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Being in her place reinforced his need for them to find a place together. Before Samantha, he spent most of his time alone. When he wasn’t alone, he was with Rayelle and Dominic whenever he was in town. He’d avoided serious relationships, not because he wasn’t interested in settling down, but because he hesitated to let people get close to him. His teenage years were tough, and his brother had been the closest person to him. The person Brandon had become shortly before their mom died made him realize it was possible to be close to someone without really knowing them.
Bryce allowed the memories of his childhood to take over his thoughts as he chopped up the fruits and veggies. Brandon had been a sweet child. They were inseparable when they were young. If Bryce was somewhere, everyone knew Brandon wouldn’t be far behind. They were only a few years apart in age, but Bryce had taken on the role of caregiver even before his mother needed the help.
Their mother had mood swings for as long as Bryce could remember. She was never mean, but some days she would have lots of energy. She’d smile and do crafts with them, not caring how big of a mess they made. Brandon’s face would light up with happiness when their mom was in one of those moods, and Bryce would do everything to keep that smile there. Unfortunately, he knew those days were often followed by the days when their mom would sleep the day away. If she wasn’t sleeping, she would sit at the kitchen table and stare off into space, only acknowledging the boys long enough to feed them, if that.
It didn’t take long for the sweet little brother who looked up to him, to become withdrawn and angry. When their mom was in one of her good moods, it seemed Brandon would do everything possible to make her miserable. When she finally was miserable, he’d get angry and talk down to her. Calling her lazy and worthless before disappearing for sometimes days on end.
The funeral was one of the last times he’d seen Brandon. He’d changed. No longer withdrawn, but still distant. To an outsider, he seemed like a success story. The troubled teenager who was immediately made better by moving away. But Bryce knew otherwise. His smile hid malice and bordered on a sneer. The funeral was a bother. He couldn’t be sure Brandon wasn’t relieved that their mother was dead. As the only constant in his life for so many years, Bryce was devastated to look into his brother’s eyes and see that the old Brandon wasn’t coming back. And now that was a guarantee. Time had run out. There was no longer the hope for a reunion. All that was left was a path of destruction.
Brandon dropped the knife, barely missing his foot, at the sound of Samantha’s yelp. He’d been so lost in the memories that he hadn’t heard her come through the door.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, chuckling softly as he bent to retrieve the knife.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Standing, he finally looked up and got a good look at her face. Her skin was blotchy and her eyes and nose were red as if she’d been crying. His heart sank.
“I feel like I should be asking you the same thing. Is the baby okay?”
“Yeah,” she answered with a nod, feigning cheerfulness. “But, seriously, you look terrible. Is everything okay?”
He hadn’t considered his appearance when she walked in. “I just don’t do well with being in here. I was thinking about some things. I’m okay.”
Her eyes softened. “I know being here pisses you off. That’s why you scared the shit out of me. I wasn’t expecting to find you in here.”
“I’m not pissed. Brandon and I were close once—when we were little, before all the shit happened with my mom. I was just thinking about the way things were back when we were kids. Now,” he continued after a pause, “are you going to tell me why you’ve been crying?”
She looked up at him, and before he knew what was happening, she had her arms wrapped around him as sobs shook her body. There was no warning. No sniffles. No blinking back tears. The dam immediately broke. After wiping his hands on his jeans, he wrapped his arms around her slender frame, holding her close as she continued to cry.
“It’s okay,” he soothed. “Whatever it is, it’ll be okay.”
Those words seemed to make things even worse. He nearly stumbled forward when her legs gave out, giving him all of her weight. Scooping her into his arms, he carried her to her bed as she continued to cry without any signs of slowing down. When he climbed in next to her, she immediately turned and tucked herself into his side. He stroked her neck and shoulders in what felt like an inadequate attempt at soothing her.
After what felt like hours, her tears finally slowed. He passed her a tissue from her nightstand, and she finally turned over to look at him, wiping her splotchy face dry.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.
She took an unsteady breath. “I don’t think the baby is yours.”
Chapter 27
Samantha nibbled on the fruit Bryce had cut up before she got home. An hour had passed since she broke down in Bryce’s arms. She wasn’t hungry, but he didn’t want to hear it. He demanded she eat because it wasn’t good for her or the baby to skip meals. She was still trying to figure out why he cared either way.
Other than the brief flicker of surprise that flashed in his eyes, he hadn’t shown much of a reaction to what she told him. Even after she explained how the paternity test could be wrong, he didn’t say much, and he didn’t move. If he hadn’t been looking right at her as she spoke, she would have questioned if he’d even heard her.
“Are you going to say something?” she finally asked.
“I already said everything there is to say. I said it all before we got the test results. And now we’re back in the same boat. We’ll figure it out.”
It was hard not to get frustrated at his response. Everything was simple and they could just go with the flow. Well, everything was not that simple. Carrying Brandon’s child would change everything.
“Samantha? I can see your mind working. What is it?” he asked gently.
“You pretend like things will just magically work out. Well, that’s not how it works. If this is Brandon’s baby, it changes literally everything. I’m not sure I could even continue the pregnancy.” She snapped her mouth closed, surprised by her own words.
“Is that what you would want to do?”
“No. Maybe? I just don’t know! And that’s the thing. It won’t just work itself out. It’s a baby,” her voice cracked as she got to the word baby.
