The Will (Magdalene #1)(94)
Author: Kristen Ashley

He did this rumbling, “Con, with me and Josie. Amber, keep everyone in here.”

But Jake did not need to issue this order to his eldest. Conner was at our heels. I felt him there.

I just didn’t know why I, too, was attending this impromptu and clearly not welcome meeting.

I thought little of this the minute I hit the foyer and saw the man standing there.

He was not as big or fit as Jake but then again, not many men were. They were much the same age, I guessed. But even not as large or conditioned as Jake, this man was no pushover.

The other thing he was was enraged.

Utterly.

And his incensed eyes were glued to Conner in a way that I genuinely feared he might cause him bodily harm.

Without thinking, I pulled my hand from Jake’s and took a step back. My shoulder hit Conner and I stopped, forcing him to stop with me.

Then my eyes moved to Mia and my skin started prickling.

She was up to something. I could tell by the light in her eyes and the smirk on her lips. In the face of her father’s extreme fury, she should not be smirking.

Something was wrong and whatever it was, she was behind it.

“Neal, what’s up?” Jake asked casually but cautiously and I looked to him to see he, too, was positioned between the man and his son.

The man named Neal tore his gaze from Conner and looked to Jake.

“We gotta talk,” he bit out. “Private.”

Jake studied him only a moment but did it closely. He then nodded and held out a hand to the living room, which was a room that had a door, unlike the others on the bottom floor.

We trundled in, me holding back which meant Conner had to hold back and this meant I maneuvered it so that Conner and I were the last to enter the room.

I kept him well removed from Mia and her father and twisted to ask him quietly, “Please close the door, sweetheart.”

I could see by his face he was confused, perhaps a bit angry, and also very wary.

He closed the door.

When he turned back to the room, so did I.

“What’s this about?” Jake asked.

Neal didn’t delay in laying it out.

“Mia’s pregnant.”

Oh my.

He wasn’t done.

“Your boy got my girl pregnant.”

The room became stifling. I felt it coming from all directions as I watched Jake’s face turn to marble.

But I heard Conner clip, “That’s complete bullshit.”

“Mind your boy, Jake,” Neal instantly demanded in an irate rumble.

Jake turned to Conner but said nothing when Conner repeated, “It’s total bullshit, Dad.”

“I can’t believe you,” Mia hissed at this point and I looked to her.

And it was then I knew that if she was going to instigate this kind of drama in order to salvage her wounded pride and inflict pain on the one who wounded it, she should be a much better actress.

“And I can’t believe you,” Conner shot back. “You know that’s totally whacked.”

“It is not!” she snapped.

“If you’re pregnant, whose is it? ‘Cause it sure isn’t mine,” Conner returned and the air in the room grew even heavier.

“Con,” Jake said in a warning tone.

“You need to be real careful, son,” Neal just warned.

“May I ask how you know you’re pregnant, Mia?” I queried at this juncture and I saw her eyes come to me but felt her father’s do it.

“Can I ask who you are?” her father inquired.

I looked to him but Jake answered. “Neal, this is Josie Malone. She’s close to the family.”

“I wish it was better circumstances, Neal,” I said quickly but softly. “But really, it’s rather important to know the basics of what’s happening here so we can have a constructive discussion.”

“I took a pregnancy test,” Mia stated before her father could reply.

I looked to her.

“A drugstore one?” I asked quietly.

“Yes,” she answered.

“Do you have the results with you?”

Her face got hard but I noted it did this to hide the shifty. “I freaked when I got a positive and threw it away.”

“I bet you did,” Conner muttered and the air shifted again so I turned to him.

“Please, sweetheart,” was all I said.

He held my eyes and shut his mouth, his jaw going hard.

I turned back to the room and looked at Mia’s father. “I’m very sorry, Neal. I know this is extremely upsetting for everyone but I hope you can understand that if this news is indeed true, much needs to be discussed as much may change. Indeed, entire courses of the lives of very young people. We’ll have to ask for Mia to take another test so we know what we’re dealing with.”

“She says she’s pregnant,” Neal returned.

“She’s also recently sustained a break up with our Conner and I myself witnessed her behavior at the game so I know that she was understandably upset about that,” I told him and his eyes narrowed.

“Are you sayin’ my girl would make shit like this up?”

I shook my head but held his eyes.

“I’m saying that this is a volatile situation but in the end what may come of it affects all parties and thus all parties should be involved in every step of the process.” I looked to Mia. “I’m happy to go get a test right now. I’m of the understanding it takes little time to take them. You can do it here and then we can resume this discussion.”

Her face got harder but I saw her mouth move in a telling way before she stated, “I’m not takin’ another test. Taking the first one was bad enough.”

“Alas, young Mia,” I said, forcing my tone to be gentle. “With pregnancy, much will be unpleasant in the coming months. But Conner deserves to see the results.”

She tossed her hair and crossed her arms on her chest. “He doesn’t deserve anything. Playing me, knocking me up and then dumping me. He doesn’t deserve crap.”

Conner had done well with being silent and not escalating matters, but with that, he was just done.

“Not sure how I could knock you up since we haven’t had sex, Mia.”

I found this interesting and a huge relief.

Because I believed him.

Completely.

“Neal,” Jake quickly put in at this juncture. “Unfortunately we got a he said, she said situation goin’ on here and there may be an easy, quick fix. I’ll go get the test. Josie can stay here with you and Mia. Conner can go in the other room. To get to town and back, Mia takes the test, we’ll know what we’re dealing with in less than twenty minutes.”