Chapter 11
"When, Braelyn?" Colt pleaded, shoving her inside his bedroom and closing the door.
He'd been on pins and needles since she had shown up at Creed's funeral with a round belly, which he wondered whether it carried his child or that of his girlfriend's brother.
He wasn't so sure if he and Star were an item, considering she'd been pushing him away, but if she discovered Braelyn's child could possibly be his, he knew his chances of reconciling with her were over.
"I don't have some fancy doctor, Colt. Dr. Louis said he could find a testing center outside of Pellum, but who's taking me, and who's paying for it?" she sassed, roughly shoving a tear from her cheek.
She loved Creed more than she'd loved any man, but she'd stupidly hung out with Colt and a few friends one night while Creed was doing what he usually did — working late hours at the farm.
A game of Truth or Dare when they went back to Cassie's place turned into her and Colt not only having sex but having it multiple times and unprotected.
A few days later, and to make it up to Braelyn, Creed showed up at her job with her favorite — smoked turkey legs and Mexican corn. That, with a bottle of his father's hooch, and before she licked her fingers clean, he was balls deep inside of her.
"What does it matter now anyway? Creed's gone."
"It matters because I stand to lose Starlah, Brae. What the fuck do you mean?"
Colt tossed up both hands, plopping on his bed.
He rested his face in both hands, disgusted with himself.
He was also pissed that Starlah had yet to return any of his calls.
He'd left cards, flowers, and even doggy treats for Chevy, only to be told she was sleeping.
He felt like he'd already lost her, especially after he saw how comfortable Swift was around her home and even the mechanic shop.
He couldn't escape it, and even though he couldn't prove it, it felt intentional.
"Hey?" She took a seat next to him and lightly bumped his shoulder. "It's not the end of the world, you know."
"For you." He scoffed and looked up. "I kind of think you want this damn baby to be mine, and you need to get your car fixed. This was the third time I left the shop to take you on an errand."
"Well, I didn't get myself pregnant, and unlike your darling fucking Starlah, I have goals that reach beyond this shitty town!
" Braelyn spat, spittle flying from her mouth.
"And those errands are for my baby. I have to get his or her bedroom ready, and Jerrod's Furniture store had a good scratch and dent.
I wasn't buying it without seeing it first. What, you want me on the bus?
By now, you could have fixed my car, Colt. "
He kissed his teeth, and his brows dipped.
If he brought her car even near the Steel's mechanic shop, he knew he'd be questioned since Braelyn was saving every dime she had for her unborn child.
Swift monitored the books, so every job had to be accounted for.
Colt couldn't run that risk unless he took it on an off day.
"I'll figure something out, but what plans did you have, Brae, before all of this happened? Chasing Creed, who was so far up his father's ass, he couldn't give you the fucking time of day?"
"Not true. He wanted to help him out, Colt. Something you know nothing about when it comes to those you love. Lucky was involved in some shit, which led to them both being killed."
"Wait, what did you say?" Colt frowned.
"Nothing," she muttered, taking a seat next to him.
Braelyn was so exhausted from all the secrets she'd kept over the years, the biggest being her and Creed leaving Pellum once he saved up enough to buy his own piece of land.
"Naw, I heard you. What happened?"
Colt figured he could use the information to not only get back in Starlah's good graces, but he also wanted whoever had killed them to pay for it.
"I'm not sure," she replied. "Creed didn't give me all the details, but I have a child to think about. Let the sheriff deal with it, Colt. No meddling."
"Sheriff? Pfft. He's barely interviewed people. That damn press conference was a joke, and that reward money," he fumed.
Once Choppa's alibi cleared him, he'd offered a reward with Sheriff Jakes front and center with him, even shedding a few tears. All Braelyn knew was that at one point in time, Lucky had some dealings with Choppa, but so did plenty of them in town when they needed a loan.
She rubbed her stomach, feeling grief wash over her.
If the baby were Creed's, she'd be proud to carry his legacy, but she still hadn't heard from Lucky's attorney.
Sadly, she needed money, but without proof, she knew Logan wouldn't just hand it over.
She sighed, then yelped when she felt swift kicks from her unborn child.
Colt's eyes quickly darted to her when she grabbed his hand.
"Did he just—" A slow swallow digested his words when Braelyn smiled and nodded. "May I?"
Each time he saw her, he wished he'd never touched her, but in that moment, he felt a jolt of happiness. Still, after all the girls he'd slept with over the years, he'd never once had a pregnancy scare. It was just his luck that it was with Braelyn Gardner the first time it happened.
They were neighbors, and their mothers were best friends.
Before they crossed that line, Colt had never seen her as more than an annoying gnat that helped his mother keep tabs on him.
The night Braelyn showed up, he was upset that Cassie had invited her.
They didn't hate each other, but he didn't trust that she wouldn't provide his mother with a play-by-play of anything he did in the name of having fun.
"S-Sure."
Braelyn took a deep breath when Colt gently slid his hand over her abdomen. A slight rumbling feeling was felt underneath his hand until something pressed firmly against his palm, causing her to giggle.
"The fuck?" A goofy grin appeared on his face.
"I think that's his foot."
"He?"
"I don't know the sex," she softly replied. "Creed wanted to have a gender reveal, but I wondered how that was possible when he still hadn't told Lucky I was even pregnant. My father said it was my fault, while my mother had given me an ultimatum. I'm four, close to five months now."
Colt and Creed were cordial, but they weren't close. He didn't force it, but he felt Creed's issue with him was not only taking Starlah's virginity but also not being the faithful man he should have been once he overheard the rumors Starlah hid from him.
"This baby is coming one way or another."
Colt dragged his hands down his face, then rested his elbows on his thighs.
"I won't force you to be there when he or she is born, but I'm open to a DNA test. It's the only way I know since Creed's not here to take one himself."
Colt knew if he didn't cooperate, it would surely work against him when Braelyn forced his hand. She had no one to lose when the man she loved was gone, but he had everything to lose — that same man's sister and the love of his life.
"Let me see if I can come up with some money to do that while you're pregnant.
I can't wait that long, Brae, and you shouldn't want to.
It's fucking with me, and keeping it real, Starlah deserves better than this.
If it's mine, and if she can find it in her heart to accept my child, I'm not leaving her for you or anyone. "
"Damn, Colt."
She scoffed, a sputter following, although not because she felt this was a laughing matter.
Braelyn couldn't believe she'd thrown her dreams away of joining the Air Force when Creed begged her to stay and start a life with him.
She'd felt duped that she'd put her plans on hold while Creed straddled the fence, working side by side with his father.
At least Colt still had Starlah around to try to build a life with her.
It stung because, even with her possibly carrying his child, he'd still choose Starlah.
"What can I say, Brae? I love her."
"If you love her so much, then why risk losing her by screwing around?"
Colt asked himself that same question time and time again, and the answer was simple. He didn't think he was worth Starlah.
"Star's…" He looked up and smiled. "One of a kind."
"Oh God." Braelyn rolled her eyes while he sat googly-eyed.
She'd noticed how Logan and his family rallied around Starlah at the funeral, including the tall, burly, and extremely handsome gentleman who had slick, jet-black waves and a body that was damn near perfect.
"I'm serious. You know, sometimes I wonder what Star even saw in me, but anytime I doubted her love for me, I always went back to how we started.
We were friends first, and I was one of the few who befriended her when the girls all thought she was gay.
" He laughed. "She's not. She just liked what boys liked, and she's damn good at it.
That girl can build an engine better than I can. "
"I hope she sees what I see in you," Brae confessed. She quickly covered her mouth, realizing that she'd spoken her feelings aloud.
"What did you say?"
"I'm saying… you're a nice guy when you're not being a butthole. You treated me like shit for years." She smiled and then nudged his shoulder. "You called me Snitchy Bitchy Brae."
"Did not," Colt lied, fighting the grin that eventually appeared. "Okay, I did, but you couldn't hold fucking water, Brae. Remember that time we snuck some tobacco and my father's pipe? You couldn't wait to tell who had it when he turned our living room upside down."
"Because you wouldn't let me try."
"I didn't know you really wanted to." He shrugged. "I thought you just wanted to ruin my plans."
"Like now?"
"I don't think that. It's just this is a whole baby. Then that fucking Swift is there."
He scoffed, then tucked his lips. Colt had no reason to be upset, but Swift had a presence that would unnerve the average man.
"I never took you for the jealous type."
"I'm not!" he fussed, his eyes forming into slits. "I just don't understand why Star's gone radio silent on me."
"Well, it has nothing to do with this baby since I haven't told a soul. I'd never do that, no matter what you think, because whether you believe it or not, we're friends, too."
Braelyn took his hand and held it, her eyes fastening onto his. That feeling he'd felt a few times over the years crept up when he took in Brae's smooth chocolate skin and her dark-brown, Bambi-like eyes.
"I tell you what. I'll get the money up, and as long as it's safe, we can do the DNA test before the baby is born. Heck, even if it ain't mine, I'll still help."
"You'd do that for me?"
Braelyn's eyes lit up as Colt cracked a smile.
Before she knew it, she threw her arms around him, her stomach resting against his body.
He held on to her, his eyes closed, and he smelled the lavender scent on her skin.
Then her bone-straight hair, which had grown even more while pregnant, fell over her shoulders, with a huge part down the middle.
When she went to pull away, he stopped her.
"What? I don't und—"
Colt's lips crashed against hers. It was deep, intense, their tongues clashing against each other's before she shoved him back, panting.
"Colt, what was that?"
"I don't know."
He lifted his shoulders, but he knew. His eyes lowered, and he slid his hand again over her stomach when the baby kicked again. They both laughed. When he lifted his hand, she quickly covered it with hers.
"I won't make you be involved if he or she is not yours, but if the baby is, I'm glad I chose to have one with you. I'll be fine. No." Braelyn lifted one finger. "We'll be fine. Me and my baby."
"Rest your mind, Brae, and stop stressing. Damn baby feels everything you feel."
"I want to feel happy," she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears.
"Then be happy. I won't let you do this alone."
"What about Starlah?"
He sighed, dragging his hand over his head. Deep down inside, he knew that the ship had sailed. She just hadn't put the nail in the coffin yet, but with Swift around, he knew it was coming.
"I'll worry about Starlah. You worry about you and the baby." He pushed the pad of his thumb across her cheek and pecked it. "Think you can do that?"
"I'll try," she murmured, smiling.
"Don't try. Do, Brae." He winked. "I got you… both of you."