by Kate Benson
“How can I do this without her?” she asks, nestling her face into the crook of my neck and settling against me, her sobs shaking us both. “Dash, she’s all we’ve got. She was supposed to be here.”
“I know,” I say once more, swallowing hard and rubbing my palm over her back once more, trying my best to soothe her. “I know, baby, but we have each other, too,” I remind her. “You’re not alone with this, okay? You’ve got me.”
“What the hell do you know?” she accuses, pulling away from me to wipe her eyes. “You’re totally shitfaced right now.”
“But I did that for you,” I remind her, my voice uncharacteristically sweet as I take her hand and press my lips to her fingers, my chest swelling when she smirks through her tears.
“You’re so stupid,” she shakes her head, nestling back into me. “What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to get through it,” I promise, giving her waist a gentle squeeze. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
She begins to calm slightly for a moment until her emotions take hold of her once more, pulling another round of sobs from her chest.
“I can’t do it, Dash,” she cries, clinging to me for dear life, her tears rushing out so quickly now neither of us hear the gentle tap on the bedroom door until it’s already swinging open.
“Evie Grace?” Donna calls out, her voice low and filled with worry as she steps inside and finds me holding her in the middle of the floor. “Honey, what’s going on?” she asks, taking a few steps forward before she crouches down beside us. She takes Evie’s hand from my shoulder and squeezes it in her own, only bringing on another, even stronger wave of emotions. “What’s the matter?” she asks again, her eyes moving to mine, filled with her own emotion. “Did something happen to you?”
“Baby,” I try, giving her back another affectionate rub, but am only met with her shaking her head against my shoulder.
I glance back over at Donna, the fear only a mother could have for her child staring back at me telling me what I already know.
Evie’s the storm today.
I’m going to have to be the one to let go.
I press my lips to Evie’s hair, giving her back a gentle rub of reassurance.
“It’s okay, pussycat,” I whisper low enough so that only she can hear me, releasing a low and heavy sigh as I pull away and brush the pad of my thumb over her tearstained cheek. “I’m gonna take care of it.”
“But what about the wolves?” she breathes, and I can’t help the gentle smirk that covers my lips. “You said…”
“I know,” I sigh. “I told you months ago, baby. I’m an enigma.”
“Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on?” Donna interjects, her voice still full of worry as she stares back at us, waiting. “Evie Grace? Honey, you’re scaring-”
“She’s pregnant,” I admit, swallowing hard as I face Donna. “Evie’s pregnant.”
Twelve
evie
“Baby!” he calls out from across the nearly bare apartment, pulling my eyes from the small box I’m holding. “What time is your appointment again?”
“It’s at four,” I reply. “We have to start getting ready in about a half h-”
“What the fuck are you doing?” he demands, his voice hushed as he stares back at me from the doorway.
“I’m just looking,” I roll my eyes, smiling fondly at the sensation of the pink rhinestones against my fingers. “I’m not gonna smoke it. I just wanted to smell it one last time before I have to pack it away and be a stupid grown up,” I sigh. “We never got to say goodbye.”
“Jesus Christ,” he whispers.
It’s been just over a week since my mom left for Morocco. Once she found out about the baby, I thought she might not go at all. For a brief moment, if I’m honest, that’s the only thing I wanted. However, when she offered and I saw the conflicting feelings in her eyes, I knew I could never ask that of her. This was her dream and she’d spent the bulk of her life supporting every single one of mine.
She was long overdue to have someone support her in return.
Besides, she promised to be back in time for my due date. Until then, while my fears were still resounding, my faith in Dash has never been stronger.
While the first few days without her close by had been torture, I’d found there was a lot of truth to her words. We’d been so insanely busy getting ready for our move to Austin, we’d barely had time to come up for air.
“Okay,” he says as I pack the box away, taking a quick look around at my progress. “Are you finished with these?” he asks, gesturing toward the stack of boxes against the wall, pulling a nod from me. “What about your paints? Did we get everything from in there?”
“I just have to get my dad’s easel,” I remind him, letting my eyes move over his large frame. “I think everything else is already in the living room.”
“Cool,” he nods, scratching his beard in thought before he moves his eyes back to mine. “Mason has to get ready for his shift, but he’s going to help me load the truck first. All we have to do is go to your appointment, come back and finish up so we can head to the new place tonight.”
“Do you think you’ll have time to do that before we have to go?” I ask, taking him in as I take a step forward. “You’re all hot and dirty,” I say low, my eyes moving over his ink clad arms, still glistening with sweat. “You look pretty disgusting.”
“Disgusting, huh?” he asks, his lips quirking up into a cocky grin as he takes in the desire coming off me in waves. “You think I need to stop? Take all these clothes off so you can get me cleaned up?”
“Well, I can’t be seen with you looking like this,” I reason, giving his damp t-shirt a tug to pull his lips to mine. “I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”
“Hmm,” he hums against my lips, his free hand moving from my waist and falling between my thighs, only intensifying the ache. “Yeah, I’ve heard all about that reputation of yours,” he teases, laughing loudly when I pull away to give his arm a playful smack. “I’m just fucking with you,” he chuckles, pulling me back to his lips for a quick peck. “Let me get finished loading the truck and I’ll take care of you in the shower before we go. Deal?”
“Deal,” I agree, reluctantly releasing him as my brother announces himself.
“Your brother is here!” he calls out, making me blush as Dash’s grin widens. “Mason is inside the apartment!”
Everything I’d read since I found out I was pregnant suggested my hormones, and effectively my sex drive, would be at its height once I was pretty well into my second trimester.
By week ten, however, my body has other ideas.
When I don’t have my head in a toilet and am not bawling my eyes out or fighting to stay awake, there’s only one thing holding my interest right now.
Dash Hunter.
More accurately, Dash Hunter’s body and what it can do for mine.
The effect he’s had on me this week has been insane.
I haven’t been this easy since freshman year.
Needless to say, Mason’s announcement isn’t completely unwarranted.
“Hurry up,” I order quietly, gripping his shirt even tighter as I pull his lips back down to mine. “We’ve only got like twenty-five minutes now until we have to be in the shower.”
“Then you’d better let me go finish up, pussycat,” Dash laughs huskily against my lips before he gives me a gentle slap between my thighs that makes my eyes grow even heavier. “I’ll be done in less than twenty.”
“Okay,” I sigh, releasing him, leaning against the frame once more as I watch him move back down the hallway. He lifts his shirt up to wipe his brow and as he flashes me a glimpse of his abs, immediately turns to give me a knowing wink. I’m cursing him silently, ignoring his smug grin. “If you just grab the easel and let me buy all new crap when we get there, I’ll give you fifty dollars right now.”
“Finish packing your shit, heathen!” he orders through his laughter
as my middle finger raises of its own accord.
“Whatever,” I roll my eyes. “Nerd.”
dash
As I step through the door to the bar a few hours later, not only am I annoyed beyond comprehension, I can’t help but notice Mason’s surprised expression when his eyes fall on me.
“Dude, what are you doing here?” he asks, watching me fall onto the stool across from him before he glances behind me, presumably looking for her before his eyes come back to mine. “Where’s Evie?”
“Amy’s,” I reply, my voice holding the same edge still coursing through my body. “Can you get me a drink?”
“Yeah, man,” he says, his eyes still on mine as he moves toward the beer tap. I shake my head, still unable to properly speak through my shock, and gesture toward the liquor on the wall. “What? You want this?”
“Yes,” I nod as he reaches for my favorite brand of whiskey, my palms moving over my face. “And I want a fucking double.”
“Dude…”
“Give it to me, Mason!” I demand, my voice hitching slightly as my hands come to a stop, my fingers pinching the bridge of my nose.
“Okay, okay!” he says, pouring it into a glass and moving for the ice, cut short when I pull the amber liquor from his hand and down it in one quick movement. I set the glass down and nudge it forward, resting my forehead in my hand as I meet his eyes. “Again?”
“Yes,” I say, this time low and even. He doesn’t argue, instead he does as I’ve asked and slides it over the bar once more.
“Dude, is Evie okay?” he asks. I stare back at him, the glass hovering against my lips for a moment before I slam that one, too, my eyes never leaving his. “What happened at the doctor?”
“A lot,” I insist, setting the glass down once more, pointing toward the bottle.
“I’m not giving you anymore until you answer me,” he shakes his head, moving the bottle to the other side of the bar and crossing his arms. “Is my sister okay?”
“She’s fine,” I promise, nudging the glass in his direction and watching him release a low sigh of relief. “Now pour.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking right now, man,” he shakes his head. “You’re never going to be able to drive back to Austin tonight at this rate.”
“Yeah? Well, I’m pretty sure we aren’t going, so it’s not that big a fuckin’ deal,” I shrug, watching his eyes widen slightly. “Hit me again.”
“No,” he shakes his head. “What the fuck are you talking about? Why aren’t you going?”
“Because your sister is fucking insane, Mason. That’s why,” I reply, rubbing my palms over my face once more before they come to a stop, right at the base of my hair. “I swear to God if you don’t give me another shot of that whiskey, I’m going to lose my shit, bro.”
“You talk, I’ll pour,” he offers, waiting for the small nod from me before he holds up his end of the bargain. “Where the fuck is Evie and why aren’t you going?”
“Because she said she didn’t want to be anywhere near me. Your mom is in Morocco and you’re at work, so I took her to Amy’s,” I admit with a sigh, taking the shot from his hand. “And we aren’t going to Austin tonight because she just broke up with me in the middle of a parking lot.”
“What?” he asks, his voice spiking in disbelief as his eyes go wide.
“Yeah,” I answer him with an amused nod, although I’m not feeling amused at all right now. Not in the slightest. “And the lying little shit told me she was going to stop doing that shit. I should’ve fuckin’ known better,” I shake my head, tapping the side of my shot glass. “She thinks because she’s pregnant, I’m just going to let her win every argument and she can show her ass in the middle of fuckin’ everywhere like a nutcase and I won’t say shit.”
“Okay, but…” he trails off with a smirk. “Isn’t that pretty much exactly what you do?”
“Kiss my ass!” I deadpan. “Gimme some whiskey.”
“So, she dumped you in a parking lot?” he asks, watching me throw the shot back and push the glass forward once more, his eyes widening slightly. “Why the fuck did she do that?”
“Why the hell does your sister do anything she does, Mason?” I counter with a shrug, waving off his expression. “Whatever. I don’t even give a shit right now.”
“What?” he rails once more, his eyes growing wild with annoyance.
“I’m not that worried about it, man,” I shake my head. “She does this shit like once a week.”
“Then what the hell is the problem?”
“She’s psychotic, Mason,” I say bluntly. “How you aren’t seeing it is beyond me.”
He’s about to counter, but the sound of the double doors behind the bar swinging open cuts him short.
“What the hell, Dash?” Amy whispers harshly as she comes barreling through the doors, shaking her head already. “What in God’s name did you do to that girl?”
“Nothing!” I insist, throwing my arms up. “I didn’t do anything to her!”
“Then why is she at my house right now swearing up and down that you’ve ruined her life?” Amy asks. “I know Evie’s a little extra, but she doesn’t just say shit like that for no reason.”
“You obviously don’t know your friend very well,” I say bluntly, gesturing for another shot. “Come on.”
“I’m being serious, Dash,” she replies, leaning against the bar beside Mason. “She’s a fucking wreck right now. You had to do something to her.”
“What the hell happened to my sister, Dash?”
“Jesus Christ,” I grumble under my breath, reaching over the bar and finally, taking the bottle from Mason’s hand altogether, ignoring his look of irritation. “Nothing!”
“Then why is she freaking out?”
“Because its twins!” I shout, pouring until the glass is full enough to spill out onto the bar and I slam it all in one sip. “It’s fucking twins!”
evie
“You here to kill me?” he asks, the single eye he’s opened to look at me still slightly bloodshot from his place on my mother’s couch.
He smells like whiskey and sweat with a hint of lust, thanks to my overamplified hormones. I’d stayed at Amy’s until Mason’s shift was over. I knew they’d both come back here, convenience and a promise he’d made to my mother winning out over common sense.
I know I overreacted. I know deep down I’ve been totally showing my ass all day. Yet, despite the fact there was no way possible either of us could have either avoided or been prepared for the surprise announcement we’d received at the doctor this afternoon, the shock still had me reeling with nerves.
Twins.
I was scared enough when I thought there was one baby, but two?
I owe him an apology, sure, but in my defense – two fuckin’ babies, yo.
“No,” I shake my head, kicking off my shoes before I pull the covers down and slide onto the cushions beside him. “I’m not here to kill you.”
“You still on your bullshit?” he asks as I nuzzle in closely, the feel of his arm winding around my shoulder giving me comfort I probably don’t deserve.
“Only a little,” I promise, giving his jaw a quick peck before settling back in beside him.
“Okay,” he grumbles, rolling onto his side and pulling me closer to his chest, both arms cradling me close. “Are you gonna at least say you’re sorry?”
“I’m still a little pissed off at your toxic friend and his over-exuberant life goals,” I admit, wiggling closer, my lips turning up slightly on each end when his chest vibrates against mine. “Can I just say it in the morning?”
“Hmm,” he hums, kissing my forehead. “Okay.”
“Dash?” I ask, glancing up at him, his thick eyelashes flicking just slightly in the darkness.
“What babe?”
“We’re gonna be alright, right?”
“Yeah,” he promises, his palm moving gently over my waist as he shifts slightly, holding me closer. “I mean, we’re gonn
a be broke forever and probably won’t sleep again until we’re about to drop dead, but other than that, sure,” he shrugs. “We’re gonna be fine.”
I watch his eyes begin to drift shut and after a moment, I allow mine to follow suit as I nestle into the crook of his neck.
“Baby?” I whisper, waiting for the hum that comes from his chest as a response.
“Hmm?”
“Your nose air is hitting me in the face and it’s making me want to puke a little,” I admit, resting my hand on his chest. “Can you move your head?”
He raises his head slightly, holding me tighter and immediately, I feel relief.
I probably don’t deserve that, either.
“Better?”
“Yeah,” I yawn, savoring in the feel of his palm slowly stroking my ass. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Baby?” I ask again, waiting once more for the hum that follows soon after. “You smell like whiskey and you promised me you wouldn’t get shitfaced until I could do it, too.”
“Well, you dumped me in a parking lot after you promised you’d stop doing that shit and you’ve been a real pain in my ass all afternoon, baby girl,” he admits, his tone sweeter than his words as he presses his lips to my forehead. “You just wanna call it even?”
“Sure,” I sigh, my exhaustion and the content I’ve only ever found in his arms finally taking me captive. “Did you set the alarm?”
“Mhmm,” he promises. “We’ve gotta be up at six.”
“Okay,” I whisper, kissing his chest. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, pussycat.”
Thirteen
dash
“Oh, my God!” she gasps, pulling me from a dead sleep. “Baby, wake the hell up!”
“What?” I mumble, my eyes still closed as I sit straight up in the bed, rubbing my face before I brace myself for daylight. “What’s wrong?”
