Page 16 of Merciful Lies

“Fuck,” I moan, closing my eyes.

Talk about problems. The tiny bit of money I make with my family’s bakery is a pittance.

But the bakery is my legacy.

Mine and Sammy’s.

Not that he ever cared.

“But we can talk about them later. First, tell me everything about you getting knocked up. And don’t you dare fucking lie,” she demands.

“Fine, But you’re not gonna like it, Sisi,” I murmur, calling her by her nickname.

I start at the beginning, with Sammy owing money to the Vipers.

And I end my story with me inside the king of the Vipers’ bed, where he makes me come more times than I could count, and subsequently gets me pregnant.

“Are you fucking serious?” she asks, thirty minutes later when I finally finish telling my tale.

“Um, yeah, Sisi, I’m pretty fucking serious.”

I gesture to my stomach.

“Well, from your description of him, at least the baby should be cute,” she says, lifting one shoulder. “Unless all that ink his daddy has makes him come out with like blue skin or some shit.”

“Oh my God, what is wrong with you?”

I laugh. Then I cry.

I blame it on hormones, but it’s more than that.

“Hey, it’ll be okay. Aunt Sisi is gonna take care of you both,” she says and before I know it, my bestie is hugging me.

I cling to her, so grateful for human contact. Six months without even a single physical touch was rough on me.

I like hugs. Not that I’d been hugged very often, but I know I like them.

I crave human contact.

I can’t wait for my baby to arrive. To have the chance to cuddle them and give them all the love I know I’m capable of.

I huff a breath and shake my head, wiping the stray tears that are rolling down my face.

“So, what’s the plan?”

“The plan?” I look at her, utterly confused.

“Yeah, are you gonna tell him?”

“Him who? Nico? No! Why would I?”

Hope. Horror. Angst. Need. Fear.

One by one, emotions flitter through me and I’m practically gasping by the time Giselle responds.

“Um, because he’s the father. He has rights, and so do you. The bakers aren’t gonna pay you much longer. They’re threatening to quit unless you agree to sign over ownership of the business to them. This Nico is the dad, right? So, he has to pay child support,” she says, like I’m dumb.

“The bakers are my problem. If they want me gone, I will sell the business to them and the bread routes, but they aren’t pushing me out for nothing. Besides, I don’t own this building. There are three mortgages on it. If they think I’m just going to give it to them, they’re crazy.”

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