13. Sylvie #2
I didn’t need to tell my sister over text that there would definitely be no drinking for me tonight.
When I rolled into town, I opted to park in the back parking lot of the Sugar Bowl rather than fight the traffic for a spot near the beach. Music floated above the din of the festival and the crashing waves as the crowd grew thicker with people enjoying the evening.
I moved through the crowd until I reached the edge of the beach. To the right, there were tents with snacks, crafters, food, and beer and wine tastings dotting the small parking lot. Up ahead, a long pier jutted into Lake Michigan, with a lighthouse at the end.
Down the long stretch of sandy beach, dotted along the shore, were stacks of wood, waiting for night to fall. All along the beach would be bonfires and music. Somewhere down there, I knew my brothers were busy setting up an epic bonfire.
I continually scanned the crowd for Duke. It was rare that the grumpy farmer came out, but usually his siblings could goad him into attending bigger town events. The likelihood Duke would be at the festival was high, and I had no idea what I would do or say if I saw him.
As soon as I entered the beer tent, I searched for MJ. When I caught her eye, she grinned widely and waved her arm above the crowd. I wove through the line, offering apologies and excuse me s as I moved forward.
When I finally made it to my sister, she thrust a plastic cup full of cold beer in my hand and called over my shoulder. “Thanks, Abe. You’re the best!”
She raised her cup in salute as our oldest brother only grunted a response and turned his back to continue slinging drinks for impatient patrons.
“Can I talk to you?” I called over the chatter of the music.
MJ took a healthy gulp of her beer. “Yeah,” she shouted and continued to scan the crowd.
I shook my head. “Not here. I need somewhere a little quieter.”
MJ eyed me carefully, then motioned her head to the side of the beer tent. As she went to exit the flap behind the table, Abel gave her a curious look.
“Girl talk,” MJ shouted and waved a hand in dismissal as she disappeared behind the flap.
I followed her outside of the tent.
Before she could even turn, the words bubbled out of me. “I think I might be pregnant.” I covered my mouth, horrified I’d just blurted it out.
Her eyes went wide. “Oh my god. What? How?”
I pinned her with a seriously? glare.
MJ shook her head. “I mean, I know how , but with who? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” Tears burned behind my eyelids.
MJ frowned. “When was your period?”
I shrugged. “August 6?”
“How late are you?”
I grimaced. “Two weeks . . . ish?”
Her eyes went wide. My sister knew that between the two of us, I was the regular one. “Shit.”
I swallowed hard. “I also took a test. I’m definitely pregnant.”
Realization suddenly dawned on her, and her hand went to her mouth. “Oh my god... Is it Duke? Please tell me it’s Duke.”
Heat rose in my cheeks, and I nodded, unable to say the words out loud.
“Holy fuck, Sylvie.”
“I know.” A pathetic whimper tumbled out of me as I bounced on my heels. “I know .” My palms were sweaty and panic was settling in. “Trust me, getting knocked up by Duke Sullivan was definitely not on my bingo card. Shit!”
Her steady hand found my shoulder, and I took a breath. “Does he know?”
I quickly shook my head. “I haven’t told anybody. Just you.”
MJ quickly discarded her beer in a large trash can and grabbed mine from my hand before tossing it in after hers.
“Okay.” She nodded resolutely. “Okay. We’ve got this.
We can do this.” I could see her wheels turning as she mentally considered the bombshell I’d just dropped.
“I mean, I kind of know Duke. Sure, he’s got the whole grumpy, reclusive-farmer thing going on, and he is a Sullivan—which is a major hiccup.
.. but he’s a decent guy. He cares a lot for his dad, and I think there’s a good guy lurking somewhere in there.
” Her lips formed a determined line. “This will be okay.”
I nodded, letting her words wash over me, giving me a tiny sense of comfort.
MJ blew out a breath as her eyes went wide and her cheeks puffed out with a dramatic exhale. “Dad and the boys are going to be a different story.” Her gaze locked with mine. “What in the hell are you gonna do?”
Tears burned in my eyes. “I don’t know.”
Her shoulders straightened. “It’s fine. This is fine. Everything is fine.”
My little sister grabbed my hand and started dragging me around to the front of the tent. “We don’t have to do this right now. We can have a girls’ night in until we figure out what we’re going to do.”
We.
A tiny spark of hope bloomed inside me that I may not be so alone in this after all. I swallowed hard and nodded. Going home and taking a pause before figuring out how to tell Duke might be exactly what I needed. I leaned on MJ and allowed her to weave me through the crowd toward the main roadway.
When my toes hit the sand, I looked out onto the beach dotted with bonfires sparking to life as the sun sank below the watery horizon.
My eyes skated over Royal, who was finishing up a fire with JP and a few of his other friends and our cousins.
He tipped his chin in greeting, but my eyes kept moving.
My gaze moved a few bonfires down, and I froze. Silhouetted by the setting sun, Duke’s broad shoulders and tense stance were unmistakable. His mouth was tipped down into a scowl as he looked at the fire, and his hands were stuffed into his pockets.
A flutter rippled through me at how strong and powerful and masculine he was.
Against every internal warning blaring between my ears, against every thought, I moved forward on pure instinct, dropping MJ’s arm and leaving her in my wake. My breaths were ragged as I crossed the sand, not pausing to acknowledge the group of Kings staring at me as I sailed right past them.
I caught Duke’s attention, and he stiffened for a fraction of a second before I slammed into him. My arms wrapped around his middle as I burst into harsh sobs. Audible gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd as both Kings and Sullivans gaped at us.
Duke’s body was hard and rigid as a fresh sob racked out of me.
Then, ever so slowly, his hands lifted from his pockets, and his arms wrapped around me and squeezed.
“Okay. All right.”