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  It takes me half a second to realize she knows. How she knows, I have no clue. I didn’t tell anyone what went down that night. I know Rachel didn’t either because she got back with Kellan a few days later.

  It takes Royal two seconds to catch on before his face contorts with rage. He stalks toward me while Wesley runs after him. “You didn’t, what?” Royal spits out, his entire face red.

  I open my mouth, to say what, I don’t know. Rachel gets there before me. “STOP IT!” She screams, and we all freeze. “Don’t you dare hit him, Royal! I swear to god, I will stab you if you touch him!” She takes a few deep breaths while plopping down on the coffee table. “I’m sorry Kellan. God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I feel like such shit right now. I kind of want to run off with that crazy bitch, Annabella.”

  Kellan swallows hard and stares at Rachel. “What are you talking about?”

  “This baby is Pierce’s. Not yours.” Her words are choked out and you can feel the entire room electrify. Static runs down my body and I feel like grabbing Rachel and making a run for it. “I slept with him the night you dumped me.” This comes out as a sob and Paisley sits down on the coffee table next to her. Paisley’s hand comes up and starts rubbing Rachel’s back.

  All of us are frozen and staring at Rachel in shock. I have this overwhelming urge to run out the front door and never look back. If you had told me this was going to be my day, I probably would have shot you.

  I’m going to be a father.

  Me.

  Fuck my life.

  This is about the time Kellan explodes. “What the fucking hell, Rachel? Is this why you keep pushing me away? I can’t believe this! How could you sleep with…with him?” His index finger points out and his arm swings in my direction. I can feel the rage coming off him in waves. Actually, I can feel several bodies radiating rage toward me.

  Rachel looks up at him, tears and mascara running down her face. This is when she explodes. “Don’t say it like that, you mother fucker! Pierce is, and will forever be, a better person than you are!”

  She doesn’t get to explain that comment because Kellan jumps right back in. “I didn’t sleep with my brother’s girlfriend for months while he’s away at college! I didn’t torture Channing from the time school started until three months ago! And I didn’t sleep with you knowing you were someone else’s!” I can only see him in profile but I can tell his face is more red than a lobster.

  Rachel suddenly jumps up to her feet and slaps the shit out of him. Then she speaks in a calm voice but her words are meant to wound. “Don’t you dare throw that in my face. I’m not the one who got drunk and fucked Natasha while I belonged to someone else. I fucked Pierce the night you dumped me because you couldn’t handle telling me what was really going on. News flash Kellan, I can fucking deal. I’ve been dealing with it and I’ve kept my mouth shut. You want me to spread that shit around, you keep telling everyone our business.” Then she sits back down on the coffee table.

  Kellan’s face has gone back to pale and he quickly makes his way to the door. “I’m sure you realize we are over.”

  Rachel laughs, the sound hollow and harsh. “Thank fuck.”

  Kellan slams the door on his way out but I don’t hear it. The only thing I hear is Royal’s fist flying through the air. It connects with my cheek, splitting the skin and knocking me to my knees. When I look up, Channing is holding him back from getting another fist in. My hand reaches up to my face and comes back with drops of blood. I flex my jaw and look back up to him. “I deserved that one. The next one I’ll return tenfold.”

  Royal growls, his features contorted in rage. “Fuck you! It wasn’t enough to fuck up your own life; you had to fuck up my sisters. You’re one big piece of shit, Pierce.” Then he spits at my face.

  Luckily I move my face at the last nanosecond and it misses me. Rachel, at some point, moved from the coffee table and I watch her stop by me, looking up at her brother. “I hope you’re happy. I don’t give a rat’s fat ass what Pierce did, he didn’t deserve that. You know they consider it assault when you spit in someone’s face. You can go to jail for it. You’re lucky I don’t knee you in the balls.”

  Wes places her hand on Royal’s arm and catches his attention. “Why don’t you calm down, so Rach will calm down? I really don’t think she needs to be this upset in her condition.”

  “Jeez, Wes you make it sound like she’s an invalid,” Channing puts in, while now holding back Paisley who looks like she wants to plant her face in Royal’s.

  “You’re lucky I don’t spit in your face Royal. I’m seriously disgusted with you,” Paisley grits out and then she lays down the law. “And since your nasty ass spit landed on my floor, which I have to clean, why don’t you get the fuck out?” Then she looks confused, but recovers quickly. “No, that was a question. I’m not asking you to leave, I’m telling you to leave. And don’t come back anytime soon. I’m going to be pissed at you for a long time.”

  Paisley backs away from Channing and heads to the front door. She pulls it open and waves her hand out to show him the way.

  Royal and Channing both look stunned. Wesley looks shocked, happy and impressed all in one facial expression. Rachel just looks like she wants to throw up. I can’t imagine what I look like right now.

  Royal comes to his senses first and turns to look at Rachel. He reaches out and grabs her hand. “I’ll leave, little miss prissy, but Rachel is coming with me. She’s not staying anywhere Pierce is.” Then he starts to tug her to the front door.

  Rachel digs her feet in and starts hitting Royal on the arm but he refuses to let go. “Get off me you big idiot! I’m not leaving with you!”

  “Royal,” Channing states softly but full of authority.

  “What?” Royal snaps out, not looking back.

  “Rachel is only one half of a whole. Pierce and her are more connected now than you and her are being twins. It’s his child too and while Pierce has had questionable taste in maturity most of his life, he’s changed.” Channing was not the person I thought would speak up for me. Channing Southerland just chose a side, and it wasn’t his best friend’s.

  Fuck my life.

  Royal lets Rachel’s hand go a few inches from the front door. His breathing is labored and I can tell he’s five seconds away from losing it again. “Fine. You picked your side. Don’t come crawling back to me when he lets you down.” Then he’s gone.

  Wes stands in front of me, her hand going to her forehead to rub between her eyes. I walk over to her and put my arms around her shoulders. I kiss her head before bending down to whisper in her ear. “You can go with him. I won’t think you’re picking sides.”

  She looks up at me, the need to go after him written in her eyes. “Thank you,” she mouths before running out the front door.

  This is when Channing walks over to Rachel and Paisley He kisses Rachel’s forehead and looks into her eyes. “He’ll come around. He’s pissed right now and doesn’t know how to handle this. I’m not sure I know how to either, but it is what it is.” Then he grabs Paisley around the waist and ushers her all the way out the door before closing it.

  Then Rachel starts crying soul-crushing tears and I’m transported back seven weeks ago.

  Chapter Two

  Seven Weeks Ago…

  Ella’s favorite place is the beach. Her father used to take her when she was little. I think she drags me with her every spring break so she can feel closer to him. I don’t blame her for that. Her dad was a good man and she didn’t deserve to lose him like she did. My father, on the other hand, is a piece of shit and I hope I never see him again.

  So while I can’t empathize with her about losing her father, I know she hurts because he’s gone. I would do anything for Ella. Even endure sand up my crack and in my shoes. That’s why the second I enter Ella’s house, I run upstairs to get into the shower.

  I think about the past week while I let the hot water run over my body. She finally broke up with Van so we coul
d be together. The one thing I wanted in this life and I finally have it. She’s all mine. I can’t even believe it.

  A smile stretches across my face because the past three days have been the most amazing days in my life. I didn’t have to hide the feelings I have for Ella. I lived them in the open and that was the most freeing thing. I think I could fly right now I’m so fucking happy.

  We spent two days and three nights out in Galveston. The Gulf of Mexico is beautiful, the water so clear and smelling of ocean. I think Ella picked up enough seashells to last a lifetime. Plus, she ran around in this little bitty white bikini that showed off her lightly tanned skin. Skin that tastes like sweet strawberries. She has always smelled like strawberries, mostly because she uses scented shampoo. She also has this really great expensive perfume with the same scent.

  I’m not really a big fan of music, but my mom is. Her favorite band is The Beatles and every time I hear her play “Strawberry Fields” I think of Ella. That kind of makes me a cheesy asshole but I don’t really care.

  A pair of soft hands reach around my waist, smoothing over my skin, and a small grin graces my lips. “I didn’t think you were ever going to get here.”

  She laughs softly and I turn in her arms. I put my hands on her hips and stare at her lips as she bites them. “I was out smoking. I didn’t want to get all clean and then smoke. Plus, you don’t like it much.”

  I give her a smirk and lean down to kiss her. Her pretty pink lips turn up to accept and I wonder how I got so lucky. I’ve spent so many years wanting what I have right now. It’s so surreal.

  I also honestly feel like it’s going to get ripped from me at any second. Whether I want to admit it or not, being with Annabella is almost too good to be true. She’s not being bitchy or manipulative like she usually is. She’s being sweet and loving which is so out of the norm for her, I don’t know how to handle it most of the time.

  My hands roam the body I’ve gotten to know over the past couple of months, and like every other time, Annabella reaches for what she wants. She controls what we do and when we do it. Although it feels like I’m doing all the work. But then you have to take into account we’ve been doing it a lot for the past three days.

  I take her hands off my junk and place them on my chest. I kiss her nose and grin down at her. “Not right now, Ella. I’m exhausted. I just want to get out of here and take a nap,” I tell her, watching her face flush.

  “Oh. Sorry.” Then she pushes her hands up around my neck. “That sounds like a really good idea.”

  I kiss her nose again and climb out of the shower while she gets clean. I use one of her fluffy pink towels to dry off and I totally feel like a tool. She really needs to get a manlier color because I’m about done using the pink ones. I search out clothes from my bag, which is sitting on the floor, in her adjoining bedroom. I put on a pair of black boxers before face planting into her bed. I barely make it under the covers before sleep overtakes me.

  When I finally wake up, the sun is just starting to set. Ella’s side of the bed is empty and doesn’t look like she’s been there at all. I feel bummed about that, but it’s done now. It was just a nap; she doesn’t have to sleep next to me all the time. I like having her close though. I didn’t have her this close for so many years, now I just want to soak it all up.

  I get up out of bed and stretch my muscles, which seem to have all locked up while I slept. The tension weighs down on my shoulders and I suddenly get a bad feeling. My stomach rolls like I might puke, but I don’t. I have to find Ella.

  I pull out some jeans and a shirt so I can quickly get dressed.

  I find her in the living room staring at a blank TV. If that wasn’t freaky enough, she’s totally in her own world. She doesn’t even hear me come down the stairs. I walk in front of her and she finally notices me. She gasps out and looks at me wide eyed. “You scared me.”

  I chuckle, “Well, you shouldn’t be sitting here staring off into space.” I walk around the coffee table and sit down right next to her.

  I go to grab her hand but she jerks away from me. “Don’t touch me,” she states, calm as day, but without looking at me.

  My shoulders tense up even more and it takes everything in me not to touch her. I want to pull her face toward mine and erase what she said. The past three days have been amazing and now she’s acting crazy. “Ella, what is wrong with you?”

  She finally turns her head toward me but there is nothing of my Ella in there. She’s turned into Annabella again. This girl has so many faces and so many personalities it’s a wonder she can find a way to be herself. “Nothing is wrong with me. I just don’t want you touching me right now.”

  “Why the fuck not?” I question, getting up to my feet. “Three months ago you were begging me to touch you.” She flinches but the emotionless mask doesn’t break.

  She stands up too and smoothes down her clothes before she looks up at me. She’s wearing a red tank top with black lips printed all over and a pair of skinny jeans that seem painted on like a second skin. Her feet are bare, which is a change. She usually wears high heels, even when hanging out at the house. “I’ve decided that I don’t want you touching me. It disgusts me.”

  Her words are like a slap to the face. “You didn’t think it disgusted you this morning when you had your hand wrapped around my dick.” I spit out the words and look at her face trying to find some emotion. Anything, even anger. I’ll take it over this.

  “Well, if I remember correctly, you didn’t want me to touch you.” She purses her lips and I think maybe she didn’t mean to say that.

  “Is that what this is about? Jesus, Ella. We’ve been fucking like crazy for three days. I’m a horny teenage guy, but there is only so much sex I can take before I drop. I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings or put you down. If you didn’t notice, I was passed out the second I hit your bed.” I clench my fists against my legs and grit my teeth trying really hard not to walk out of here. I don’t like leaving an argument undone because it can leave wounds that aren’t so easy to heal.

  “That’s not what this is about. Okay, maybe it is about that. And I was upset you turned me down, but not because I thought you didn’t want me or anything. I got upset because I realized you couldn’t keep up with me. I need a real man, not a weak boy.” Her face is etched into a sneer and for once in my life I actually kind of want to hit a girl. I’ve never wanted to hit a girl in my life, and I’ve been around this bitch for years. But rest assured, I’m not going to hit her.

  I raise my hand up to push my eyes into my head, because the frustration right now is building behind my eyes giving me a god-awful headache. “You can’t call me a weak boy because I don’t want to fuck you every second of the day. That’s fucking crazy. I think I give it to you enough, so I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that.”

  She huffs and I hear her frustration in it. “It does make you weak. Van is a man and he can fuck me for hours. And he can do it for weeks. I’ve given you three months and you can’t keep up.”

  I pick up one of Ashley’s stupid glass vases and before I can even think about it, I throw the damn thing across the room. It crashes against the opposite wall. Glass and fake flowers go everywhere, creating a huge mess. I’ll buy Ash another one. “If you wanted to keep fucking my brother, then maybe you shouldn’t have dumped him for me. That was a pretty stupid thing to do.”

  She backed away from me after I threw the vase but I can tell she didn’t get the warning. “I broke up with Van because I was tired of him being up my ass all the time. He doesn’t need to know where I am at all times. But that’s not what we are talking about right now.” She tucks a chunk of hair behind her ear and meets my eyes. “We are done, Pierce. I don’t need some pussy ass boy following me around anymore. Putting up with you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I’m just done now. I thought being with you would be different. It’s not. It’s the same old record, just a different brother.”

  I shut my eyes like it w
ill block out her words. Like maybe she’ll turn back into the girl she’s been for the past three months. “What the fuck is going on right now? I told you that I love you, doesn’t that mean anything to you? You said it back!” I’m starting to yell and before long it will be a roar.

  “I’ve never loved you. I fucking lied. I couldn’t love you. You’re just some loser I’ve had to spend my entire life with. I got stuck with you because my mother decided to give custody to your mom. You were easy to control. Easy to manipulate. I didn’t ever have to do much to get you to do what I wanted.” Then she laughs and the noise is kind of crazy, but hollow. “You think I could really love you? You’re nothing, Pierce; just a dumb jock with a head full of air. And an amazing body.”

  I stalk around the coffee table and get right in her face. “Don’t you fucking say that shit! You fucking bitch! I can’t believe you just said all that shit to me. What the fuck is wrong with you? Can you even hear yourself? You sound like a crazy fucking bitch!” Now I’m at a roar, but honestly, do you blame me?

  She sputters for a second before she regains her composure. I can tell she didn’t think I would fight back. This makes no sense to me because I thought she knew me. I thought she loved me, so it hurts even worse that she didn’t know I would stick up for what I want. Or maybe I’ve always been sticking up for what she wants. “Listen Pierce, it’s been fun but you need to leave now. I’ve had enough of this.” She smiles sweetly up at me and for the second time, I want to hit a girl.

  I get right in her face before I whisper, “You are the lowest piece of shit on this earth, Annabella. I hope you’re fucking happy with what you’ve done. I thought I should fight for this but during all your crazy ramblings, I’ve found you are nuts, and I’m glad to be kicked out. Don’t come crawling to me when everyone hates you.” I pause and take in the fear in her eyes. She knows I’m speaking the truth. I’m the only person she had left. After this no one will be there for her. Victor will pick Ashley’s side because Ashley will probably try to kill Annabella. “You and me could have been amazing, Annabella. I hope your hand keeps you satisfied.” Then I turn around and walk out the front door.