Page 24 of Orange Spell
Curran shook his head.“I was sitting there eating lunch when she came up to me.I’m sure she heard that I was fighting with Birch, but it’s still weird, right?I’m pretty sure she insinuated that she understood if I was afraid of Birch because of who he is to Killian.She said I could come to her and that I didn’t have to worry about that.”
Marlin’s mind was being pulled between two important places.He needed to focus on what Curran was saying about Pearl, but he couldn’t stop staring at him.
Curran snapped his fingers in front of Marlin’s face.“Are you listening to me?”
“You look different,” Marlin blurted out.
Curran’s eyes widened, and his hands flew to his stomach.Marlin swallowed, still unable to look away.There could only be one reason for Curran’s behavior.
He was clearly trying to hide his stomach, and that could only be because it was more rounded than it had been a few weeks ago.Marlin remembered every moment of the night they’d shared.
“I don’t look like anything,” Curran said.“Are you listening to me?Did you hear what I said about Pearl?”
“I did.What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.”
“Curran.”
Curran shook his head.“Can we not do this now?Look, I don’t know everything that happens to Killian, but I know Pearl has been a problem for a while now.Why would she approach me, of all people?It has to be because she saw me fighting with Birch, and she knows I’m his brother.I’m sure she’s planning something.”
Marlin agreed, but he couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t Curran.“Please tell me,” he begged.
Curran paused.He was very carefully avoiding looking at Marlin.That was enough to tell Marlin something really was going on.
“Curran, please,” he repeated.
Curran huffed.“Fine.Yes, I’m pregnant.Can we go back to what’s important now?”
As far as Marlin was concerned, Curran’s pregnancy was extremely important.“Is the baby mine?”It had to be.He knew Curran.He wasn’t the kind of person who slept around.It wouldn’t have mattered if he had been, but it just wasn’t like him.Marlin had always hoped it meant that Curran had feelings for someone—for him—but that didn’t matter right now.
Curran was pregnant with Marlin’s baby.
How had they not noticed that Curran was fertile the other night?Well, that was easy.They’d been half drunk and too busy to even think about using protection.It hadn’t crossed Marlin’s mind, and now, the result was right there in front of him.Was this why Curran had been avoiding him?It had to be.
Curran groaned.“Do we really have to do this now?”
“Just answer the question.”
“Fine.This isn’t how I wanted you to find out, but yes.You’re the only person I was with recently.The baby is yours.Can we go back to Pearl now?This is really important, Marlin.I’m sure she’s plotting something against Killian, and she wants to use me.I can’t let her do that.”
Marlin rubbed his face with both of his hands.Curran was right.He needed to focus.“It does sound like that’s what she’s trying to do,” he confirmed.“What did she say exactly?Also, why were you fighting with Birch?”
“I was fighting with Birch because he’s an overprotective asshole.You both are.Unfortunately, we were doing it in the dining hall, and while it was almost empty, it’s clear that Pearl heard us.”
“What did the two of you say to each other?”
“Nothing different than what we usually say when we fight.He told me he was worried.I told him he needed to stop being overprotective and to fuck off.”
“Does he know about the baby?”
“Can you think about something that’s not the baby?”
Marlin wasn’t sure he could.He was going to try, but his mind couldn’t seem to focus.
He was going to be a father.
Curran grabbed both of Marlin’s shoulders and gave him a good shake.“You have to stop this.I need you to be focused.I’m sure that if Pearl has her way, there will be no baby to give birth to because there will be no me.She might have made it sound like she was worried about me, but she only wants to use me.Is that what you want?Will you allow her to do that?”
