I shuddered in pain when another contraction hit, and I felt a gush of liquid between my legs just as the song came to a close, but my fingers didn’t stop moving along the strings of the guitar as I segued into a new one. I wasn’t ready to stop even though the kids seemed to have settled down. I couldn’t bear to hang up the phone and cut the only connection I had with them.
Bram staggered back against the wall as my voice cracked, but I ignored him. I just kept playing, until suddenly, Shane was speaking into the phone.
I grit my teeth as my fingers suddenly went numb.
“They’re asleep,” he said quietly. “Thanks, Ka—”
Bram grabbed his phone from where it was lying on the bed and threw it hard against the wall, cutting off Shane’s words and shattering it into a million little pieces.
“You’re probably going to need that,” I said, letting my guitar fall forward as I reached for Bram’s hand.
“I’ll get a new one,” he replied.
“That’s good, because my water just broke and someone needs to call Alex,” I said quietly, my lips trembling as a mix of excitement and terror warred with my devastation. I hadn’t been able to say good-bye.
“You’re an idiot,” he said with a smile, shaking his head as our dad rounded the bed and picked me up, cradling me in his arms.
“You’re an idiot,” I taunted back weakly over Dad’s shoulder as my mom said something about getting me in the shower.
My stomach cramped again, and my dad’s arms tightened around me as my entire body froze in agony. “You’re all right, Katiebear,” he said softly, setting me on my feet in the bathroom. “She’s coming a bit early, but everything’s gonna be just fine.”
He was wrong. I didn’t think anything would ever be fine again.
Chapter 12
Shane
I fucked up. Bad.
I finally dropped to the couch with a sigh and rubbed my hands over my face. I had no idea what to do.
When I’d decided to take the kids home with me, I hadn’t done it out of spite. Fuck, if anything I’d thought I was doing the right thing.
My children belonged with me, end of story. And I hated that Kate had to stay in Oregon, but that wasn’t my fucking fault. I’d warned her, I’d made it clear that I didn’t think she should take the kids there in the first place, and now look what had happened.
I’d had to take four heartbroken kids back to California while we left her behind.
I’d known that it would be an adjustment for the little ones. Kate had been taking care of them for as long as they could remember, and I felt like a stranger. I got that. I did. But I hadn’t anticipated that my oldest two would completely hate me. Sage wasn’t talking—not to anyone—and Keller was as rabid as a junkyard dog.
The baby would be born soon, and Kate would be able to come back home. I’d planned on her coming back when I’d made the decision to bring the kids with me—but I hadn’t planned for the shit show I’d just participated in.
It was as if I’d stolen my own children.
A knock on the front door startled me, and I shot to my feet to see who it was. Midnight was pretty late to be showing up on someone’s doorstep.
“Alex?” I asked in surprise. “What the hell are you doing in Oceanside?”
“Lots to talk about, champ. Can I come in?”
“Yeah, yeah, come on in.”
I watched in confusion as he dropped a duffel by the front door and shuffled toward the kitchen.
“You have beer?” he called back quietly.
“I have no idea. I just got here.”
“Yeah I heard,” he answered, coming back toward me with two beers in his hands.
“What’s going on?” I asked as he tossed one to me.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure you know why I’m here.”
“Kate,” I replied, dropping back down onto the couch.
“What the fuck is going on, Shane? This seems low, even for you.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“You’ve never been crazy about Kate—we’ve all seen that. So why the hell did you sleep with her?”
“We were drunk,” I sputtered.
“Try again. You’re not eighteen, and you weren’t at a frat party.”
“I don’t see how this is any of your business.”
“Well, see, that’s the thing.” Alex sat forward and rested his elbows against his knees. “Bram and I have been watching out for sis since she was eight years old. We’ve patched her up and defended her honor more times than you could count. Hell, we almost went to jail for her when that little fucker of a foster kid tried to rape her—”
“What?” I shouted, coming off the couch.
“Oh calm down, idiot. He didn’t get far, and that was years ago.”
“When?”
“Well, let’s see…she was about twelve, I think. Long before you came around.”