“If this is one of your booty calls with a keycard, I’m out of here.”
A chuckle slips free. “Is that a hint of jealousy I’m detecting?”
She shoves at me before folding her arms tight across her body. “Just tell me who she is, please.”
I push up from the couch and stroll toward the intruder. “Relax. That’s not a hookup. It’s my little sister.”
As soon as I’m close enough, Kia drops her bag with a thud and launches herself at me. Her arms band around my body as if she’ll never let go. “Ollie.”
Behind me, Rina’s voice fills with surprise. “Your sister?”
I glance back at her with a grin and then extend my hand, coaxing her closer. She rises from the couch and smooths her sweater down before stepping toward us. When she hesitates, I snag her wrist and draw her to my side.
“Kia, this is Rina. Future mother of my child.”
Kia’s mouth drops open. “Um… how far in the future are we talking about?”
I squeeze Rina’s hand. “We’ll know that for sure after we see the doctor. But for now, we’re keeping it quiet.”
“Holy crap,” my sister says.
Rina gives the smallest nod as her shoulders draw tight. “My thoughts exactly.”
“Wow.” Kia blinks hard. “That’s… a lot.”
Rina’s polite smile wavers for a moment, as if she’s only now realizing she’s stepping into family territory and isn’t sure she belongs.
It only makes me tighten my hold.
Her lips tug into a wry smile. “Can’t say an unplanned pregnancy was on my bingo card this year.”
“Yeah,” Kia whispers, her hands twisting together as her gaze darts away. “It kind of changes everything.”
There’s something about her tone that has me studying her with more care. “Wait a minute. What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at school?”
Her chin lifts in defiance. “I dropped out.”
“What?” My eyes widen. “Kia, have you lost it? Do you have any idea what Mom’s going to say when she finds out about this?”
My younger sister flinches, as if she can already hear it, and I drag a hand down my face as my mind somersaults. For a split second, I see her as the little girl she was years ago, with scraped knees, pigtails, and a gap-toothed smile. Back then, Hayes carried all of us. And now here she is, looking at me the same way we once looked at him.
As much as I want to tell her to get her ass back to school, I can’t bring myself to do it. She looks strangely fragile.
Like she’s minutes away from curling in on herself.
“You know what, forget about Mom right now.” My voice gentles. “Is there anything I need to know?”
Her shoulders lift and fall in a helpless shrug. “I just need a break until I can figure some stuff out. Is it okay if I crash here for a while?”
“Yeah. Of course,” I say. “You always have a place with me.”
Some of the tension drains from her face, but not all of it. She nods once, almost like she doesn’t trust herself to say thank you without breaking.
The same compulsion that makes me want to keep Rina safe flares inside me again. It’s fierce, protective, and overwhelming.
Only this time it’s for my sister.
A year ago, I would’ve told her to call Mom and then gone back to whatever distraction was waiting for me. Now, the thought of her dealing with something on her own makes me sick. I’m not sure when it happened, but somewhere between Rina, the baby, and this moment, I stopped running from responsibility.
