Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
I rub at the back of my neck, now aching with tension. “I don’t know. Do I want kids one day? Sure. Am I ready to be a parent now? Fuck no. No way am I ready. But I’m also a capable person. I can do it. Having a baby is going to change everything about our lives. Nothing will be the same again and trust me when I say I’m as scared as you. But it’s your choice.”
“So if I say I want to end it, but you want to keep it, you’ll support my choice?”
“If that’s what you want.” My eyes lock onto hers, an unwavering, silent promise to have her back.
Tears well in her eyes and spill over like waterfalls. Her expression pleads with me to understand. “It’s not what I want. I can’t terminate. I’m not ready to be a mom, but I guess I’ll learn how.”
Near-crippling fear weakens my legs, but I force myself to give a supportive smile. I brush her tears away with my fingers. “You already know how. You’re a second mom to Jake, Colby and Tanner. You’re a natural.”
She laughs, nodding her head. “Yeah… I can take care of kids. But my plans… my dreams to go back to school. I’ll have to give it up. I can’t do both, but I can’t give up the baby. That I know for sure.”
I pull her into me, understanding that the best way I can show support is with physical affection. Her arms go around my back and she rests her cheek on my chest. I want to tell her she can have it all… school and motherhood, but I don’t know any such thing. I only know that everything has changed and we’re immediately in over our heads.
“I don’t need anything from you,” Kiera says. “I can do this on my own. This isn’t anything you ever bargained for.”
I see what she’s doing and I adore her for it. She’s giving me an exit. The door is open and I can walk out and she won’t even hold it against me. Kiera is aware I’ll support her, but she doesn’t expect it.
“I’m not going anywhere. That’s half of me in your belly, so it’s half my responsibility.” And if I’m honest… I’ve already got a connection to it. The idea of Kiera terminating was nauseating at best, despite the fact I’m scared as fuck that we’re keeping it.
Her entire body goes lax, I think from relief, and I have to hold up her weight. “What does this mean for us? What we’ve had going on?”
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “We have a lot to talk about. A lot of micro decisions to make.”
The front door to Kiera’s house opens and both of us jerk apart, turning that way. Drake walks in, palming a set of keys, but he hasn’t seen us standing in the kitchen yet. “Kiera,” he calls out and then his gaze slides over us.
It stops, freezes on me and I can almost read on his face exactly what he’s thinking as he takes in his sister’s red eyes.
“What the fuck did you do to her?” Drake growls as he advances on us.
“He didn’t do anything,” Kiera snaps, stepping in front of me.
“Why are you crying? And why in the hell is he in my house?”
“It’s my house,” Kiera retorts. “Not yours. And why are you walking in without knocking?”
That seems to stump Drake. I’m sure he meant no offense and I’m quite confident he never once considered I’d be here with her. He lived here not that long ago and he probably never once considered she’d need privacy.
I can see Drake putting it all together, though. I’m in Kiera’s home, we were embracing and she’s crying. He knows for sure we’re intimate with each other and his jaw tightens in anger as he points a finger at me. “I told you and all the guys that no one touches my sister. I forbade it.”
Truly, I’m not making light of his concerns, but I can’t help digging at him. “Sorry, man. But last I checked, Kiera’s an adult who can do what she wants.”
“I’m so going to kick your ass,” Drake snarls and then whips toward Kiera. “And I told you to stay away from my teammates.”
One look at Kiera and I know she doesn’t need this level of stress, considering what’s going on. I step in front of her so Drake’s eyes are forced on me. “You don’t talk to her like that. It’s with respect or you’ll get a taste of why I’m one of the best enforcers in the league.”
“Don’t,” Kiera murmurs, lacing her fingers with mine. It’s a deliberate move to show her brother that he’s got no say in what goes on between us. Of course, neither of us knows what in the hell we’re doing at this point, but for the moment, we’re a united front.