Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Me: Oh yeah. Okay, cool. I guess I’ll see you in a bit. Enjoy your ice time.
Alex: Thanks, and thanks for asking, Elliot.
His words pull at my heart as I lower my phone to find Austen watching me. I bring in my brows. “What?”
She eyes me. “Are you crying?”
At that, all my sisters’ gazes fall to me, even Ciaran’s. Shit, Coleson and Dimitri are now leaning over the wall to look at me. Great.
I swallow hard, waving her off. “I’m not.”
“Who were you talking to?” Austen demands. “Did they make you cry?”
“I’ll stab them,” Clara adds.
“And I’ll carry the body to the woods,” Louisa offers.
“I know where the bears are,” Eliza promises. “No one will find him.”
I snort at that and shake my head. “Why do y’all just assume it’s a guy? It’s not that. I have allergies.”
“No, you don’t,” Clara says, giving me a look. “What’s wrong?”
Seven sets of eyes hold me hostage, and I squirm under their examination. It’s crazy, but now I wish Alex were here. His big presence would have given me a buffer. Plus, his eyes always make me feel better. And that little smirk. Those dirty words of his.
I bite the inside of my cheek and wring my fingers. “I need to tell you guys something, and I know you won’t be too happy with me.”
Clara scoots in close, wrapping her arms around my bicep. “El, we love you. What’s wrong?”
Austen leans in, pressing her hand on my ankle. “Are you okay?”
I nod quickly and swallow once more past the emotion in my throat. I move my gaze between my sisters, ignoring my brothers-in-law, and then I say, “I’m pregnant.” I wait for someone to squeal, to scream, or even smack me, but that doesn’t come. My sisters all watch me, giving no reaction whatsoever. Under their scrutiny, I feel like an alien on display. When no one says anything, I add, “With a baby. I’m six months pregnant with a baby.”
I see Coleson grin as Dimitri scoffs. Ciaran moves to put his hand on Louisa’s thigh, and her eyes burn into mine. I lick my lips as she says, “We know that, but we want to know why you haven’t told us until now.”
I blink. “Wh…what?”
Clara pats my arm. “We’ve known you were pregnant, El.”
I gawk at my younger sister.
“You stopped drinking, and the baggy clothes were a dead giveaway.”
“You stopped taking your meds—the last refill was in December,” Eliza says, a small smile on her face.
“It was the food aversions for me, when you threw up all the Russian snacks that Dimitri’s mom gave us,” Austen says softly. “They were your favorite, and you have an iron stomach. You eat everything and anything.”
Louisa sets me with a look. “I was logged in to your Amazon account and saw your cart.”
Coleson leans over and waves. “If it makes you feel better, I had no clue till my wife told me.”
Ciaran laughs, and Dimitri nods in agreement. I sit there, staring at the closest people in my life, and I feel like an utter idiot. “Y’all knew?”
“Yeah,” Clara says softly, rubbing my bicep. “But we knew not to say anything until you were ready to tell us.”
“Especially when you weren’t taking your meds.” Eliza gives me a small, reassuring smile, and I feel tears flooding my vision.
“Why didn’t you tell me you guys knew?”
“We wanted you to tell us.” Louisa’s gaze holds mine. “We figured when you wanted the support, you’d ask.”
“And we figured you wanted to tell the dad first,” Austen adds.
“How’s Cruz taking it?” Coleson asks, and I gawk at him.
“You even know who the dad is? We hid our relationship.”
Clara pats my arm. “Oh honey, you suck at hiding things. You wear it all over your face.”
“And Cruz did walk around like a cock in the henhouse around you,” Coleson supplies, giving me a sheepish grin. “I’m the one who told them you were sleeping with him.”
“Wow, maybe I should blacken your other eye,” I threaten, and he laughs.
“Not in your condition.”
That has everyone giggling. “Is he being supportive?” Louisa asks, keeping her eyes on me.
“He just found out yesterday. But yes, he is.”
“Why did you wait so long?” Eliza asks. “Why did you hide it?”
“I was scared,” I answer softly.
“Why? We’d be here for you.” I can see the hurt in Austen’s eyes. Hell, in all their eyes.
“I didn’t want to tell you guys until I told him, and I was too scared to tell him.”
Ciaran leans against the ladder, stroking Louisa’s leg. “Cruz is a good dude. He will be there for you.”
“I know,” I say softly. “I think that’s the problem.”
Clara leans in. “What is?”
“I could fall for him, and what if he only wants me because I’m pregnant?”
While the guys all look confused, my sisters know some of my fears. Only Clara knows what I did in the cult because I don’t want what I did to get back to my older sisters. They had to get out when they did, and I don’t fault them for it.