Double lines. Positive. I tried crushing the pregnancy test with my foot. I even threw it in the trash. But it couldn't erase the horrible fact that I was PREGNANT from my brain. I looked at the picture of the 18th birthday I had just celebrated. My secret-boyfriend Joseph and I had taken swee
Two months prior, my brother Dylan had introduced me to Asher. Dylan had been about to leave for his semester abroad. “Asher’s my best friend,” Dylan had told me. Turning to Asher, he said, “I need you to take care of Cynthia for me while I’m gone.” I bristled with annoyance. Dylan was so overpr
“Now you’ve seen what Joseph is with your own eyes,” Asher said. “Now you understand why you need to keep away from him.” Slowly, my shock wore off. In its place, anger began to boil and churn. “You’ll thank me someday,” Asher said. “You want me to thank you?” I asked, breathless with disbelie
“I’m sorry.”I had to get out. “I don’t know what I’m doing here. I shouldn’t be here.” I dropped my number slip into the trash and ran to the door. Outside, with the hospital doors sliding closed behind me, I shut my eyes and finally allowed myself to breathe again. Now I was connected with my
Without another word to Joseph, Asher carried me out of the room, down the stairwell, and into his own room. His hands lingered on my shoulders. He brushed his thumbs lightly over tears of my shirt, where Joseph’s fingers had marred my skin with bruises. The air between us felt charged. The sile
“How did you do all this?” I asked Asher. Asher shrugged. “Joseph uses the same, weak password for all of his social media accounts. You’d think someone with so much to hide might have taken a bigger interest in security. Hacking in was child’s play.” It couldn’t have been as simple as he made i
Wide-eyed and breathless, I stared at Asher. He couldn’t have meant what he said. He really wanted to be the father of my baby? How? He didn’t even like me! No, there had to be another explanation. “W-what does that mean?” I asked, shaken. “I made a promise to Dylan to take care of you,” Ash
But then, he never looked happy about anything. “Think what you want,” he said briskly, like a dismissal. “I will,” I snapped. “Fine.” Silence settled around us again. I wondered if I should have walked out, but Asher’s body stood between me and the door. He didn’t move, so he likely wasn’t
“Please.” That all sounded so good. I wanted it. I wanted everything. He stood to kick off the rest of his clothes. I watched, my mouth watering as he exposed his dick. He was so big, so hard just for me. Carefully, he moved me how he wanted me, stretching out my legs farther, and then slipped
Asher guided me back into the bedroom. As I stood near the bed, he walked behind me and slowly tugged down the zipper of my dress. His knuckles traced the newly-revealed skin inch by inch, following down the length of my spine. When the zipper had lowered as much as it could go. He spread his hand
I held my breath as Dylan threw the first punch. Asher dodged back and Dylan’s fist flew through the open air. Asher then stepped forward, ready to retaliate. Dylan backpedaled, placing a few feet between them again. In a flash, Dylan moved close again. His speed was lightning-quick. I barely even
“’Might?’” He squeezed me gently. “It will be fine. Trust me.” I did trust him, with my life and more. But… this was my brother. My brother and the love of my life were about to fight a challenge with yet unknown terms that would undoubtedly involve me and my baby. I couldn’t help but be a b
I opened my mouth to begin to explain, but the truth seemed worse than even Dylan’s worst assumptions. No, Asher isn’t the father of my baby. The father is actually a terrible person who is now in prison. But Dylan wasn’t waiting for me to figure out a softer way to explain, and Asher was no hel
On the evening of the Academy’s winter dance, I slipped into my shining purple gown and checked myself out in the bathroom mirror. Gone were the days when I could pass as not pregnant. Now, my bump was a distinctive round bulge, pressing out the front of my gown – which I had bought in the materni
“I… um…” I had no idea how to answer Dylan. Panic set in, sending my heart into overdrive. Should I admit to Asher being beside me? It was getting late at night. Surely Dylan would have follow-up questions. Like, why was Asher in my room after dark. “Oh, shit, I have to go,” Dylan said suddenly.
Asher’s words stole my breath away. For a long moment, I simply stared at him, desire coiling inside of me. He stared back, his blue eyes deep as the ocean. I swallowed thickly. I couldn’t wait to go home with him and see all of his promises in action. Nancy cleared her throat from the doorway.
The real Asher was safely behind the line of fake wolves. He glanced back at me in concern. I understood his worry. Holding this many projections was a strain. But I was done running. I was done standing back. Joseph would lose. And I would help bring him down. In the circle, Joseph started to