by Tia Siren
“Hey, sis!” he exclaimed.
“What in the world has you so happy?” I asked.
“We’ll get to that later. But first, food.”
He ushered me into the burger joint and we sat down at a table. We talked a bit about how the website was going and the blog posts he had been making about the prototype that was delayed. Marcus theorized that Kason was probably so busy with the late launch that he hadn’t had time for anything else, like finalizing my internship or returning Marcus’s emails.
“Well, that makes sense,” I said thoughtfully.
“Don’t worry. I know you and Kason got a little close and shit, but he hasn’t talked to me much either.”
“It was really nice to see him.” I smiled. “I mean, it had been years since the last time I’d seen him.”
“I’m supposed to fly in to see him in a couple weeks, and if he hasn’t told you anything about the internship, I’ll bring it up then.”
“Oh, you’re going to go see him? What’s his house like? I bet it’s massive.”
“It’s actually not as big of a house as you’d think a billionaire would have, but Kason has never been a wasteful person. Boastful and prideful, but never wasteful.”
“I wouldn’t really know, so I’ll take your word for it.” I smiled.
“At any rate, maybe he’ll contact you soon about it. I’ve stopped getting updates about blogging about the prototype, so maybe he’s finally gotten things squared away. You know that damn thing was supposed to be out last Monday?”
“What?” I said. “What kind of project is it?”
“His tech software company is trying to branch their security department into personal health and wellness. He’s developing a high-tech version of all those security systems where you can communicate with someone via the system on the wall if you don’t enter in a password and shit.”
“Oh, oh, oh! Like those intruder commercials where you can see the cameras of your house on your tablet?”
“Yep. He’s merging all those systems into one and then routing it all back to the security station he’s building, where it automatically dispatches to 911.”
“Wouldn’t making his security branch a middleman decrease response times, though?” I asked.
“Keep asking questions like that and he’ll give you a job in his development department.” Marcus smirked.
I was enjoying the conversation with my brother, but that pregnancy test was burning in the back of my mind. I kept glancing at my purse, and suddenly I had to pee. I figured if I could slip to the bathroom quickly, I could take it right there before I came back out to Marcus. Plus, I was getting anxious and just needed this to be over.
“Well, I’m going to go to the bathroom before we order. I’ll be right back.”
“If you want the same thing as always, I can order for you.”
“Sounds good to me. But get me a diet drink instead this time!”
I grabbed my purse to go to the bathroom while Marcus gave our orders to the waiter. My hand was shaky and I dropped my purse on the floor. Lip glosses rolled in all directions, but when I picked it up, I accidentally did it from the bottom, spilling everything out.
Including the pregnancy test.
“Here, let me help,” Marcus offered. But the moment his eyes settled on it, he knew what it was and he froze.
“Hanna…?” he asked.
I snatched it from him and shoved it back in my purse. Already, tears were rising to my eyes. I could see his face turning red in the corner of my vision, and when the waiter handed me my wallet, he gave me a pitiful glance before he scurried off with our order.
“Marcus, it’s not—”
“Was that a fucking pregnancy test?”
I swallowed hard and tried to keep the tears back. I stood up and slowly turned toward my brother. His anger was evident on his face.
“What the hell are you doing with a pregnancy test?” He glowered at me.
People were beginning to stare, and the waiter was standing back with our drinks. I felt on the spot and I really had to pee. all I wanted to do was crawl into a hole, take the test, and then die an embarrassing and lonely death.
“Marcus, please,” I said.
“What the fuck, Hanna? Start talking!”
“I-I-I think that… I, um…well…”
“If you’re grown enough to buy that test, you’re grown enough to say why.”
“I think I might be pregnant,” I whispered.
“And who the fuck would be the father, Hanna?” he asked.
I closed my eyes and felt tears slip out from between the folds. I knew the moment I said his name I would never have my brother again. I knew I’d committed the ultimate betrayal just by sleeping with Kason, but if he’d actually gotten me pregnant because of my slip up, I’d lose my brother for good.
I’d lose them both.
“Marcus, I’m so sorry. I-I-I forgot to take my pills for a few days, but I swear to you, all I did was forget. The moment I realized it, I took all four of them at once and it made me sick but I figured it would work like the Plan B pill. Marcus, please, you’ve gotta—”
“Who the hell is the father!?” he roared.
I saw someone in my side vision begin to stand up from his chair. Tears flowed down my face while I clutched my purse close to me. My hesitation told him everything my mouth couldn’t.
“Kason?!” he exclaimed. “Hanna, is it Kason?!”
“Sir, I think you need to calm down,” someone said softly.
“You slept with my best friend and he got you pregnant, Hanna?!”
“Marcus, I don’t know. I swear to you, I’m going to go take it right now and we’ll know for sure. I’m so sorry, Marcus.”
“Sir, I really think you should calm down right now,” the man said.
“Get the fuck outta my way.” Marcus seethed with anger. He shoved past me with a glare before he stormed out of the restaurant. Someone’s hand came down lightly on my back. I heard the door of Honeybuns slam shut, and for a split second, I was rooted to the floor. My body shook and my fingers white-knuckled my purse. When I got my wits about me, I realized what Marcus was about to do.
He was about to call Kason and tell my parents.
“Are you all right?” the strange man asked.
“Oh no,” I murmured.
I turned on my feet and ran out of the restaurant with everyone’s eyes on me, but when I got outside, Marcus was squealing out of the parking lot. I ran after his car screaming at him, but all he did was leave me in the smoke of his squealing tires.
“Marcus! Please! I haven’t even taken the test yet! Please!”
I scrambled back to my car and threw myself into it before I cranked it up and followed him. I kept calling Marcus on my phone while I kept behind his car. He blew through every red light trying to get away from me. I was right on his tail the entire time until a police officer came into view, and by that time, he was shooting all my calls to voicemail.
He was racing home to tell my parents, and I was screwed.
Chapter 30
Kason
I decided to surprise Hanna by flying back to Seattle. I had everything squared away with her internship, including the desk and all the things she would need in order to do her job. Her hours were plotted out until she started school, and her first day was Monday. I couldn’t wait to tell her in person. My excuse would be that someone had to be on the private jet with her to fly in since she was still under twenty-one and the plane did serve alcohol. I was hoping that would fly with her parents and with Marcus. I missed Hanna so fucking much, and I wanted to cherish her and feel her body every single second I could on the flight back to San Francisco.
I stepped off the private jet and got into my rental car. I knew the route by heart from the airport tarmac to Hanna’s driveway. I shivered in anticipation at the thought of seeing her again. I wondered what tight little number she would be wearing, or if I’d catch her off guard completely and
she’d be slumming it in her baggy pajamas. I bet she’d look beautiful anyway, even if she hadn’t washed her hair in three days. I figured I could stay a day or two and spend it completely with my parents. I knew my leaving early had really disappointed Mom, and I figured I could take her out for a night.
Plus, not seeing me would torture Hanna, and that would build her anticipation, which made me shiver with delight.
I pulled into their driveway and saw Marcus and Hanna’s father on their porch. They looked to be deep in conversation before they panned their heads over to me. They saw my car and looked confused for a second, but when I stepped out, their gazes hardened. I could tell there was something wrong, and my thought was that something had happened to either Lisa or Hanna.
My stomach began to flutter in panic.
“Surprise!” I exclaimed. I held my arms out and expected Marcus to come walking down toward me, but when neither of them moved, I got very worried. I shut the car door and walked over to the porch. The closer I got, the redder Marcus’s face became. I put two and two together and realized that Hanna had probably spilled the beans to him and he was in the process of spilling the beans to his father.
So, when Marcus whipped around and punched me square in my jaw, I wasn’t shocked.
“Son!” Roger roared.
“Are you fucking kidding me? My sister?! You made me a fucking promise, dude! After you let some woman in that speakeasy of yours suck your dick off!”
“You what?” Roger glowered.
I heard some screaming and footsteps inside. The scream sounded like Hanna’s, but my mind was whirling way too much to figure out who was screaming and why. Marcus had finally found whatever proof he needed, and now it was time to do damage control.
Especially if I was leaving here with her on Monday, which wasn’t an option. She would be on that plane with me. I missed her too fucking much to let that go. I’d prepped too much for her job and added too much to the guest room in my home to just throw it all away because her brother was pissed that she was sleeping with someone he knew.
“What the fuck is going on?” I said. I felt another punch to my jaw, and this time Hanna’s scream was right in my ear. Arms flew around me while I tried to steady myself on my feet, but just as I went to open my watering eyes to see who it was, I saw Hanna be wrenched away from me. I reached out my hand to try to find her, but all I felt was someone’s hand wrap around my wrist. I had known there would be some kickback about us sleeping together, but this was fucking nuts.
“Listen. I can explain,” I said.
“You got my little girl pregnant.”
Roger’s voice caught my attention, and before I knew it, I was up straight and focused on him. Little droplets of blood raced down my skin from my lip, but I didn’t give a shit. He had said something that I knew I had to have heard wrong, and he was going to repeat it.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“You got my little girl pregnant.” He seethed. His eyes were hard and his hand was clamped down on Hanna’s upper arm. The only thing I could do was pan my gaze over to her.
“You’re what?”
She stayed absolutely silent and kept her eyes trained on her feet. I had planned out her entire internship. I had dreamed about her every night we’d been apart. I had yanked my dick to the memory of her body every damn time I’d hopped in the shower. I’d flown out here to surprise her. I was planning on showing her exactly how she deserved to be treated by a man.
And the thanks I got was walking into an ambush where I figured out she was fucking pregnant?
Marcus stormed off behind me, and I could tell Roger saw the shock in my eyes. His face softened a bit before he glanced down at Hanna, and when he released her arm, I could see his hand imprint on her skin. He threw me one last look before he murmured something to his daughter. Then he pushed past me and followed his son inside.
I felt like I was going to be sick right there on their porch.
“Hanna, are you—?”
“Oh, my god!” Hannah’s mom squealed. I hadn’t even noticed her come outside. “This is so exciting. Kason, why in the world didn’t you tell me anything before you left? I am so ecstatic that the two of you are pregnant! Oh, this is gonna be so much fun. Have you told your parents yet?”
“No,” I said softly.
“Well, we’re definitely going to have to go nursery shopping. My little grandson or granddaughter will need a room all to themselves with a crib and a dresser and a changing table. The little one will need diapers—unless you want to cloth diaper. Oh, they are so cute. Have you seen them lately? And bottles if Hanna here doesn’t want to breastfeed, though I’m sure she will—”
I felt like I was going to be sick. My eyes held Hanna’s for quite some time while her mother droned on excitedly in the background. I realized the scrutiny she had been under while I was gone. The bags under her eyes were heavy and dark, and her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying she had done. Her arm was still blazing where her father had gripped her, and I couldn’t imagine all she’d had to field from Marcus while I was gone.
I’d left her in a war zone with no way to protect herself.
“Hanna,” I said softly, interrupting her mother, “are you pregnant?”
I felt sick to my stomach. All she did was look at me with that blank, empty stare, and her mother simply started back up on her tangent like nothing was going on. I’d just lost the best friend I could’ve ever had in my life, and the spunky Hanna I had been so excited to hug and meet was slowly dying in front of my eyes. I wanted to go after Marcus so badly. I wanted to explain to him what had happened. I wanted to tell him about the conversation I’d had with his sister where I talked her out of intentionally having a child. I wanted to yell at him and tell him how this had all started, that she was the one who had pressured me and not the other way around.
But I couldn’t leave Hanna like this. Not with her mother the way she was and not with the way she was standing there lifelessly.
“Hanna?” I asked. I reached out and grabbed her hand. That seemed to rip her from whatever trance she was in, and when she panned her tired gaze up to me slowly, I knew I had her attention.
“Are you all right?”
If she was pregnant, she had her own set of issues to battle. She was probably sick and tired and having headaches. She was probably sore and not hungry, which was probably why she looked thinner than the last time I’d seen her.
“I’m fine,” she said.
I studied her for a long time before Lisa tried to start up again, but when I raised my hand to silence her, she finally shut up.
“Kason, I-I-I’m…so sorry,” Hanna choked out. Tears lined her eyes and her gaze dropped to my chest. All at once, my own flare of anger bubbled in my gut. I knew I had every right to be caught off guard and upset, but everyone else was losing their minds and someone had to be grounded for her.
Someone had to shield her from them.
“I-I-I...well…after one of our encounters I…went to go take my pills a-a-and…I’m forgetful sometimes and I was four days behind and—”
“Four days?” I asked softly.
“So I took them all at once. L-l-like…like a Plan B pill…”
She whispered that last statement, and all at once, that last encounter in my room came barreling back. The way she hadn’t felt well. The lie about her period before telling me she’d gone and gotten the Plan B pill. My offer to pay for it and how I commanded her to never do anything else like that alone.
She hadn’t lied to me once. She’d lied to me twice.
“I swear to you it wasn’t on purpose,” she said. “I know with what we talked about—”
“What did the two of you talk about?” her mother asked.
“Mrs. Rendon, could we get a bit of privacy, please?” I asked. She looked between the two of us before she kissed Hanna on the cheek. When her mother turned her back to us, Hanna let the tears pour down her face.
“
I swear to god I didn’t do this on-…on purpose.” She hiccupped.
“But you’ll understand why when I tell you I don’t honestly believe you.”
She whipped her gaze up to me, and I saw whatever light was there slowly dim and snuff out. She had lied to me that day. She had lied about her period and then she’d lied about the Plan B pill. Then she’d had sex with me despite knowing she wasn’t properly protected. Holy fuck, I’d had a condom sitting right there in the drawer next to us! I could’ve easily slipped it on, no problem! I still could’ve fucked her brains out that day. What the hell had she been thinking?
“I swear, I didn’t do it on purpose,” she said flatly. “And what the hell are you doing in town anyway? After not—”
She caught herself, and I knew exactly what she was going to say. After not returning her calls and text messages, what type of audacity did I have to show up unannounced?
“I came here to surprise you with the internship being set up early. I was going to take you back with me Monday after telling you I’d set up a room for you in my home until the campus opened back up.”
Her face crinkled all at once. She brought her hands to her face and began to sob. Her father rushed back out onto the porch and wrapped his arms around her. All Marcus did was scoff from the doorway. I turned toward him and locked eyes with the man I’d called my best friend for my entire life, but all I saw was someone who hated every single atom of my being.
Of my existence.
“I have to think,” I said.
“What?” Hanna asked.
“I just…need some air. And possibly a doctor to look at my jaw.”
“We’ll be contacting you later about how you’ll be financially supporting my sister throughout this time in her life,” Marcus spat.
“No, we won’t,” Hanna said.
“Shut up,” Marcus commanded.
“You don’t ever talk to her that way,” I snapped.
“Kason,” Roger said sternly. “Get out of here and go see a doctor.”
Hanna was sobbing into her father’s chest and Marcus had his fists balled up by his sides. I didn’t want to leave Hanna in this environment, but I wasn’t fully convinced this had been just an accident. Hanna was stubborn and steadfast. I saw the look in her eyes every single time her mother mentioned having children. But now she was experiencing the reality of her actions and she wasn’t happy with them. She wasn’t happy with her life, and she was realizing this didn’t bring her the joy she’d thought it would.