“Oh, sweetie,” I say and squeeze my eyes shut. “What a mess. I’m so sorry, Kady. I wish I knew you were dealing with this from the start. On top of everything, you’re pregnant.”
“Haven’t you been wondering why I wasn’t drinking? I even cut back on caffeine. I’ve been making decaf most mornings.”
“That explains why I’ve been so tired lately. But no, I didn’t really notice if I’m honest. I mean, with everything going on—”
“I guess that’s fair.”
“How far along are you?”
“A couple months. I went to an OB early on, just at the Planned Parenthood, and she said things look all right. I’ve been taking prenatal vitamins and stuff, you know.”
“We have to get you to see a doctor again. You need ultrasounds, right?”
She shrugs helplessly. “I have no clue.”
“I’ll find someone. We can make appointments—”
“Cora.” Her tone is hard. “I don’t want you to be my mother.”
“I know that, but—”
“No,” she says, glaring at me. “Listen. I’m going to be a momma soon, not you. I need to grow up. I can’t have you babying me all the time.”
I let that sink in. I can guess at what she’s feeling right now: scared, helpless, alone, but also crushed under the weight of responsibility. This baby is going to depend on her, but she’s barely been able to take care of herself over the years, much less an entire person. I’ll help and do whatever I can to make sure she’s supported, but still, she wants to find a way to do it herself.
I respect it, even if it kills me. All I want to do is swoop in and make everything all right.
“What now?” I ask once the silence gets too oppressive.
“I guess now I go to bed and figure out how I’m going to find my child’s father in the morning.”
“You can’t chase him. And you can’t go back to the ORB. They won’t help you.”
“I know.” She puts her chin on her knees. “That was stupid. I’m really sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’ll make sure Nolan doesn’t do anything about it, all right? We’ll be okay.”
“I love you, Cora. I know I’m not showing it right now, but I love you. This baby has me all messed up.”
“I know, sweetie. I love you too.” I hug her tight and hold her for a little while.
This is why she kept going to see that asshole. This is the real reason behind everything. She was too afraid to tell me the truth, but now that I’m past the shock, I’m actually kind of relieved. At least this makes sense and I can understand why she couldn’t cut off Jaxson completely even when she knew it was the right thing. She kept thinking about her unborn baby and what’s best for them, and keeping Jaxson in her life is the right call, even if that makes everything complicated.
I get her upstairs and make sure she heads to bed. I stay up for a little while in the living room until I’m sure she’s asleep. But before I can head to my room, Nolan meets me in the hallway. He takes my hand and pulls me after him into his room and shuts the door with a soft click.
I sit on the end of his bed as he leans against his dresser. “She going to be okay?”
“Not even remotely, but I think it’ll be better now that everyone knows.”
“Pregnant by Jaxson. What a fucking situation.”
“Don’t be a dick, Nolan.”
“I’m honestly not, it’s just horrible timing.”
“What do you mean?”
“We hit the ORB hard tonight. No deaths, no violence, but we stole a lot of guns from them. Which means the war’s going to heat up sooner rather than later.”
“Heat up how?”
“They’re going to want to get those weapons back and we’re not going to let them.” He walks over and kneels down between my legs. I shiver as he moves forward, pinning my arms to my side and kissing my neck.
“Kady’s stuck in the middle, isn’t she?”
“Depends on how much the ORB knows. If she told them the truth about the baby then yes, that’ll be a problem. If she didn’t then she might be okay.”
“I have a feeling they know. Why else burn down the trailer? It was a warning aimed at her.” I groan as he kisses me and when he pulls back, something terrible occurs to me. “They’re treating her like a traitor. She’s been their target from the start, not you and me, and I think Jaxson’s the only reason they’ve been holding back.”
“But with him gone—” Nolan sighs and shakes his head. “All the more reason you two need to be right here with me.”
He kisses me again and this time I give in to my needs. I let him strip me naked, let him spank my ass raw, let him fuck me until I’m sweating and satisfied. He comes in my mouth and I swallow him whole, and I lie on his chest listening to him breathe as he drifts off to sleep.