by L. A. Casey
“Sure... wh-what do you want to talk about exactly?”
“Okay.” Kane nodded more to himself than me. “Be honest with me... are you happy you’re pregnant?”
I blinked. “Why are you askin’ me that?”
Kane sighed, “Because I don’t want you to carry on with the pregnancy if you don’t want to.”
I stared at Kane. Hard.
“I’m not havin’ an abortion Kane, not even if you want me to. I will not murder an innocent child because we were too stupid to use protection!”
“Hey!” Kane snapped. “I am not suggesting that at all. I swear I’m not. I was just putting the option on the table in case you felt pressured into having the baby. Honestly, I’m fucking thrilled you feel the way you do because I feel the exact same way.”
I swallowed. “You do? Really? You aren’t just sayin’ that?”
“Really, sweetheart. I never thought I’d have kids, but surprisingly I’m really excited about it. I can’t begin to explain why. I’m scared shitless, but I’m very happy at the same time and I want you to be happy about it too.”
I blew out a big breath. “I’m happy now. At first I wasn’t because I thought of the worst possible things like how you would react, would I be able to be a good mother, things like that, but now that I’ve had a little time to think about it, I’m happy. I haven’t fully processed it all yet, but I’m excited.”
“I don’t feel as sick now,” Kane chuckled.
I laughed and rested my head back against the headrest.
“I’m not going to flake on you, you know that, right?” he said a few moments later.
I had to look up because his question confused me.
“Huh?”
Kane glanced at me and nodded to my stomach before returning his eyes to the road. “You and the baby. I won’t flake—I’ll be there every step of the way. I won’t be a deadbeat dad, I promise.”
The comfort that gave me shocked me and I tried to play it off like it was nothing.
“Oh, yeah, sure. I know you’ll be a good father.”
It was my ability to be a good mother that was still worrying me.
“It’s all going to be okay. I know the girls have been repeating that to you, but it really will be okay. I’ll look after you. The both of you.”
That made me curious.
“How?” I asked.
Kane glanced at me for a moment. “What?”
“How are you goin’ to look after me and the baby?” I clarified.
I sounded snippy and rude. I didn’t mean to, I was generally interested in this discussion.
“By supporting you—”
“In what way?” I cut in and probed.
Kane’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Financially, emotionally... whatever way you need my support, you’ve got it.”
I blinked. “You don’t have a job, and we aren’t in a relationship so how can you support me financially and emotionally?”
Kane shook his head. “I don’t need to be dating you to be there for you... and you let me worry about my money, okay?”
“No,” I answered. “I’ll give on the emotional aspect, but if this is goin’ to work, if you want to raise this baby together then I want to know where the financial support is comin’ from.”
“Aideen,” Kane said, his tone firm.
I straightened up. “Kane.”
“Do we have to do this right now?” he asked, irritated.
“Yes,” I replied. “You may think we have all the time in the world to have this conversation, but this baby will be here before we know it and babies require a lot of things before they even get here. I’m three months gone, so that leaves me six months to find somewhere else to live because me current apartment is too small for a party bigger than one. I’ll need to go out and buy a cot, a pram, a changin’ table, a whole wardrobe of clothes, nappies—a lot of nappies—wet wipes, creams, lotions, powders, linen, blankets, a car seat—”
“Aideen!” Kane cut me off with a shout. “I get it! I know there is a lot of things that we will need to buy and a lot of things that need to be done, but I’ll make sure it gets done. Okay? Just trust that I can take care of you.”
I wasn’t convinced. I shook my head and turned to look out the window of the car.
“Why are you shaking your head?”
I huffed, “Because you sayin’ ‘trust me, I’ve got this’ doesn’t make me feel better at all. I work a full-time job five days a week, and I live in a tiny apartment. Granted it’s bigger than Keela’s old place, but it’s not ideal for everythin’ I’m goin’ to need. I’m worried, okay? I’ve never had another being dependin’ solely on me before.”
Kane was silent for a moment before he said, “You could move in with me. That’s an option.”
I hurt my neck when I snapped my head to look at Kane. “That was a joke, right?”
Kane set his jaw. “No.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, “We aren’t in a relationship and you think livin’ together is the way to go?”
He ground his teeth together before saying, “Living in the same space doesn’t mean anything has to happen, or that anything will happen between us. Believe it or not, my focus is one hundred percent on our baby inside of you. I can’t even think of sex or anything else right now.”
I snorted, “Yeah, well that makes two of us.”
Kane sighed, “I don’t want to fight, not about this. When you—I mean when we have time to process things we can talk about this further, okay?”
I saw no point in arguing against that right now, so I nodded my head and remained silent for the final few minutes of the drive. We got to my father’s house quicker than I would have liked. Before I knew it, I was standing outside staring at the front door, hesitant to knock.
“Do you want me to—”
“No,” I cut Kane off. “I can do this. You just tell your brothers to stay across the road.”
Kane mumbled something. I didn’t know what it was, but I took it as an okay. I stepped towards the front door of my father’s house and just as I lifted my hand to knock, the door swung open.
“Hey, what took you so long? We got here five minutes ago.”
Five minutes ago?
“What the hell do you drive? A rocket?”
My eldest brother, James, laughed at me, but when his eyes drifted past me and landed on the soul to the right of me, they instantly narrowed.
“Slater,” James snarled.
I jumped in front of Kane.
“Please, don’t,” I begged my brother. “What I’ve to say is too important.”
James stepped forward then backwards as veins bulged in his arms and neck. He took a final step back as he fully stepped inside our father’s house.
“Thank you,” I breathed.
James looked past me. “Step foot in here and I’ll knock you out.”
With that said, James turned and stormed off down the hallway and into the kitchen.
I groaned, “That couldn’t have gone worse.”
Kane snickered, “Actually it could have.”
I ignored him as I entered. “I’ll be five minutes. Do you mind waitin’ here?” I asked without turning around. I wanted to keep an eye on the kitchen door in case my brothers suddenly burst through it in a bid to kill Kane.
“Are you sure you want to tell them on your own?” Kane asked.
“I told everyone else on me own, this will be easy... the tellin’ part at least. It’s the reactions about you that I’m worried about.”
“It will be—”
“Don’t say okay.”
“Fine,” Kane finished.
I stepped inside. “I won’t be long.”
I closed the front door with the heel of my right foot and slowly walked down the hallway. I paused in front of the kitchen then entered it with my head held high and my chin stuck out.
Showing fear would only cause them to attack.
“I can’t believe you brought a Sla
ter here!” the voice of my second eldest brother, Harley, bellowed.
I gently closed the kitchen door behind me.
“Nice to see you too, big brother.”
“Cut the bullshit,” Dante, my third eldest brother, hissed. “Why is he here?”
I avoided eye contact. “He is here because he is involved in what I have to tell you all.”
“If you say you’re goin’ out with him, I’ll kill him and lock you upstairs,” Harley said to me, his tone venomous.
Who was I? Rapunzel?
“Can you just sit down, please?” I asked as nicely as I could.
Harley silently regarded me but did as I asked.
“What’s goin’ on, baby?” my father, who was already seated at the kitchen table, asked me.
I opened my mouth, and then closed it when I noticed one of my brothers was missing. “Where is Gavin?”
Dante held up a finger then turned his head and shouted, “Gavin! Get your arse down here?”
I winced at the volume of Dante’s shout.
“One second!” Gavin hollered down the stairs.
“What’s so important that you called us here?” Harley asked, curiously.
His patience was wearing thin, but I wasn’t breaking. I wanted all my brothers in the room before I let on any information.
“Hush for a minute and wait for Gavin.”
“Gav!” my father and brothers bellowed in unison.
No patience.
“I’m bloody comin’!” Gavin snapped back.
I heard his footsteps on the stairs as he descended them. He entered the kitchen a few moments later wearing just a pair of boxer shorts.
I rolled my eyes. “Really? You couldn’t have put trousers on?”
“They called for me, here I am. You’re lucky I put boxers on.” He shrugged and sat on a chair next to our father. “What’s up?”
I looked at James. “Sit down.”
He didn’t move from the counter. “I’d rather stand.”
I glared at him. “James.”
He didn’t bat an eyelid. “Aideen.”
I growled, “Why are you being difficult?”
James shrugged. “I know I’m not goin’ to like whatever it is you have to say, so I’d rather be standin’ up when I hear it. Deal with it.”
Arsehole.
“Fine. Okay,” I grunted.
I heard a rap on the front door and I groaned. “One more minute, Kane!” I shouted.
“Kane?” Gavin questioned. “As in Slater? What is he doin’ here?”
James snorted, “See? Even little brother knows he shouldn’t be here.”
I rubbed my temples. “He is here with me so I think that gives him a pass.”
Harley snarled, “I knew it, I’m goin’ to—”
“You aren’t goin’ to do anythin’ because we aren’t together. I’m not in a relationship with anyone, okay? He is just here with me.”
Harley relaxed. “Why is he here then?”
Oh, God.
My palms began to sweat. “Promise me you won’t do somethin’ stupid when I tell you?”
“Is this about me?” Gavin asked, his face paled with worry.
He wants to be in a gang, but he can’t man up and tell our brothers about it?
The little bitch.
I glared at him. “No. That is a conversation for a different day.”
All my brothers, my father included, looked at Gavin.
“What’s that about?” Harley asked our brother.
Gavin waved him off. “Nothin’ important, I want to know what Aideen has us all around the table for. It must be really important.”
The little fucker, he switched the heat from him to me.
“Aideen.”
I jumped at my father’s voice.
“Promise first,” I pressed.
“I promise,” Gavin, Dante, and my father said in unison.
James and Harley remained mute though.
“You two?”
“I’m not promisin’ anythin’ because I might break it, so get on with what you have to say before I get pissed off. I’m serious, Aideen.”
I glared at James but nodded my head.
“Okay, so... I’m pregnant.”
Silence.
“With a baby.”
More silence.
“And Kane... he is the father.”
An even longer stretch of silence.
“But we aren’t together. It was one night of stupidity, and we’re both prepared to raise a baby—James!”
My heart jumped when James suddenly shot out of the kitchen and down the hallway towards the front door. I took off after him screaming for him to stop while chairs scraped against the tiled floor in the kitchen as my other brothers quickly followed.
James flung open the front door and headed for Kane, who was down the end of the garden talking to Nico. When he heard all the commotion he turned, and instantly took a defensive stance when he saw James heading for him.
He had his hands raised in front of his chest. “Bro, we can talk about this—”
James cut Kane off with a well-placed punch to the jaw.
“Stop!” I screamed and placed my hands on the side of my head.
I watched in slow motion as Kane bent low and speared my brother to the ground. Nico jumped over the fence and delivered an incredible jumping punch to Dante, who instantly ran for him when he came into the garden.
I could see Ryder and Alec running from across the road where their car was parked, and I saw Gavin and Harley move around me to fight against them. I screamed for everyone to stop, and I didn’t realise I was crying until I began to gulp for air when the sobbing started.
I didn’t think of myself when I moved forward and placed my hands on Kane’s shoulders and pulled at him. He was hitting my brother’s face so hard I thought it would bust open.
“KANE!” I screamed. “You’ll kill him. Stop!”
“Aideen!” James bellowed. “Get... back!”
James held his own against Kane and gave as good as he got, but Kane... He was like an animal and watching him in action made me sick to my stomach. I smacked at his back and kicked him as hard as I could in the side in hopes to knock him off my brother and put a stop to this madness.
It didn’t work.
It was like Kane felt no pain. I thought Nico was a ruthless fighter, but Kane was on another level. He dished out punches and took hard hits like they were nothing. I was screaming at him, but he didn’t acknowledge me in any way. It was like he blacked everything and everyone out except James.
His target.
I didn’t give up though. I shoved at Kane and tried my hardest to pull him off James, but all that came with me when I pulled was his t-shirt. I ripped it right off his body and revealed his back, which was covered in scars, the ones I felt three months ago in the dark of night. Some big, some small. Some purple, some light pink.
“What in God’s name?” I whispered.
What on Earth could have caused such damage to his back?
I pushed that question aside, dropped the fabric in my hand and slapped the back of Kane’s head. “Get the hell off me broth—” I was cut off when Kane lifted his arm and tried to swing it at James, but the angle of his swing caused it to rear back into my face and it knocked me backwards onto the ground.
“That’s ENOUGH!”
I cowered on the ground for only a moment, before I pushed myself up to my feet and looked at my father who walked out of his house with a steel baseball bat in his hands. He walked directly over to James and Kane—James had the upper hand and was on Kane now—and he grabbed my brother by the scruff of the neck and pulled him off Kane with one tug.
James flew backwards onto the ground, and Kane was quick to try and follow, but my father pointed the bat at Kane’s face and got his attention. Kane shook his head and blinked his eyes and after a moment he lifted his hands. “I’m done.”
“Too fuckin’ right you’re
done,” my father snarled and moved past him and smacked Alec in the back of the head and pushed him off my little brother with his foot.
Gavin was bloody all over, Alec had a cut or two on his face showing my baby brother at least got some hits in on the big lad. Next up were Dante and Ryder—Dante and Harley obviously switched brothers—who were locked into a war of punches. It was hard to say who was beating up whom because both of them were messed up. It took a lot more effort to break up Harley and Nico, but eventually my father got the upper hand.
When he got everyone separated, he pointed to the cars across the road. “You four, get in your cars and leave. Do not come back here.”
After my father’s dismissal, he turned to me. “Are you okay?” he asked me, his tone soft.
I held my face with both hands but nodded my head.
Kane looked at me then. “Wh-what?”
“You back-handed her you son of a bitch,” my father snarled over his shoulder. “Now leave before I put this bat to good use.”
Kane stumbled a little, the skin on his face that wasn’t cut or swollen, visibly paled. “Oh, Christ. Aideen, I would never—I’m so sorry, babydoll.”
I turned from him. “Leave, Kane.”
“But the baby—”
“Will still be in me stomach for another few months. For today, just leave. I can’t even look at you.”
Kane didn’t move. “He hit me first.”
I dropped my hand from my throbbing cheek and looked at him. “Me students come at me with excuses like that and don’t get away with them so don’t you dare think you will either.”
Ryder intervened, “Kane wanted to talk it out, Aideen. Your brother was hell bent on fighting—not Kane.”
I looked at Ryder. “Did you stop for a second from hittin’ me other brother to look at Kane? I screamed at him and hit him to try to stop him but he blanked me out. He was like an animal, and if me da didn’t stop it, he would have killed me brother.”
James grunted against my argument. I wasn’t thinking about his pride for the moment, I was thinking about his safety, and the safety of my other brothers.
“I’m sorry,” Kane said to me, not to my brother.
I shook my head. “I don’t want to hear it. I want you to leave.”
Again, he stood firm.
“If she has to ask you again, boy, I’ll make you sorry,” my father growled.