“I can’t believe you just said that to me!”
“Why? What the hell else am I supposed to think?”
“That I know you! That I was scared and confused! I stopped taking the damn pills! I stupidly thought I could trust you and in what we were building! Call me stupid!”
“I will! You are acting stupid right now! I’ve never lied to you. I’ve never given you a reason to doubt me or think I’m lying to you.”
“I’m acting stupid?” I ask in disbelief.
“That’s what I said,” White growls, and that’s it. I stomp out of the room. I don’t even want to look at him. I’m walking through the house, not sure where I’m going. I just know I want to be gone. I can’t deal with any of this right now. “Where the hell are you going? We have to have this out!”
“I think we’ve said enough for now.”
“No way! Get your ass back here, Kayla. You need to explain why you didn’t—”
“Didn’t what, White? Let you knock me up?” I yell when I make it out onto the porch, which might not be the place to discuss this, since Ida Sue, Jansen, Black, Luka, Petal, their little boy, Rachel, and some man I don’t know are out here. Green’s truck is in the driveway and he’s standing at the steps watching it all. I know because our eyes lock and I can feel the tears start. I look back at White and then I see Rachel standing behind him.
“Exactly!” he growls, his face red and anger pouring off of him. Black is trying to pull him back and get his attention, but it’s no use; all of his fury is pinned on me. Some of it rightfully so, I know, but he’s being an asshole. He’s the one who should be explaining things here, and he’s not even trying.
“Maybe I didn’t want to be just like my sister! What were you thinking, White? Did you think it’d be fun to knock up sisters? Hell, we could probably go to the graveyard and dig up my worthless mother and you can go for the trifecta!”
“What the hell is going on here?” Green asks in the silence.
“Kayla’s being stupid,” White spits out, and of all the things he could say, that one hurts the most.
Stupid. His face merges with my stepfather’s, and then I hear Rachel talking as she comes up to put her hand on White’s arm. Just like that, I’m done.
“Green, can you get me out of here?” I whisper, hating the tears, hating that Rachel is there to see them, hating that White sees them, and hating even more that he’s just standing there doing nothing.
“You leave, Kayla, and we are going to have even bigger problems.”
“Kay?” Green asks, confused.
“Please?” I ask, starting to feel dizzy again. “I need to get away.” The world swirls around me, trying to fade. I fight it. I fight going under, refusing to faint again. There’s no way I want to appear that weak in front of White—in front of my sister.
“I’m warning you, Kayla. Don’t push me.”
“Fuck you, White!” I scream, and it is a scream and it is over the top. I’ve had my limit and him standing there sounding so damned condescending is killing me almost as much as seeing my sister touch him.
“Come on, Kay, honey. Let’s get you out of here.”
“You put one hand on my woman and I’ll cut it off, Green. Step the fuck away.”
“Your woman? Did you just say that?” I ask him, not believing it.
“I did.”
“What about the fact that Rachel is touching you?”
“You don’t like it? Do something about it.”
“Do something about it?”
“Exactly. You don’t like her touching me, tell her to stop. Claim me. For once, Kayla, take what you want.”
“You, right? Take you? Claim you in front of everyone? That’s what you’re demanding?”
“I’m here. I’m telling the world you’re my woman. I’m trying to sort this shit out and I’m standing here waiting for you to do the same and to stop running.”
“Poor White. You’ve got it all thought out, don’t you? All except for one major thing. My sister is pregnant with your child!” I scream again, and this scream is so hard that my voice cracks. I feel and hear my heart thumping. I almost feel like I can’t breathe. The world starts spinning and I hear White growl.
“Son-of-a-bitch,” White grunts, and he sounds winded, but I can’t focus on him because the world goes completely black.
CHAPTER 58
WHITE
I’m walking back and forth in the hospital waiting room, waiting for the doctor to come out and tell me something—anything. I managed to grab Kayla before she fell and I loaded her in Green’s truck and took off with everyone yelling in the background. Green and Black ran and jumped in the back and rode there all the way to the hospital. They aren’t talking to me right now, but that suits me fine. I don’t have anything to say. I need to know Kayla is going to be okay. Then I have to figure out what the fuck I’m going to do about that lying bitch of a sister she has. Jesus, life seemed so easy this morning and now it’s a fucking mess.