When she finally looked, her heart skipped several beats. A plus sign. It was clear. Unmistakable. Surprisingly, her first reaction wasn’t tears or blind panic as she held the stick in her hand. She sat still, her mind immediately running through logistics. Money. Work. Housing. Sipes. That last part churned her stomach, and she jumped up. Flipping the lid to the toilet up, she spewed the half an omelet she managed to eat along with the orange juice she washed it down with. With both hands gripping a side of the toilet, the future rearranged itself without asking her permission. Once the weight of her reality settled in, a twinge of fear crept up, followed by a protective instinct she didn’t know she had. Pressing her hand against her stomach, she flushed the toilet and stood tall.
“This changes everything,” she whispered to herself.
Shoving the test back into the box, she stepped out of the bathroom.
With a bottled water in one hand and a bowl of fruit in the other, Bee sauntered toward her from the kitchen. She didn’t need her to speak to know the results. Coast looked defeated and alarmed, a red undertone flushing her face.
“I need to get to work.” She rushed past her aunt to grab her purse so she could go.
“You can stay here as long as you need to, Coast. You and that baby.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m not going to be some little project for you,” she snapped, grabbing the strap to her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. “I can take care of myself.”
“Then why show up on my doorstep?” Bee’s brows cinched together. “You obviously have nowhere to go. Take the handout. I don’t give those to everybody.”
“All you do is go around trying to fix everything and make things right for people you don’t even know. I’m not one of these social work cases. I know how to provide for myself.”
“And where exactly has that gotten you?” Bee called her out. “Does this child even have a father?”
“That’s none of your damn business!” Coast screamed, tears misting her eyes.
“I think it is.” Bee nodded. “I know a hell of a lot more about situations like this than you think I do. You’re not the first girl to get pregnant and not have much of a present or future. The world is full of that, and a lot of them come across the doorstep of Haven House, lost, confused, and needing support. You said yourself you’re working two, sometimes three jobs at a time, and still barely getting by. How do you plan to do that with a child?”
Coast had no rebuttal. Bee made her point. Pivoting on her heel, she marched toward the door and slammed it shut behind her. She planned to go about the rest of the day like the last five minutes hadn’t happened.
CHAPTER FOUR
TAKING HITS
“Hey, what are you doing?” Ayla yawned and strolled into the kitchen in her pajamas, robe, and slippers.
With her bonnet still on her head, she watched Inari move around at the stove while humming along to gospel music playing from the Bluetooth speaker that Ayla kept on the counter for when she cooked. Her sister was all in her space, moving around busily, which automatically triggered her curiosity. Still in her pajamas, Inari glanced at her baby sister over her shoulder and turned back to keep whipping the pancake mix with a whisk.
“Making breakfast.”
“Uh oh. What happened?” Ayla asked, pulling a chair out from the circular oak table.
“It’s Saturday morning. I thought we could have a hot breakfast together. Was Dane awake?” Inari asked, moving to the griddle to pour the batter.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t cook; she just didn’t have a lot of time to do it. Ayla was definitely better at it, but Inari was decent. Noticing the plate of sliced fruit and yogurt dip arranged, Ayla reached for a small saucer and piled it with strawberries,blueberries, and pineapple to start as her sister continued to move rather erratically.
“I think so. You got in late. I was expecting a wake up to drink wine and listen to all our favorite heartbreak songs.” Ayla studied the blueberry in her hand before plucking it into her mouth.
“Yeah. I was tired.” Inari used her spatula to flip the first few pancakes.
“Okay, spill, Nari. What is going on? The only time you cook is when you have something you want to talk to somebody about. Obviously, it’s weighing on your mind when you wake up early on a Saturday after working late.”
Removing the first batch of pancakes, Inari piled them on a plate and shook her head.
“The fucking devil is at work; that’s all I can say. Danilo is out.”
Ayla practically choked on the pineapple chunk she’d just shoved into her mouth. Coughing, she slapped her hand against her chest and reached for the Simply Orange juice container and an empty glass.
“Are you serious?” she questioned after gathering herself.
“As a heart attack. Which he nearly gave me, sneaking up on me in the parking lot when I was leaving last night.” Inari walked the plate of pancakes over to the table.
Dane strolled in, an extra swagger in his step as his slippers scuffed against their hardwood floors. This house was the only home that he or Ayla had ever known. Inari had it remodeled from top to bottom over the years, trying to rid it of the stain from when she used to push work out of it. With a pair of basketball shorts hanging off his hips and a black tank top, he joined Ayla at the table and snatched up a piece of bacon off a plate.
