by JA Low
177
Olivia
Months later
“You’re doing so well.” I try and help Penny through another contraction.
“I can’t go on anymore, please just pull it out,” she screams at the nurse, who pretends she doesn’t understand English. She also doesn’t realize I understand French and can hear everything she is saying about Penny and the situation with her baby’s father. I give Penny another cup full of ice and make my way over to the nurse’s station.
“Just because we are English does not mean we do not understand French,” I say in French and the nurses all freeze. “Exactly! I heard the things you were saying about my sister, about the former President. There is a strong chance that if I told him exactly what you have said about his baby’s mother that he would fire you on the spot. That man loves that woman, and he will not tolerate such gossip about her. He doesn’t tolerate it from the media and he sure as hell won’t tolerate it from you.” They all nod their heads furiously. “Now, do whatever you have to do to make my sister comfortable.” And with that I turn on my heel and head back into the birthing suite.
“Thank you.” Penny smiles at me.
“Bunch of jealous bitches.” This makes her laugh.
“I like Olivia Taylor, she is a boss bitch.”
“Damn straight I am. Those nurses are nothing more than Julien groupies. I’m used to women like them. I have to deal with Axel’s groupies on a daily basis.” Penny smiles, but it quickly turns into a frown as another contraction hits her.
“Mon cheri, I am so sorry, I had to take that call,” Julien apologizes.
She waves him off. “It’s okay, the world doesn’t stop while I push out a baby the size of a goddamn watermelon,” she screams through another contraction. God, I hope she does hurry up and push my niece out, this is torture.
Three hours later, little Genevieve Pearce Soucy arrives into the world. Axel brought my parents to the hospital in Paris once I told him the good news. They were both so excited to meet their first grandchild. The look on my father’s face as he looked down at little Genevieve was precious, he looked every inch the doting grandfather. Of course my mother was beyond happy when Penny finally told them who the father of her baby was. Initially they were shocked, but I know Mother was impressed that Penny had caught the eye of the President of France. Of course, once news broke of their relationship a couple weeks after our wedding, all of Penny’s friends from London started to mysteriously get in contact with her again, but she quietly ignored their calls. Funnily enough, France was okay with the news that their President was having a baby with another woman that was not his wife, even though he divorced his wife only a few months ago. His ex-wife had already remarried and was extremely happy sailing in the south of France. She even sent Penny a baby hamper to congratulate her on the impending baby, which was pretty nice of her. Penny is actually looking forward to moving back to England, to the cottage in the village of our estate. I know, I was as shocked as everyone else, but now that Julien is officially no longer the President of France, he is looking forward to stepping away from the spotlight with his new family. Life works in mysterious ways.
“So tell me, does this make you clucky?” Axel quizzes me as I hold little Genevieve in my arms at her new home in Paris for the foreseeable future. Penny was released from the hospital a couple of days ago and I have been on aunty duty.
“Of course it does, I mean look at her.” I look down at the sleeping little angel. “But I have to tell you, giving birth was pretty traumatizing, so I’m not sure.”
“Is it really that bad?” he questions me.
“Much, much worse,” I giggle.
“Well, when you’re ready for me to knock you up, you know where to find me.” He gives me a wink as he walks out the door. I stare at the little baby in my arms, maybe I am more ready than I think I am.
One month later
“Hello.” I answer the phone groggily, looking at the clock it’s early in the morning in Los Angeles.
“Livy, oh Livy.” My sister is crying into the phone, the sound of her voice wakes me up really quick.
“What, what is it? Is Evee okay?” That’s our nickname for Genevieve.
“She is fine, it’s Daddy.” My stomach sinks, Axel is now awake beside me. “He’s dead, Liv, he’s dead.”
“No, no, no. You’re lying, Pen, you’re lying,” I scream down the phone. Axel tries to comfort me and I push him away.
“I’m sorry, Liv. He had a heart attack at the top of the stairs and fell down them. The ambulance arrived too late to save him.”
“I’m coming, Pen. Tell Mother I’m coming.”
The End
178
Suddenly Trouble
BOOK FOUR
Prologue
Isla
My heart’s racing as I hold the little white stick in my shaking hand. The clock on the wall ticks loudly, echoing through my body with every second. The thump, thump, thump, marches in time with my heartbeat. I’ve done some pretty stupid things in my time but this has to be the stupidest. There’s no coming back from this. Everyone is going to know what’s been happening. This wasn’t in my plan when I gave up everything to do with my old world to find myself. To work out who the hell Isla Eriksen is outside of Dirty Texas and now…now I am going to be pulled back into the past, a past that I thought I wanted left behind. Oscar is going to kill me. As soon as the news comes out everything is going to change and I’m honestly not sure if it’s ever going to be the same again. What happens if he doesn’t want this? What happens if I don’t want this? Am I going to be able to cope doing this on my own? Where am I going to live? Will it be half way across the world away from my family and friends or back in the bubble that I left? What happens if he has met someone else? My stomach rolls, not from morning sickness but from that thought. I shake the images of him happily living his life with someone else from my mind. What happens if he wants me now only because it’s the right thing to do? No. He loves me. He told me that before I left. But you haven’t heard from him since then. That little voice inside my head niggles at me. He’s just giving me my space, it’s what I asked for. When has he ever listened to you? No, I tell myself, shaking those thoughts from my mind. The timer on my phone runs out. It’s time. My whole world changes when I turn that stick over. My heart beats double time as I slowly turn it over. I blink a couple of times because I don’t actually believe what is staring back at me. I pull the stick closer to my eyes as if they are playing tricks on me, but they aren’t, the two pink lines are clear as day.
I’m pregnant.
And the father is my brother’s best friend.
179
Finn
15 years earlier
“Someone’s moving into the old Richards house,” Mom says, staring out the kitchen window and looking at the moving men hauling furniture into the big white house. “I wonder if they have kids? It’s such a great street for a family,” she adds. Deep down inside I’m kind of praying for a hot chick to move in next door, one that isn’t interested in my older brother, like half the girls at my high school are. The only time I get any attention is if they think coming through me is how they can get closer to my brother.
“Hopefully, she’s hot.” Hudson, my older brother, states, making my lip curl. Just once I want the girl to like me over him. Mom turns and gives him a scowl, which makes me laugh, earning a glare from Hudson.
“If there is a young woman next door, I do not want y’all…” Mom points to Hudson and I, “…trying anything on. Do you hear me?” Mom gives us that look, the one that lets us know she is serious.
“Fine, I promise.” Hudson groans.
“Not like you don’t have the whole school to choose from,” I grumble to my brother. Hudson gives me a satisfied smirk.
“Jealous much,” Hudson whispers back. Of course I am. I’m a fucking virgin, all my friends are getting laid except me.
“I promise, Mom,” I add.
It’s hard living in Hudson’s shadow, not only when it comes to chicks but football as well. He’s been the school’s quarterback for the past three years. Unfortunately for me, that’s the position I play as well. Thankfully, he got a full football scholarship to the University of Texas in Austin and he graduates high school in a couple of weeks, so I won’t have to sit on the sidelines anymore waiting for my chance. Next year it is all mine, the chicks as well. Hopefully they will all see me as Finn Connolly, school quarterback, not Hudson Connolly’s little brother.
The thing is Hudson’s outgoing, whereas I’m a little more reserved, it takes me a little longer to warm up to people. He’s friendly and popular, while I have a small group of buddies. The girls always talk about how good looking Hudson is. I kind of hope they think I am too, because you know, genetics. I mean we are brothers so some things have to be similar, don’t they? But most chicks aren’t interested in me, unless they think it gets them closer to him or if it will make them one of Hudson’s muses. Yep, not only is he a gifted footballer he’s a fantastic photographer and nothing makes the girls’ panties drop quicker than Hudson asking one of them to become his muse for the afternoon. Most afternoons I have to listen to them ‘working’ while Mom’s at work. Listening to them screaming is torture for a hormonal teenage boy. I just stick my headphones in and pray it’s over quickly, because dealing with a boner over your brother screwing some chick is all kinds of messed up and something I will probably need therapy for when I’m older.
I’m counting the days to summer break so I can get out of this house and away from my horn dog brother. I’m going to spend it making music with my best friends. We have a band called Dirty Texas. Evan, who lives down the road, and the twins Christian and Axel, who live in the next street, we are all in the same grade at school. We met in detention years ago and once we realized we had music in common we decided to start jamming on the weekends in Christian and Axel’s parents’ garage. This year is the first time things have started to happen for us musically. The school’s social club asked us to play at some school functions when they were left high and dry with no entertainment, that was the first time we discovered how cool it was to be rock stars. The rush of us up on stage, the girls screaming for us, okay maybe not screaming but at least giving us some kind of attention and people singing along with us. One day they will be singing our songs and there will be thousands of them standing before us singing every single line of our songs, and it will be epic. I’m the drummer in our band, I love hitting things. Apparently, I have a mild case of ADHD Mom tells me, so the tapping of the wood against the skins calms me down, as does playing football. Having to focus on my moves, the plays, my team mates, helps me concentrate, and I’m pretty good at it, when I get a chance to show off my skills. But music is where my heart lies, it’s also something Hudson has no interest in.
I sit at my window looking out up at the stars, listening to our music on my headphones, trying to relax before bed. My hands hitting my thigh with each beat. I’m listening to our first ever song that we recorded earlier today. I’m trying to practice it as we have been asked to play at Tracey Wilcox’s birthday party next month. Her birthday falls on the last day of school so it’s an end of year celebration also. Tracey is going to be a senior next year and she’s one of the most popular girls in school. I’m pretty sure she’s slept with my brother. Christian has the biggest crush on her, always has, he believes it’s fate that she asked us to play at her birthday party. I just think it’s going to be the start of the best summer ever, the most popular girl wanting us to play at her party. This is the start of Dirty Texas becoming something. I don’t want to burst Christian’s bubble, but the new senior girls are not going to want to hook up with the new junior boys this summer. They are too busy chasing college guys, but I guess the boy has to have dreams.
Movement catches my eye in the room across the fence to mine. A dark silhouette walks into the room, backlit by a hallway light. I notice the shape of a girl, a tall, slender girl. My heart starts to beat; my body becomes alert. I say a silent thank you to up above, fingers crossed she’s hot. My attention is piqued. I watch in fascination as she moves about her room, I can’t quite make out how old she is. Hopefully, she isn’t close to Hudson’s age otherwise I will have competition, and I’ll lose. The light flicks on, illuminating her, and she is more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed of, long golden spun hair, falling all the way down her back, almost to her backside. She turns, I swear I’ve seen an angel, she is the most beautiful girl in the world. Elfin features, slim body, she’s tanned and dressed in a white dress that is almost see-through from the light. My eyes scan over her curves. She turns and stiffens; she’s just noticed me sitting in the window staring at her. Well this is awkward. I give her a smile and a small wave. For a few tense moments she doesn’t move at all, she just stares at me; then she shakes her head as if I too had mesmerized her. She gives me a beautiful smile and a wave back. Someone must call her as her head turns toward the hallway; she gives me one more look, then turns on her heel and skips out of her room.
180
Finn
I can’t stop thinking about the beautiful girl in the window. I had a look this morning but no one was there. Did I imagine her? Was she even real? I’m walking through the halls of my school and I feel a prickle up my back. I turn, and that’s when I see Principal Reynolds walking with the beautiful girl from the window. Even in the daylight she looks beautiful. She looks up at me and that’s when I notice her ice-blue eyes, they freeze me instantly. She gives me a small smile recognizing me from the window last night. I smell her perfume as she passes, some kind of floral scent.
“Who the hell is that?” Christian asks. He too is mesmerized by the beautiful girl.
“I think she might be my new neighbor.”
“No way, man, she’s fucking hot.”
“I know.”
“You’re lucky I have the hots for Tracey, otherwise you might have competition on your hand.” I hit him in the stomach, and he lets out an ouff.
“Hey, what’s that for?”
“Don’t you dare go for her,” I tell him. Christian nods.
“Dude, okay, you saw her first you have dibs, I get it. Come on, we don't want to be late for music class, Mr. Davenport will kill us.” The bell rings and we rush toward our classroom and slide into our seat. Evan and Axel are already there waiting. Mr. Davenport walks in with a fucking Viking standing beside him. Who the hell is this guy?
“Class, this is a new student at the school, Oscar Eriksen, he’s just moved here from London, y’all.” The class stares at him blankly, quietly assessing this new person with teenage curiosity. “England, you know, where the Queen lives,” Mr. Davenport adds. The hulking giant just stands there staring at us all like he's some kind of statue. “So be nice, okay. I’m sure Texas is a complete contrast to London. Oscar, there’s a seat at the back, next to Finn, why don’t you sit there.” The Viking nods and moves quietly to the back and takes a seat beside me. I notice he has the attention of all the girls in class, I mean the guy has to be six foot four and is totally jacked, like he lifts weights or something. I think I’m going to have to lift my weight game up, I look like a stick beside him and I’m a footballer. We both nod at each other and then stare back up front.
“Oscar, do you play an instrument?” Mr. Davenport asks.
“Yeah, guitar.” It’s the first time we hear him speak and even those two words sound exotic. The girls swoon.
“Would you feel comfortable in showing us? You don't have to,” Mr. Davenport reassures him.
“Okay,” he grunts. Making his way up to the front he picks up a bass guitar and sits down. He strums it a couple of times getting the feel of it and then he starts to play, and holy shit he is awesome. The whole classroom stills and listens to him play.
“He’s fucking good,” Christian whispers to me. “He needs to join our band.” I just sit back and watch him. Christian�
�s right, this guy has mad skills and I think he is exactly what we need for the band.
“That was brilliant,” Mr. Davenport gushes. The rest of the class breaks out in applause. Oscar takes a seat back beside me.
“Dude, that was amazing.”
“Thanks.” The Viking doesn’t say a lot of words; I’m guessing he is the strong, silent type of guy.
“Oscar,” Evan calls out to the hulking giant standing out in the middle of the cafeteria. He turns and looks over at our table and slowly makes his way over, the crowd turning, watching him.
“Man, first day at school must suck,” Christian adds. “Lucky you met us.” Oscar stares at Christian for a couple of beats then sits down at our table.
“So, how you enjoying it?” Axel asks. Oscar shrugs.
“It’s okay I guess.”
“I bet the chicks are going crazy for your accent, man that voice of yours is an instant pussy magnet,” Christian tells him. This makes him crack a smile, which is shocking.
“Yeah, they seem to like it.” We all burst out laughing, high fiving Oscar.
“So, where the hell did you learn to play bass like that?” Evan asks.
“My grandfather back in Sweden taught me.”
“Shit, I knew you were a fucking Viking.” Christian points at him.
