Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 82112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“No. I know what to expect.” I stared up at the house as we made our way closer to it.
“What about your dad?” she asked then.
“I’m pretty sure he knows. He’s just waiting on me to tell them.”
“How does he know?”
“Blaise knows. The family knows. My dad is family. I’m sure Blaise told him.”
“The family? As in the Mafia?”
I nodded my head, but said nothing more.
“Is that how you found out? About the pregnancy? Did they … tell you?”
Again, I nodded.
She let out a sigh. It sounded defeated. If that upset her, then she needed to toughen up. Her baby’s father was in deep, and I would be for the rest of my life. She would always be connected to us because of that fact. She would have no secrets.
“I guess I should be grateful they told you instead of killing me,” she whispered.
I couldn’t help myself. I looked at her again. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
She raised her eyebrows at me as if I was the one who had said something stupid. “That’s not dramatic. It’s a plausible concern.”
I shook my head. “There’s a lot you don’t know.”
“Oh, wow,” she breathed.
I glanced at her, frowning, and realized she was looking at the house. It was fully decorated for Christmas. My mom hired a company to decorate for the holidays, and it was always over the top.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. Well, except on TV,” she said, still taking in all the decorations.
Wreaths on every window, garland, and other festive shit. There were even two Christmas trees—one on each side of the front door.
“Yeah, she likes Christmas,” I said and kept walking.
She didn’t say anything else as we climbed the steps, and I opened the front door to the house I’d grown up in. I waved a hand for her to enter, and then I followed her inside. I could smell the cinnamon scent that wafted throughout the house. The Christmas party that they hosted was later this week. I had forgotten with Haisley and the pregnancy thing taking up all my thoughts.
I heard my mom’s high heels against the hardwood floor before she appeared in the entryway of the house. She paused when she saw Haisley. I watched her take in Haisley before turning her unsure smile toward me. I could see the questions in her eyes already. When I had told her I needed to talk to her this morning, I hadn’t mentioned that I would be bringing someone with me. Especially a girl.
“Mom, this is Haisley Slate,” I told her.
Mom continued to look confused as she turned her attention back to Haisley. “I see,” was all she said. “I, uh, thought you needed to talk to me about something.”
She was rattled already, and I hadn’t even told her yet.
“Can we go to the living room?” I asked her.
Her eyes glanced warily at Haisley, and then she nodded. “Of course.”
When she turned to walk toward the hallway that led to the living room, I nodded my head at Haisley to follow her. Even with the makeup, Haisley had gone pale. This might end up being worse than I’d imagined.
Mom walked over and sat down in one of the high-back chairs and crossed her legs as she waited for us to take a seat. I motioned for Haisley to sit down on the sofa across from Mom, and I sat down beside her.
The tight smile on my mother’s face was getting worse. “I’m assuming this is about me inviting Declan to the Christmas party,” she said, looking at me.
Shit. I hadn’t known she’d invited Declan. She needed to let that go. Even if there hadn’t been Haisley, Declan and I were done. Long over.
“Not exactly,” I replied, then cleared my throat. “I met Haisley a few months ago. She volunteered at the hospital with Aspen. We hit it off. Dated awhile.”
My mom’s gaze was now locked on Haisley. “I see. And you’ve been dating her for how long, and I am just now meeting her?”
I had to rip the Band-Aid off. Get this over with and face it. “Haisley is pregnant. It’s mine. I had a paternity test done.”
Mom shot up out of her chair, and her gaze swung to me. “How? Pregnant? What?” She shook her head, clearly in denial. “Saxon, this can’t be right. You aren’t the kind of boy that does something so … so reckless. I don’t see how this could have happened. And you’re sure it’s yours?”
I couldn’t look at Haisley. She was just going to have to deal with this. I could only worry about one of them at a time. “Yes. It’s mine. I chose to have unprotected sex. The paternity test was done by our people. There is no question.”
Mom covered her mouth with one hand, staring at me as if I were insane. “So, they know?” she asked me.