Hot Laps (37 page)

“What snake?”

“I got bit by a coral snake.” I crossed my legs and sat back on the couch. “I almost
died.”

“You got no business being a parent, Hayden.”

Casten frowned at my dad’s response. Which was reassuring to me and backed away from
him to sit next to me again.

My parents didn’t think too highly of anything I did. It seemed one decision was never
brighter than the last.

In many ways, if you have an older sister like Haley, you stop trying to be anything
remotely as good as she was.

I felt like in my life I was always fucking up and, sooner or later, I stopped trying
to please them because nothing was ever going to be good enough.

And sooner or later, they stopped caring.

Did I want that?

No. Not exactly.

Casten was fairly perceptive to that, too. He seemed to understand I was scared of
them. It didn’t mean he knew what to do or say, but he did understand.

I looked over at Casten and he nodded, as if to say, “This is a fucking nightmare.”

“I can’t believe you, Hayden,” my mother said, crossing her arms in disgust. “You
are so irresponsible.”

“If you’re going to judge me, know who the fuck I am first. Not who you think I am
or who you want me to be. I’m nothing like Haley.” My voice rose with each word and
I stood, taking Casten’s hand. He gladly stood beside me, his body strong and slightly
blocking me from my parents glare. “I’m not asking you for anything. I’m nineteen
and I’ll figure this shit out on my own, with or without your blessing.”

Dad gave those words a whirl, he did, and then he turned to Casten. “If you hadn’t
got her pregnant, would you still be with her?”

Oh God. Not that question.

Casten surprised me though when he said, rather sternly,
“We may not be married. We may never get married. But that girl owns my heart and
nothing you say or do will take that from me.”

When I first met Casten, I had no idea he was as smart as he is. I knew he built engines
and to do that you have to have a certain amount of brains. I also knew to be able
to rattle off the engine facts that he did to me all the time, he was intelligent.
Looking at him now, leading that shop and these guys at only eighteen, what did this
baby mean for him?

Was I taking away his only chance at making something of himself?

It was something I knew I would struggle with throughout this entire pregnancy.

Glazed Over – A dirt track that has a shine to it.

It’s funny to me how quickly your life can change. There comes a point when you make
a decision that can’t be changed. An impossible decision, but you stand by it.

I touched Hayden’s face, tracing her lips with my thumb as we laid in the fuck fort
Friday night. “That didn’t go as I planned …”

Sometimes I feel like I don’t have to say anything to Hayden. A smile could get me
a long way. Looking into chocolate kisses and sweet sin could too. She looks at me
and, in many ways, sees exactly who I am. Never has she tried to change me, and I
see that’s not what she’s doing here. There’s millions of people in this world but
this one right here, the one in my arms, she gets me.

She smiled back. “As long as they don’t kill you, I’m okay with them not liking you.”

I just didn’t understand. Everyone liked me. “I honestly don’t get it. What’s their
problem with me?”

“You knocked me up.”

“Well, there’s that.” I laughed.

“We need to tell your parents.”

“No. I don’t want to.” I kissed her tiny nose drawing her naked body into mine, then
moving between her legs. We hadn’t had sex since she told me she was pregnant. Part
of me thought maybe it would be different. My dick told me otherwise.

“Okay, what if I said I’d never have sex with you again until you tell your parents.”
She pushed me back, creating a foot of distance as I propped myself up on my elbows.
“What would you say then?”

“I’d say it’s five AM,” I rolled over reaching for my cell phone. “They’re probably
up.”

I picked up my phone and started dialing but she stopped me. “We need to tell them
in person.”

She had a point whether I wanted to admit that or not.

I was gonna have to tell them at some point and that point had come. Sunday they were
home and then leaving again for Attica and would be on the road for another two weeks
straight.

That night every fucking member or my family decided to come over it seemed and then
we found ourselves invading Lancaster’s late that night

I like to think that worked in my favor. I thought for sure if we were there, Dad
would be calm and wouldn’t make a scene. It wouldn’t be like the incident after the
party in my room when he had free reign to tell me the way it was. Not that I blamed
him. Now was different though. Hayden would be there and after the way her parent’s
took the news, I didn’t want anyone giving this girl shit over this.

Ordinarily, with something this heavy, I would have said something to my mom already.

I didn’t want to tell my parent’s for the simple fact that I was scared. This was
one fuck up I wouldn’t, or couldn’t, necessarily talk my way out of.

It scared the shit out of me to even think about telling them.

Lane sat down beside me after everyone ordered food and Hayden was in the bathroom.

He looked at me with a confused expression, watching me sweating it. “What’s with
you?”

“Nervous.”

He gave a tip of his head toward Dad, shrugging. “Yeah, I would be, too.”

Lane knew Hayden was pregnant. In fact, I was sure everyone did aside from my parents.

Jonah came running over with a fork right about then and stabbed me in the shin. I
screamed when I saw blood running down my leg and Lily, who was sitting on the other
side of me, covered my mouth with her hand.

“Don’t scream. It only encourages him and then he’ll run around stabbing everyone.”

Hayden returned and looked at me, and then Willie across the table from her. “Sounds
like what happens with Willie and his women.”

Willie choked on his own beer he’d just taken a drink of, and then agreed. “Yeah,
kinda does.”

I saw my dad across from me, smiling, and tried to measure his mood. He was getting
an ear full from his sister about the goats in their yard last week. He seemed amused,
laid back even, with his arm around my mom but you never could tell with him.

My Uncle Aiden and Aunt Emma decided to go on vacation a couple weeks back. Usually
they went with my parents or Spencer and Alley but everyone was so busy they went
by themselves.

Right about now is when I should point out Aiden’s obsession with not only his garage
being clean, but also his lawn staying immaculate. He mowed it every two days in the
summer and I honestly think had Emma not threatened to divorce him over it, he would
have put signs up for no one to walk on it.

Aiden’s first mistake last week was asking Dad to take care of his Holy Grail lawn.
If I was him I would have left an armed guard outside knowing the shit Spencer and
Dad pulled on people when they were out of town.

What did Dad do?

He got in touch with a guy who had goats and had four of them dropped off.

The goat man wasn’t entirely convinced it was the right thing to do and repeatedly
warned Dad he wasn’t responsible should Aiden try to sue him. You could see the fear
in his eyes when Dad told him it was a joke as he took in Aiden’s beautiful golf course-worthy
yard.

“They’ll eat all this,” he said, nervously pacing around Aiden’s lawn.

“No shit,” Dad replied, then glared.

No one questioned Jameson Riley.

So the goat man left them with my dad.

Those little bastards ate everything. One even tried to eat the siding.

When they returned, Aiden was pissed. Wouldn’t speak to Dad or Spencer for three days.

Drawing in a deep breath, I knew it was time. Or maybe I was tired of Hayden fucking
elbowing me.

“Stop doing that.” I said as sternly as I could to her in a whisper.

She kicked my leg with hers under the table. “Stop being a pussy.”

“What are you two arguing about?” Mom asked, eyeing us.

“Get another drink, Mama. You deserve it.”

If only she knew what we were setting her up for.

Dad smiled. He’s not dumb. “What’s up, kid?”

“IknockedupHayden,” I blurted out really fast hoping maybe it I said it fast, he wouldn’t
actually hear me.

Everything went quiet. Aside from my breathing. Or maybe it was just that loud that
I couldn’t hear anything else.

“Oh my God,” Mom cried, covering her mouth with her hand. “Are you serious?”

I nodded and Hayden started crying.

I looked at Jack and then Dad again. “I got her pregnant with my balls.”

“Damn you, Casten,” Axel laughed.

“You’re seventeen, Casten.” Dad stared at the table as he spoke, his eyes distant
and his voice low. “Do you really think this is a good idea?”

“I’m
eighteen
, Dad.” I think he could tell I was getting defensive. His eyes raised slowly and
regarded me curiously. “And I never said it was a
good
idea. I just said she’s pregnant.” I flipped by hand Hayden’s direction.

I was kind of pissed at his reaction.

You could tell Dad wanted to blow up on me. He wanted to tell me I was a no good kid
and how badly I fucked up, again. All that shit. But he was holding back because of
the girl wrapped around my arm. Silently I thanked him by giving him a tight smile.

The thing was, he didn’t have to tell me because I knew it already. I’m not as dumb
as most people believe I am.

“Don’t be mad …” Hayden said, biting her lips as tears streamed down her face. “I’m
sorry. You can’t blame him for this. I was the one who forgot to get my shot.”

“I’m not mad,” Dad looked sincere, stood and walked around the table to wrap his arm
around Hayden. “I’m just not sure that he should reproduce.”

“Your dad said that same thing about you and me,” Mom snorted, spilling her drink
on him.

Dad glared at me, wiping the wine off his lap, and then mom. “I told you not to give
her that much to drink.”

“Sorry. I thought if she drank she wouldn’t be mad at me,” I defended.

“Good call, but I’m not mad,” Mom leaned forward. “But can this grandbaby call me
auntie. I’ve got Jack and Jonah calling me Sway now in public.”

Nobody was surprised by that.

Hayden laughed. “You can do whatever you want. I think I’ll tell people it’s my niece
or nephew.”

Everyone got a laugh out of that when Axel leaned over to me. “Hey man, I thought
I taught you to use an oil filter.”

I shrugged. “I know. Got careless.”

“I’ll say,” and then he scooted his beer my direction. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks?” My face probably looked pretty stupid right then. I never thought someone
would congratulate me over this sort of thing.