Page 5 of Teasing a King

I say the last part in my best sarcastic tv talk show host voice. I stand there glaring at him for several seconds, waiting for him to say something. Anything. When it becomes clear he isn’t going to, I feel my anger start to slip away. Replacing it is something closer to sadness and I feel my eyes prick with tears. I will not cry in front of this man, especially after he just implied that I’m a whore.

“I just thought you had the right to know.”

I manage to get the words out without my voice cracking, though they’ve lost some of their sharp edges. Then I push past him and out of the room. I hear him call my name, but I don’t stop. I keep walking, out of the kitchen, down the hallway, out into the dining room and out the front door of the restaurant. My feet carry me across the parking lot and to my car. I don’t wait to see if Van is following me. As I pull out onto the road, I take a split second to think about where I’m heading before turning toward Hope’s house.

I drive on autopilot. I’ve only been to the house Hope shares with Wyatt twice before, and that was months ago. Somehow, I make it there without getting lost. Hope walks out onto the porch as I pull into the driveway, her phone in her hand. I’m sure Wyatt called her as soon as he saw me storm out of Mack’s. I guess the word is out.

I climb out of the car as Hope walks toward me. She meets me halfway down the walkway and wordlessly pulls me to her in a hug. Suddenly, it’s too much. All of it is too much to hold in. I cling to my best friend as the tears fall. I’m not sure how long we stand there, but eventually Hope pulls back and looks at my face.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” she says gently. “But I’ve missed you. Come inside and tell me everything.”

I blink at her through my tears. She doesn’t know. Which means Van hasn’t said anything to his brother yet. I sniff loudly and nod.

“This is a big one,” I whisper as she puts an arm around my shoulders and steers me toward the house.

“Whatever it is, I’ve got you,” Hope says, giving me another squeeze.

For some reason, her words make me want to cry more. But I manage to hold in the tears. She’s right, I know. Hope has always had my back, no matter what. I’ve done the same for her. I should have talked to her first, no matter her relationship with Van’s brother. She would have kept my secret until I could talk to him. Plus, she would have given excellent advice. She’s always been great with advice, except when it comes to taking it herself.

Hope leads me into the house and sits me down on the couch. She leaves for a moment and returns with a glass of water and a box of tissues before sitting next to me on the couch.

“Blow your nose and tell me whose ass I need to kick.”

Chapter Three

Van

Pregnant. Mya is pregnant. I’m going to be a father. I sit there for several long minutes after she storms out, trying to understand what just happened. Mya is having a baby. She’s having my baby. Mya and I are having a baby. No matter how many different ways I phrase it in my head, I just can’t seem to come to grips with the reality. I picture her face as she’d said it. The way her hand had been resting over her belly, almost protectively. Her brown eyes had been filled with worry. But there had also been a fierceness in them.

Then I remember how her gaze had shifted to rage after I’d stuck my foot in my mouth. I hadn’t meant to imply anything. My words came out wrong. I know we don’t each other well, but I’ve never thought ill of her. Even if she were the type of woman to sleep around, that’s not really my business. We’d spent one night together. It’s not like we’d been exclusive. I haven’t slept with anyone since, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t have. Just as Mya could have done. I know it’s all true as I think it. So, why does the idea bother me so much?

I’m such an idiot. I can’t believe how badly I’ve screwed this up. Mya had looked scared and worried. She’d come to me to tell me this monumental news that she’s undoubtedly been living with for a while. I don’t know much about pregnancies, but I paid some attention in health class. I know periods come once a month unless a woman is pregnant. It’s been nearly 3 since Finn’s wedding. She’d said eleven weeks. Does that mean she knows for sure? Has she been to a doctor yet? She didn’t have a chance to answer when I’d asked her before. Because I’d been too busy being a dumbass and making her think I think she sleeps around.

“Idiot,” I mutter to the empty room.

The office door opens, and I see my brother standing there, a curious expression on his face.

“You okay?” he asks. “I saw Mya storm out of here. It’s a good thing looks can’t kill.”

When I don’t react, Wyatt’s eyes narrow in concern. “Seriously. What happened?”

I scrub my hands over my face and sigh. “Remember Finn’s wedding?”

He nods.

“Remember how I left early?”

Wyatt nods again.

“I didn’t leave alone,” I say, raising a brow meaningfully.

Wyatt makes the connection immediately. His brows shoot up. “You and Mya?”

I nod. Wyatt blinks a few times as he digests the information. “Damn, bro. I thought you were above one-night stands and casual hookups.”

I open my hands in a helpless gesture. “So did I,” I say. “But Mya? She’s incredible.”

Wyatt holds up a hand. “Nope. That’s enough of that. That’s my future wife’s best friend. I cannot hear details.”

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