"Hurry," I say.
"I wouldn"t have it any other way."
Waiting until he is around the corner, I grip the paper bag and lock myself in the guest bathroom. All the nerves I"d been hiding jut out and start dancing at the sight of the test. Pregnancy test. I"m a week and a half late for my period.
I open the box, memories resurfacing. I screw my eyes shut and lock them away. I won"t be tormented by my past mistakes anymore. The therapist Lachlan suggested has helped me. She doesn"t judge, only listens. It"s nice to talk. To admit my fears.
I shake it off after I pee on it, and set it on the counter. I bite my lip and slide against the bathroom door. I hear Lachlan in the kitchen. He must have taken a d.a.m.n wh.o.r.e bath. Checking my phone, I ease my way up.
The small stick is staring up at me. Begging to be read. "Laney, are you okay, luv? Are you sick?"
"Not yet," I mumble. "That"ll take a few weeks."
"What? Let me in," he says, wiggling the doork.n.o.b. I instantly grab the k.n.o.b and open the door. I won"t leave him out again.
"What the-" he trails off as he sees the stick in my hands. Eyes wide, he nods toward it. "Are you?"
I shrug.
Lachlan puts his drink down and wraps his arms around my waist. "Want to look together?"
Nodding, I grip the sides of his sweat pants. "Yes."
Lachlan pulls me back, and sits me on the bathroom counter. My eyes are closed; I"m too afraid to look. Lachlan takes the pregnancy test from me and the silence digs into me.
"Look, luv."
Pressing my lips into a hard line, I open my eyes fast. Two pale blue lines are staring back up at me. Heart pounding, I glance up at Lachlan. He"s grinning wildly. s.n.a.t.c.hing his hands up, he runs them through his hair. "We"re-we"re pregnant, luv."
The large lump in my throat falls down my throat. I"m not scared. The look on Lachlan"s face erases every fear, memory, and doubt in my mind. "We"re pregnant."
Lachlan wraps me in his arms, those big, safe arms, and squeezes. "Christ, we"re getting a second chance. Another chance." He is shaking against me, tears soaking the shoulder of my shirt.
I"m doing my best runny-nose sob into his shoulder. He pulls back, his eyes as wide as his smile. "I love you so much, luv."
Biting back the happy tears, I nod. "I never stopped."
"It"s been written in the scars on our hearts we"re not broken just bent And we can learn to love again" Pink Song Credits "Just Give Me a Reason." Written and performed by Pink.
"The Scientist" Written by Guy Berryman, Chris Martin, Johnny Buckland, Coldplay. Performed by Coldplay.
"Wrecking Ball." Written by Stephan Moccio, Lukasz Gottwald, Sacha Skarbek, Cirkut, Mozella. Performed by Miley Cyrus."
"Flaws." Written by Daniel Smith. Performed by Bastille.
"The Kill." Written by Jared Leto. Performed by 30 Seconds to Mars.
"Broken." Written by Federico Scoot, Jason Wade. Performed by Lifehouse.
"Hallelujah." Written by Leonard Cohen. Performed by Rufus Wainwright.
"Far Away." Written by Nickleback and Chad Kroger. Performed by Nickleback.
"Dreaming With a Broken Heart." Written and performed by John Mayer.
"Haunted." Written by Jimmy Messer. Performed by Kelly Clarkson "When We Were One." Written by Rune Westberg and Brooke White. Performed by Brooke White.
"Pompeii." Written by Daniel Smith. Performed by Bastille.
"Scars." Written by Tobin Esperance. Performed by Papa Roach.
"Paradise." Written by Guy Berryman, Chris Martin, Johnny Buckland. Performed by Coldplay.
"Troublemaker." Written by Olly Murs, Claude Kelly, Flo Rida, and Steve Robson. Performed by Olly Murs.
"Every Girl." Written by DeWayne Carter, Aubrey Graham, Jarvis Mills, Jermaine Preyan, Carl Lilly. Performed by Young Money and Lil Wayne.
"The End." Written by Lennon-McCartney. Performed by The Beatles.
ALLA KAR.
Alla Kar is from the Deep South. She lives there with her husband, Chihuahua, and pit-bull. She loves YouTube and bringing alpha males to life. When she isn"t reading or writing, she is watching the Hodge Twins and swooning over book boyfriends to whoever will listen!
CHAPTER ONE.
"Are you listening to me, Jaden?"
No, not really.
My father"s BMW grinds to a halt in front of my brother"s apartment building. Or should I say my apartment building.
G.o.d, this is going to suck.
My freshman year of college, and I"m being forced to live with my older brother. Dad wants me to be safe. He says Adam can show me the ropes and make sure I"m hanging out with the right group of friends. If only that were the case.
The truth is, I have no friends, and Dad wants to make sure I"ll be around other human beings instead of staring at my walls all day long.
He won"t have anyone to watch over me if I stayed in a dorm room. What"s he going to do pay my roommate to hang out with me? With my brother being a social b.u.t.terfly, I"ll be exposed to people my age. What Dad forgets-or decides to ignore-is that I"m going to be surrounded by half-naked girls all the time. Adam is definitely one of those guys. I love him, he"s my brother, but he"s an a.s.s.
Dad snaps his fingers in front of my face, and I jump. "Huh?"
He ruffles his graying hair and goes to say something when his phone beeps..
"Dr. Baker, here. What can I do for you?" He says into the Bluetooth speaker. "Yes, our appointment is tomorrow. Yes, eleven."
Dad clicks his pen, and I watch as he pulls out his checkbook. "Jaden."
I roll my eyes.
Money fixes everything, according to Dad, who"s a psychologist, so he should know you can"t buy happiness. "I"m giving you three blank checks. You get anything you need for school. New clothes. Things for school. All of your books are on your bed upstairs. Nancy"s already got everything you"ll need for your room and cla.s.ses."
Nancy is my dad"s secretary and the closest thing I"ve ever had to a mother. I wish she were here. But she has her own kids to worry about.
I fold the checks and slip them into my jeans.
"Are you ready to go inside? See your new room?" He has this fake enthusiastic tone to his voice. He uses it on me like I"m three, not eighteen. It"s the same one he uses on his clients-the ones who need mental help.
"No," I say, grabbing my purse, which Dad spent a fortune on. "But, like I have a choice."
Dad frowns, pulls the keys from the ignition, and faces me. The icy look-his real look-is there, but I don"t care. "This should be exciting for you, Jaden." He reaches for me, but withdraws his hand like I might bite him for touching me. His brown eyes narrow and he furrows his thick brows. "This is your chance to make a fresh start. Make friends. Make new memories. Good ones this time."
Dad pulls on his tie. "Okay, Dad. Can we go inside now?"
He stares blankly at me for a long while before getting out of the driver"s seat.
I sigh and step out of the Beemer. This is where rich parents send their children for college. I don"t know how much the rent is, but I know it"s a b.u.t.t load. Dad doesn"t think twice when Adam asks for money, or me. It"s like second nature to hand over wads of cash. It means he is taking care of his children. More like bribing them, but whatever helps him sleep at night.
I follow him up the three flights of stairs to the fourth floor. There is music vibrating from the other side.
Dad raps his knuckles roughly against the door.. He knocks louder, grumbling underneath his breath. His arm flies up, and he glances at his watch. He"s sweating in his d.a.m.n suit. Only my dad would wear a suit to help his daughter move. Not that we have to actually do any moving.
Dad pulls out his cell. I figure he"s calling Adam, but it goes straight to voicemail. "d.a.m.n it," he grumbles before pounding his fist against the door. "Open the door, Adam!" he yells.
I play with a dark curl hanging against my shoulder and bite my lip to keep from laughing. A bead of sweat drops from Dad"s upper lip. Then the door swings open and my eyes snap upward.
Holy s.h.i.t.
My. G.o.d.
A shiver shoots down my spine as I drink in everything that"s standing in front of me. He has dark brown hair that"s standing up like a woman has recently been raking her hands through it.. My eyes drag down his body over each lean, long muscle. Tattoos cover his torso, from a long, tribal tattoo to something peeking out of his low-rise sweats, to a cl.u.s.ter of them along his other arm. Jesus Christ.
Something settles in my lower stomach, and I squeeze my thighs together to keep the heat in. Is this a dream? Are we at the right apartment? We have to have the wrong apartment. I glance at the door.
306.
Nope, right apartment.
Dad makes a disgusted snort and waves his hand in front of him. It isn"t long before I smell why. Either a skunk died in their apartment or they"re smoking weed. "I"m looking for Adam."
My eyes settle on his dimples-of course he has dimples-and then move with him as he rests against the doorframe.
"Adam Baker?" he asks. His voice sends another roll of lava under my skin while my toes curl in my Dolce & Gabbana suede, knee-high boots. d.a.m.n.
Dad"s teeth grind together. "Yes, my son. Is he here?"
Pursing his thick, pink lips, he strokes the scruff on his jaw with a long finger. Dad seems uneasy. "Adam. Hmm, Adam."
His gaze drifts over to me for the first time, and my s.e.x clenches. Lifting a brow, he rakes his eyes from my hair to my toes. I squeeze my already curled feet into my shoes. What. The. h.e.l.l?
Dad snaps his fingers in front of his face, and he drops his "I"m-taking-all-your-clothes-off-in-my-head-right-now" look. "Is Adam here?"
He smiles-G.o.d he smiles-and I bite my tongue. He"s making fun of my dad, and I can"t help but grin. "Yeah, he"s in the living room."
Dad pushes his way in. I wait in the hall unsure of what to do and fighting the urge to drink him in again. When I do look his left hand is wrapped around the top of the doorframe, and he leans toward me. His dark eyes penetrate me, and I"m trying not to lap like a dog from the heat of it.
"You can come in. I won"t bite you, Princess," he whispers before his tongue darts out of the side of his mouth. "But no promises about licking."
I haven"t even stepped foot inside of my new home, and I need to change my panties. He laughs at the expression on my face. Could I be any more embarra.s.sed?
"What are you doing to my sister, Cade? Leave her the h.e.l.l alone." Adam shows up in the doorway. He has a lazy smile on his lips and his arms wide open. I take a few cautious steps toward him, definitely aware of how close I am to the tall, dark and handsome standing next to me.
Cade doesn"t answer but I hear the door click shut behind us. His front is really close to my b.u.t.t now, and I feel his breath on my neck. My gaze turns to my dad who"s examining the living room from several feet away, oblivious to everything else.
The warmth from his body heats me. I want to move, but my feet won"t budge.
Then Adam pulls me to him and wraps me in a hug. His breathe hits the side of my face and I nearly gag. He"s definitely high as a f.u.c.king kite. The entire place smells like weed which explains why it took them ten minutes to answer the door. I pull back and scrunch my nose. He ruffles my hair like he does our c.o.c.ker spaniel, and slaps me on the back. Like I need another reason-besides being the same bra size since ninth grade-for him to think I"m a little kid. "This is Jaden," Adam says, gesturing toward me. "This is Cade."
I turn to gaze up at him when something catches my attention. A long-legged blonde staggers toward us.
"Ah," Adam smiles. "And this is Jasmine."
She is swaying her hips like she"s on the d.a.m.n runway. When she reaches Cade, she peers down at me. She"s probably 5"9, and I have never felt this small. 5"2 doesn"t compete with 5"9. Ever. Her slender arm snakes around Cade"s waist as she offers me her other hand.
Of course, I take it.
"Jaden," I mumble. The gross grease stain on the kitchen floor is suddenly very interesting.
"Jasmine," she says, with a voice that matches her long silky hair. "So you"re Adam"s sister?"
My cheeks are hot and I can feel Cade"s eyes on me. G.o.d, why am I so lame? "Yes."
She nods and nuzzles her mouth against Cade"s thick neck. Cade doesn"t move, keeping an amused smile directed toward me. He makes this face-a face that tells me he thinks I"m like not old enough to watch him be kissed. The thought sends rage through me. Why do I care so much about what he thinks?
"Come on, sis. Let me show you to your room."
Thank, G.o.d.
I nearly race out of the small kitchen and into the hallway. Adam slings his arm around me and pulls me close to his side. "This is it."
I take a step in, checking behind me to see dad following us, and smile. My entire room is in grays and whites. Paris, London, Tokyo and Australia pictures line my walls. It"s my dream to travel, and Nancy always supports it. She decorated this perfectly. It looks magazine worthy.
"Do you like it?" Dad asks from the doorway. He"s checking his phone, and I"m sure he doesn"t really care if I do or not. I don"t think he"s even looked up.