Page 8 of Teasing a King

Before I can finish explaining to Hope why I’m so upset, Quinn and Hannah show up. Hannah has a bottle of wine and Quinn is carrying two bags loaded down with junk food. When she’d first suggested inviting the other women over, I’d been hesitant. I’ve only hung out with them a few times, but I like them all. We’d gotten along great the few times I’d come to visit Hope. And we’d had a blast at Hannah’s bachelorette party. I have a feeling that if I lived here, we’d all be close friends. But am I ready to tell them about this? I’m not so sure. But then I remember that they’re all living with one of Van’s brothers. My baby’s uncles. And Claire will be my baby’s aunt. Even if Van is being a jerk about this pregnancy, that doesn’t mean the rest of his family will feel the same.

“We’re here,” Quinn announces, piling the bags onto the kitchen counter. “And we brought food.”

She’s a little curvier than she’d been the last time I saw her at Hannah’s wedding. Her boobs are a little bigger and there’s the slightest rounding of her stomach. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know she’s pregnant unless I’d been told. I can’t remember how far along she is in her pregnancy, but I know it’s not much further than me.

“I’ve got cookies, pizza rolls, ice cream and popcorn,” Quinn says, making her way to the kitchen.

Hannah rolls her eyes. “Why do you eat like a child?”

“Because I’m growing one?” Quinn shoots back from the kitchen.

I laugh, despite the events of the day. “What kind of ice cream?” I ask.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Quinn says, poking her head through the door. “I brought Chubby Hubby, Rocky Road and cookie dough.”

I hold out my hand. “Chubby Hubby, please.”

“Coming right up.”

She brings me a pint of ice cream and a spoon and settles herself down next to me on the couch with a cookie. Hannah and Hope join us in the living room with glasses of wine in their hands.

“Okay,” Hannah says, “What’s the emergency? And who made Mya cry?”

Hope gives me a look as if to say, ‘It’s your call.”

I sigh. I open my mouth to speak just as we hear the front door open.

“I’m here!” a female voice calls out. “Don’t start without me. I brought cupcakes!”

Quinn jumps to her feet far faster than a pregnant woman should be able to, even if she is barely showing. “Ooh, cupcakes!”

Claire walks into the living room holding a bakery box out in front of her. Claire is Van’s sister, the only female King sibling and the youngest of the five. She’s also the only one of them to inherit her mother’s red hair and green eyes rather than the striking dark hair and blue eyes all the men seemed to have. I’ve learned all this from conversations with Hope over the last several months. I’d pretended not to be interested, but secretly, I was soaking up every bit of information I could get about Donovan King and his family. My baby’s extended family.

“Come sit down,” Quinn says to Claire. “Mya was about to tell everyone why she’s been crying and whose ass we need to kick.”

I smile, looking around at the other four women. They all seem so different at first glance, but they’re all family. Even if they weren’t born into that family. I know I can trust Hope with any secret I tell her. She’ll never judge me, and she’ll take it to the grave if I ask her to. I’m beginning to realize that she’s found that same type of friendship here in Oak Hill. And that maybe, I can have it too. I take a deep breath and decide to trust these women.

“I’m pregnant,” I say, the words coming out fast and far louder than I’d planned.

There’s a moment of stunned silence where everyone seems to be looking at me to gage my feelings on the fact. When it’s clear no one is going to say anything until I do, I elaborate.

“I’ve decided I’m keeping the baby,” I say. “By my calculations, I’m about eleven weeks along. I haven’t found an OB yet.” I look at Quinn. “Maybe you can recommend one?”

She nods and gives me a hesitant smile. “Of course,” she says softly. “I love mine. She’s amazing.”

I return the smile, grateful. Then I see her expression shift. She seems hesitant, but after a second, she speaks.

“Just one thing?” she says. “I didn’t think you lived in Oak Hill?”

I swallow hard and set the carton of melting ice cream on the coffee table. “That’s the thing,” I say. “I’ve decided to move here. I don’t have any family in South Carolina. Plus, Hope’s here and she’s basically my only real family. I want my baby to grow up knowing he or she has people who love them.”

Quinn nods. “That makes sense. Have you thought about where you’re going to live?”

I shake my head. “Not yet,” I say.

Hope pulls me to her in a tight hug. “I’m so happy you’re moving here,” she says. “Even if it wasn’t exactly the way you planned it.” She pulls back slightly and gives me a confused look. “I thought you weren’t dating anyone?”

“I’m not,” I say, my gaze sliding away from her. “There’s another reason I came here.”

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