Page 132 of The Twisted Beats

“Callum, I’ll find someone who can take care of this for us.” She weeps. “I’m sure someone at the studio will know how to help me.”

“What does that mean?” I step back with my face bunching together. “Someone to help you with what?”

“We can’t have a baby. It would destroy everything.”

Oh, fucking hell no. I didn’t even consider she’d be thinking this way.

“Lily, we don’t have a choice. Like it or not, we’re having a kid.”

“Are you crazy?” Her face turns bright red. “How the fuck do you expect us to raise a baby? We’re not even old enough to rent an apartment. And my parents will kick me out.”

“Yeah, we should’ve thought about that before now, but here we are.” My heart rate kicks up. “We’ll just have to live here with my ma.”

“Callum, you’re talking like an insane person right now. I’m fifteen.”

“Yeah, and I’m seventeen. We don’t get to change that. I know we’re not ready, but people our age get pregnant every day and have babies. We don’t have a choice.”

“Yes, we do.”

I shake my head as a wall of iron takes over me. “No, we don’t. It’s against my religion.”

“So? What does that have to do with it?”

“I don’t believe in abortion, Livianna.”

“But—”

“No fucking way will I let you go through with it.”

She grows taller as her back straightens and her hands plant on her hips. “You can’t stop me. It’s my body.”

“That’s my baby, too.”

“So?”

“Livianna, I will stop you. Just try me.”

“How do you plan on doing that?”

“I’ll tell your parents. Hell, I’ll go to the media. I’ll let everyone know.”

She glares spears of hate my way. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wrong, Livianna. I would.” My heart thumps wildly as my chest rises and falls in quick succession. “I lost my pops. You can’t take my kid from me, too. I won’t let you.”

Her gaze softens. She lowers her head as her shoulders shake. “Callum, I’ll lose everything.”

I rush to her and take her in my arms. “You won’t lose me. Not if you agree to keep it.”

“But how… How do we even make it work?”

“You have the money from your show.”

“They’ll fire me the second they find out.” She cries into my shirt, soaking it to my skin.

She’s right. They’ll never let her keep her job. I push her away a little but still hold her in my embrace.

I stare with determination growing in my heart. “Then I’ll do what I’m meant to do and make Mayhem the biggest band out there. It might take a little while, but I’ll support all of us.”