Page 48 of Travis

“I will.” I lie. And suddenly I would like nothing more than to watch Travis eat Greg for lunch.

Chapter 14

Hanna

Liamisquietandrespectful, but he has that look in his eyes, like he’s not taking any bullshit, so I know that I need to spill the beans about Cher, whether I like it or not. Mama and daddy are out on the porch having tea when we arrive. It’s nothing for us to show up unannounced, and we’re always welcome, so mama’s face lights up when she sees us pull into the driveway. When I say porch, it’s more like a Parthenon, since the house is so big. It’s really a mansion, but we don’t like to call it that.

Growing up here had its moments, needless to say. Christmases were always over the top. Daddy always hired help to put all the decorations up, and he still does today. This house has been known to be the best decorated for as long as I can remember. People actually come for a special trip to see this place when it’s all decked out. Some years, daddy’s even made it a competition with the neighbors. It’s an affluent community, so putting up festive décor is no match for this block. Daddy’s got his stuff up already, and it even looks beautiful during the day, without any lights.

The porch is set back behind a winding road. At the mouth of the road is a gated entrance, with garland strung all over it, to which there is a code, and now daddy’s had the security company upgrade it, so there is a screen linked to both of their phones, showing who is here. They can both talk to visitors from their phones. But since I have a code, I bypass all that. My folks own a string of racetracks all over Texas. Daddy got into it when his daddy started one back when he was just a tyke. Mama actually worked at the track, which is how they met. It’s proven very successful, and has paid huge dividends to the entire family.

I’m not ashamed to say that I haven’t paid for much in my life. But I also own my own company, where I manufacture beauty products, and Liam is the CEO of his daddy’s IT company. None of us have ever had to worry about money, but with enough drama to go around, sometimes I wish money was a problem in exchange. Daddy’s usually at the track late at night, and I know that he’s likely heading back after he has his tea with mama.

“This is a nice surprise.” Mama says in greeting, rising to kiss me on the cheek, I reciprocate, and so does Liam.

“You two want some tea? Your mama just made a pot.” Daddy offers.

“No, we’re okay, daddy. Thanks.” I say.

Liam and I take a seat on the steps. “Is that wedding planner helping out?” Daddy checks.

“Yes, she’s very helpful.” I comment. “But that’s not why we’re here.”

“Something wrong?” Mama frowns.

“To say the least.” I answer honestly, feeling a lump form in my throat. “Mama, I have something to tell you, and I’m not proud that I have to be the one to tell you.”

“What’s going on, Hanna?” Daddy asks, concern registered all over his face.

“Mama, daddy, Cher is threatening to ruin this entire wedding. We got into a big fight over it, and I'm so scared, mama. I need your help.” I plead, not wanting to sound too desperate, but the truth is, that I am.

“What is she threatening to do, dear?” Daddy asks, with a look on his face that I'm used to. It means that he thinks that the problem is much less than what I'm making it out to be. I hate that look. But that’s daddy’s attitude about everything. He never sweats. Even when my head is exploding, he’s as cool as a cucumber.

“Well, she wants to tell everyone something at my wedding, something about herself, that I'm not supposed to tell anyone, and that’s the problem.”

Mama is growing impatient, and her face tells it all, and that’s another look that I'm used to. Suddenly, I feel like I'm back in elementary school. “What’s Cher done, doll?” she asks with a sigh.

My gaze goes to my hands, as I'm reluctant to say. Their gaze goes to Liam. He has no problem blurting. “She’s pregnant.”

I look up at my folks to see that their faces are impassive, if not unimpressed. “So you know then.”

Daddy looks at mama. “Strangely enough, just yesterday, we got something that confirmed what we’d already guessed.”

My gaze is divided between both my folks. “What are you talking about?”

Mama chuckles. “Oh, Hanna, you haven’t got anything to worry about, dear. Nobody is going to ruin your wedding, least of all your sister. She wouldn’t be foolish enough, what with all the professional people attending, and we’ll talk to her to make sure of that.”

Liam smiles. “What gave you confirmation? Did Cher let it slip?”

“Well, we noticed that she’s been eating an awful lot lately, and she cried the other day because she couldn’t get her shoe on properly.” Mama chuckles.

Daddy adds. “But then we got a whole bunch of junk mail the other day, and there was an anonymous letter that said exactly that...that Cher is pregnant.”

Liam and I look at each other and frown. “Any idea who sent it?”

“Not a clue.” Daddy chuckles. “At first I thought it was some kind of prank.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t a threatening letter.” Mama says, matter-of-factly, but lighthearted.

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