Page 32 of The Drummer's Heart

But then during a break in the music, Kayla moved to the other side of the room and sat on Atticus’s lap. She began running her fingers through his hair. It felt like my worst nightmare.

Then Julian came up to me. “Hey, how’s it going?”

“Good,” I lied, my eyes still fixed on the sight across from me.

“I called you earlier this week, but it went to your voicemail. I wanted to see if we could check out that new 3-D movie theater that opened in Brunswick.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” I turned to him. “I didn’t know.”

Julian had been trying to date me for the past couple of years, but I never gave him the time of day. There was nothing wrong with him. He was good-looking and sweet. His only flaw was that he wasn’t Atticus Marchetti.

My cousin seized everyone’s attention when he brought down a case of beer.

Things went from bad to worse because I knew as soon as everyone started drinking, anything could happen. My imagination ran wild. Atticus could lose his inhibitions and sleep with this girl. He probably already had. Was I naïve enough to think he hadn’t been with other girls? This was just the only time it had happened in front of my face.

I felt sick. My stomach churned. I knew I needed to leave, but felt too weak to get up.

All of a sudden, Atticus was next to me. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Refusing to look him in the eyes, I blew out a breath. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. You just look like something is wrong.”

I hesitated. “I think it was this…seafood I ate earlier.”Really? What the hell?I guessed that was better than telling the truth.

“Seafood?” he asked. “You’re sick to your stomach?”

“Yeah,” I murmured. “You’d better stay away so you don’t get sick, too.”

His brows drew in like he didn’t know whether to believe me, but he went back to the other side of the room.

Kayla, who’d gone to the bathroom, I assumed, returned and sat on his lap again.

That was it. I needed to conjure the strength to get the hell out of here. I forced myself up off the couch and left. An evening that had held so much promise was instead one of the worst nights of my life.

CHAPTER 11

ATTICUS

I was cleaning up in Mimi’s room the morning after we’d gone out with our friends when her words stopped me in my tracks.

“I had a dream about your baby last night.”

I froze for a second and then gulped. “Oh yeah?”What is she talking about?

“Yes. I couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl, but it was the most beautiful, dark-haired baby that looked just like Nicole.”

“Lucky kid,” I murmured, a hollow feeling in my chest. That baby was not likely to ever exist. Then a flash of panic hit. What if Mimi’s dream was a premonition about another baby? What if Nicole was pregnant? It certainly wouldn’t be mine.

After a moment, relief washed over me as I remembered she had her period.Thank fuck.

“The last time I asked you guys about children, you both went quiet,” Mimi said. “I’m sorry if I overstepped. But is there something you’re not telling me?”

My heart pounded.Something we’re not telling you, Mimi? Why ever would you think that?I cleared my throat. “Like what, Mimi?”

“Are you two having trouble in that area?”

I stalled. “What kind of trouble?”

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