Page 33 of The Cabin-A Reverse Harem Romance
“Get the fuck out of here,” I said.
“This is my parent’s fucking property, asshole. Or did you forget,” Brad slurred.
He lunged toward me, but Sean grabbed ahold of him, preparing to toss him outside when Elise stopped him.
“I might be having your baby, Brad,” she said. “But, do you think you’re the type of man who should be raising a child?”
Sean stopped. So did Trevor. The room went utterly quiet, and a sudden tension infused the air around us. Nolan muttered, “Jesus Christ” as he let me go.
“You might be? Sure it’s not one of these guys’?” he slurred at her. “I mean, given that you’re fucking them all, and that you’re obviously a whore, why should I trust you?”
Trevor lunged forward again, grabbing Brad by the neck and slammed him against the wall, holding him there. He stepped closer so that their faces were just two inches apart. Brad was so drunk, he didn’t even have the common sense to look afraid.
“Get the fuck out of here, now. Before I do something that will ruin both of our lives,” Trevor spat.
Internally, I cheered Trevor on. He held himself back and didn’t beat the shit out of Brad. Had it not been for Nolan grabbing my arm and holding me back, I might have done something stupid. Something that would have ended with me in jail. My vision was going dark, and I narrowed my gaze like a hunter seeking out his prey. My blood boiled inside of me, running hot through my veins. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to fucking kill him for what he’d said about Elise.
As I continued to stand there and glower at the man, Elise stepped up, gently pulling Trevor’s hands away from Brad’s throat. There were tears in her eyes, but she spoke with a clarity that I had to admire.
“You know what? Keep thinking that, Brad,” she said. “Keep thinking that I’m a whore, and that this child isn’t yours. Because there’s no way in hell I’m ever letting you near any child of mine. So, go do what you want. I don’t give a fuck anymore.”
With that, Trevor shoved Brad out the door so hard, the guy stumbled backward down the stairs. He fell on his ass, hard, letting out a cursed yell as Trevor slammed the door shut, locking it tight.
Once we were alone, Elise broke down. Her knees buckled, and she crumpled, falling to the floor, her body wracked with massive, heaving sobs. I rushed toward her, but I wasn’t alone. All of us fell down around her, holding her in the middle of us. Protecting her. Shielding her. We all had a hand on her – shoulders, arms, back – we tried to infuse our strength into her with our touch. Tried to remind her that everything would be okay.
She had us, and there was no doubt in my mind that any one of us would step up to father her child. No question about it – and as long as she had us, she had no reason to ever see Brad again.
7
Elise
I didn’t even recall getting myself upstairs. I’d somehow ended up crumpled up on the floor, hurt and terrified, before managing to drag myself up and onto the bed. For some reason, despite all I knew to the contrary, I had still stupidly expected Brad to be a better man than he was. I’d thought maybe, just maybe, knowing that I was carrying his child might convince him to stop drinking and get his shit together. Boy, had I been wrong to think that.
I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure I was pregnant. My period was late, but the test was still in my purse. I hadn’t had the guts to take it just yet to confirm the feeling of dread in my heart. After what had happened with Brad just now, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get the nerve to do it. I suddenly had no desire to confirm that I was, in fact, pregnant with his child. I didn’t want to know with absolute certainty that I was carrying the seed of a monster inside of me.
I laid in bed with Sean and Trevor, suddenly wide awake, staring up at the ceiling and reveled in the knowledge and the warmth that I was surrounded by my brother’s best friends. The shock of the situation had worn off a bit and I felt safe and warm there. Memories of the kiss I’d shared with Sean a little earlier came rushing back to me as I felt the familiar comfort of him being so near to me. I looked over at him and smiled. Trevor ran his hand through my hair and I leaned into his touch, reveling in his gentle strength. I wanted them to touch me, to comfort me. All of them. I wanted to bask in their life affirming energy and let it consume me. Chase’s genuine offer to help me, if I was pregnant, and Nolan’s sweetness that morning had me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
