Coldhearted Heir (The Heirs 1)

“Why are you laughing?”

“You said the C-word,” I admit, my voice thick with laughter.

“Cock?” she asks, chuckling.

“Yeah, that one.”

“Come on, you can say it.” She waits, and when I remain silent, she says, “Cock. Cock. Cock. Maybe if I say it enough, you won’t be so uncomfortable with it anymore.”

“Stop,” I cry with another burst of laughter. “You’re my godmother. I’m not saying it in front of you.”

“Cock. Cock. Cock.” Suddenly Miss Sebastian screeches in my ear, “Not yours, Ryan! Get out.”

Tears begin to stream down my face, and I gasp for air.

When I finally calm down, Miss Sebastian asks, “Did some guy get handsy with you? Do I need to come over there and kick some ass with my bedazzled heels?”

“No, not at all,” I quickly put her at ease. “I was just wondering how that part of the body worked.”

“Cock. Say it,” she orders.

“C-c-ooooh,” I begin to chuckle then spit the word out. “Cock.”

“Awww… I’m so proud of my god-baby, saying cock for the first time,” Miss Sebastian croons.

“Uh-huh,” I respond. “I’m sure it’s every godparent’s dream.”

“Honestly, I’d rather have you talk to me about these things than hide it from me.” Miss Sebastian clears her throat, then she asks, “Are we talking about a boy you like?”

Her question catches me off guard, and the smile fades from my face. “I don’t know,” I whisper, then I admit. “I care a lot about him, but I’m not sure whether we’re friends or something else.”

“How do you feel when you’re around him?” she asks another straightforward question.

I think it over, then answer, “We used to fight a lot, but then things started changing, and after we made peace, everything's been awkward between us.”

“Oooh… nothing like a good enemies to lovers romance,” she states. “By the way, are we talking about Hunter Chargill?”

My eyes widen, and I gasp, “How did you know?”

“Babygirl, everyone knows the two of you have been fighting like cats and dogs,” she admits.

“Even my parents?” I ask, wondering what gave it away.

“Yep, your daddy knows. The scathing looks you gave each other were a dead giveaway.”

“Crap,” I breathe.

“You didn’t answer my question, though. Are we talking about Hunter?”

“Yeah.” My shoulders drop because I don’t know what to make of the mess in my heart.

“Wanna tell me what happened?” Miss Sebastian asks.

“I found out he wasn’t responsible for Brady committing suicide, and now I feel like dog poop because I fought with him for two years. We talked about it and waved the white flag, but since then, I don’t know what to feel.”

“It’s only natural, baby girl,” Miss Sebastian tries to offer me some comfort. “I suppose you can’t go back to the way things were before the fighting started?”

“No, we both changed a lot over the past two years. I think the gap is too big,” I answer, sounding almost pitiful because I’m at such a loss at what to do.

“Okay, first things first. You do still care for Hunter, right?”

“Yeah, I never stopped.” I lie back on my bed and stare up at the ceiling.

“And judging by the reason for this call, there might be more than just friendly feelings involved?” she asks.

I’m quiet for a moment, thinking over her question, then I whisper, “Honestly… yeah, I think I’m attracted to Hunter.” Reaching off the bed, I grab the pillow I tossed on the floor earlier. Laying back down, I shove it over my face and mumble, “He’s an amazing person, and I think I’m falling for him.”

“What’s that? I can’t hear shit if you mumble,” she complains.

Lifting the pillow, I say louder, “I think I’m falling for him.”

My door swings open, and Kao’s head pops in. “Who are you falling for?”

“God! Get out!” I throw the pillow at Kao just as Hunter comes out of his own room, asking, “Who’s falling for who?”

Scrambling over the side of my bed, I drop to the floor so I can hide behind it while my face practically goes up in flames. “Crap, he heard,” I whisper to Miss Sebastian.

“Kao won’t snitch on you,” she says. “Tell my god-baby I say hi.”

I peek over the bed as Kao tosses the pillow back at me. “You’re going to be late for class.”

“Mamma G says hi. Close the door.” I duck back down, wishing the ground will open beneath me. “I think Hunter heard the part about me falling for him,” I continue to whisper.

“It’s not like you said his name,” Miss Sebastian states.

“Oh, right,” I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Okay, so just to make sure I’m on the right page of this story, are you in love with Hunter?”

I let out a winning sound. “I don’t know. It might be that I’m just feeling regret for my actions.”

“Honey, there’s a huge difference between being in love and feeling regret. Do you get butterflies around him?”