"I'm getting to that."
"Starlah, I'm not—" Braelyn began to explain.
"Don't. If I wanted to talk to you, I would have done that a few days ago when I came to the hospital. The baby's fine, right? Congratulations."
"Star, Braelyn's not the enemy," Colt interjected, tapping his hand on the handles of his chair. "She's actually devastated."
"About what? Fucking Creed and hiding the pregnancy, or fucking you and not knowing who the father is? I barely looked her way at the funeral, let alone any other time, so if you don't mind, shut the fuck up talking to me, Colt. We're done."
"Starlah, I need you to relax," Logan intervened. "You asked me why she's here, so I'll tell you, but I'd rather she speak first. You deserve answers, and she wants you to ask her anything."
Star sat, her leg violently shaking as the man she once loved betrayed her, then had her betray the man she was falling for. She never once wanted Swift's mother to think she was moving recklessly, but she also made no apologies for tossing caution to the wind and falling for her son.
She'd held her breath since the day Swift showed up, watching him from afar, listening in on conversations. Still, when he took to Chevy so well and then took over the mechanic shop, leaving his own responsibilities behind, she knew before he even caught her that day she fainted that she wanted him.
Star shoved a tear from her cheek and muttered, "Talk."
"Damn," Colt whispered when Braelyn shook her head. She didn't want him and Starlah at odds. All she wanted was to deliver a healthy baby and start anew.
"It happened one night, and we both were drinking. I was pissed with Creed because, as usual, he stood me up," Braelyn explained, her hand sliding over her stomach.
Her eyes lowered as tears spilled onto her dress, which covered her stomach. She knew if she didn't get this out, she'd never be able to move on.
"Cassie had a shindig, like she always does, and although Creed usually goes, this time, he didn't. Reggie brought some pills. I don't know what kind, and we ended up drinking after popping a few. Then we all started dancing, and I stumbled, but Colt caught me. Most of the night, he actually looked at me as if he was angry. I needed to lie down and…" She pushed out a puff of air. "I woke up, and he was there."
"So, it happened once?" Starlah probed. She had no clue why she needed more details, but she did.
"No," Colt answered. "Not that night. It happened three or four times. Those pills made us feel crazy." He gulped, then looked at Starlah. "And she was there."
"Great!" Starlah laughed, then tossed up her hands. "All it takes is for someone to be there, I see."
"But it was just that one night," Braelyn added. "A week later, Creed and I made up, and then we had sex. It's just a huge mess, but I'm sorry, Starlah. I love and miss Creed so much. I couldn't even enjoy my pregnancy, wondering if this was his baby or not."
"So what's the verdict?" She tapped Logan's desk, waiting for him to speed up the process.
"I'd rather show it to you if Braelyn is fine with it."
"I am. This is about Creed. Of course, his sister deserves to know, and I didn't want anyone telling you. I wanted to because I really am sorry."
Logan opened the envelope, extracted a document, and slid it in front of Starlah. Her vision was blurry, but she blinked a few times, took a deep breath, and picked it up.
"Creed Davion Steel is not excluded as the biological father, due to a probability of 99% or higher, which is considered a positive confirmation."
As she read silently to herself, her brows crinkled. She was confused, considering Creed wasn't even alive to provide a DNA test.
"A sample from Creed's autopsy was used to perform the test," Logan explained. "It was the only way I could have a DNA test unless we tested you. Braelyn wanted to make sure the results were as accurate as possible."
Starlah couldn't believe it. On one hand, she was devastated that Colt had been so careless, so reckless, but on the other hand, she had a niece or nephew on the way. That meant God hadn't abandoned her. A loud wail escaped her mouth when Braelyn stood up and quickly waddled toward her. She didn't care if she pushed her away. She finally could bring them all some joy after the tragic deaths of Lucky and Creed.
"Star, I wish it hadn't happened this way, and I swear I'm not here to take anything. I wanted my son to know?—"
"Wait… " Starlah coughed, trying to catch her breath. "It's a boy?" Braelyn grinned and nodded her head. "I have a nephew on the way?"
"Yes, you do, and I'd really want you to be a part of his life."
"Of course, I want to be."
Star leaped from the chair, pulling Braelyn into her arms as they both sobbed like two babies in a nursery. Logan sat, evilly eyeing Colt, whose hands weren't fully clean. He'd heard their plan, but he couldn't advise two consenting adults how to proceed.
