God, why was I so freakin’ nervous?
My eyes ran down Miller’s torso.
He was shirtless and barefoot. His uniform pants were the only thing he was wearing, having ripped the rest of the uniform off the minute he’d walked through my door.
I now had a designated spot for him to hang his things for work, as well as his clothes in my closet.
Something I found that he didn’t do, instead throwing everything he had on down on the couch the moment he walked in the door after a shift.
He’d gotten off of work only an hour ago, but he’d made a stop at the store to buy some pregnancy tests.
He probably looked like a weirdo buying as many as he had, but he was happy so I didn’t mind.
“I don’t need a whole two minutes. I’m just trying to figure out what the fuck the plus sign and the two lines mean,” he grumbled.
I snorted. “Well, it would’ve said on the directions.”
His eyes lifted and he glared before bending down and picking up the crumpled up directions.
“Two lines and no plus sign means negative,” he read. “Two lines and a plus sign means…” he looked up at me, meeting my eyes, when he said, “Positive.”
My heart started to pound ferociously. My eyes widened, and my breathing sped up.
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
He grinned and dropped the paper, which, I noticed, fell to the floor, completely missing the trashcan.
His arms wrapped around my shoulders, and he stared into my eyes through the mirror.
My eyes started to water, and then slowly, the tears spilled over.
“I hope it’s yours,” I said desperately.
His eyes, those beautiful blue, soulful eyes, were drowning in happiness.
My heart lightened slightly as I smiled sadly at him.
“It’s going to be okay,” he urged again.
I nodded. “I know. I know it will. I just hope it’s yours. With all my heart I hope the baby is yours.”
He kissed the side of my neck. “The baby is mine. It doesn’t matter whose fucking genes he or she carries. That baby will be mine just as much as it’s yours.”
The heartfelt promise from him had me breathing correctly again, but the little niggle of need slid down my spine as I snuggled into his arms.
Now that I was pregnant…would he be around like he used to be?
And what would everyone say? I had a feeling that this was going to get a lot worse before it got better.
I just hoped what I thought wouldn’t become a precursor of bad things to come.
Which was proved to be true an hour later when I got an express letter from Mitch’s lawyer telling me to meet them in two days’ time to discuss what he’d left me in his will.***Miller
“You fucking what?” My brothers yelled in unison.
I looked at them sharply, wondering what I’d said to make them both react like that.
“What the fuck?” I asked, standing up from my crouched position in the waist high water.
“Please tell me you’re fucking joking,” Foster pleaded, hands going up to his head and crossing at the top of his skull.
My brows furrowed. “What?”
“You knocked her up? After everything she’s been through?” Foster all but yelled.
Ducks that’d been coming in hot turned sharply, banking right and flying as fast as their wings could carry them.
“What the fuck would possess you to do that?” Trance growled.
“I didn’t do anything. We did it,” I said slowly.
What was their deal?
I had literally only said two words: ‘Mercy’s pregnant.’
Those two words had caused them both to explode into condemnations and accusations. Which led us to now.
“You can’t fucking use a condom for God’s sake? Now you’ll never know whose kid it is! Can you do a DNA test this young?” Trance asked.
“He’s so fucked now. She’ll say it’s his and he’ll have to pay child support,” Foster said with a snide tone to his voice.
I stopped and stared at the both of them. “You’re fucking kidding me right now, aren’t you?”
My brothers froze at the hardness and the absolute hostility that put a lethal edge in the tone of my voice.
“Miller,” Trance said, raising his hand. “What’s going on?”
Foster didn’t open his mouth again, only watched me, as did Trance.
“Listen, you stupid fucks,” I hissed. “I’m going to tell you this once, and once only. Mercy is mine. That kid she’s carrying is mine. And if you don’t like it, then you can get the fuck out of my life. Don’t make me do that, because I’m telling you right now, that if you ever make me choose, I’ll choose her. Every single fucking time and twice on Sunday. That woman is a part of me and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her from everything. Even my own brothers’ rudeness.”
Trance’s face tightened, as did Foster’s, but they didn’t argue.
“Listen,” Foster said softly. “It was never meant to come out as hurtful, we’re just worried about you man. Tell us what’s in your head. We love Mercy. We just don’t want to see you caught up in all the shit that we can see in the very near future.”
I visibly relaxed, knowing instantly that they’d have my back.
What Foster had just said had hit closer to home than he even knew.
We drove home in silence, the thrill of the hunt long gone.
They followed me inside my place, though, not thinking even for a moment that I would deny them entry.
“Fuck,” I said, dropping down to the couch in front of my brothers. “This has been a long fucking day, and I need to get your opinions on some things.”
They both sat, but not before they each grabbed a beer from the fridge.
We were at the apartment that I shared with Foster, although there hadn’t been much sharing lately. I’d spent nearly every night I had off at Mercy’s place, and only came here when I needed some more clothes. Slowly it was all being moved over. The only thing that remained now was the big stuff.
“Shoot,” Trance said as he offered me a beer.