by Jenika Snow
****
The feel of Christa’s hand on him had his whole body tightening. Rys didn’t like it, but the bomb she had dropped back at the keg had his brain malfunctioning. He couldn’t think straight, and now all he could think about was getting her away from the general population so they could really talk about it. Once they were far enough away, he ripped his arm out of her hold and spun around, glaring at her.
“There is no fucking way, Christa. No fucking way!” His voice was rising, but it wasn’t because he believed the bullshit she was spouting. Christa wasn’t known to be the most honest person, and the fact she was claiming he had knocked her up was beyond ridiculous.
“Rys, you fucked me three different times.”
“I wore a condom, Christa. There is no fucking way.” He ran a hand through his hair, getting more and more pissed.
“Yeah, well…” She shrugged. “They aren’t one hundred percent, ya know.” She looked smug standing before him.
“I know I wasn’t the only guy you were fucking, Christa.” He glared at her and crossed his arms over his chest. “I know for a fucking fact. The guys at Rowdy’s talk, Christa.They aren’t shy about bragging about the pussy they score.”
At least she looked uncomfortable at his statement. She shook her head adamantly and said, “No, Rys, this baby is yours.”
“I don’t believe you, Christa.”
Her shoulders cocked back. “You fucked me, and now I’m pregnant. You will help me take care of this baby one way or another, Rys.” She took a step forward and smiled. “Just think, baby, you can fuck me all you want. No condoms, no nothing. It’ll be so good, Rys baby.” She moved closer and placed her hands on his chest. He gripped her arms, intent on pushing her away when her words stopped him. “We can have a happy little family. You, me, and our baby.”
A gasp in the distance had him drawing his head up. His heart sank when he saw Jane standing a few feet away. He had been so caught up in Christa’s shit that he hadn’t even heard her approach. His Jane covered her mouth, and fat tears fell down her cheeks. He pushed Christa away and took a step toward Jane, his hand outstretched.
“Jane, baby.” She held her hand up to stop him. He could see her eyes darting from him to Christa and the horror and sadness in them. She turned and ran from him, and instead of going after her, all he could do was stare at her retreating form.
“You don’t need her anyway, Rys. I can give you everything she can.” There was distaste lacing Christa’s voice, and it pissed him the fuck off. After turning and giving her a glare, he took a deep breath to calm down. “I don’t know what kind of shit you’re pulling, Christa, but it’s fucked up.” She had the audacity to look hurt at his words, but he couldn’t find any sympathy for her. “If you’ve fucked up my relationship with Jane…” He breathed out roughly. “Let’s just say you better not have fucked it up, Christa.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms again. “What in the hell is so damn special about Jane Silver? You and Will are so enamored with her and half the town can’t figure out why. She’s just white tra—”
“Don’t.” His voice was low, and he projected all his rage in that one word. Her eyes widened marginally. “You don’t fucking say one thing about Jane. Not. One.Fucking.Thing.”He turned and left, praying that he could fix this, because even though he knew he couldn’t have gotten Christa pregnant, there was a little voice in the back of his head that asked, what if?
****
William finished his beer and tossed the glass in the trash. Jane had wandered off toward the keg after assuring him she’d be right back. He wasn’t a paranoid asshole that wanted to control her every move and be right by her side, but he knew that when guys got drunk, they got touchy-feely, and he wasn’t having any of that. Once again, for what seemed like the millionth time since Janey had told him about what her father had done, William couldn’t get it out of his head. He wasn’t a violent man by nature, but at that moment he could picture himself doing all kinds of violent things to Charles Silver. Ten minutes maybe passed before he saw Janey running toward him, tears streaming down her face. Instantly he strode toward her and took her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest. Her wracking sobs shook her whole body, and he held her tighter.
“Did someone hurt you?” He didn’t bother keeping the rage out of his voice. Jaxx and Brooklyn came up beside him since they were the only two guys left that hadn’t wandered. When she didn’t answer, he gently pulled her away and stared down into her tear-streaked face. He brushed his thumbs under her eyes, wiping the tears away. Seeing her so upset broke his heart, but God help the person who hurt her.
“Sweetheart, talk to me. Tell me who upset you, and I’ll kick his ass.”
“We all will,” Jaxx and Brooklyn said in unison.
It took her a moment to catch her breath, and then she looked around. No one paid them any mind, and when she realized that she relaxed marginally. “I…” She glanced down and hiccupped before bringing her face back to his. “I just have to leave. Please.” The desperation in her voice had him pushing back his need to know what the hell happened. It was clear she wasn’t going to be forthcoming about what was wrong until she was away from this place. When he hesitated, she whispered, “Please, Will.”
He pulled her back into his body and wrapped his arms around her. Keeping his cool took everything inside of him. His anger was a burning force inside of him, coiling his muscles and tightening his skin. He looked over at Jaxx and Brooklyn, and although he hadn’t meant to sound harsh, the barked order came out that way anyway. “I don’t have time to search for Rys. Can one of you find him and bring him back to our place?” Both of them nodded, and he didn’t miss how their worried expressions kept going to Jane. He pulled her in tighter, knowing they wouldn’t hurt her, but he needed to be the one that took care of her. Where in the hell was Rys?
“Come on, sweetheart.” He pulled her toward his truck. He had to walk fast just to keep up with her, which was saying something since she was so much smaller with shorter legs. He helped her into the truck just as he heard Rys’s raised voice calling out to stop.
“Let’s go, please, William.” He hesitated as he saw Rys sprint toward them. “Please.” Her tears tracked down her face faster and rage exploded inside of him. Had Rys hurt her? He knew his brother wasn’t capable of it, but he was rough, more aggressive. Maybe he had inadvertently harmed Janey. Regardless if he did it or not, William’s fists clenched, and he held his ground, ready to beat the shit out of his brother.
When Rys was close enough, he pleaded, “I’m so sorry. Please, baby. Please.” There was desperation in his brother’s voice. William didn’t think. He just acted.
William’s knuckles connected with Rys chin, and he heard Jane cry out for him to stop, but William couldn’t see or comprehend anything but Rys in front of him. The punch sent his twin stumbling back. Rys grabbed his jaw, casting a shocked look at William that then turned furious.
“What the fuck, dude?”
“Stay away from her, Rys. I’ve told you over and over again that she isn’t like the whores you sleep with that like it rough. I don’t know what the fuck you did to her, but it’s clear you hurt her in some way.” Rys took a step forward, his eyes flickering back to Jane. Will turned around, saw Jane had gotten out of the truck, and immediately went to her. She was crying harder, her eyes red and swollen as she stared at Rys.
“He didn’t hurt me, not in the way you think, at least.”
Will wrapped his arms around her, and she molded into his side. “He hurt you somehow, sweetheart. Tell me.” She looked up at his face and smiled sadly. When her mouth opened, a commotion had the three of them turning and watching Christa Martine march toward them.
“Fuck,” muttered Rys. He ran a hand through his hair as he looked back at Jane. “It’s not true, baby. I swear to God it’s not true.
Before Will could demand what the hell Rys was talking
about s twin continued speaking.
“You have it all wrong, Will.” Rys’s voice was soft, distant. It was so unlike his normally hard-edged brother.
Jane buried her head in Will’s side and sobbed. Hearing Jane cry had him feeling so helpless. Christa marched up to Rys and looked around his shoulder to give a narrow-eyed look to Jane.
“Just leave, Christa. I have nothing more to say to you.” Rys sounded defeated and a thought flitted through Will’s head, but he shook it off. No, Rys wouldn’t have cheated on Jane. He loved her so much. They both did.
“Everyone already knows, and I think your little slut should know too.”
Rys took a menacing step toward Christa, and if William hadn’t known his brother would never hurt a female, he would have been right there holding him back. “You don’t call her that. She isn’t the one that spreads her legs to half the town.”
Christa snorted loudly. “What-the-fuck-ever.” When Rys didn’t respond, Christa’s eyes grew large. “You know, everyone has heard the rumors about the three of you fucking around, but I was hoping that was all they were, rumors. It’s clear everyone was right about Jane Silver being a little white trash slut.”
If Jane hadn’t been holding onto William so tightly, needing him at that moment, he would have stood toe-to-toe with the bitch. No one insulted their girl. No one.
“You gonna tell ’em or do you want me to?” By now the whole party was at a standstill, everyone’s attention on them. A minute passed and then Christa smirked cockily. “Fine.” Taking a step to the side, she glared at Jane who was now no longer clinging to Will. “I’ve fucked Rys plenty of times, and now I’m going to have his baby.” Her grin widened and she looked at Rys with an almost dreamy expression. “I’m nine weeks pregnant. I tried to tell Rys when I saw him at Rowdy’s the other day, but he brushed me off like I was some piece of shit on his shoe. Well, he can’t brush me off now, can he?” She looked smug, and it pissed Will the hell off.
It wasn’t like he didn’t believe Christa was knocked up. Hell, the whole damn town was just waiting for it. It was no secret that she slept around, but now she was blaming it on Rys. The thing was that Rys never, and he meant never, fucked women without protection. His twin was a stickler for it, same as Will. They might not wear a condom with Jane, but she was Jane, their Jane.
“There is no fucking way that baby is mine.” Rys was staring intently at Jane, pleading with her. “I’m not denying I slept with her, but it was before we started our relationship, Jane. I’ve always, always worn a condom—”
“Condoms break, Rys baby.”
“Shut the hell up, Christa.” He growled at her. “The condom didn’t break, and I’ll say this one more time. That. Is. Not. My. Baby.”
Silence descended around them, and Will felt Jane’s gaze. He looked down at her and cupped her chin in his hand.
“Will, please, take me home.” She closed her eyes just as a big, fat tear slid out the corner of one. When she was in the truck and the door was shut behind her, Will made his way to Rys. Speaking in a low tone, he said, “Get this shit sorted out, man. I know you’re careful, but Janey doesn’t need this shit.” Rys didn’t reply, wouldn’t even look at him. His entire gaze was on Jane. Will got in the truck and started it, knowing his brother would find a way home, but even if he didn’t have one, Will didn’t give a shit. All he cared about was getting Janey the hell out of there.
Chapter Fifteen
Jane stared at her cup of coffee, the cream swirling through the dark liquid. It had been three weeks since the blowup at Brooklyn’s party. She had avoided Rys and William, not knowing how to feel about Christa’s confession. She wasn’t angry with Rys over Christa’s words. She was hurt. She knew Rys and William had slept with people before their relationship started and that they had always been careful when it came to protecting themselves, but had Rys had a lack of judgment when it came to Christa? She would like to think that he hadn’t, but he had slept with her without a condom and he hadn’t seemed overly concerned about it. She couldn’t shake the image of Rys and Christa…together. Even after three weeks of successfully avoiding their phone calls and visits to the diner and her house, the ache in her chest hadn’t faded.
William hadn’t hurt her, but he was an exact replica of Rys, so when she looked at him, she saw Rys.
“Honey, you need to stop avoiding those boys.”
Jane didn’t bother turning around. She stirred her coffee, mixing the liquid until it was a creamy hue. “Mom, I told you I just can’t see them. I don’t know what to say.”
“I know, sweetie, but I can’t keep turning them away.” Her mom moved behind her and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Those boys love you, honey. I can see it in their eyes every time they beg me to let them come in and see you. It breaks my heart telling them no.”
Jane took a sip of her coffee and set it back on the counter. She looked out the window above the kitchen sink and watched as Rys walked back to his truck. This was a daily thing, sometimes twice a day. Sometimes it was just Rys or William that stopped by, bearing flowers. Other days it was both of them. Jane never answered the door, always having her mom do her dirty work. It broke her heart hearing them beg her mom to let them see her, but she just couldn’t, not yet. It wasn’t even Rys’s fault, not really. So shit happened, he got a girl pregnant, supposedly, why was she punishing all of them? You know why, Jane. The damn little voice in her head decided to pipe in once again. All she could think about was getting back with them, not letting this ruin the incredible thing they had, but then she saw Christa having her baby, a little baby that looked just like Rys and William. Rys would see the baby, fall in love with it, and leave to be with Christa to have a happy little family. If it was just the issue with the baby, maybe it wouldn’t have been such a big deal, but Jane had known Christa her whole damn life. There was no way she would leave Rys alone. The girl would want that happily ever after, and Jane couldn’t blame her, not in the least. That was what really hurt, and that was why she was having such a hard time with this. She just knew if she went back with them and opened up her heart again, it would just end up getting broken again. Rys would leave her to be with Christa, and even though she’d still have William, her sweet, sweet William, it would be like looking at Rys. Thinking like that wasn’t fair to William. She could never just be with one of them, had never envisioned himself only being with one Holden twin.
Taking a deep breath at the sight of Rys, she felt tears prick her eyes. The smell of lilacs filled her senses, and she knew her mother held another bouquet. Rys stopped when he got to his truck and dropped his head. He stood like that for several seconds, and her heart broke more. God, she missed them terribly. It was like her heart was getting ripped from her chest. When his head lifted and he looked over his shoulder, their eyes connected. Her chest ached something terrible at the hopelessness in his gaze. He said so much with that look, and she had to force herself to turn away from the window. She would always have that image of him ingrained in her head.
She dragged herself to the kitchen table and sat down. Moments later, she heard his diesel truck starting up and then fading in the distance. Her mother set the flowers and Jane’s cell phone in front of her.
“Look at me, sweetie.”
Lifting her eyes, Jane stared into her mom’s face. “You need to wake up, Jane honey. Life sometimes throws you a curveball, but you have to move on. You have to pick up the broken pieces, put them back together as best as you can, and start over. It’ll be hard. We both know that, and I know how painful it is, but life is too short to throw away the love that the three of you have.” She cupped Jane’s cheek and smiled. “I threw away my life on a man that wasn’t worthy. The only good thing that came out of my marriage to Charles was you, darling. Don’t give up on those boys because they will never give up on you.”
Her mother kissed her on the forehead and turned to leave. Jane watched her go. She had never heard her mother admit that her m
arriage to her father was a mistake. There had been sadness and conviction in her mother’s words but truth also. She needed time to think, needed to sort out being with William and Rys. Knowing one of them would be having a baby, a baby that wasn’t hers, was a lot to take in. She had loved those two for as long as she could remember. Jane had pictured a life with them, one that included a family.
Yeah, it was a lot to take in. She didn’t really want to deal with it right now, that was for sure. Looking at the flowers again, she let her fingers graze over the purple petals. Her phone lay in front of her. It was turned off because the texts and calls form Rys and William had been too much for her to cope with. She turned it on, and a series of beeps alerted her to the numerous texts and voicemails. She opened up her inbox and texts from Rys and Will popped up. She read through them, tears prickling her eyes.
Sweetheart, please don’t shut us out. I know things are hard right now, but we need to talk.