Sly stops me. “Hey, calm down, this isn’t good for the baby. Don’t let him take this away from you. This is yours, you be happy and have that baby.”
“That’s easy to say, Sly. He’ll never leave me alone once he finds out I’m pregnant. I can’t share this baby with him. He’s dangerous.”
Sly shrugs. “So tell him it’s not his.”
I shake my head. “He’ll know.”
“No, he won’t, we’ll say it’s mine. It’s not like you are going to have a meter on the side of your belly showing your due date. If it ever comes up, you just say you’re five weeks behind what you are.”
“Oh everyone is going to think I was cheating on him, just like that cop said the other day. He was wondering if I was playing you two against each other.” I cover my face.
“Like I said, we won’t tell anyone for a while, then we’ll tell them we hooked up later. I mean Huck saw us this morning and he knows there was nothing before. We won’t tell anyone anything for a little while, okay? I’m going to take care of you and this baby.”
Sly holds out my pants to help me put them on. “You can’t claim this child, Sly.”
He pulls up my pants and buttons them. “Well, I just did.”
CHAPTER 12
SLY
What in the hell did I just do? I just claimed a kid that I know isn’t mine. She needs me though. Kara needs me and if I’m being honest with myself, I need her.
We’re still sitting in the parking lot of the doctor’s building and she’s shaking her head. “You can’t do this, Sly. This is just crazy. I- we- a baby-. It’s just. Oh my God.” She starts crying again and buries her face in her hands. “No, this can’t be happening. I can’t do this. I can’t be a mom to a kid of a crazy person.”
“Sweetie, you need to calm down. It isn’t good for the baby,” I say as I reach across the console to hold her hand.
She snatches it back. “Damn it, Sly! I’m being fucking serious. Even if we do pull this off and Drake never knows, how will we eventually explain this to the baby? How are you going to explain this to the girls you wanna hook up with?”
I glare at her, “I told you this morning that this was more than just sex.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m sure you didn’t think that would mean a kid right off the bat. I’m not holding you to all of this.” She pulls out her phone.
“Wait. What are you doing?”
“I’m calling Sloan.” She starts swiping stuff on her phone.
“Don’t do that.” I try to reach for her phone. “Look, let’s get back to the house and talk about this, like seriously talk about it. Okay?”
She looks down at her feet and then out the window, laying her phone in her lap. “Okay,” she says just above a whisper.
We stay quiet the rest of the way home and as I pull in the driveway, I notice she’s asleep. I get out and go around to her side, lifting her gently and taking her inside. As we walk through the foyer, she wakes up. “Sly?”
“Hey, sexy, you fell asleep. You need your rest so I’m going to put you in your bed, then I’m gonna fix us some lunch and we’ll talk later.”
She just nods her head as I lie her down. She is beautiful. I look at her sleeping so peacefully, so soft. Why would someone purposely hurt her? Why would she believe the things he said about her?
In the kitchen, I pull out what I’ll need to make us a couple of wraps for lunch. Shit. What can pregnant women eat?
Pulling out my phone, I Google it.
Holy shit! This is scary. Okay, I get the no raw meat, but deli meat? No fish, no seafood, and the list goes on and on. What in the hell do they expect her to eat? One website says it’s okay and another says it’s going to kill her or the baby.
Okay, so grilled chicken with thoroughly washed vegetables it is.
After I finish making our wraps, I take them to her room with a glass of milk. She is sitting up in bed staring off into space.
“Hey, I thought you were sleeping?”
She picks at the pillow in her lap. “I was, but I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“Here, I made you some lunch and brought you a glass of milk,” I say while handing her the plate.
She sighs. “Thanks. I’m not really that hungry.”
“Hey, you’ve got to eat. The baby needs it. I even Googled to see what you could and couldn’t eat so please, just try.”
She nods and takes a small bite.
“Kara, let me help you with this. Look at Huck and me. Elaine isn’t our blood relative, but we’d do more for her than our own mother. Look at Lox and Slick, he and that kid are over the moon for each other.”
She stops chewing. “Look, Sly, I know you would be good to this baby. That isn’t the issue. I need some time to make up my mind about everything. I’m glad you stopped me from calling Sloan. I don’t want everyone knowing just yet, I’ve got enough of a circus going on. Just keep this between you and me for a little longer, okay?”
“Yeah, I get it. Just know that I’m here. Just be careful, okay? We don’t need Drake finding out. The no contact order is in place, but we both know that a piece of paper is just that - a piece of paper. It won’t stop him.”
She nods her head, taking another bite of her wrap. After she chews she looks at me. “That is the scariest part to me. A child would never survive with him. Never. If he found out I was pregnant with his child, he’d make my life a living hell or try to kill me. At that point, I think I’d rather be dead.”
I grab her hand. “Don’t say shit like that. If I have anything to do with this, he’s not going to find out.”
I see the tears rolling out of her eyes again. “I just feel like my life is so fucked up. How am I going to take care of a child? I don’t have a place to live. I have a decent job, but not a great one. My mom can’t help me the way Sloan’s parents helped her. My sister is leaving for college in a few months. I have no one. I just feel lost and helpless. And I’m really pissed off that I feel like I did this to my damn self.”
I reach over and pull her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her. “Hey, it’s all going to be okay. You have a place here as long as you want it. All of us will help you with the baby. You’re part of the family, we’ve tried to tell you this.”
She lays her head on my shoulder and speaks. “I’m just really scared. All of the ‘what ifs’ are playing out in my head.”
“I think you’ll be fine. I mean look at Huck and me. Our mom is an honest to God crack head and we turned out okay. I mean Elaine helped and so did Marco, but we were on our own a lot. We probably saw a lot of shit kids shouldn’t see and we can’t un-see, but we are okay.”
“I know what you’re saying, it’s just very overwhelming right now. I never intended to have kids outside of marriage. That was my whole reason for having the implant.”
I rub my hand down her hair. “Well, you know the road to hell was paved with good intentions.”
She looks up at me like I’ve lost my mind. “What does that have to do with anything?”
I shrug and laugh, “I don’t know. Also, while you’re busy making plans, God’s laughing and saying ‘now here’s what is really going to happen.’”
She shakes her head. “I think you got hit too many times in the head and you’ve lost it.”
“Nah, I was just trying to be inspirational and shit.”
She laughs and pats me on the arm. “Stick to fighting.”
“Got you laughing, didn’t I?”
She tries to cover her mouth. “Yeah, you did.”
I’ll make her laugh for the rest of my life if I can. I always try to be the calm jokester on the outside, on the inside I’m scared out of my mind.
CHAPTER 13
KARA
Throwing up sucks. Why do they call it morning sickness when it happens all damn day? For almost four weeks this has been happening. It’s getting harder to come up with excuses, especially for Sloan since she sees me all the time. At home it’s not a big
deal, well, because Sly knows and Huck doesn’t really pay attention.
Looking in the mirror, I wipe my face with a wet paper towel. Making sure all of the vomit is off of my face before going in to meet with Robin would probably be a good idea. Once I double check my face in the mirror, I step back out in the lobby and have a seat.
Dealing with the sickness only brings on the thoughts of the doctor’s appointment next week. Luckily, I can schedule it on Friday afternoon so Doc and Sloan are none the wiser. I know I’m going to have to tell them sooner or later, but I’d really like to be through the first 12 weeks so I can say that I’m 9 or 10 weeks. That way the story of it being Sly’s is a little more believable. I’m still not certain that it’s a great idea, but he is adamant that it is. To be honest, I guess he’s right. No one would believe after what I went through that I was with a random person so soon, and everyone knows that Sly and I have flirted on and off for a long time. Sloan and Lox think we hooked up a long time ago. What would keep us from doing it again? Huck caught us in bed together and if I have to share a child with someone outside of marriage, I guess I couldn’t ask for a better person. I’m just not sure Sly is as ready as he thinks he is.
Setting Sly’s idea more into stone was the notification I received the other day. There will be a hearing in a month that I have to attend. That’s when the state will present its case against Drake.
“Kara,” Robin calls, breaking me from my thoughts. “You ready?”
I stand up, gathering my purse. “Yes.” I follow her into her office and have a seat.
“So Kara, tell me, how are things going?”
I look at Robin, she’s so calming to me. I feel like she can see through me. That makes me nervous and calm all at the same time. “I got a court subpoena about the hearing for Drake. It’s in a month. My boss wants to shut down the office and show me support by being there when I testify. My friend, Sloan, will have to testify also. All of the guys have to be there to testify. My mom and sister want to be there to support me. It’s turning into a damn circus. I appreciate everyone wanting to support me, but I feel like I’m suffocating. Oh my God, I’m so sorry I’m rambling.”
“Have you told them this?”
“No, because then I would be the person who was ungrateful for her family and friends’ support. My mother doesn’t need all of this stress with her health.” I don’t even realize I’ve started crying until she hands me a tissue.
“Is there anything else? You seem like you’re wrestling with something.”
I shake my head. “No, just all of that.” I glance at the door. I should start rambling about something else.
“Kara, honesty is a part of this process. Something is going on, you’re looking everywhere in the room but at me.”
I wipe my eyes. “I’m pregnant,” I blurt out like verbal diarrhea.
“Is it Drake’s baby?”
“No,” I shake my head adamantly. “It’s Sly’s.”
She sighs, “Kara, remember that all of my opinions are checked at the door. As long as you aren’t endangering yourself or another person, what you say here is confidential. I won’t ever say anything to anyone. It would be a little soon for you to know you’re pregnant by Sly. If the two of you have even had sex.”
I shake my head. “No, this is Sly’s baby.”
She places her hand on mine. “Kara, in order for this to work I need you to be honest with me. Please.”
I continue to shake my head, not wanting to admit it out loud. “A baby would never be safe with Drake. I would never be safe if I had Drake’s baby. So this,” I point to my stomach, “has to be Sly’s baby.”
Using her hands as if in defense, she smiles, “Okay, I get it and I understand. I just ask you to move forward cautiously.”
I lay my head back against the wall behind the couch. “I know. Not only am I dealing with an asshole ex that is a damn ticking time bomb, I’m not sure Sly is as ready for this as he thinks he is. I mean he says he wants more, but Sly has never had more, he’s never done a relationship. He says if I don’t want to be in a relationship with him that he’ll still help with the baby. I think it’s too much.”
“Are you afraid he’ll let you down?”
“A little.”
“Are you afraid he’ll let this baby down?”
“No.”
“I don’t think you’re so much worried about how Sly will be with the baby, as much as you’re worried about your own heart.”
I stand up and start walking around the room. “I don’t know if I can be with Sly. I don’t know if my heart can take it again. Right now, he says I’m beautiful. What about six months from now when I’m swollen and really fat? How will he see me then?”
“Kara, stop pacing and come sit back down.” She turns to me as I sit. “Look, has Sly ever done anything to make you think he was judging you by your appearance?”
I look down at my fingers as I stop to stare out the window. “No. Well, he always says I’m beautiful and sexy, and that he likes my ass. I just wonder when it will end.”
“Does it have to? Can you think of a time when Sly told you that you were pretty when you didn’t feel pretty?”
“After Drake hurt me. He told me I was still beautiful. That I was perfect.” I wipe my eyes with the tissue again, thinking about the sweet things he’s said to me.
She rolls her lips in and takes a deep breath. “I’m not saying you should go full force into another relationship, that’s not where I’m going with this.” She puts her hands up like she’s stopping something. “But, if he’s determined to claim this child as his and you are comfortable with it, you are going to have to accept Sly. It seems to me, in his eyes, you are perfect.” She puts her hands back on top of mine. “Crazier things have come from worse situations, believe me. Just learn to love yourself. Take care of yourself and the baby. Have you had anymore nightmares?”
I pull apart the tissue in my hand. “A few, mostly about Drake taking the baby, but Sly has been sleeping with me so they aren’t that bad.”
“Here’s a loaded question and remember, you can be honest with me.” She sighs, “Have you and Sly been intimate?”
“Yes, the night before I found out about the baby. We’ve kissed and cuddled since then, but he says he’s trying to give me time to adjust.”
“Sounds like he’s thinking about your heart, too.” Her watch beeps and she looks down. “Okay, our time for today is up. I want you to make me a few lists over the next couple of weeks. List number one is ten things you love about yourself, list number two is ten things you want for this baby, and list number three is ten things you want to do with your life.”
I stand up and she hugs me. “I’ll see you in a couple of weeks. Now, that will be right before court, make sure I see you then. We’ll need to talk about some tools for you to use.” She rubs my shoulder. “Okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, I’ll see you then.”
On the way out, I set up my next appointment. As I’m putting it in my phone, it buzzes letting me know I have some text messages.
I open the first one and see it’s from Sly.
SLY: Just checking on you sexy. We’re having steak tonight. I also picked you up some of those ice cream sandwiches you’ve been eating. Hope your appt. went well.
I smile thinking about the sweet little things he does for me. Then I make the mistake of opening the second one.
9043235685: The fact that you’ve become complacent shows just how stupid you are. You will get what’s coming to you bitch.
I start crying and shaking my phone. The receptionist is saying something but I don’t hear it. She jumps up and calls for Robin.
Robin grabs my shoulders. “Kara. Kara. Look at me. What’s going on?”
“I- I, the ph-phone.” She takes the phone from me and looks over the text. “C-call Sly, please.”
The receptionist sits me in a chair and hands me a cup of water. “Honey, drink this and try to calm down, okay? Robin is
calling him now.”
I see Robin on my phone talking and once she finishes, she walks over to me. “Kara, he’s on his way and then you guys are going to see Detective Harmon.” She rubs my arms. “Why don’t you come lie down in my office? Patricia will let us know when he gets here.”
I nod and stand, slowly following her into the room.
CHAPTER 14
SLY
I didn’t even realize my brother was in the truck with me until I was already backed out of the driveway. “What in the hell is going on, Sly?”
“Kara got another text. She’s at her damn counseling appointment and she had a breakdown in the office. That was Robin, her counselor, calling me.” I grip the wheel tighter. “Why are you here?”
“Well, when you started slamming shit around and stormed out of the house, I left the steaks in the marinade and ran out behind you. What is going on with you two?”
I swallow hard. “We are trying to have a relationship.”
“Is this because she’s pregnant?” He shakes his head back and forth, slamming his fist on the console of the truck.
“How did you know? We haven’t told anyone yet.” I glare at him.
“She’s throwing up all the time. You’re running around after her like a nursemaid. Trust me, I know you guys think I don’t pay attention, but I do. Everyone else is going to catch on soon, too. I also know that kid is fucking Drake’s. I also know you, baby brother, and I know you’re going to play the hero. You’re going to say this kid is yours.”
“Fuck you, man. She needs me and if I say that kid is mine, then it’s mine. No one can know that kid is his. He’ll kill her or make her life a living hell. Then what about the kid, do you think it deserves to have a father like him?” I slam my hands against the steering wheel. “Huh? Tell me. I care about that girl and I can’t sit by and let her go through all of this alone.”
In Sly's Eyes: In Sly's Eyes Marco's MMA Boys Book 2 Page 7