it all. Have to say, I was pretty damn pissed at first, and I was going to kick your ass this weekend and tell her the truth myself, but I see how you both feel about each other. I don’t want my girl hurt, so the sooner you tell her, the better it will be.”
“I don’t want to hurt her either, I just don’t know how to tell her the truth. I love her, I want to spend my life with her.”
“And yet, if she finds out, she’ll probably kill you. My girl is stubborn. The difference is, if it comes directly from you, and not from someone else, it will soften the blow.”
I’m about to ask him for some tips about how to tell her when Kristi comes back in, smiling, with a bag of groceries.
Now I’m driving to my house after dropping Kristi at hers. She wanted to come with me, but I told her after a long weekend, I really wanted to just sleep. In truth, I’m helping Alana move into her own place.
I pull up in front of my house and see the moving truck in the driveway. This is the first step of trying to fix the wrong I did when I started dating Kristi. Hopefully, I can figure out a way to tell her soon.
Kristi
Getting into my apartment, I’m exhausted, trips home always wipe me out. Well mostly it’s the drive, I hate driving for longer than twenty minutes. I wanted to stay the night with Bryce, but he was tired, I get it, just wish maybe we could have been tired together.
I pull out my phone and see a text from Ava.
It’s a girl! – L
I smile.
Congrats mama – K
I put the phone down and start unpacking and end up cleaning out my fridge. Half the stuff in there is rotten. Serves me right, the last few weeks Bryce and I ate together, or I was out with Alana. I have to stop with the takeout so much. It’s killing my ass and my wallet.
By the time I’m done, I’m ready to crash.
I grab my phone and walk back to my room when it starts ringing. “You know I’m gonna kick your ass next time I see you, right?” I answer.
Emma laughs. “Sorry, I know I said I’d be there this weekend, but the cabin was finally vacant, and I wanted to be alone with Seth without sneaking around Dad. You know how it is.”
I snort. “Yeah yeah.”
“So, was it a good weekend? Dad didn’t threaten to kill him?”
“It was good. Friday night was just Dad and me, Bryce wanted to spend some time with his brother. Then Saturday the three of us hung out. Dad was pretty cool with him. They talked more to each other than they did me.”
“Wow, that’s a surprise. The one and only time Dad met Seth, once he found out we were dating and not just friends, all dad did was grunt if Seth spoke to him.”
Laughing, I reply, “Yeah, I was expecting something like that too.”
“So, I’m thinking in a few weeks I’ll come see you? It’s been a while, between both of us being busy with life, and all.”
“Yeah, sounds good.” I yawn. “I’m gonna let you go, I just finished unpacking and cleaning and I’m exhausted, but I’ll chat later. Love ya, sis.”
I hang up and grab my charger, plugging my phone in. I fall asleep within minutes.
Chapter 19
6 weeks later
Kristi
I look at the test, sitting on the bathroom sink. The big positive pregnant sign, glaring up at me. I didn’t want to do this, but I’ve been feeling off for a few weeks; I needed to know. Bryce and I have only been together for six months, how are we going to do this? We never talked about the future, this is too soon. Staring at the stick I start to think about all the times we had sex, we were always so in the moment we never even thought to suggest a condom, I’m not on birth control, so I should have been the dumb ass to suggest one. Fuck. I hear a knock at the door, and go to see who it is.
“Finally,” Emma says, bouncing into the apartment after I open the door.
“Uh, hi? What are you doing here?” I ask her. “Did I just see you a few weeks ago?”
“Um, remember? I said I was visiting this weekend.” She frowns at me. Oh yeah, now I remember. “Are you okay? You’re looking awfully pale.”
I shake my head. “I’m pregnant,” I whisper.
“No, no, no, no, no,” she chants repeatedly. “Please tell me it’s not Bryce’s. Please tell me you cheated on him or something, and it can’t be his,” she says, hysterically.
“Of course it’s his.” I say with disgust; how could she think I cheated. What the hell is her problem?
“Seth was right, this backfired something awful. I made a huge mess.” She collapses onto my bed.
“What’s going on?” I ask, feeling extremely confused.
“I paid Bryce to go out with you. I just wanted you to break down those damn walls you hide behind, come out of your shell a bit,” she says quietly.
“No,” I whisper. Feeling the blood drain from my face. I back away from her when she looks up at me, guilt all over her face.
“I’m so sorry, Kristi, you were just…you just seemed to be so miserable. So mean. Detached from everything. I wanted you to be happy,” Emma starts. “Seth works in his bike shop, and that’s when I discovered him. I figured he would be perfect, because he needed the money to help his shop.”
“Stop talking,” I wheeze out.
She either didn’t hear me, or didn’t care, because she keeps talking. “I went to his shop to talk to him. Alana, his girlfriend was there
, and at first, they were against it. Well not Alana, until she knew it was you. But.” I cut her off.
“Alana?” I ask her, shocked. “The same Alana, that’s helped me get ready for dates? The same Alana that kept telling me if I loved him to just tell him? The same Alana that I’ve been spending all my time with when I wasn’t with Bryce?” My last sentence turned into a yell.
Her face pales, and she looks at me. “Yes,” she whispers. “None of this was supposed to happen. In another month, you were supposed to break up. But on your terms, you were going to realize that you could be a real person. Have yourself a family. You were never supposed to fall for him, or have sex.”
“Well, too late now, huh? Fuck you! Get the hell out, or I swear to God, on this child I’m carrying, you won’t be alive long enough to see him or her born,” I tell her, pointing to the door.
She grabs her purse that was on the floor and quickly leaves the room, shutting the door behind her. Fuck her, Fuck Alana, and more importantly fuck Bryce.
How the hell could they do this to me? I knew I never should have befriended Alana. She’s exactly the kind of person I thought she was before getting to know her. I’m so fucking stupid, the first conversation I had with Alana, she told me all about her boyfriend, I can’t believe I forgot that. Matt is nothing like the guy she told me about. He’s a pro BMXer, he doesn’t own his own shop. It also makes sense that whenever Bryce had to go to his house for something, he made me wait in the car for him, he didn’t want me to see his life with Alana. Same with Alana, we always were at my apartment or out and about in town. I’m the biggest moron on the planet. Fuck this.
I quickly get on my laptop and change my relationship status to single, quickly deleting and blocking Bryce and Alana, at the same time deleting all the pictures I have on there of us together.
Screw them all.
Grabbing my cell phone, I quickly call my dad. “Hey kid, what’s up?”
“Daddy,” I sob.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not. I’m gonna come home, should be there soon, is that okay?”
“Of course it is. Take your time, I don’t want you crying while driving, that’s not safe. I can always come to you instead.”
“No, it’s better if I come to you. Love you, Dad.” I hang up and grab the test from the bathroom, sit on my couch and just stare at it, tears streaming down my face. What on earth am I going to do now?
Emma
I rush out of Kristi’s apartment building in tears. Seth was right, this whole thing blew up in my face. This was all my fault. I open the door and crash into Bryce as he is walking in.
He frowns when he takes in my face. “What’s wrong?”
“She knows. Oh God, she knows,” I tell him shakily.
His face pales. “How?”
“I blurted it out. I didn’t mean to, but when she was going on about being in love with you, and how she was pregnant, it just came out.”
“She’s pregnant?” he whispers.
He pushes me and I stumble to not fall on my ass, as I watch him race up the steps. This wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I ruined everything. My sister hates me, and there is nothing I can do about it. I did this.
I pull out my cell phone and hit call on Seth’s number as I get into my car. “Hey, baby.”
“Seth,” I croak out.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, suddenly sounding worried.
“She knows, I didn’t mean to tell her, but it happened. She hates me,” I cry.
“Baby, just come over, we’ll talk when you get here. I love you,” he says gently.
“I love you too,” I reply, sniffing and rubbing my runny nose on my sleeve.
I look back at her apartment building and see her pacing in front of her window. “I’m sorry, Kristi,” I whisper as I drive away.
Chapter 20
Bryce
I came to tell Kristi everything. Tell her the truth, tell her I love her and really want to be with her. I can’t take this anymore. The guilt that has been eating at me, is becoming too much. So I take Alana’s advice to go to her and just be honest.
What I didn’t expect is to show up here and have Emma bring my world crashing down.
I race up the stairs to Kristi’s place, after Emma continuously apologizes for ruining everything. I can’t let this be the end of us. I came to tell her the truth and hope to fuck she forgives me.
I bang on the door, “Kristi, let me in, we need to talk!” I yell.
“Go away, Bryce!” she yells back.
“I’ll stand out here all day, banging and shouting the place down if you don’t let me in,” I tell her through the door.
She unlocks it, letting me in. “Speak, then leave.” she states, glaring at me.
“I’m so sorry you found out that way. I came to tell you the truth, but Emma beat me to it,” I tell her honestly.
She snorts. “Right, you wanted to break my heart in person, huh?” She stomps to the living-room, and brings back a stick. “Here, you may as well know. Looks like you are stuck with me for the next eighteen years. Sorry the whole ‘dating me for money’ plan fell through.”
I look at the stick, and see the positive pregnancy test staring back at me. “We’re pregnant,” I say smiling.
“No, I’m pregnant. You can be there if you want, but you and me, well, I want nothing to do with you ever again,” she says, sounding pissed.
“I came to tell you the truth, Kristi, and to tell you that I’m in love with you,” I tell her, placing the stick on the coffee table in the living room.
“Right, whatever. I don’t believe a word of it. You have Alana. You know, the one that has been trying to get me to be her ‘bff’ for the last seven months? She’s your girlfriend. You can go back to her,” she says.
I shake my head. “She wants me with you. Alana and I realized that we weren’t in love with each other. She made me realize that you and I are perfect for each other. And we officially broke up the day after we first made love, Kristi. That was three months ago,” I tell her, pleading with her for her to let me talk.
She shakes her head and storms to her door, opening it. “You need to leave. I’ll send you random texts and emails to keep you updated on the baby. But I never want to see you again,” she says, tears running down her face, not looking at me.
I get up and move to the door. I grab her by the back of the head and bring her in close. “I’ll give you some time and space, but I won’t stop fighting for you,” I tell her. I give her a quick hard kiss on her lips, and leave.
I’m not even fully out the door, when she slams it shut, literally hitting me on the ass.
**
I make it to my house and notice Alana’s car in the driveway.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” she says, coming out of the kitchen with a box. “Sorry, I wanted to come by one more time because I was missing a few items, and thankfully I found them.”
“She knows,” I say quietly, ignoring her last sentence.
“Oh my God. Does she know about me?” she says, fear in her voice.
“She knows everything,” I tell her looking down at my shoes.
“Oh no. She must hate me,” she says.
“She hates us all, including her sister right now. She’s pregnant with my kid, and I can’t do anything about anything right now,” I tell her, holding back emotions.
“She’s pregnant?” Alana asks, shocked.
I nod.
“You need to fight then, Bryce! What the hell are you doing here?” she asks, getting pissed.
“She kicked me out. What more can I do?”
“You fight, you bastard! You fight with everything inside of you! Men, seriously, friggen morons. Fighting their feelings, emotions, not fighting for what they want,” she says, stomping her foot. “This proves it, looks like I’ll need to be the one to fight for her.”
I stare at her, confused.
“Oh, don’t give
me that look. I like Kristi, a lot! Okay. This whole thing should have been turned down, but it wasn’t, and you two fell in love. She became my best friend. And I’m not losing her. We’re not losing her.”
Kristi
I quickly packed a few bags and got the hell out of my apartment the minute I kicked Bryce out. Emma, Bryce, and Alana just tore my world apart. How could they do this to me? What were they doing, standing around figuring out how to fuck with my heart next?
Driving over the speed limit to get to my dad’s as fast as I can, I slam on the brakes and come to a screeching halt in front of his house. I look up at the front door and see my dad and Ava both standing on the steps, looking upset.
“What the hell are you doing here, Ava?” I yell as I get out of my car and slam the door. “I’ve tried calling you for weeks, and you are never there for me to talk to!”
“I’m sorry, Kristi, I am. But I couldn’t lie to you if I ended up speaking to you,” she says with tears streaming down her face.
That hits me like a blow. “Oh God. You knew.”
“I found out a little over a month ago. I saw pictures of you and Bryce, and I knew he was with Alana, so I talked to her, and she’s in love with Matt, Seth’s brother. She was more than okay with this. At first she wasn’t, but she loves you, and Matt, and Bryce. But doesn’t love Bryce that way. God, I’m not saying this right.”
I hold up a hand. “Shut up. Just shut the fuck up.” Seething I pick up the other pregnancy test I had in my bag and throw it at her. “If you had fucking warned me when you found out, this wouldn’t have happened. Go the hell home, to your perfect fucking husband, and your perfect fucking life!” If she wasn’t pregnant I would knock her out right now. This is actually the first time I’ve seen her since before she found out, now she’s huge at only halfway through her pregnancy.