Blaze (Drive Me Wild 3)

“Maggie will be in there for a while. You may as well get some rest.” He reached over and patted my hand.

“No, I’m okay. I’m going to stay.”

“But there’s no point in—”

“Dad, I—”

“You’ve looked after your brother well, Tayia.”

“Will you stop saying that? He’s not my brother!” I shouted and snatched my hand away from his grasp. I looked around the cafeteria to see everyone’s attention on us. My dad stared at me with a mixture of shock and confusion.

“He’s not my brother,” I hissed and then stood. “He never was.” Quickly, I walked away before I was forced to explain my emotional outburst. I knew it wasn’t the right time, but there was definitely no more hiding, I thought as I placed a hand on the flat of my belly. Soon enough, everyone would know the truth.

Chapter Twenty-Three

I spent the rest of the day avoiding my father. The way I’d left things with him was sure to raise suspicions. I wasn’t sure what caused the outburst. It could have been the stress over Blake’s condition, pregnancy hormones, or maybe I was just tired of pretending.

My phone buzzed and I looked down to see Brando’s name flashing across the screen.

“Hey, B,” I spoke into the phone—the first words I’d said since talking to my dad.

“Any news on Blake?” Brando asked, concern filling his voice.

“He hasn’t gotten any worse, but I haven’t been told he’s doing better, either.”

“You sound tired, T.”

I sighed and nodded, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. I was worn out. I’d left the hospital and walked to the ferry dock, where I’d sat for hours looking at the water and clutching my phone, waiting to hear any news about Blake.

“Ah, I see you,” Brando said, and a second later, I heard the rumbling of a car engine. I looked up to see a black Pontiac rolling to a stop behind me. Brando’s messy, spiky hair was the only thing I could make out through the dark tinted glass until he lowered the window. He didn’t need to say a word. I simply stood up and walked to the passenger’s side and got in.

With my head resting against the cool window, I watched the scenery pass by. I took in the blurs of blue water mixed with green from the trees as we traveled along the edge of the coast. The dull, gray sky above us held specks of white light as the sun tried to peek through the clouds. Tiny droplets of rain covered the windshield as the wipers swished intermittently, and I felt oddly soothed by the sloshing noises of water beneath the tires as Brando traveled to no particular destination. It was what I needed. To get away from everything yet still be in the place I called home since I was twelve. Where I moved across the street from a boy. A beautiful boy who would forever be in my heart and later ignite my soul. I’d always belonged to him. Knowing that, I couldn’t accept that even as hard as we loved each other, it hadn’t been enough for us to be happy.

The car came to a stop in front of Annette’s Catch.

“Come on,” Brando said as he opened my door. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

The restaurant wasn’t very busy. There were only a few people sitting at the bar and two men shooting a game of pool at one of the billiard tables.

I slid into the booth opposite Brando as Carina Risto approached us wearing the signature Catch T-shirt and her red hair pulled into a messy topknot.

“Hey, you two,” she greeted with a smile as she placed two menus in front of us. Uncharacteristically, Brando gave her a smile that actually showed his teeth while his eyes lit up. Yep, he had it bad for her. “What can I get you?” Her gaze focused on me.

“Can I have the soup, please?”

“It’s vegetable today. Is that all right?” Carina asked and I nodded. Ms. Annette's homemade soups had always been a comfort food of mine. She wrote my order on her notepad and shifted her gaze to Brando expectantly.

“Sounds good. I’ll have the same. Got any coffee back there?” he said as he leaned forward and closed the menu.

“Yes, I just made a fresh pot,” Carina replied.

“Then I’ll take a cup. You always make the best coffee.” His dark eyes were flirty and smoldering. In response, Carina’s cheeks turned a faint tint of pink as she chewed on her bottom lip and beamed. I tried not to roll my eyes.

Slow tunes played on the jukebox as we waited for our soup. I’d placed my phone on the table and kept checking it every other minute in case I’d missed any important messages. When Carina returned with two steaming bowls of heaven, my mouth watered and I dug in instantly.

“Why don’t you call your parents?” Brando asked. “You’ve been gone all day. I’m sure they’re wondering how you are.”

“I can’t face them right now.” He looked confused for a second before realization took over. “Oh yeah, the B.A.B.Y,” he whispered.