infantilising was the flipside.
“I drink and I say fuck and I stay out late on a school night and I’ve smoked a joint and skipped classes and flunked an exam or two and yes … I’ve had sex. Lots of sex.”
Stunned silence followed. Obviously none of her brothers knew what to say to any of her revelations. She glanced at Coop who was also looking at her like she’d lost her mind.
“How far along?” Jarrod asked quietly.
“Just,” Lacey muttered, thinking on her feet, answering on autopilot as she dragged her gaze off Coop to look at her brother.
“Who’s the father?” Ethan asked, standing now too.
Lacey blinked. “What?” Trust Ethan to cut straight to the point. “Does it matter?”
“Oh hell yeah,” Marcus said, glaring at her.
“Why? What are you going to do? Beat him up?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of castration,” he said and looked like he could perform said castration with his bare hands right this moment.
“You can’t be serious?” she gasped.
“ Who? ” Ethan insisted.
“None of your goddamn business,” she snapped.
“Lacey …” Jarrod’s voice was full of reproach as he also got to his feet. “This is serious.”
Lacey swallowed. “You think I don’t know that?”
“He has certain responsibilities,” Jarrod said, calm and collected.
“What? You’re going to force him to marry me?”
Marcus nodded. “You bet.”
“Of for fuck’s sake,” Lacey snapped, switching attention to Marcus. “This isn’t Victorian England. My honour hasn’t been besmirched, and you’re all acting like Neanderthals.”
“It’s something to consider,” Ethan said, his face tight.
It was true Lacey hadn’t thought any of this through when she opened her mouth and blatantly lied but she’d have never thought her brothers could act like such cavemen . This was taking their whole over-protective thing too far.
“You’re joking right?”
“You think it’s easy being a single parent, Lacey?”
Lacey swallowed as Ethan’s face went from tight to grim. If anyone knew about the hardships and pitfalls of being a single parent it was Ethan.
“There’s financial support issues,” Jarrod pointed out, “and all kinds of forward planning. If you’re going to do this then we all need to sit down with the father and have an adult conversation with him about how this is going to work. We need to know that you’ll be taken care of.”
“I can take care of myself,” she insisted.
“Getting pregnant is you taking care of yourself?” Ethan demanded.
Marcus folded his arms. “Quit holding out on us, Lace and spill.”
Lacey held her ground. She’d forgotten how formidable her brothers could be when they stood together. She glanced at JJ whose gaze clearly said your bed .
“For God’s sake, Lacey,” Ethan said shoving a hand through his hair. “You can’t waltz in here and calmly tell us you’re pregnant and not expect us to want to know about the man who’s going to be in this kid’s life, in our lives , for the rest of time. You want our support? Then you’d better start answering some questions.”
All three men were looking at her with implacable expressions as they waited for her to answer.
Lacey bowed her head as she quickly sorted through her fake-baby-daddy options. Not Jeremy. Yes he was a total shit but she had no intention of embroiling him in this debacle. So, some made-up guy that she could be vague about? That could work.
She glanced at Coop, feeling completely overwhelmed by all the testosterone in the room. Their gazes locked. His seemed to say w ell this a fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into this time and she couldn’t have agreed more.
But she could also feel his support, sitting beside her like this, the only bastion of testosterone in the room still in her corner, and that gave her strength. Resolve to tell her bonehead brothers to back off.
“I’m not answering your questions,” she said, eyeing each one in turn,
“I drink and I say fuck and I stay out late on a school night and I’ve smoked a joint and skipped classes and flunked an exam or two and yes … I’ve had sex. Lots of sex.”
Stunned silence followed. Obviously none of her brothers knew what to say to any of her revelations. She glanced at Coop who was also looking at her like she’d lost her mind.
“How far along?” Jarrod asked quietly.
“Just,” Lacey muttered, thinking on her feet, answering on autopilot as she dragged her gaze off Coop to look at her brother.
“Who’s the father?” Ethan asked, standing now too.
Lacey blinked. “What?” Trust Ethan to cut straight to the point. “Does it matter?”
“Oh hell yeah,” Marcus said, glaring at her.
“Why? What are you going to do? Beat him up?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of castration,” he said and looked like he could perform said castration with his bare hands right this moment.
“You can’t be serious?” she gasped.
“ Who? ” Ethan insisted.
“None of your goddamn business,” she snapped.
“Lacey …” Jarrod’s voice was full of reproach as he also got to his feet. “This is serious.”
Lacey swallowed. “You think I don’t know that?”
“He has certain responsibilities,” Jarrod said, calm and collected.
“What? You’re going to force him to marry me?”
Marcus nodded. “You bet.”
“Of for fuck’s sake,” Lacey snapped, switching attention to Marcus. “This isn’t Victorian England. My honour hasn’t been besmirched, and you’re all acting like Neanderthals.”
“It’s something to consider,” Ethan said, his face tight.
It was true Lacey hadn’t thought any of this through when she opened her mouth and blatantly lied but she’d have never thought her brothers could act like such cavemen . This was taking their whole over-protective thing too far.
“You’re joking right?”
“You think it’s easy being a single parent, Lacey?”
Lacey swallowed as Ethan’s face went from tight to grim. If anyone knew about the hardships and pitfalls of being a single parent it was Ethan.
“There’s financial support issues,” Jarrod pointed out, “and all kinds of forward planning. If you’re going to do this then we all need to sit down with the father and have an adult conversation with him about how this is going to work. We need to know that you’ll be taken care of.”
“I can take care of myself,” she insisted.
“Getting pregnant is you taking care of yourself?” Ethan demanded.
Marcus folded his arms. “Quit holding out on us, Lace and spill.”
Lacey held her ground. She’d forgotten how formidable her brothers could be when they stood together. She glanced at JJ whose gaze clearly said your bed .
“For God’s sake, Lacey,” Ethan said shoving a hand through his hair. “You can’t waltz in here and calmly tell us you’re pregnant and not expect us to want to know about the man who’s going to be in this kid’s life, in our lives , for the rest of time. You want our support? Then you’d better start answering some questions.”
All three men were looking at her with implacable expressions as they waited for her to answer.
Lacey bowed her head as she quickly sorted through her fake-baby-daddy options. Not Jeremy. Yes he was a total shit but she had no intention of embroiling him in this debacle. So, some made-up guy that she could be vague about? That could work.
She glanced at Coop, feeling completely overwhelmed by all the testosterone in the room. Their gazes locked. His seemed to say w ell this a fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into this time and she couldn’t have agreed more.
But she could also feel his support, sitting beside her like this, the only bastion of testosterone in the room still in her corner, and that gave her strength. Resolve to tell her bonehead brothers to back off.
“I’m not answering your questions,” she said, eyeing each one in turn,
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