Page 50 of No First Kisses

“Is this thing haunted?” Sam nods toward the locket, and I grimace in response. “Shit, Poppy. You can’t have haunted things around a baby. You know that. We gotta burn that thing. Maybe douse it in holy water and bury it in salt. You don’t want ghosts around the baby. Even Lettie. We don’t know what being dead did to her attitude.”

I knew Sam would understand more than Logan would. Sam believes in the afterlife, just like I do. There is a reason we never messed around with candles or played games like Bloody Mary. Down into the very pits of our souls, we both believe messing with the spirits is bad luck.

And yes, my parents and Evie have used that against me more than once in my life.

“I want to bury it with her at the cemetery, Sammy.” Wrapping my hand around the locket, I sit back in the seat and wait for him to take me.

I don’t need to tell him which cemetery it is, either. Once upon a time, Sammy was in love with Lettie. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that my brother would have swept her off her feet if he’d had the chance. But they never got their moment. And then, Lettie was gone.

I reach over the center console and pat my brother’s arm as he pulls back into traffic, heading toward the opposite end of Birch. “Thank you, Sammy. It means a lot.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He grunts but ruins the badass appeal by smiling afterward. “You’re gonna have to make sure your boyfriend doesn’t kick my ass for helping you stage your escape in the middle of house arrest.”

“It could be worse.” I shrug. “You could be stuck helping me deliver the baby when I go into labor.”

Sam laughs mirthlessly. “I will do a lot of things for you, P. Looking at a head coming out of your vagina is not one of them.”

We turn into the cemetery, and when he parks the car, he walks with me through the eerily quiet area until we get to Lettie’s grave.

“I come out here once a year to clean up,” I tell him when he eyes the pristine headstone suspiciously. “I was here last month, pulling weeds and making sure the fake flowers were all taken care of.”

“You’re a good egg, P.” Sam brushes some dead leaves off Lettie’s grave and offers me his hand so I can plop down.

Then, right at the base of her headstone, I dig a small hole and bury the locket.

“I’m sorry it took so long to get this back to you, Lettie.” I lean forward, resting my head against the warm piece of cement that announces my friend’s final resting place. “But it’s here now, and I promise I’ll bring the baby to see you as soon as he’s here safe. I might have to bring a chair or something, though, because I don’t think I can sit on the ground with him.”

I feel Sam at my back, and the comforting hand he has on my shoulder helps keep me from falling into pieces.

“You know, this is sweet and all. But what the fuck are you doing here?”

I scream at Logan’s interruption and slip. That’s about the time I slam my head into Lettie’s headstone and then grab my face in pain.

“What the hell, Lo,” I cry out as lights start to dance in front of my face. “You scared me and made me hurt myself.”

He is there, pushing Sam out of the way so he can help me up and inspect my face, but there isn’t an apology on his lips.

“Well?” he asks once I’m up on two feet and he sees that I’m not bleeding or broken. “What are you doing here?”

“I was bringing Lettie back her locket,” I tell him stubbornly. “And don’t you look at me like I kicked you in the balls, okay. I didn’t leave the house alone. I had Sammy come. You know, the brother who carries around just as many weapons as you do and isn’t afraid to use them if he needs to.”

The fierce look in Logan’s eyes does absolutely nothing to frighten me, and I don’t think he realizes just how much hot water he is currently standing in.

“You weren’t supposed to leave the house. You’re on bed rest. I don’t like it. You’re out doing crazy shit when you could have just asked and I would have done it for you.” He starts rambling, pulling my arm gently to get me to follow him.

But I’m not moving, and unfortunately for him, I’m a million months pregnant.

“No,” I snap. “I’m not something for you to just order about like a toy, and I’m not acting like a child. I was smart in my decision to leave the house. I got protection.” I wave my hand toward Sam, who stands there with his arms crossed over his chest, but wisely stays silent. “I wanted tacos, that your demon spawn makes me crave, and I wanted to visit my friend’s grave. Your sister’s grave.” I pull my arm away from Logan.

“And if you didn’t want to put up with my craziness, then you shouldn’t have been sneaking into my house in the middle of the night so that you could play a game of Hide the Pickle. Because that’s what got us into this whole mess in the first place.”

I poke him in the chest again just for good measure and walk away, studiously ignoring my father and all of the men standing there just in case I burst into tears.

Logan can’t just let it go, though. No, he has to follow me out and pull me into his arms, even if I elbow him in the gut.

“It was the best mistake I ever made ’cause now I get to keep you forever, you pain in the ass.”

18

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