Chapter 27
Lara
I watched as Kali blindly folded the new shipment of clothing. She was clearly lost in thought and not really paying attention to what she was doing.
“You okay?” I asked her for what had to be the tenth time.
She smiled. It was a fake smile, but I wouldn’t call her on it.
“Yeah. Sorry. I was daydreaming I suppose.”
“Brian?” I asked with a smile.
Her face lit up and she nodded her head.
“Yes.”
“Good. I’m really happy for you both. It’s a little weird, but I am happy for you. You’ve seemed really good these past couple weeks. Are you sure there’s nothing bothering you?”
“No, no. Aren’t you supposed to be meeting Brian for dinner tonight?”
I looked at my watch. “Not for another hour. I’m going straight to the restaurant from here.”
“Oh.”
I eyed her suspiciously. I knew she wasn’t telling me something but figured she would tell me when she was ready. Maybe she and Brian had had a fight. I could understand her not wanting to talk about it with me because I was fiercely protective of my big brother. I felt like I could be unbiased and objective though. At least I thought I could.
The next hour passed in silence.
“I’m going to head out. Are you sure you’re okay with closing? I can ask Brian to meet me a little later.”
“No!” she said a little too quickly. “I’m fine. Go. I’m sure he’s waiting.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow?”
She nodded, and I headed for the office to grab my purse.
Brian was already at the restaurant when I arrived. He had called yesterday, saying he needed to talk to me and had some news to share. I wasn’t worried and assumed he was getting a better job or maybe buying a house or something.
When I sat down at the table, I could see it was something bigger.
“What’s wrong, Brian?”
He took a long drink from the beer sitting in front of him. “Kali’s pregnant.”
I stared at him for several long seconds. There had been no warning, no buildup, and the words didn’t seem right. “What?” I said for lack of anything better to say in the moment.
“Kali’s pregnant. It’s mine.”
“I don’t understand. I mean I do, of course, but you’ve only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks.” I pointed out the obvious.
He shrugged. “I guess I’m potent.”
I rolled my eyes. Typical man. “Okay. Why are you telling me this? How come Kali didn’t tell me?”
“She was afraid to. I guess you really want a baby? Something you may have shared with your big brother, don’t you think?”
I shook my head and held up a finger. “No. You aren’t turning this on me. You are my big brother, which is exactly why I didn’t tell you.”
“Well, she is. We found out a couple days ago. She wanted to tell you but then freaked out and said I had to.”
“Do you want a baby?” I asked. Brian had never been the kind of guy to talk about settling down and doing the whole family thing. This was coming out of left field for me, and I suspected it might be for him as well.
“I didn’t think I did, but now that it’s happening, I’m okay with it. For the most part. I mean, I’m still a little freaked out, but not nearly as bad as I thought I would be.”
“Wow. I’m stunned. I’m happy for you, though.”
“Are you? Kali is afraid you’re going to hate her for being pregnant. She’s talking about looking for a new job and losing you as a friend. She’s been a little off the rails the past couple days.”
I was a little hurt that my best friend thought I would react like that. “Brian, you know me. Do you really think I would act like that?”
“Nope, and I told her that, but she is thinking about you. I think the whole being pregnant thing has thrown her for a loop. It was a total shock to us both. I mean, there was only one time, our first time,” he mumbled under his breath, “and, well, it happened.”
I had to laugh. It was the universe fucking with me again. I’d had unprotected sex several times and even had sperm injected into my body and I couldn’t get pregnant. They do it one time and Kali is knocked up. The world was seriously fucked up sometimes.
“I’m happy for you. For both of you. I will talk to Kali. This is great news. I can’t wait to shop for my little niece or nephew. Are you guys going to move into your place? Buy something together? What are your plans? Tell me everything,” I said excitedly.
I pushed away my own sadness. I would go home and be sad later. For now I needed to support my brother, and I was excited to have a baby in the family, even if it wasn’t mine. I would be the best aunt ever.
We ordered our meals and chatted about his plans for the future. Neither him nor Kali was ready to talk marriage, which gave me some relief. I didn’t want them rushing into anything. I couldn’t remember a time when Brian had ever been in a relationship longer than a few months. Kali had a similar track record.
Once our meal was finished, I got ready to go. “Can you give me about thirty minutes with Kali before you show up? I want to talk to her and clear the air.”
“Sure. I’ll go home and grab a few things and then head over.”
“Thanks, Brian. Congratulations again.”
I hugged him and drove straight to Kali’s apartment. I knocked, and when she opened it, I could tell she’d been crying.
“Hi,” I said, giving her a big hug.
“I’m sorry,” she gurgled through tears.
“Don’t you dare be sorry! I am so excited for you. I cannot wait to be an aunt. It is the next best thing. Besides, I’m not giving up on having a baby of my own yet. Our kids will be cousins!”
She giggled around her tears. “I don’t know how it happened.”
I sat down on her couch. “Uh oh, that would explain it,” I teased.
She laughed again, shaking her head. “I just can’t believe it. I knew something was off when I was late. On a whim I took the test. I think I’ve taken like ten of them.”
“Kali, please don’t think I would ever hate you for something so amazing. I may be a little envious, but I want you to be happy and I want Brian to be happy. You are two of the most important people in my life. I could never hate you for being happy.”
“I know. I didn’t want to hurt you, though. It was a shitty thing for me to do.”
“Well, I don’t think you did it on purpose, and a baby is never a shitty thing at all.” Giggling, I went on. “Except when they are poopy, of course.”
She started crying again. “What if—”
“Don’t,” I said, knowing exactly what she was going to say. “Don’t think of the worst. You aren’t me. Women have healthy pregnancies all the time.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything. My miscarriage had scared her, too. When I’d brought in all the literature explaining how common it was in the first trimester, we had both been horrified. It was a lot like a game of luck. Sometimes things just didn’t work out. It was hard to accept but a fact of life.
“Listen, I’m going to go. Brian said he was coming over. I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you, and reassure you about how happy I am for you. Don’t let this create any weirdness between us. I want to know everything. I’m kind of glad you’re going through it before me.”
She giggled. “I’m not. I’m a little freaked out. I think I had decided I wasn’t going to have kids. It never felt right with anyone, and now suddenly it’s a reality and I am terrified something awful will happen.”
I gave her another hug. “I think that’s all part of the journey. I’m here for you. Lean on me whenever you need to. If Brian is not treating you right, you let me know and I will personally kick his ass.”
“I will. Thank you for coming. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, walking me to the door.
Driving home, the gravity of the evening slammed into me, and I found myself crying as I navigated the streets. I couldn’t understand why I was being denied the happiness Kali and Brian had found without even trying. It felt as if the universe had turned against me.
I drove by a liquor store, and before I knew what I was doing, I’d flipped around and headed inside. I needed alcohol. I wanted a good bottle of wine, not some grocery store stuff. I browsed the shelves, tissues in hand, wiping my nose from time to time. I knew I looked a mess, but I didn’t care. My world was shattered and I wanted the right wine to make it seem less horrible.
As I bought my wine, I ignored the looks from the clerk as he took in my appearance. Safely back in the car, I made my way home, looking forward to my hot date with a bottle of expensive wine.
After popping the cork, I poured the first glass and wandered to the spare bedroom I had chosen to be the nursery. I stood in the empty room, looking at the plain white walls, and thought about what color I would paint the room. Could I paint if I was pregnant?
I would hire someone, I mused.
“Chair there, crib there, and changing table there,” I said, pointing to each empty space.
In my mind, I could see the nursery, furnished and ready for the baby I would bring home. I finished my glass of wine and refilled the glass. About halfway through the second glass, I made a decision. I knew damn well it was a result of the wine, but I didn’t care.
“Hey,” I said, using my sexiest voice. “What are you doing right now?”
Mason seemed a little surprised by my call. “I thought you and Brian had plans?”
“We did. They’re done and I’m home. Home alone, and I want to see you.”
“Are you drunk?” he asked.
“Not really. I’ve had a glass of wine, but I’m not drunk. Don’t you want to come over?” I pouted.
“You know I do. Give me thirty minutes and I’ll be there,” he said, and hung up the phone.
I smiled. Mission accomplished. I headed for my bedroom, opened the chest of drawers in my closet, and pulled out the little bit of lingerie I had purchased on my trip to Laguna Beach. I knew I didn’t really need to wear anything to get Mason to want me, but I wanted to spice things up a little.
I pulled out the black leather and lace corset with matching black panties and attached garter. I’d been hoping to wear this for a special occasion, but tonight felt right. It was a special occasion. Mason just didn’t know it yet.
I dug through the drawers and found my stockings and slowly slid them up my legs, clipping them to the garters. Then I pulled my hair out of the loose ponytail it had been in and shook it out, making it full and a little messy. A quick slick of red lipstick and a bit of mascara and I felt like a seductress.
I sauntered out to the living room and refilled my glass for the third time. The wine was worth every penny. I didn’t feel sad anymore. I felt very hot and horny.