Sin City Baby

by Rye Hart

“We know that’s not true,” my mother said.

  “Mother, will you please just let it go?” I practically begged.

  “I will not. I want to know if you’ve gotten yourself into a situation that could reflect negatively on your father and me. You are under our roof and our rules have not changed since you left. We still demand respect,” she said.

  I sighed and rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. “I can’t tell you what’s going on. But know I have it under control,” I said.

  “I told you this wouldn’t work,” my mother said.

  “Sam, talk to us,” my father said.

  “There really isn’t anything else to talk about. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some work that I really need to get done before my next deadline.”

  I walked quietly back up the stairs and into my “bedroom.” Quite frankly, it was none of their damn business what was going on with me. I was a grown woman with a full-time job, a place of her own, and had no bills that were their responsibility whatsoever. I didn’t owe them anything. Mom wanted to bitch about how I never came home, and then I come home when I need the support of family the most and all they did was prove to me why I stayed away.

  What a joke.

  My parents didn’t have a right to my life, but my mother was right. I was back under their roof, however temporary. And that meant certain rules needed to be followed out of respect, whether or not they gave it back to me. I still didn’t believe they had a right to every detail of my life, but I wasn’t going to stomp all over their rules. I kept my noise down, met them for all meals, and I would let them know if I went anywhere and would give them a time I was coming back.

  None of that required my life story, however.

  Part of me wished I could take back what happened.

  But an honest part of me didn’t.

  I opened my laptop and got a bit of work done when my stomach growled. I looked at the clock. It was nowhere near close to dinner. I changed my clothes and went downstairs, and I didn’t see my parents anywhere. If they weren’t anywhere for me to tell them where I was going, then I had to leave a note. I scribbled down the name of a restaurant in town along with the time I’d be back, then I did something I knew they wouldn’t like.

  I told them I probably wouldn’t be hungry for dinner.

  I grabbed my purse and prepared the leave the house when a knock came at the door. I opened it up and found Lauren standing there, and she threw her arms around me. It felt good to hug my best friend. It felt good to be in the warmth of an embrace I considered family.

  But knowing the secret I was keeping from her was killing me inside.

  “I’ve been so worried about you,” she said.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t picked up your calls. I’ve been tired.”

  “You’ve been texting. It’s fine. Where are you headed? You look like you’re going somewhere.”

  “To get some food. I didn’t eat breakfast, and I’m starving,” I said.

  “Come on. We can go spend some time together.”

  I didn’t know if that was a good idea, but time with my best friend was something I needed, so I agreed.

  “What’s going on with you?” Lauren asked as we drove in her car.

  “Nothing. Like I said, I’ve just been busy working.” It wasn’t a total lie.

  “Listen Sam, I’ve known you for a long time and I know you better than you know yourself. I know you didn’t leave Vegas because of work.”

  I panned my gaze over to her as panic settled in my veins.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I know my brothers had something to do with it. What happened after Todd and I left you all in the club that night? Did they bring strippers back to the room or do something equally gross to make you want to stay away from them?

  No, I wanted to say. I was the gross one. I was the one who fucked all four of them at once. Seriously, who does something like that?

  “What did they do?” she asked again.

  “Nothing,” I said. “Seriously. I’m just so stressed.”

  “About what?”

  “Everything. Work. This thing in France. The pictures were terrible. My savings account isn’t where I want it to be.” I told lie after lie to my best friend, feeling more and more like shit with each one.

  “Are you worried you won’t be able to afford to stand up? If that’s the case, Todd and I will cover whatever costs you need us to.”

  I glanced down at my empty ring finger and sighed.

  “No, no. It’s not that at all. It’s just – I don’t know. I got so overwhelmed all of a sudden.”

  “I’m worried about you.”

  “I know you are. And you don’t have to be. No one did anything. It’s just stress. That’s it.”

  “Stress that made you come to your parents, Sam.”

  “I get it. Coming to L.A. was an impulsive move. Trust me. I hear you,” I said.

  “Then will you make another impulsive move with me?” she asked.

  “What?”

  I felt Lauren take my hands before she drew in a deep breath.

  “It breaks my heart that you won’t be in my wedding. You’re my best friend. If you’re not my maid of honor, then who is? No one else knows me like you do, and whatever you need I’ll give it to you if you’ll be in it. Okay? If you don’t want to see my brothers, done. If you don’t like the dress, we’ll change it. But Sam, I can’t do this wedding without you. It won’t be the day I’d always dreamed of if you’re not a part of it.”

  How could I stand up at my best friend’s wedding knowing I’d fucked all of her brothers at once? Who had I turned into? But as I looked into Lauren’s eyes and saw her desperation, I knew I couldn’t let her down. I wanted to be there for her big day. I wanted to see her marry the love of her life.

  But lying to her?

  I had to find a way to talk with her about all of this. It would ruin us if I didn’t.

  And I couldn’t lose my best friend. Not after everything that had happened.

  “Backing out of the wedding was idiotic of me. I’m sorry,” I said.

  “Does that mean I still have a maid of honor?” she asked, smiling.

  “Yes,” I said. “You still have a maid of honor.”

  “Oh my gosh! Yes. Good. Okay. Because let me tell you, I’ve been breathing down my brother’s necks over this thing thinking they did something. We don’t have to talk about it now if you don’t want to. But if they really didn’t do anything, I have some serious apologizing to do. Because man, I’ve really been a bitch and a half to them. I’m choosing to blame the time of the month.”

  Her words hit my ears but barely penetrated. Time of the month. What day was it anyway? I checked my phone and nearly had a heart attack. I’d been so busy feeling ashamed of what had happened in Vegas and focusing on the divorce that I never even realized that I’d missed my period. I mean, I had been stressed, but stressed enough to be late?

  I’d never been late. I did three years of straight-up school in college. I pulled multiple all-nighters studying for finals, and not once had that stress caused me to miss a period.

  Oh, no.

  Fuck. Fuck no.

  “Lauren?”

  “Yeah?” she asked.

  “I think we need to go to a drug store,” I said.

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “Um, well, I mean, it could be nothing.”

  “What is it?” Lauren asked as she whipped a U-turn. “What’s going on?”

  “I haven’t started my period yet.”

  Her eyes flickered over to me before she stomped on the gas. We raced up the block before she skidded into the parking lot of the nearest pharmacy. She grabbed my hand and tugged me in, dragging me down the “family planning” aisle. We each grabbed an insane amount of tests and dumped them onto the counter as my hands began to shake.

  This couldn’t be happening.

  This wasn’t possible.

  “Where’s your bath
room?” Lauren asked.

  “Back left corner. Take your time,” the cashier said.

  Lauren grabbed the bags. I followed her, my mind at a dead standstill.

  I sat as Lauren handed me test after test. By the time we were done, I had ten of them sitting on the floor. I sat and watched them as Lauren stood outside of my bathroom stall. Everything was dead silent except for the voices rattling around in my head.

  Suddenly, they all began to change. Words started to pop up on digital tests and lines started to illuminate on the test strips. I watched with careful eyes as Lauren slowly opened my bathroom stall door, and tears brewed behind my vision.

  Plus signs.

  Blue lines.

  Pink crosses.

  Pregnant, 3–4 weeks.

  “Oh no,” I said in a whisper.

  “Three to four weeks. But that was—”

  I looked up into Lauren’s eyes as a tear slid down my cheek.

  Vegas.

  CHAPTER 13

  LIAM

  “I want to take a trip to L.A.,” I said.

  “Oh, great. After I fucking hauled ass there and back. Priceless,” Levi said.

  “Shut the fuck up and let Liam talk,” Logan said.

  “Why?” Luke asked. “Why now?”

  “So, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that what happened in Vegas almost a month ago didn’t phase us much,” I said.

  “Define ‘phase,’” Luke said.

  “I didn’t fucking hate it if that’s what you’re asking,” Levi said.

  “I actually thought it was kind of fun,” Logan said.

  “Hot,” Luke said.

  “One thing came to light that night, and throughout all this, and that’s the fact that we all care about Samantha, right?” I asked.

  My brothers fell silent, and their gazes fell to the floor.

  “I know we all care about her. As more than a friend. And I know we’ve all been worried sick in our own way about her. It’s been almost a month. Samantha’s had plenty of time to process and think on things. And I’ve been checking up with our lawyer. She hasn’t filed that paperwork yet.”

  “Wait, she hasn’t?” Luke asked.

  “Maybe she’s changed her mind?” Levi asked.

  “That’s why you want to go to L.A.,” Logan said.

  “At the very least, Samantha’s still struggling. And the fact that she’s not back isn’t good. And the fact that we haven’t heard from Lauren really isn’t good,” I said. “So, I’m going to L.A. this weekend. All I need to know is who’s coming with me.”

  “Hell, yeah. Count me in,” Logan said.

  “I’m already fucking there,” Levi said.

  “Yep. Count me in, too,” Luke said.

  “We’ll have to work from the road, so pack your things because I don’t plan on leaving until I talk with Samantha. No matter how long I have to sit and wait her out,” I said.

  “You might not have to wait as long as you think,” Levi said.

  “What do you mean?” Logan asked. “Did something happen when you dropped off those papers?”

  “Uh.”

  “Levi?” Luke asked. “What did you do?”

  “Look, I left her a voice message telling her I was getting a room for the night at a hotel and that I had something for her. I figured if I left the damn papers at her parent’s house, that would spell more trouble for her. And she actually came,” Levi said.

  “But you told us you dropped off those papers at her parent’s,” Logan said.

  “I did,” Levi said.

  “Wait, you’re not making any sense,” I said.

  “Fuck, okay. Guys. She came to the hotel—and things escalated.”

  “You banged Sam again, didn’t you?” Logan asked.

  “Really?” Luke asked. “Right now? During all this?”

  “Okay, get past the fact that we fucked and listen to me,” Levi said. “Sam’s embarrassed.”

  “We figured that,” I said.

  “No, she’s also scared about what Lauren will think. Look, Sam’s strong, but she’s scared to death to lose her best friend. Her family isn’t exactly close and Lauren is the closest thing she’s got. She was fiery and passionate. She wanted what happened between the two of us, just like I know she wanted what happened in Vegas. But she’s a strong woman, and she fucked all of us at the same time. Her best friend’s brothers. In her mind, that’s some serious taboo shit,” Levi said.

  “She probably doesn’t know what to do about it now that it’s happened,” Logan said.

  “Which is all the more reason for us to go to L.A. and get her to talk,” I said.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Sounds good to me.”

  “Has anyone heard from Lauren?” Logan asked.

  “I haven’t, thank fuck. I swear to hell, that woman can really come at you when she wants,” Levi said.

  “Maybe she’s gone up there to talk to Sam for herself?” Luke asked.

  “Doesn’t matter,” I said. “The point is, at the very least, we have to talk Samantha into being in Lauren’s wedding. It’s in two weeks. We made a promise to Lauren to make that happen for her and we can’t let our sister down.”

  “We all have a responsibility to how this situation has spiraled out of control,” I said.

  “So when the fuck do we leave for L.A.?” Levi asked. “And who’s driving?”

  “I can drive,” Logan said. “My SUV will fit us and all our shit.”

  “I’ll book us a hotel,” Luke said.

  “We’ll close up early Friday and work from the road,” I said. “Everyone okay with meeting here at three?”

  “I close down the sites at two on Fridays to give the guys a break, so I’ll be here,” Levi said.

  “I’ll have all my paperwork done and ready to turn in by that time,” Logan said.

  “And what if she doesn’t want to talk to us?” Luke asked.

  I sighed as I raked a hand through my hair.

  “Let’s hope she does and go from there,” I said.

  CHAPTER 14

  LUKE

  I felt conflicted about heading to L.A. without Sam knowing we were coming. All we had to go on was the fact that Levi seemed confident that she was listening to our voice messages. She still wasn’t taking our calls, and neither was Lauren at this point. The best-case scenario was that they had reconciled and turned against us. It didn’t get my brothers and I any closer to Sam, but it did get Sam to Lauren’s wedding.

  At least, the way it panned out in my head had that happening.

  “I think we should go to her parent’s house. Confront her right there,” Logan said.

  “Sounds like a brilliant plan,” Liam said. “Scare her off and piss her off.”

  “And what about her fucking parents?” Levi asked. “They’ll be there for sure.”

  “Four of us against the two of them? It’s a no-brainer. They haven’t seen us in years,” Logan said.

  “What are you going to do? Beat them into the ground with your fist?” I asked.

  “If they start fucking going in on Sam, I might do that with her father,” Levi said.

  “Honestly, since she’s not picking up our calls, going to her house might be our best bet,” Liam said.

  “I’ve left her several voice messages about where we’ll be for the weekend. Even gave her the room number like Levi did when he came up here. What has you guys so convinced she won’t come?” I asked.

  “Just trust me on this. Levi and Samantha are a different story. But all of us at once? It might require us to use some heavy-handed tactics,” Liam said.

  I didn’t know how I felt about that. About using anything that could be considered “heavy-handed” on Sam. I cared about her and what was going on with her, and I didn’t want to force anything out of her.

  I loved Sam.

  I didn’t want to approach her like this.

  I convinced the guys to drive to the hotel first and at least get us checked in.
From there, I could send a text message to Sam and tell her we were all there. I could stall my brothers, see if Sam would show up, then we could go from there.

  But after two hours of stalling, Sam still didn’t show up.

  “You done testing your fucking theory?” Logan asked. “Because I’m ready to see Sam.”

  “I still don’t think this is a good idea,” I said.

  “It’s all we’ve got. We’re two weeks out from Lauren’s wedding, and we have no idea what’s going on. Samantha has to talk with us, and if she won’t come to us then we have to go to her,” Liam said.

  I was outnumbered, and I couldn’t hold them off any longer.

  We settled into our rooms in the hotel suite I’d booked us for the weekend. Then, we headed out. Logan pulled into the driveway and we all hopped out, making our way for the porch. The good thing was that none of us saw her parents’ vehicles in the driveway, which meant less of a chance of confrontation. Liam lifted his hand and knocked on the door, and a few seconds later there she was.

  Standing right in front of us.

  With shock rolling over her features.

  “What are you guys doing here?” Sam asked whispering.

  “Can we talk with you?” Liam asked.

  “My parents are home,” she said even softer.

  “We don’t see their cars,” I said.

  She glared at me before her gaze panned over to Levi. Her eyes softened, and I could’ve sworn I saw a grin tick her cheek. I didn’t like that. I looked over at Levi and saw a smile bloom across his face. A round of jealousy punched me in the gut.

  Of course, Levi would’ve slept with her when he had the chance.

  “Then meet us at the hotel,” Logan said.

  “Have you been getting my voice messages?” I asked.

  Sam nodded before she looked behind her.

  “Fine. I’ll meet you guys at the hotel. Twenty minutes?” she asked.

  “It has a restaurant in the lobby. We’ll be there,” Liam said.

  She shut the door quickly in our faces, and we all headed back to the car. We drove through town as I anxiously counted down the minutes. We walked into the hotel and made our way to the restaurant, finding a table that would fit all of us. We ordered a round of drinks and all eyes were on the entrance. I counted the seconds in my head, hoping and praying she would show up. I wanted to talk with her. To get some time with her.