Page 17 of All in April

With a darted glance at Brahn, he sits on the edge of the bed and hunches over. Jack tries to reason with her. “Hmm, I-I don’t know. What could have happened to them? Wolfie?”

I stammer as if I have no clue. “Well, I’m not sure… Maybe you got a bad pack from the pharmacy.”

“Bad pack…” she says as if she doesn’t believe a word.

Brahn slowly creeps over to her and snags it between his fingers, then grabs her around the waist and shoves his lips onto hers in a searing kiss. She presses her fists against his broad chest, but it’s no use. He’s too big. A tiny whimper escapes her as she relents to his unyielding force.

“I love you, cupcake. I did this. ‘Cause I want you knocked up with my baby.”

Shit. He just said it. Like outloud and all. We thought she’d discover the day she was pregnant and we could just act as if it were a failure on the part of modern medicine. My fingers clutch the blanket and hold it up as if she’s about to explode daggers across the room.

Tears line her lower lid as she gazes up into Brahn’s bearded face. “You did this? Without asking me?”

Jack looks so sheepish that when she glances at him, then me, she knows exactly what we’ve done. “All of you… You knew.”

“Sweetheart, we just love you so much and want to express that love with a child,” Jack tries to explain.

Brahn takes a step back and crosses his arms. “I’m not getting any younger and I don’t want to be just your daddy. I want a baby.”

She darts her blue eyes over to me. “We all do, girlie. We want you to carry our kids.”

“But you should have asked me! Not gone about it like this.”

“You’d say no and then you’d leave. And you’re not leaving,” Brahn roars.

Jack steps between them. “Now, now. April is definitely allowed to make all her own decisions. She came here of her own accord. Willingly. And she can leave, but… Sweetheart, I don’t want you to. I’m in love with you.” He glances at me for help.

“We all are. I’m in love with you, too,” I tell her. What would we do without her? How will we get by? My chest aches in pain at the thought of her not being with us.

Brahn shoves Jack out of the way and falls to his knees in front of April. “Please, baby. I love you. Don’t be mad, I just wanted to have a family with you.”

April’s tears spill over onto her cheeks and my heart feels as if it’s being ripped apart. She places her hands on Brahn’s big shoulders and shakes her head. “You should have talked about this with me. I need time. Time to think… Time away from you all.”

She chokes on a sob. The way she looks so broken crushes my soul. “I have no money and nowhere to go.”

All of us jump with a start, rushing toward her to comfort her, but she holds up her hands to wave us off.

Jack lowers his voice and says, “I’m taking you to a hotel. You can stay as long as you need. We got you covered.” His gaze threatens me, then Brahn and we both nod solemnly in agreement.

“I’m going,” I tell them.

Brahn crosses his thick arms across his hairy chest and agrees. “Me, too.”

April glances at all of us, then hurries to grab her old backpack and stuff some items in it while we all dress and wait for her. Guilt heats up every part of my insides. I can’t even look at my boys right now. Their heads hang as low as mine.

“I’m ready.” April’s body shakes, but she doesn’t appear angry. Maybe confused or disappointed.

We pile into the car and give April the front seat. Silence fills the stuffed interior and other than tiny patters of rain, none of us makes a sound the entire way. The motel he picks out is nice. But more importantly, it’s close to us.

Jack clears his throat. “I know this place has a kitchenette in each room. Hold tight, sweetheart and I’ll grab one for, uh…a week.”

He jumps out of the driver’s side and my heart feels as if it implodes with grief. Moonlight reflects a rim of tears lining Brahn’s lower lids. If I look at him square in the face, I think I may cry, too. This cannot be it!

“April, we’re sorry. We never meant to hurt you. Girlie, we love you so much and wanted to express it. Wanted our own family. Please understand, we may have gone about it in the wrong way, but we were so afraid you wouldn’t be with all of us, that you’d leave?—”

“You were right,” she says quietly, staring out the front windshield, then opens her car door and gets out.

Brahn slumps forward with his head in his hands, barely able to fit in the little space. “Fuck…,” I swear. Out of habit, I untie my ponytail and twirl my hair around a finger so I can come up with some way to win her back.

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