Replace Me (Kin #2)(60)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I LOVE YOU- Joey

My heart skipped a beat, before my mind could let myself get upset.

We weren’t together. He was free to move on and see as many women as he wanted. I’d given up on us and made that clear.

His words were like a ticking time bomb. An hour later I was in the bathroom, dousing my face with water, trying to calm down. I was fighting a losing battle with my heart and didn’t know what I was going to do.

All I knew was that the path I was on was destroying my livelihood. Something had to give.

If Joey couldn’t let me go, then I had to force myself to push him away.

That night, I pulled up my account and left him a message. It wasn’t the best decision, but he had to stop holding on to me.

Joey,

Please stop messaging me. We’re over. There’s nothing you can say or do. It was fun, but I can’t do it anymore.

Lacey

Hitting send was like drilling nails into my feet. I knew the repercussions of my words. I also knew that he’d come back one day and when he did, he’d want explanations. When that time came, I’d find something to say, but for now, it was all I had left in me.

Chapter 29

Shayne

When my mattress gave way, I opened my eyes to a bright room and a pregnant chick sitting on my bed. She handed me a cup of coffee. “Good morning.”

I sat up and grabbed the hot cup out of her hand. “Thanks.”

“Parker’s on his way here.”

I knew I had a shocked look on my face. “I was going to go see him.”

“Shayne, let’s be honest. We can’t keep pretendin’. I messaged him last night and he agreed to come and talk to me. We’ve never done it before, so I think it’s important.”

“Do you want me to leave?” I wasn’t sure if she wanted me to be a part of the conversation, being that they were the real parents. I was just some ass**le taking care of her and holding her hand through all of this.

She reached over and touched my hand. “No. I want you to stay. He needs to hear how you taken care of me. He needs to know what you’ve sacrificed. You think I don’t see how miserable you are, bein’ here with me and bein’ seen out in public with me, now that I’m showin’?”

“Ash, I’m not embarrassed.”

“Deep down you know this isn’t your mess to have to fix. I know you keep doin’ it anyway, but enough is enough. You need to date and be happy again. I’m just holdin’ you back from that.”

Ashley couldn’t have known how attached I was becoming to her and the twins. She couldn’t know that I enjoyed her company and liked her being my roommate. We were awesome friends and I could tell her anything. In a way, I felt like she was pushing me out. “You’re wrong, but I’d like to hear what my brother has to say. The shit is gettin’ real.”

I hadn’t calmed down, even when she left me to get up and get dressed. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had no say in what was about to happen. My ‘do the right thing’ brother could have decided he wanted to step in, for some reason it bothered me. Ash and I had been living together for months. Our friendship had grown and I cared for those twins, more than he could. He didn’t even want them, claiming they were the biggest mistake of his life. Watching Ashley’s stomach grow and feeling them move, was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. They were little miracles and shouldn’t be taken as pieces of property.

Since I didn’t want Ash to notice how much it was bothering me, I kept to myself until my brother arrived. When I saw him standing on the other side of the door, I wanted to tell him to go away, but instead let him in and shook his hand. “Long time no see, bro.”

“Yeah, man. How you been?” Parker walked directly into the kitchen where Ashley was sitting on a stool. He froze, seeing her baby bump for the first time. “Whoa.”

“Nice to see you, too, Parker.”

He threw up his hands. “Sorry. I wasn’t expectin’ you to be so big.”

I could tell from the look on Ashley’s face that she took it the wrong way. She looked shocked, as if he called her a fat heifer and laughed afterwards.

“She’s carryin’ twins, little brother. That’s what happens.” I did my best to take up for her, but I could see that she was still offended.

She folded her hands on the counter. “I think we should cut to the chase. We all know why you’re here, Parker. I’m goin’ to be honest with you. You haven’t done shit for me and that night we spent together was a huge mistake. It never should have happened. Your brother has not only supported me, but stepped in and done everything to make sure your children have a home and they are provided for.”

“He volunteered that shit on his own. It wasn’t like I could leave school. I’ve got responsibilities.”

My brother was naïve. He had no clue how to be a parent, because he was just a kid himself. Ash was a good five years older than him and even she had her moments. “I did it because it was the right thing to do. Look at you, you’ve got your head so far up your own ass that you can’t see how serious this is. It’s not somethin’ that’s goin’ to go away. For the next eighteen years, these kids are goin’ to need a father.”

Parker sat down and placed his hands over his face, moving them up and down. He was frustrated, but I was about to kick his little ass. “What do you want from me? I didn’t come here to be ambushed.”

Ashley looked at me and smiled, but I knew it wasn’t a happy one. “Shayne, can you give us a minute alone?”

I was a little mad with her question. If anyone needed to leave the room it was my brother. I stood up and started walking toward the balcony. “Whatever.”

I stood out there, thinking about the whole situation and how my family was going to be devastated. Parker needed to tell the truth, before more time passed. My parents would forgive him. They would help him.

Then I started thinking about Ash and the twins. I thought about living in this apartment alone. I pictured my brother setting up the cribs and preparing their arrival. My hands clenched the railing thinking about it. I wasn’t sure when it had happened, but at some point, I’d become attached to them. I didn’t want to share and I sure as Hell didn’t want them leaving.

Unfortunately, it was out of my hands. Ashley was going to make Parker come clean. It wasn’t my place to ask her to continue with the lie.