by Rye Hart
“Yes, m'am,” I said.
I followed the directions on the test and placed it on the sink. It said to give it a few minutes for the results – and I knew it was going to be the longest two minutes of my life. Jenn paced the bathroom, and I had to tell her to stop.
“You're making me nervous,” I said and laughed.
“You're not already nervous?” she asked me.
“Of course I am,” I said, putting my head in my hands. “But you're making it worse.”
“Alright then, tell me why you're here,” she said, stopping in front of me.
The bathroom was large enough for us to both stand comfortably, but she hovered right above me, her eyes boring into mine like she was trying to see straight into my soul.
“My ex came back in town,” I said.
“The one from California?”
“Yes,” I said softly. “And let's just say – he's not too happy about me leaving him.”
I filled her on the rest of the details – glossing over how I fucked both Quinn and Bennett in my childhood bedroom, but mentioning that “stuff did happen.”
She stared at me, slack-jawed. “Last night? This happened last night?”
“Yeah,” I mumbled.
“Oh honey,” she said, laughing as she shook her head. “Then there's no need for a pregnancy test. You can't be pregnant from having sex last night.”
I stared at her. “I know that,” I said. “I'm not a total moron.”
“So, what are you saying then?”
I couldn't find the words, so instead, I glanced down at the test.
“Two lines,” I said.
I frantically looked for the instructions which I'd tossed in the trash can. Pulling it out, I tried to find out what having two lines meant.
“Hailey, it's positive,” she said.
“What is?”
“The pregnancy test,” Jenn said.
My heart fell into my stomach as I stared down at the two pink lines, clear as day. I was too shocked too cry. I felt nothing. No joy, no sadness. Nothing. Just when I thought my life couldn't get more complicated.
“I'm pregnant,” I said, finally pulling myself together and looking up at Jenn.
“It appears so,” Jenn said.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the bedroom, and together, we sat on the bed facing one another. She held my hands as she looked deep into my eyes.
“Hailey, do you know who the father is?”
I nodded, feeling nauseous and not even wanting to admit it to myself.
“Good,” Jenn said. “Now, we need to talk about the next steps.”
“Next steps?” I choked out.
“Yes, like telling the father, and –”
“No, I can't tell him,” I said. “I won't tell him.”
Jenn cocked her head to the side. “Why not?”
“Because it's Leo,” I said.
Jenn missed everything that happened the night before. She didn't see the way he acted. She didn't know the things he'd done to me. The harmful, hurtful things.
“Jenn, Leo is-”
She waited a moment and then looked at me, encouraging me with her eyes. “Leo is what, hon?”
I tried to tell her he was abusive, but the words were lost on me. Instead, I lifted my shirt and showed her the bruises which were healing on my body. At last.
With her eyes full of tears, she hugged me close, not saying a word. Not needing to say anything at all.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - QUINN
I'd left Driftwood a little early. Nate, one of the cooks we'd hired, had it handled, and it was a slow night. Besides, it would give Cason a chance to get over here. When I opened the door to the house though, I found it empty. Or at least the living room was.
I walked down the hallway. “Hailey? Cason?” I called out.
“We're in here,” a small, feminine voice called out from the master bedroom.
I poked my head in the door and found Hailey sitting on the bed with Jenn. Hailey was curled in a fetal position, sleeping. Jenn stared up at me with tired brown eyes.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, she's had a rough day,” Jenn said, stroking her best friend's hair.
My heart raced. “Did Leo –”
“Oh no,” Jenn said, trying to keep her voice low.
She didn't elaborate, however, and I had a feeling she wouldn't talk no matter how many questions I'd asked. Jenn had always been a good friend to her and a stalwart guardian for Hailey, so I knew better than to press.
“Do you need anything?”
“I have to head home soon, my kids need me,” Jenn said, but she didn't move from the bed. “I just don't know what to do.”
“I'm here,” I said. “I'll keep an eye on her.”
“I don't know about –” her phone buzzed, and she muttered under her breath. “Dammit. My son needs my boob, they're out of milk. Do you think you could keep an eye on her? I can be right back?”
“Sure thing, Jenn,” I said.
She pulled herself off the bed as if it was a struggle to leave her best friend's side. I had no idea what had happened, and as much as I wanted to find Cason, I wasn't sure I should leave her alone. I sat down on the bed beside her and stared down at her. Her face was mostly covered by her long hair, but her perfectly upturned nose peeked out from it and I fought the urge to kiss it.
“I'll be right back,” Jenn said.
“No rush,” I said, pushing the hair from Hailey's face. “I'm here for her.”
Jenn's face softened, and she looked like she might melt into the carpet. I had to urge her, again, to go.
“Your baby needs the boob, remember?”
She laughed. “Yeah, I'm going,” she said.
Her footsteps echoed down the hall, and I heard the front door open and close. I looked down at the beautiful woman beside me and wondered what might be going through her mind. Why her day had been so difficult. I curled up beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist, suddenly feeling very protective of her. I heard more footsteps, this time it was Cason.
“You're home early,” he said, standing in the open doorway.
“Yeah, it was slow, Nate had it covered,” I said. I looked up at Cason and asked, “So what's going on with her?”
He shrugged. “Jenn and Hailey have been shut in here all day,” he said. “I didn't want to bother them.”
Hailey jerked in her sleep, pulling away from me and muttering something I couldn't make out. Her eyes flew open and she stared up at me, eyes wide and full of fear.
“Quinn?” she said.
“Yes, it's me,” I said, trying to keep my voice low and calm. “Cason is here too. You're okay. You're safe.”
She relaxed into me a bit more, and my brother came over and sat down on the bed beside us. He watched from a distance as I held her tightly.
“Are you okay, Hailey?” Cason asked.
“Not really,” she muttered.
He moved closer, stroking her back. Cason laid down behind her, propping himself up on the pillows on the bed.
“What's going on?” I asked her. “It's okay, you know. You can tell us what's going on. You're safe here. You'll always be safe her.”
She sighed before answering me, “I'm pregnant,” she said softly.
“Are you – serious?” I asked, trying to pull myself together. I propped myself up and looked over at Cason who had the same look on his face. “How do you know?”
In my head, I tried to remember what I'd heard about knocking girls up. Could she know this soon? Could I be a father? Could any one of us be the father? My heart raced and for a moment, I couldn't help the smile on my face from growing wider. The idea that somehow, I might be a dad filled me with greater joy that I thought it would.
“I took a test,” she said, burying her face into the pillows. “And it came back positive.”
Cason looked at me and then Hailey. “So, it's not one of ours?”
She shook
her head. “Wouldn't be possible,” she said, not looking at us. “It has to be Leo's.”
My heart slipped down into my shoes, but I found myself reaching out to her still. Comforting her.
“It'll be okay, Hailey. We'll figure it out,” I said.
“Leo doesn't have to know,” Cason said. “We'll protect you.”
The front door opened and slammed, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps in the foyer. A moment later, Ben called out to us.
“Cason? You were supposed to come in –”
He stopped in the doorway, all three of us staring back at him. He scratched his face as he looked down at us laying on the bed, Hailey still hiding her face, both of us soothing her. He could tell something was wrong.
“I have Nate watching over everything,” he said. “It should be fine.”
Cason nodded, and Ben came over to join us on the bed. He sat at the end, near Hailey's feet, and stroked her leg, a look of concern on his face.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“It will be,” I said.
CHAPTER NINETEEN - HAILEY
“You can stay here as long as you need to. As long as you want to,” Bennett said to me once we broke the news to him as well. “You and your child. You're both welcome here.”
“Really?” I sniffled, looking at him.
“Really,” Cason said.
Quinn also nodded. “It might be nice to have a kid around,” he said with a grin. “Somebody to throw the ball around with, maybe.”
The others seemed to agree. I sat up in the bed and looked at all three of them, taking in their similar facial features. There was a reason everyone loved these guys, and why I always crushed on them from afar. Now I was there, in the middle of the McCormick family, and they were welcoming me in with open arms.
Bennett added, “We have the extra space. And this way, Leo can't get anywhere near you,” he said, stroking my calf as he stared at me with his big, brown, soulful eyes.
“And I don't know about the others, Hailey,” Quinn said, “but I care about you.”
Ben nodded, then Cason. They all cared for me, and I felt the tears well up in my eyes. I not only had one good man who cared about me, I had three. All of them willing to protect me, no matter the cost. I reached for Bennett to come closer, suddenly I just wanted all of them close to me. I felt so safe amongst the guys, I just wanted to feel them near me.
To hold me.
To protect me.
We curled up on the bed in a puppy pile, and for a while, I could almost forget about the life growing inside of me. A life that belonged to a vile, reprehensible person. And a person who, if I had my way, would never know about their existence.
“What do you think about putting a crib right over there, near the bay window?” Quinn asked after a few minutes.
My pulse raced as I listened to him and realized he wasn't speaking to me. He was speaking to his brothers. Making plans for our future.
“I think it would look nice,” Cason said, kissing my forehead. “We'll have to move some things around, but there's plenty of room. Maybe we'll paint too. You just pick the colors, Hailey.”
“Guys, I could go back home with my parents,” I said, suddenly feeling embarrassed and like I was a huge burden.
“Not happening,” Quinn said. “This way you and your kid will never have to worry about Leo getting to you.”
“There's always at least one of us around,” Cason said. “If not all three of us.”
“Besides, it's about time we did something with this room,” Bennett said. “None of us are ever going to use it. And it's larger than your bedroom at home. With a baby on the way, you're going to need more space.”
He had a point. My room was easily half the size of this one, and there were no other options. We had a nice home, but it wasn't big by any means. And my parents were gone a lot, leaving me alone. If I were there alone and Leo showed up – I shuddered to think what might happen.
Knowing that in the McCormick house, that there was usually at least one of the boys around, I knew I'd never be alone. And I'd never feel unsafe.
“What will people think?” I asked.
Bennett shrugged. “Who cares?” he said. “If anything at all, they'll probably think one of us is the father.”
“And all of us are okay with that,” Quinn finished for him.
“The kid will have three dads,” Cason said. “And you'll have three boyfriends.”
I laughed, taking it as a joke, but judging by the looks on their faces, the guys didn't.
“Seriously?”
“Whatever you're comfortable with, Hailey,” Quinn said, stroking my cheek. “No more fighting over you.”
“Yes, no more fighting,” Cason agreed.
Bennett was the last to agree, and as I looked over at him, a smile spread on his ruggedly handsome features.
“I have a hard time sharing,” he said. “But I think I can manage.”
“So, we're doing this? We're really doing this?” I asked, feeling like my heart might explode, my mind overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings I'd never before experienced.
“Sounds like it,” Quinn said, kissing my lips.
And that's how I ended up with three boyfriends and three fathers for my child. It's strange. It's unusual and unconventional.
But, somehow, it just feels right.
The End
BEST SELLER: THE BETTER BROTHER
PROLOGUE
I turned to face him, and my eyes dropped to his lips. He was just inches away from me now, and my entire body was crying out for him.
Our kiss was hot and fast. The second our lips touched, his body reacted. He shoved me roughly against the elevator wall, holding me in place with strong hands. I’d been dreaming of this moment since he first picked me up that night. Seeing him in a tuxedo was almost too much for me to handle. I knew what was beneath those clothes, and I was desperate to get my hands on him.
“God,” I whispered as his lips found my neck. “I’ve wanted this all night.”
“You have no idea,” he growled, his lips still pressed against my skin.
His teeth bit down lightly, and I moaned. His hands roamed over my body, sliding over my hips and reaching around to grip my ass. Every inch of me that he touched lit on fire.
“Come here,” I demanded, pulling his face back to mine.
I kissed him so hard we were soon out of breath. My tongue slid into his mouth desperately. I could taste the martinis he drank that night, and it only made my head spin faster. Alcohol coursed through my veins, propelling me forward. I was reckless. I was horny. The elevator couldn’t rise fast enough.
His hand reached down for my thigh. He tightened his fist around the light material of my dress and pulled it upward. His finger caressed my bare thigh, moving higher with each stroke.
I moaned and let my head fall back. Panting, I wiggled beneath his touch. He slid his fingers even higher, soon realizing that I wasn’t wearing any panties.
When he touched my bare pussy, he groaned and buried his face in my neck. His fingers played with me, lapping up my wetness and then sliding upward to tease my clit. I moaned loudly and pushed my hips forward.
“You’re the devil,” he said roughly.
He pressed down harder on my clit and rubbed me roughly. The elevator door chimed behind us, and we jumped apart. My pussy was throbbing, aching for his touch, but neither of us wanted to get caught. We stood a few feet away from each other while the doors slid open.
There were a few people in the hallway, so he dipped down to grab my wrap off the floor, and we hurried toward our room. Neither of us said a word until were safely tucked away behind the door.
The second we were inside, he grabbed me and tossed me roughly on the bed. He crawled up below me, taking my legs in his hands as he moved. His lips traced light patterns over my calves as he moved upward, shoving my dress aside as he did.
Soon, I was completely exposed to him. He gripped my
thighs and buried his face between my legs, his tongue already lashing out at my waiting clit.
“Fuck!” I cried out. For the first time in my life, I didn’t care about being overheard. I cried out his name repeatedly as his tongue flicked back and forth over me. Wet desire rushed between my legs, dripping onto the bed while he pushed me further toward the brink.
He reached around to grip my ass, holding me tightly while his tongue took me harder. My legs shook, and just like that, I came so hard that my back arched. My mouth opened but no sound came out. The cry of pleasure got caught in my throat as my whole body shook with ecstasy.
He stood up and tore his tux from his body. I wiggled upward just enough so that I pressed against the pillows. My eyes trailed down his body, growing wider when his rock-hard cock sprang free.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” he told me as he climbed onto the bed, now fully naked.
“Prove it,” I teased.
CHAPTER 1
JULIE
Either I’ll end up in a mental institution, or this will be the best damn decision of my life.
My new place was small but charming. The walls of the living room were painted a shade of green that lightened both the space and my mood. I leaned back in my desk chair and stared at the wall in front of me. Dallas was good to me, but there were too many bad memories now.
I needed a change. This place was just forty-five minutes outside of the city. Quaint. Quiet. Peaceful. And, away from pain – at least that’s what I wanted so desperately to believe.
Ennis, Texas, was the last place I ever envisioned myself settling down. I thought I’d spend my entire life in one big city or another, chasing my dream of being a journalist. Now, freelancing was all I needed. Living a quiet life seemed perfect and relaxing. After the last few weeks of hell, I longed for quality alone time.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, there was a loud knock on my front door. I frowned and got slowly to my feet. The only person who knew where I lived was my best friend Andrea, but I couldn’t imagine she would drive all the way down here.
“Hey!” Andrea said when I opened the door.