Medicine. Antibiotics. Holy shit. That hadn’t even occurred to Brie when she was taking the medicine and what it would do to her birth control pills. It stopped their effectiveness and Jimmy was still fucking her when she was getting better and on the pills. She dropped the knife that she was using to cut fruit for a salad for a BBQ with Marie and her husband along with Kat and her new boyfriend. “Are you okay?”
“I need some water,” Brie told her as she went for a fresh glass of ice water. She sipped it and returned to her job as her stepfather entered the kitchen from a morning at his office in a meeting. He smiled at the women, and Brie noticed a gleam in his eyes as she felt her stomach twist.
She made it through the meal by the pool though she denied any drinks. Jimmy informed Kat and her boyfriend that they got the pool house that night with the summer cocktails that they were consuming even as he cast a worried glance at Brie. Jimmy was following her inside as the other couple made their way to their beds for the night, drunk and laughing. “What’s wrong?” His voice sounded laced with concern, and she took a deep breath before she turned to face him.
“I was on antibiotics this summer, baby. I didn’t think to use condoms and…I am late by a couple of months.” Brie slowly admitted as she stared at him. She had just called him baby, and that hit her harder than the words that explained her situation.
“We need to test,” Jimmy told her as she nodded. He looked thoughtful for a moment before he urged her upstairs to his room with his hand on the small of her back. “I have some here. Let me check to see if they’re good.”
Brie sat on the bed as the realization of why he might have some hit her and he went to look in the bathroom. “Did I almost have a sibling?” She asked as he came back into the bedroom holding a box in his hand.
“There was a scare once. Here, use this. It’s still good.” Jimmy rushed through his sentence, and she took the box with shaking hands. “I think it’s easy to do.”
Brie went through the motions behind the closed door as everything hit her. Pregnancy. Stepfather. This was a bad movie, and she set the stick on the counter as she pulled her shorts back on and sat on the floor. Jimmy tapped on the door, and he moved to sit beside her as a tear slid down her cheek. “I am so sorry. You didn’t want this.”
“Nothing is final yet.” Jimmy took her hand and stroked it softly. “I want to tell myself that this is wrong. I want to know that I am older than you, and you deserve someone young and in the same part of life that you’re at.” Jimmy sighed. “I want to feel the need to go back to a different woman every night, but I did that to work you out of my system. I did that, and it got me here, and I don’t want anything else.”
“I want to tell myself similar things, but I have fallen in love with you, Jimmy. I am scared to death right now, but I love you so much.” Brie softly admitted as she looked up at him.
“I love you too. I am sure that I am going to hell for what I’m doing, but I love you and I kind of like the idea of a baby. I never wanted that before, even with Nat. I was all about business and taking care of the two of you, but there’s something more here.” Jimmy was almost thinking out loud as he glanced up. “Is it time?”
Brie sighed and stood up to pick up the stick and look for the word that told them what their future was.
PREGNANT.
“Holy shit. We’re having a baby.” Brie said as Jimmy stood and pulled her into his arms. They stayed in his room, talking and making love until Brie thought it better to go back to her room.
She knew that there would be a lot of judgment on the choices that they were making, but Brie prayed for some support along the way as she curled up under her covers and closed her eyes. Brie apologized to her mother in soft whispers as she stared at the picture of the two of them from a BBQ. She heard something across the room, and Brie looked over to see another picture had fallen over.
She got out of bed to see that it was one of her mom holding her as a baby. Brie frowned. There was no way that it would have just fallen with the weight of the frame and the lack of air in that corner. “Is that you showing me your approval?” Brie whispered as she set it back up. She returned to bed and fell into a restless sleep as she mentally prepared to tell Marie and her friends what she was planning.
CATCHING UP WITH DADDY
Chapter one
“I don’t know why are you are being so stubborn, Penny. You knew that eventually that I would marry again and for you to show me this kind of disrespect only makes me painfully aware of the fact that our relationship is never going to be the same. You’re coming home and I was hoping that meant that we were going to mend some fences. I want you to meet my husband and it might’ve been a whirl wind courtship, but we feel that this is the right decision for the both of us. I want him in my life and I won’t let you do anything or say anything to the contrary to ruin what I have with him.” My mother was notorious for shacking up with just about anybody that had two pennies to rub together.
“I will do what I can to make nice, but I’m not promising anything. I was mistaken and I don’t think that I will be there for the next five days.” I decided after hearing about her nuptials that shortening my trip was best for me. The visitation that I would have with my mother would hopefully allow me to leave without saying something that I would regret. I had a new job lined up and I was ready to start this new chapter in my life.
“It’s just as well. He’s away on business and the money that he has doesn’t come without long hours and trips. Did I mention that he’s a billionaire and his work in real estate has amassed him some kind of respect amongst his peers? I wish that I had a photo to send you, but I guess you will see him when you see him. You both should be arriving at precisely the same time.” I was glad for the reprieve and this impromptu road trip to various small towns would keep me occupied long enough to realize that she was besmirching my father’s name.
I was a girl with a long memory and my father might have died, but he was still very much in my mind and in my life. I had that gold locket around my neck and the picture of him with me on the other side was a good reminder that I would always have him in my heart.
“I think that you’ll find that I will never accept any man in your life that isn’t my father. Besides, we both know that you are a consummate gold digger. It would be one thing if I believed that you were in love, but to sleep with him just for his money is deplorable. You should be ashamed, but I know that you’re not. You never had to work a day in your life and you’re not going to start now.” I didn’t mean to be that defensive, but she really did know how to push my buttons in just the right way to elicit the kind of response that would have us arguing.
“I really don’t want to get into this with you young lady. You’re my daughter if you’re not careful, I will make sure that none of his money ever lands on your doorstep. Think about that very carefully and money may not buy happiness, but it sure goes a long way.” I hated to admit that she was right, but my collection of shoes was rapidly getting out of control.
“I’ll be home in five days and we can continue this discussion when I arrive. This guy better not be the same as some of those other guys that couldn’t keep their hands off of me. I had to scald one with a pot of hot water to get him to stop leering at me with more than a passing interest. I kicked one in the nuts and broke ones finger for even trying to touch my ass.” I thought that I heard a snicker on the other end of the line and that was the final straw. I slammed the phone closed, fuming mad and not paying attention to what I was doing. I went to the side of the road and I hit this huge pothole that made the entire truck bounce back and forth on the road after I got control of it again.
I saw the makings of a small town up ahead and I decided to exit the highway in hopes of some suitable lodging for the evening. I found a very dilapidated garage that still had its lights on. I stopped the truck and I knew that it had something to do with the suspension and the last pothole must have broken something quite severe to cause this kind of damage.
I had on a pair of blue jeans and they were cut perfectly like they were made for me. My young innocent 19 year old ass projected nicely from the back giving me the kind of caboose that would have most guys clamoring to pant after me like dogs. The denim shirt was tied at the middle and my flat midriff was perfectly staged to show that I was no stranger to working my body into a frenzy. I might’ve been only 19 years old, but I had an old soul that you could see in the windows of my eyes.
“I don’t know what to tell you. It’s not like I’m some miracle worker. I know that you’re my cousin and all, but you need to realize that parts for that kind of car are not going to be easy to attain. I’ve already made some inquiries and I’m having that part sent here by morning. In the meantime, you’re going to have to find some place to stay. There’s no way that you’re staying with me and Mary. She hates you and she has every reason to after those very explicit photos that you sent of my bachelor party. You know that it took me almost three days after the wedding to finally consummate our marriage.”