3. Levi
Chapter 3
Levi
“Darling… I don’t know what to say.” Magnolia has one hand splayed over her chest. The other grips the edge of the kitchen table. “How long have you two been together?”
She’s looking at me.
Magnolia St. Clair-Ferguson is speaking to me .
My stomach twists painfully.
Spence just dropped the biggest bombshell, and he’s got the blood work to prove his claim. And based on the way Magnolia is looking from me to Hunter, then back, it’s clear she thinks I knocked her daughter up.
The question hangs in the air, and now Magnolia isn’t the only one looking.
One by one, each person in the room homes in on me wearing expressions of varying levels of surprise, shock, and disdain.
Emotion, confusion, and dread churn in my gut and force bile to rise up my esophagus. It hurts. It burns. I swallow down the acrid taste and stand straighter.
Before I can come up with a response, Hunter sniffles. “We got together as soon as Levi came back to town.” Her voice is shaky, but she speaks loud enough for all of us to hear.
I want to go to her. Comfort her. Wrap her in my arms. Selfishly, I also want to demand to know what the hell is going on.
How pregnant is she? How the hell do we figure out who the father is? Could it be me? G? Sione or Kabir?
I don’t know shit about pregnancy or lab results, but I do know that I should follow her lead.
Dr. F and Magnolia think we’re dating.
Shit.
We are dating, but they think we’re exclusive.
So in their mind, if Hunter’s pregnant, I must be the father. It’s possible, sure, but fuck if I know how accurate that assumption really is.
With a grimace, I lower my head and focus on the floor.
If I look at any of them, the bewilderment I can’t reel in may give us away.
Spence said he had a plan.
This isn’t a plan. This is a fucking onslaught.
How long has he fucking known? How long has he let us all walk around thinking all was well and that he had it handled?
A little heads-up that his brilliant plan involves a fucking baby would have been nice.
Fuck. A baby.
I can’t have a baby. I don’t even have a fucking job.
My blood turns to ice, and dread transforms into panic.
I can’t do this. What the fuck do I even say?
I don’t want to look up.
I don’t want to see Spence. I don’t even want to hear his fucking name.
Hunter . She’s still sobbing. My heart sinks. I can’t look at her. I can’t stand to think that I’m the one who did this to her.
I don’t dare look at my best friend. My… what? Boyfriend? Lover?
Fucking hell.
If this baby is mine, Greedy is going to be so fucking pissed.
“We should do lunch,” Magnolia declares. “You, me, Levi, and his mother.”
I snap my head up, the force of the move making my neck crack.
All signs of shock and disbelief have disappeared from the woman’s face. She’s standing straighter now, gripping the back of a kitchen chair, and her eyes are sharply focused on her daughter.
As I take her in, my hackles rise.
All concern for myself evaporates when I see the way she’s leering at Hunter.
Without a second thought, I stride over and throw one arm around my girl’s shoulders. “No.”
All my fears, worries, and agitation dissipated the moment she brought my mother into the mix. There’s no fucking way I’m letting that woman get anywhere near Hunter.
“No?” Magnolia lets out a breathy laugh. “You can’t deny the future grandmothers an opportunity to get together. We have so much to plan.”
Her tone may be pleasant and sweet, but it’s in stark contrast to the revulsion in her eyes.
“How far along do you think you are, darling?”
When Hunter doesn’t reply, I tighten my grip around her frame and place a soft kiss atop her head. “I’m here,” I murmur. She might feel powerless in this moment, but she’s not alone.
Magnolia huffs, her chin raised higher. “Hunter. Answer me.”
Hunter sobs, the cry so violent her entire body shudders.
Fuck. She’s shutting down. We have to get out of here. I can’t help but hold her closer. Though my muscles are wound tight with tension, I hope our proximity is at least a little comfort.
“Those hormones are certainly doing a number on you already.” Magnolia drops a hand to her hip. “When is your due date? When will you start to show?”
Even if Hunter wanted to respond, her mother asks the questions too quickly to allow for answers.
“I deserve to know whether I’ll live long enough to meet my first grandchild.”
Hunter’s body locks up. Then she’s teetering into my side. I catch her around the waist before she can fall and hold her tight, giving her hip a reassuring squeeze.
This is too much. For all of us. I have to shut this down before we find ourselves buried beneath a mountain of pain and uncertainty.
Straightening, I clear my throat. “We aren’t ready to share that information with anyone just yet.”
I peer down at Hunter, hoping she’ll nod. Hoping she’s at least breathing.
“Clever girl.” A peal of humorless laughter escapes Magnolia. “Of course you shouldn’t confirm anything until after you two are married.”
Hunter lets out a strangled sound, then breaks into a coughing fit.
Sione appears on her other side and places a hand on her back as she tries to control the outburst.
When I’m sure he’s got her, I cross my arms and look from Magnolia to Dr. F, who hasn’t added a damn thing during Magnolia’s entire tirade.
“No one said anything about marriage.”
“Of course not,” the evil woman quips. “No one has to. It’s implied. If a young woman from a good family finds herself with child, she’s either sent away or quickly upgraded to Mrs.”
My blood pressure spikes. There’s no fucking way I’ll let anyone force Hunter into anything.
As I open my mouth to explain that, Magnolia cuts me off at the pass.
“We’ll plan an early spring wedding. Keep things quiet for now. Though you can’t keep this from your mother, Levi. Especially now that I know.”
The words are sticky sweet, and yet the statement sounds like a threat.
I bite my tongue to keep from spewing anything that could complicate this situation.
Fuck. Maybe I’ve already made it worse. Maybe I should have let one of the other guys take point.
But there was no way I could deny Magnolia’s claim about the child being mine.
I couldn’t leave Hunter to deal with the scrutiny alone.
And the only relationship her mom and Dr. Ferguson know about is the one she and I share. It’s annoying at best and dubious at worse. Don’t they think it’s strange that Hunter’s accompanied by an entourage of men at all times?
Spence steps forward, his hands in the pockets of his trousers. “We all must be going now. We have an appointment to get to.”
The words are casual, as if he didn’t just shock the shit out of all of us and upend our entire lives.
With a squeal, Magnolia claps and bounces on her toes with fake-as-hell and over-the-top enthusiasm. She’s not actually excited about any of this. Though she does know how to put on a show.
“Is it a doctor’s appointment? Oh, I cannot wait to go with you to all your ultrasounds.”
Hunter goes ramrod straight beside me.
Why does everything out of this woman’s mouth sound like a threat more than any version of motherly love?
Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m particularly sensitive because my mom pulls this kind of shit all the time.
My girl clears her throat and opens her mouth. But before she finds her voice, Spence interjects.
“No, no. It’s business-related. You of all people should know I’m a very busy man, Ms. St. Clair-Ferguson.”
Magnolia’s nostrils flare as a flick of agitation mars her expression.
Dr. Ferguson circles the table and places an arm around her. God, the man is far too kind for this viper.
“We must be going.” Spence extends an arm, gesturing to the door we entered through. “We just wanted to stop by and provide moral support for our… friends. And ensure we’re all on the same page about Hunter’s inability to provide a partial transplant, full stop.”
A somberness falls over the room at the reminder, though as Magnolia zeroes in on her daughter, she looks more pissed than disappointed.
“Of course we understand, right, sweetheart?”
Dr. F’s words jolt Magnolia from her trance, and she plasters a smile on her face once more.
“Your health and the baby’s health and safety are the top priority, Hunter. Please don’t stress about your mother. I’ll keep pursuing alternative options.”
Hunter nods mechanically.
Dr. Ferguson drops his arm from around Magnolia and shuffles closer.
Greedy intercepts his dad, speaking in a hushed tone I can’t make out.
I’m torn between staying to make sure he’s okay and getting Hunter as far away from Magnolia as humanly possible. Ultimately, I choose to make sure she’s okay, knowing that’s what G would want.
I grip my girl by the shoulders, turn her toward the door, and march forward, determined to get the hell out of here.
As we navigate through the house and out through the garage, we’re silent. We don’t speak as we climb into the car or buckle our seat belts. We don’t even speak as Gerald pulls out and heads back to the marina.