13. Anya
CHAPTER 13
Irub my forehead and bite back a cry of frustration. The doorbell just rang, and I had finally managed to get Kira to sleep. Whoever is at the door better hope I am in a good mood or else they might not make it out alive.
Thankfully, Kira only stirs but does not fully wake. I trudge to the front door and throw it open, it’s the person I least expect.
“What are you doing here?” I ask dryly. Spencer still has the oddest timing in the universe. I’m actually surprised he came to visit. I haven’t seen him around since dinner on my first night here.
He smiles. Two years ago my knees would have buckled just seeing the glint in his eyes, but I’m tired, cranky, and he’s managing to make me agitated as well. “I came to see how you’re doing, or am I not allowed to do that?”
I cross my arms over my chest, waiting for him to say something a little more reasonable. He just stares at me like a kid begging for cookies on Halloween. “Is that all?”
“Pretty much so.”
I scoff. “Good. As you can see, I’m alive and well. I hope that satiates your curiosity.”
He holds out a hand just as I’m about to shut the door. “Anya, wait!”
I roll my eyes. “What now?”
“Are you still angry about what happened between us?” he asks in a tone that annoys the crap out of me.
“Should I be happy then?” My fists clench. I mentally calculate how close I’ll have to be to punch him in the face. The guy’s head somehow works slower than a sloth climbing a tree.
He lets out a sigh, clearly frustrated. "I was hoping you would have moved on by now, considering how much time has passed."
"Move on?" I scoff and shake my head. "No one just gets over being betrayed and deceived. And that's not even the issue here. I'm exhausted right now; perhaps we can discuss this another time, but I doubt I'll ever have the energy for it."
“Anya—”
I put up a hand to stop him before he can say anything that’ll upset me even more. “Don’t. Just go back home and do whatever it is you do to pass the time. I’m not in the mood to talk to you.”
He blinks at me like a fool, but he doesn’t move an inch, as if he’s expecting me to change my mind and let him in.
When he finally opens his mouth to speak again, my anger flares to life. “Are you ignoring me because you’re still in love with me?”
He did not just say that. “What?”
“You’re playing hard to get. Women do that when they crave attention.”
I can’t believe what I just heard, “Have you been a woman before?”
He shrugs. “We dated for a couple of years. I know you better than anyone else here.”
A ripple of laughter surges through me. “Are you delusional? No way you really think you know me that well. I mean, we dated, and I didn’t realize how much of an asshole you were until I caught you cheating, time didn’t mean anything”?
“I’m a man. Men cheat, Anya.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “You made a big deal out of nothing.”
I know I should ignore him and go back inside, but he’s really getting a rise out of me. I can’t ignore that. “Is that what you tell yourself? Is it because you think it’s your right to cheat?”
His head droops for a brief moment. If it were someone else, I might assume they were feeling remorse for their actions, but not Spencer. He has no shame, unapologetic to the very core of his being.
I've been introduced to his family. His mother is a kind and loving person, while his father is also warm-hearted. Even his brother has some semblance of human decency. However, Spencer seems to lack any positive qualities, besides his attractive appearance. He doesn't seem to fit in with his own family's dynamic.
When he raises his head, he clears his throat. “I think I deserve all the insults you’ve thrown at me.”
My lips twitch with a smirk. “Trust me, you haven’t even gotten half of what you deserve.”
“Does that mean I need to get myself ready for more?” he teases.
I want to strangle him from where I’m standing. He gets on my every last nerve and I hate it. “Fuck off, Spencer.”
“Actually, Brandon told me you’re keeping your daughter away from her father,” he says. “Is it true?”
My face scrunches up. “What does my baby have to do with you?”
He narrows his eyes on me. “Is she mine?”
The question goes off like an alarm in my head. “What?”
“Come on, Anya. I should know if she’s mine.”
“She is not yours. My daughter doesn’t belong to you, does that help you?” I need to teach Brandon a lesson or two on not sharing my business with my ex, who so happens to be his little brother.
Spencer doesn’t look like he believes me. “Whose is she?”
“I don’t see how that concerns you.”
“Can I see her?”
“Fuck, no. You can’t see her.” How does he ignore everything I say and every handwriting on the wall? Well, I guess it’s possible for some people to be like that. I was the same when I ignored all the red flags before I dated someone like him. “Don’t ask questions about my daughter or come close to her. I’m serious right now.”
“I’m sorry, Anya. I really can’t leave until I’m certain she’s not mine.” He pauses. “Now that I think of it, I understand why you moved to a small town rather than build your career in the city.”
I wrestle my hand free from his. “Kira is a year and three months old. The last time you and I ever went intimate was three months prior to our breakup, because you were too busy cheating.” I really don’t owe him an explanation, but I need to be clear if I’m to get him off my back.
Leave it to Spencer to be as persistent as a fly when he’s after something.
“So, who is the father?” he asks.
“I had a one-night stand with this guy,” I blurt out before I can stop myself. “I never got his contact info, so Kira became just mine. Do you understand?”
“What the hell is happening here?”
My heart drops to my stomach as we both turn towards Brandon. A chill runs through my veins. I wonder what he overheard. It wouldn't be difficult for him to piece it together and realize that Kira is also his daughter, if he did hear me.
“It's nothing,” Spencer says. “I came to confirm if Kira is my daughter, but now I'm starting to doubt it.”
Brandon’s expression is stern and unreadable, but his eyes, they're burning with anger. I can't tell if it's directed at me or his brother.
“Come down here,” he commands in a voice as deep as thunder. “Now!”
I'm still trying to make sense of everything when I realize who he's addressing as Spencer starts descending from the porch. He doesn't argue or resist, he just obeys.
When he reaches Brandon, he says, “Let's continue this conversation next time.”
“There will be no later,” Brandon says firmly. “Don’t ever come back here unless Anya tells you to, and don’t put on a show for everyone to gossip about.”
Spencer’s brow lifts as he stares at his brother. “What’s it to you anyway?”
Brandon’s gaze meets mine. I can’t explain the look he’s giving me. It looks like he’s sad and pities me at the same time. I can’t fathom why. Spencer’s behavior is upsetting, but not enough to have him giving me a look like that.
My stomach flips. What I said didn’t give away that he is Kira’s father. Shit, I need to come clean about this already. I’m so nervous that everything I had for dinner is climbing up my throat.
“Are you okay?” Brandon finally asks after a moment’s staring contest between us.
I nod. “I’m okay, just exhausted.”
“And Kira?”
My jaw falls open. I wasn’t expecting him to ask about her. “She’s asleep.”
“I’m sorry about my brother. He’s really not the brightest person in the universe.”
Spencer glares at me, then at Brandon, and starts to walk away.
I smile to lessen the tension building in my veins. “He is my ex for a reason.”
A flicker of disappointment flashes on Brandon’s face. He bites his lips as if he’s holding himself back from saying anything more. “I’ll see you tomorrow. There’s something we need to discuss.”
I can’t help the way my heart thrashes against my ribcage as I watch him leave. Spencer is already a hulking shadow in the distance.
Does it have to do with Kira? Has he figured it out already?
There are so many questions, but I guess I won’t get any answers until tomorrow. I slip back inside and close the door quietly behind me before making my way to the bedroom. The soft light from the lantern on the nightstand across from Kira’s crib illuminates her peaceful face, her arms sprawled out and her tiny hands curled into fists.
I brush her soft, plump cheeks lightly with a finger. She turns her head and leans into my touch. Her small lips pout. She’s cute. I could stand here all night and watch her sleep, and I already have a feeling I won’t be getting any sleep tonight anyway.
It’s about time I told Brandon about her. I don’t care how he’ll react to Kira being his daughter, but he deserves to know, and Kira deserves to have her father in her life.
Regardless of what happened between us, I hope more than anything that he won’t abandon her. I’ll be grateful to him if he steps up and does right by her, because even with all the trauma he seems to be carrying, the Brandon I know isn’t a man who’ll run from his responsibilities.
If anything, he’ll love her just as much as I do.