Love or Tequila in Unexpected Places (Love or Alcohol #1)

Prologue

ALLISON

“ F uck.”

That seemed to be the only word in her head at the moment.

“Fuck, fuck, FUCK!”

How did this happen?! How could it have…

Allison was a literal adult, she knew how it happened. But she didn’t understand how it actually happened . She never thought a simple night of fun would turn out like this—with her staring down at the two pink lines on the small white stick she’d peed on a couple of minutes ago. She squinted at the stick, as if glaring at it would make those lines disappear.

“Are you serious?” she muttered to the stick, as though it could respond. “I mean, I know how biology works. I passed health class and everything. But really? One night of tequila and bad decisions and now I’m… this?”

She paced around her bathroom, half expecting a hidden camera crew to burst out and shout, “Gotcha!” But the only thing that jumped out at her was her reflection, looking equally horrified and bemused.

“This can’t be real,” she whispered, double-checking the instructions on the box for the fifth time. Yup, two pink lines still meant pregnant. It wasn’t like the stick was going to start showing emojis or something to make it more fun.

Allison groaned, running a hand through her hair. “This is not how I imagined my morning.” She thought she’d spend it nursing a coffee, not contemplating impending motherhood.

She glanced at the stick again, half-expecting the lines to change their mind.

How could I be so stupid?

She slumped onto the edge of the bathtub, the cold porcelain pressing into her back as she stared at the offensive stick. “How did this even happen?” she mused aloud, conveniently forgetting that tequila shots and a charming smile were a potent combination.

“Seriously, I just wanted one night off from being responsible. One night!” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “And what do I get? A lifelong responsibility. Awesome.”

Her mind raced, flashing back to that night. There had been laughter, pizza talk and a very charming pair of chocolate eyes.

“Now what?” she pondered, eyeing her phone. Should she text her brothers? Maybe just Google ‘how to disappear and start a new life in the Bahamas’?

“Oh God, my father,” she groaned again, this time louder. “He’s going to kill me. I can see the headline now: ‘Father Murders Daughter Over Impending Grandchild, Blames Society and Tequila.’”

Her hand drifted to her stomach, as if the two pink lines had already materialized into a tiny, judgmental version of herself. “Great. I’ll die single, pregnant, and disgraced. And I haven’t even gone to a Taylor Swift concert yet. How am I supposed to ‘Shake It Off’ now, Taylor? How?”

Allison sighed, trying to summon some semblance of calm. She had read those pregnancy blogs before, filled with glowing mothers-to-be doing yoga and eating kale. “Maybe I’ll become one of those zen pregnant ladies,” she thought, imagining herself with a peaceful aura and perfect Instagram posts.

Then she looked at the stick again. “Or maybe I’ll just panic for nine months straight and cry over ice cream. That’s probably more my style.”

She stood up, taking a deep breath. “Okay, Allison, get a grip. First step, calm down. Second step, maybe buy some more pregnancy tests just to be sure. Third step, find a way to break it to Dad without him reenacting a scene from ‘Taken.’”

It had all been his fault. That hot-as-fucking-lava guy she’d met at the bar with that smooth accent and the black suit. He’d sat right next to her, and she had instantly felt the wetness pool between her legs. She hadn’t expected him to look at her with those intoxicating brown eyes or smirk at her so deliciously when he inevitably noticed her drooling all over her dark pink dress. But, he had. And the conversation had been so interesting and funny and flirty and…

And now Allison was pregnant.

At least the baby will probably be good-looking with such genes. Small blessings, I guess.

She wanted children, of course. She’d always had different ambitions in life, so she wouldn’t say she’d simply dreamed of having children. But she wanted to be a mother at some point. Just not in her current phase. Which was why this sucked so bad.

She had been throwing up like a seasick Steve for the past few weeks, which she now realized was morning sickness from the tiny fetus that had decided her womb would make a good living space, and not her badly cooked spaghetti.

She always tried to keep calm and carry on—being a Y2K baby, she had several of those little signs in her kitchen—but she couldn’t take another minute of this helplessness.

She had to do something or she would literally go crazy over this. She picked up her phone, taking a deep breath.

“Life, you sneaky trickster. I see what you did there. Well played.” As she dialed a number, she couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. “Alright, baby. Let’s do this. But if you end up being a Swiftie, you’re paying for those concert tickets.”

“Hey, Shrimp! What’s up? Did you miss me already?” her brother, Johnathan’s, teasing lilt was expected. Familiar. Her shoulders dropped slightly and a small breath left her lungs as a weight was lifted from her chest. She could just picture him smirking at her with his phone pressed to his ear and his legs crossed, spread out on his leather chair.

Being the youngest of four had always been taxing—like being the last in line for the bathroom during a family road trip, or the default guinea pig for her brothers’ wild science experiments.

However, there were definitely several perks to it, too. Although she was the only woman in the family, her brothers had always tried their best not to exclude her from their lives. They’d taught her everything from how to belch the alphabet (a dubious skill at best) to the fine art of dodging household chores, making her feel like an integral part of their quirky brotherhood. Their antics, both ridiculous and endearing, only deepened her affection for them.

Johnathan, as the eldest, had embraced his role as protector wholeheartedly, especially when it came to anyone who dared to harm his siblings. He was responsible but never cold or distant, balancing his protective nature with a warmth that often made him Allison’s favorite.

For years, he had been preparing to take the helm as CEO, eagerly anticipating the day he could lead the company. However, their father steadfastly refused to step down, leaving Johnathan to navigate the complexities of his current role as Chief Operating Officer.

Leopold, the second-born and eternally rebellious, was far too laid-back to engage in the family business. Allison believed his attitude was partly a way to defy their father, as he had been trying to irritate him since they were kids. Living in Los Angeles, far removed from any responsibilities, often made Allison resent him.

He viewed any work that interfered with his lifestyle as beneath him, reluctantly accepting a Division Head role in their Business Unit primarily because it allowed him to travel for business while still enjoying his freedom.

Frederick was an odd combination of her father and Johnathan—grim, broody, and downright terrifying in the business world. Currently, he was the youngest CFO on the West Coast, working diligently to rise to the COO position once Johnathan took over as CEO.

However, when it came to family, he became surprisingly protective, often showing emotions that others would never believe he was capable of if they only knew him as a businessman. And at times, that made Allison love him a little bit more.

If anyone could help her, it would be her brothers. She knew they would eagerly offer their wisdom, but this situation felt uniquely like a ‘Johnathan and Allison’ moment—a true shrew and shrimp scenario.

“Hey, Shrew,” she sighed.

“Uh oh… I know that sound. Spill,” he urged, the crackle of the phone line amplifying his anticipation and breaking Allison from her trip down memory lane.

“I did something stupid. No, not stupid. Just fucking idiotic. Unhinged. And I screwed up. I screwed up so bad, Johnny, I don’t even know what I—” She cut herself off to breathe, her brain running faster than her mouth again.

“Oh, come on, Allison. Whatever you did can’t be that bad!” Johnathan’s tone was a mix of impatience and curiosity, as if he were waiting for the punchline of a particularly juicy joke. He was a huge gossip, just like her, so he was probably itching for her to just spill the tea already.

Allison took a deep breath, her voice trembling. “Okay, so you know how we always promised to tell each other everything, no matter what?”

“Yeah,” her brother replied slowly, a hint of concern creeping into his voice.

“Well, I think I messed up, Johnny. Like, really messed up.”

There was a pause on the line, and Johnathan’s breath caught. “Allison, what are you saying?”

“I’m pregnant,” she blurted out, her words tumbling over each other. “I’m pregnant, Johnny, and I don’t know how it happened! I mean, I do know how it happened, but I just—I’m so scared.”

Johnathan was silent for a moment, absorbing the shock. Her brother was a big talker, so it surprised her how he had shut up so easily.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! I took three tests just to be certain. All positive.” Her voice broke, a mix of fear and disbelief. “I don’t know what to do.”

There was a long silence, then her brother spoke, his voice soft and steady.

“I didn’t know you were seeing someone.”

Allison sighed. “I’m not Johnny. That’s the point. I got drunk and—” she cut herself off, realizing how bad this sounded. “I just need your help. Please.”

“Okay, okay. We’ll figure this out. It’s not the end of the world. We’ll do this together, alright?”

“Together?” Allison echoed, her panic subsiding slightly.

“Yeah, together,” Johnathan affirmed. “You’re my sister, and I’ve got your back. We’ll talk to the guys and Dad, and we’ll plan out the next steps. You’re not alone in this.”

Allison nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “Okay. Thank you, Johnny.”

“Always,” he replied, his voice filled with a comforting warmth. “Now, promise me you’ll try to stay calm until I get there. We’ll handle this, one step at a time.”

Allison managed a small laugh. “I promise.”

“Good. See you soon, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered, feeling a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos.

Seconds later, Allison’s phone pinged with a barrage of messages. Curious, she clicked on the notification, only to be confronted by the group chat she shared with her brothers.

Johnathan

Guess what, guys.

You won’t believe what our little sister just did.

No, no, no. Please don’t.

Leopold

What’s going on?

Frederick

Don’t you have work to do, John?

Johnathan

You won’t be working for much longer, dude.

Allison felt a wave of panic as she tried to intervene, knowing her attempts were as futile as stopping a runaway train. But fear kept her silent.

Allison : John, please don’t.

It was too late.

Johnathan

Allison is pregnant.

Allison’s heart sank. This was not how she had wanted to share the news. She could almost hear her brothers’ minds racing, each trying to process the shocking revelation.

Leopold

Wait, are you serious? You’re joking, right?

Frederick

This can’t be happening.

Johnathan

Oh, it’s happening.

Allison imagined their collective gasps echoing in her ears. She typed quickly, desperate to calm the chaos.

Allison

Seriously, John? Couldn’t you at least give me a moment to break the news myself?

Johnathan

Sorry, not sorry, Shrimp.

A few seconds after Johnathan’s last message, Allison’s phone rang. She hesitantly picked it up, hand trembling as she brought it up to her ear.

“Hey, Leo—”

“No. Cut the crap, Allison. Explain everything, now,” her second oldest brother demanded, his voice a mixture of disbelief and anger.

Allison gulped, wishing she could just hit “mute” and pretend this was all a bad dream. Then her phone buzzed again, and she saw a second call coming in from her third brother, Frederick. With a resigned sigh, she added him to the call.

Might as well get it over with.

“Hey, Freddie,” she said weakly, “I’m in the middle of—”

“Middle of what? A disaster?” Frederick interrupted. “Seriously, Allison! Pregnant? How did this happen?”

“I don’t know, okay? It was a one-night stand! I honestly don’t even remember the guy’s name!” she blurted out, her voice rising in panic. “I was just trying to let loose after work, and it was my birthday, and—”

“Let loose?” Leo interjected, incredulous. “This isn’t a game of beer pong! You don’t just let loose and get pregnant!”

Allison rolled her eyes, wishing she could throw her phone out the window. “Well, I did, so here we are! Surprise!”

“Surprise? This is a catastrophe!” Freddie shouted. “You’re twenty-eight and still figuring out what to do with your life. And now you’re going to be a mom? What were you thinking?”

“I don’t know!” she shot back. “If I had known it would lead to this, I would have just stuck to Netflix and ice cream!”

Freddie took a deep breath. “Allison, this is serious. You can’t just ignore this. Are you going to keep it?”

“I don’t know, Fred,” she replied, her own tone rising. “I haven’t gotten that far, yet. I only took the test a few minutes ago.”

“Okay, but you need to figure out how you’re going to tell Dad,” Leo said, sounding less angry and more like a concerned parent himself. “This isn’t something you can hide.”

“Right, because I’m sure he’ll be thrilled,” Allison scoffed. “He’s literally going to murder me.”

“Okay, let’s focus,” Freddie said, trying to regain control of the situation. “Have you thought about how you’re going to manage this? Work, life?”

“I can barely manage cooking, and now I have to think about a tiny human?” she lamented. “I’m not even sure how to take care of a cactus!”

Leopold sighed, the tension slowly easing. “Look, you might have made some poor choices, but we’re family. We can sort this out together.”

“I’m not ready to be a parent,” she whispered, reality sinking in. “I mean, I don’t even remember the guy! What if he’s a serial killer or something?”

Leo was quiet for a moment before he finally said, “If he’s a serial killer, we’ll deal with it. Just know we’re here for you, no matter what.”

“Really?” Allison felt a glimmer of hope. “You guys will help?”

“Of course!” Frederick chimed in. “We’ll throw you a baby shower with an open bar…for the adults, of course.”

Allison chuckled nervously. “I’m not sure that’s how baby showers work, but I appreciate the thought.”

“Plus, we’ll start a GoFundMe for the kid’s therapy sessions,” Leo added, trying to lighten the mood. “You know, for growing up with a mom who got pregnant from a one-night stand and can’t remember the dad.”

“Gee, thanks for that,” Allison said, feeling the pressure start to lift. “At least I know I have backup for the inevitable awkward conversations.”

“Always,” Leo said firmly. “Just don’t expect us to babysit every weekend.”

“Deal,” she replied, a smile creeping onto her face. “But if you do, you’re getting stuck with diaper duty.”

“Ugh, fine. But only if you promise not to name the baby after me,” Fred said, now sounding supportive. “How about something cool, like…Batman?”

“All right, I’ll consider it,” she said, laughter bubbling up. “Thanks, guys. Really. I thought I was going to have to face this alone.”

“You’ve got us,” Leopold said. “Just…next time, maybe try a little less ‘letting loose,’ okay?”

“Or at least remember the guy’s name!” Fred added with a laugh.

With her brothers rallying behind her, Allison finally felt a sense of hope in the whirlwind of chaos. “Okay, then. Let’s do this.”