Page 57 of The Pact

“He’s been assigned to the base in Star Cove.”

That look in her eyes. Again. “Mc, what the fuck is going on? He said some things that didn’t make a lot of sense to me. At least not if I have to believe that he walked out on you and Skye when Dad tried to force his hand into marrying you and moving in with him and Mom.”

“I—”

I cut her off. “What did he do, Mc? I mean, I was mad at him but deep down I didn’t blame him for not wanting to live with our parents. He told me that he tried to help, to give you money. That he wants to be in Skye’s life, on whatever terms you’ll dictate. What did he do? I understand if you don’t love him anymore but that shouldn’t affect his right to—”

This time the emotion in McKayla’s eyes is rage. Pure and unbridled. “His rights? Skye is my daughter. Mine.”

I touch her arm, trying to soothe her but she shrugs me off. “No one is trying to take Skye away from you, Mc. Or at least, I get why you didn’t want our parents involved. But Johnny just wants to help and he wants to see his daughter. I believe him when he says that he doesn’t want to tell you what to do. And God knows we could do with the help, Mc. Let alone struggling with the bills and not being able to buy a teddy bear for my niece, we’re always one emergency away from disaster. Five bucks can tip us over the edge of not being able to make rent or put food on the table. You have no idea how embarrassed I was earlier when Bode bought that bear for Skye when he realized that I couldn’t afford it. And he offered to pay for a Brazilian wax for me. So look, I understand that you don’t want to take other people’s money. But while Bode and I—Johnny is different. He’s your baby’s father. He isn’t just willing to help, Mc. He’s legally obligated to. So I don’t understand why you’re so adamant about cutting him off. And you know I supported you when you decided you didn’t want Dad’s help.”

My sister sighs.

She looks suddenly tired as she lowers herself onto the couch, covering her face with her hands.

“It isn’t like that,” she says after a minute, with unshed tears in her eyes. “Johnny didn’t walk out on me; I broke up with him. And I didn’t move out of Dad’s house, he kicked me out.”

I nod. “Yeah, because you didn’t want to get married. Whoever was the one that broke up with the other.”

She lowers her gaze, avoiding looking me in the eyes. “There was a reason why I didn’t want to marry Johnny. I ... I wasn’t—No, I’m not sure that Skye is Johnny’s.”

I can’t help the gasp that escapes my lips. “What?”

“I was seeing someone else, Ausra. An older guy.”

So when she sneaked out of my window at night, it wasn’t to go see her boyfriend. I don’t have to say it out loud, she knows what I’m thinking.

“We partied, we smoked and took some other stuff. It was just recreational; it isn’t like I was addicted or anything. He was sexy and more experienced and I—”

I don’t say anything. Who am I to judge her when I accepted playing this game with four guys who weren’t exactly nice to me at school? No one made me, I said yes because I wanted to. I wanted them.

“Dad threw me out when he found out about the drugs. He was trying to force me to take a paternity test and when I refused, he got so mad ... he tried to hit me with a chair. Mom stepped between us.”

I rush to her side and wrap her into my arms. I do my best to swallow down the rush of bile and hatred at the thought of Dad’s reaction. “Ok. So that’s why you moved out. Dad was wrong trying to force you and I hate him even more than I already did for trying to hit you. But Mc, don’t you think that he had a point in wanting to know who’s Skye’s father? Don’t you want to know?”

Her voice is soft, almost like a whisper. “Maybe. I don’t know. I didn’t have the heart to tell Johnny that I had been sleeping with someone else and the other guy ...”

She doesn’t need to say it. “He doesn’t know either? That he might be Skye’s dad?”

I can hear the guilt in her voice. “I never even told him I was pregnant.”

I don’t understand Mc’s behavior. Unless ... “Is he married? Is that why you didn’t tell him?”

Her reaction is immediate and outraged. “Fuck, no! I might’ve been sleeping around and getting high but I’d never even look at a married man. You have to believe me, Ausra.”

I hug her tighter. “I believe you.”

“Then why do you look so disappointed? You must think I’m a skank.”

I shake my head. “Mc, the fact that I don’t understand why you didn’t tell this other guy, doesn’t mean—”

“He just isn’t the dad type, ok? He just finished college like, three years ago. He isn’t even the boyfriend type. He’s the kind of guy you make love on the beach with, not the type you bring home to meet your parents.”

Well fuck, in our parents case, I don’t know that I’d ever bring anyone to meet them. No matter what kind of guy he was.

“So what are you going to do about Johnny? Look, I know it’s none of my business but with him living in the next town over, it won’t be as easy to avoid him. He really cares, Mc.”

She clenches her fists, tension is radiating from her. “I don’t have a fucking clue. Why can’t everyone just leave me and my daughter alone? If he isn’t the father, he’ll be so—”

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