Page 48 of Deceit

“I don’t think I’ve met Kat yet. I’ve heard you all talking about her enough I feel as if I do know her though. I just don’t think that’s the only reason you’re in such a good mood today,” I state, my voice losing any sign of laughter as I try to pinpoint what’s different with my friend.

“I’ve got a surprise for you. Come on in,” Hope calls out, stepping to the side to show my sister entering the bedroom Kingston and I have been occupying.

“Zoey? What are you doing here?” I ask her, not sure if she made the trip here alone or not.

“I know I haven’t been a very good sister over the years, Brynn. And you’ll never know how truly sorry for that I am. Part of me was jealous of you because you were the baby of the family and in my eyes Mom and Dad doted on you in ways they never did with me or Maddox. Because of me, there’s been a rift in our family for longer than necessary and I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to make it all up to you,” Zoey says, walking slowly close to me until she’s right next to the edge of my bed.

I watch as her fingers twitch like she wants to reach out and take my hand in hers. Knowing my sister isn’t sure if I’d allow it, I breach the distance between us and take hold of her hand in mine.

“I’ve already forgiven you, Zoey. There’s so many years between us and I know it wasn’t easy for Maddox or you when I was born. You were already older and had a good routine going and then I just suddenly joined the family without warning,” I tell her once again as she smiles down at me. “Now is the time to move forward and work on building a relationship between the two of us.”

Zoey nods her head as she swallows hard and a lone tear slides down her face.

“How are you feeling, Brynn? Not the answer you give Mom and Dad or anyone else back home. How are you really doing?” she asks me as Hope leaves the room and I hear her moving around the kitchen.

“I hate being on bed rest. I’m not bleeding and the pain has disappeared. Dr. Craven isn’t ready to let me get up though. I still can’t take a shower or bath. Kingston has been giving me sponge baths in bed before changing my clothes. I’m a mess and hate being reliant on everyone around me,” I answer her honestly as she nods her head in agreement.

“I wasn’t on bed rest, but I know what you’re going through. No one thought I could do anything and if I tried to lift something heavier than a piece of paper, everyone lost their damn mind. It was horrible. I can’t imagine what you’re going through,” Zoey tells me as she sits down on the bed next to me.

Hope comes back in the bedroom with a tray of food for my lunch. She also has a bag full of snacks and other stuff for us to have while we talk, listen to music, watch movies, and whatever else she has planned for our so-called girl’s day. Today I’ve got grilled chicken with roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes. I’ve got a glass of milk and a bottle of water to keep next to me. There’s even a small piece of apple pie with cool whip on top. My mouth waters at the smell of the apple pie. Hope warmed it up for me and the cool whip is melting on top of it. I want to abandon my lunch and just eat dessert.

“Not happening, Brynn. You need to eat healthy for your little one,” Zoey warns me, a smirk on her face. “It’s written all over your face that you’re about to ditch eating the real food and dive straight into your dessert. You realize that’s why Mom never brought out dessert at home when you were growing up until your dinner was gone, right?”

“What? Is that the reason she stopped putting it on the table?” I ask, shock filling me at the thought of our mom holding out on me when I was growing up.

“Yeah, Brynn. Maddox was so upset he pouted for a month,” Zoey answers me, laughing so hard she has tears streaming down her face.

I pout this time as my sister and Hope laugh at me. Still, I dig into the lunch I’ve been made and ignore the pie staring me in the face. More than a few times the girls have to warn me to slow down so I don’t choke or make myself sick. Finally, I eat all the food on my plate and get to the dessert. Pulling the pie closer to me, I take my first bite and savor it. Zoey and Hope start talking about what we’re going to do for the day while I slowly eat my dessert.

The rest of the day is spent as if we’re teenagers who are having a sleepover. We paint one another’s nails, watch movies, and eat our weight in junk food. Kingston doesn’t come back until dinner time, giving me the chance to spend the day with my sister. This is what Hope and him have been talking about when they’ve been whispering to one another. Zoey reached out to Kingston about coming to spend time with me. She got really scared when she learned I was in the hospital with a possible miscarriage. After talking to her man and letting him know she needed to be here for me in case something bad happened, she made the trip back here and will remain here for the rest of the week with us. It’s a good surprise and I can’t wait to spend time with my sister the way we should have when we were younger.

Epilogue

Alana

KINGSTON AND BRYNNhired me to be the photographer for their wedding. It’s the largest job I’ve ever had so far in my career and I’m a nervous wreck. This will either make or break me as far as landing more jobs in the future. That’s why I came to Pine View a few days early so I could spend time with my friends and get to know the space I’ll be shooting. Because there are going to be members from the Phantom Bastards MC, the Wild Kings MC, and King’s Vengeance MC, they decided to get married at the clubhouse because it has the most space and no one will complain about the reception. Brynn has been on bed rest for the last month and only just got taken off of it as long as she doesn’t overdo things. Hope has been giving me the tour of where everything will take place and how Brynn wants her big day to go. It’s been nice catching up with her as I try to figure out how I’m going to do all the pictures and where the best spots will be for the photos after the ceremony is over. I’ve got a ton of ideas and Brynn loves them all.

---