Despite that she crumples, bawling her eyes out in the middle of the street, I don’t move an inch. I’m standing still like a cold and heartless bastard.
She pulls her hands away from her face. “Do you know what’ll happen if you don’t drop these charges, Austin?”
My lip curls.
She puts her hand on her stomach. “Our baby could be born in prison.”
“Whose baby?” I snap.
“Ours. Mine and yours.”
“And how do I know it’s mine?”
She shakes her head like she can’t believe the words out of my mouth. “It’s yours.”
I roll my eyes.
“I track my cycles and I ovulated when I was in St. Kitts. And I was due yesterday. I’m never late,” she says. “Never. And I’m late.”
“What the fuck do you want from me, Sienna?”
“Drop the charges so our baby won’t be born to a mother on the sex offender’s registry for starters. Stop looking at me like that for a second.”
“How convenient,” I say. “You’re ripe to get pregnant when Aiden’s getting married and you try to track him down so you can ruin his wedding and what… drug him, date rape him, and make him marry you instead? Was that the original plan?”
She sniffles and reaches into her pocket then pulls out a pack of Kleenex.
“So, you figure you’ll stick it to one of the Carmichaels, right? Doesn’t matter which one? Guess it’s a good idea you found me instead of my old man that night.”
“I can’t believe you’re being so cold to me. And you found me. I was sitting in a bar and you walked up to me, not the other way around. Remember? Or do you remember absolutely nothing from that night?”
I scoff. “Yeah. Opportunity knocked, right? So now what? You think your rape baby is gonna save your ass?”
She scoffs. “Rape baby? When did you get so cynical and sour, Austin Carmichael? There was nothing ugly about that night. You’re angry that you don’t remember it and I don’t know who slipped drugs in your drink, but it wasn’t me. Tourists get roofied often at resorts or don’t you watch the news?”
“Ah, so it’s a coincidence that you stirred my drink with your pinky finger on camera just as I was returning from the bathroom? Then after I drink it, I suddenly need help to walk?”
She backs up. She looks horrified.
“Yeah, all on hotel security cameras, princess.”
“Austin, please. Listen to me…” She puts her hand on her flat stomach.
“No. I’m not listening to you. If you got pregnant that night and put me in that fuckin’ position after all you’ve already done? Bitch, you’re goin’ down. You can rot in jail. I give no fucks.”
“And the baby?” she croaks.
“Get the fuck away from me. Like I said, from now on, through our lawyers.” Bile rises in the back of my throat.
“Hey! What the fuck?” Aiden is approaching and Adele is behind him.
There are people on the street as well, people on their porches, looking out their windows. An audience. Just great.
“This bitch is telling me she’s pregnant.”
Aiden’s eyes snaps to Sienna. “You fucking cunt,” he mutters. “I’m not surprised, though.”
She stares him straight in the eye. “Go to hell, Uncle Aiden.”
“In the house,” Adele snaps. “Aid, Auz? Now. Do not engage with this person. And fuck you, Sienna. Go home.”
“Always said you were the type to drug a guy and steal his sperm, Sienna,” Aiden scoffs, leveling her with a dirty look.
“I am going home. I’m going home and taking this early pregnancy test. I already know it’s going to be positive. My period is late and my boobs are sore. Talk some sense into your brother so his child isn’t born in prison and his child’s mother doesn’t wind up on the sex offender registry because of his stubborn ass. Think about this, Austin. Think about whether this is really what you want for your child.”
“Inside, sweetie, now,” Adele calmly says to me. “Sienna, I’m walking you to your car.”
“C’mon, bro,” Aiden says and claps his hand on my shoulder. He turns to her, too, though, and shoots her a look. “You fucking heartless bitch,” he says.
“Go, Aid. Get him inside,” Adele says.
***
“What did you say to her?” Aiden asks when Adele comes back into the house.
“I said, if this kid is a Carmichael, which, we’re gonna want a paternity test, I hope my brother takes it, raises it, and she never fucking knows it. If Austin doesn’t want to do that, I’ll take it and raise it.” Adele looks to me. “I mean that, Auz. You can be Uncle Auz and that child never needs to know it’s not mine and Dirk’s.”
“I can’t think about this right now, Adele. My head is spinning.”
Dirk is staring at my sister with shock on his face.
She looks him straight in the eyes and it’s obviously she’s laying down the law. He simply turns to me and asks me if I want another beer.