Replace Me (Kin #2)(62)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I woke up in the morning to an empty room. Deciding that I needed to be alone, I packed up my things and left before either of them woke up. They didn’t need to see me this way and I couldn’t deal with them telling me I was making a mistake.

Chapter 30

Shayne

After Ashley announced that Parker was going to do the right thing, I sort of shut down. We’d spent so much time together and for some reason it was bothering me that it was going to be over. I didn’t get it, since we were just friends.

I refused to talk about it anymore and kept myself busy with work and getting the things for the twins in order.

On the weekend, I headed to the beach to hang out with Megan, in public, of course. She was finally being nice again and I enjoyed getting out of the house. It was weird, how all of the sudden my mind was on Ashley and the twins so much. I saw Ash every day and it wasn’t like we didn’t speak to each other.

We hung out all of the time, and shared a lot of similar interests. Her dad insisted that we have lunch with him one a week and it was fine, since he never questioned the paternity.

Since I was avoiding the subject, I didn’t want to ask Ashley when my brother was planning on coming forward with the truth. Each day that passed had me more confused.

Then out of nowhere, I got a text that I needed to come home. Ashley was only six months pregnant and she was being rushed to the hospital. I dropped everything I was doing and raced as fast as I could to get to her.

I did everything as planned, by calling my brother and letting him know she was having complications. With him on the way, all I could do was be supportive.

It took me a while to be able to see her. Once inside of her room, I found her in tears. I pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. “What happened?” I was too afraid to ask about the twins. If something happened to them, it would kill me.

“I was trying to get something on top of the fridge, when the chair gave out and I fell. I started bleeding and called for an ambulance.” She was already crying and I feared the worst.

“It’s goin’ to be okay.”

She shook her head and let me lean in to comfort her. “I thought I lost them, Shayne. The pains were terrible. I thought I killed my babies.”

I looked at her and couldn’t explain the happiness that came over me when I realized the twins were alright. “They’re okay?”

She smiled through her tears. “They were able to stop the contractions. The doctor says they are okay. He says I’ll probably have to stay on bed rest, and will end up delivering early, since it’s multiples.”

A knock at the door caught us off guard. My brother walked in like he was disgusted. Ashley became uptight. “What are you doin’ here?”

I was confused. She’d told me he was going to do the right thing. It made no sense why she wouldn’t have wanted me to call him.

He looked at me and then back to her. “It would have been cool if you told your roommate what I was plannin’.”

“Wow, you can’t even ask if their all okay? What the f**k is wrong with you?”

Ashley grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Shayne, don’t.”

I pointed to Parker. “He doesn’t get it. He doesn’t get that this is serious.”

“Yes, he does.”

Parker shook his head and handed me a set of papers. I didn’t understand what they were until I looked at them. “What the hell? When did you do this?”

I was looking down at papers giving up parental rights and he’d signed them. “I figured I’d give them to you now, since I was here.”

I looked from Ashley and then back to Parker. “Why would you do somethin’ so stupid?”

“Shayne, I ain’t ready to be a parent. I can’t do it and we all know it. Ashley and I made the decision, because too many people are goin’ to get hurt. It ain’t fair to make you lie about this anymore. Ashley’s agreed to tell her dad that she doesn’t know who the real father is, and that you were just being a friend to protect her secret. You’re free from it all. Don’t you want your life back?”

The question echoed in my ear, but I refused to answer it. Did they all really think that I just sat there, looking at the papers and then at the two of them. “Ash, is this really what you want?”

She shook her head. “I can’t keep expectin’ you to play house with me, Shayne. You’ll never know how much your friendship means to me, but I’m not bein’ fair to you. I’m goin’ to break the news to my dad and move back home. He’ll make sure the twins are provided for until I can figure things out for myself.”

“So that’s it? You’re just goin’ to move out?”

She nodded and it felt like she’d kicked me in my heart. I stayed there with her, until her parents showed up. My brother left shortly after our conversation and there was no changing his mind. He wanted nothing to do with those kids and it made me sick. They were our blood and he was pretending they didn’t exist.

I went home that night and sat down in the twin’s room. We’d started painting it different colors and one of the cribs had been put together. I opened the closet and looked through the neutral colored outfits and blankets. Ashley had decided that she wanted to be surprised about the sex and I couldn’t wait to find out what she was having. Whether it was nieces or nephews, I knew that I was going to love them.

Of course, her decision was impacting everything. I couldn’t tell them I was their uncle. I couldn’t ever let them know that we shared the same blood.

I sat in that nursery and sulked, thinking about having to give up two unborn children that I’d already fallen in love with.

Normally, if I was upset, I would have turned to Ashley for conversation or advice. Admittedly, she had become one of my closest friends and helped me through a lot since we’d been living together. Thinking about her not being around got me more upset.

Then I remembered something she’d said to me about love. She told me that she knew it was real when she couldn’t imagine not being with them. I thought about the twins and Ashley and what I’d signed up for. I questioned myself over and over.

When I was more confused than sure, I called Lacey. I needed advice and someone to tell me that I wasn’t just being irrational. My head was in a disarray and I couldn’t focus on anything except finding a way to keep her from moving out.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Lace, it’s me. I’m sorry to call so late, but I’m in a bad way and I need your advice.”