A Crush on Her Best Friend's Brother: Complete Box Set (14 page)

“
No,”
Rachel snapped louder. “I don't want any chance of either my
mom or your parents knowing. What if he knows the guy? Can't do it.”

“
You
have to tell,” Karen said. “What if something happened? I
would never forgive myself if I knew and could have helped. I'll give
you a week. I won't tell anyone for one week, but that's all. You
can't keep this from your mom. She needs to know.”

“
One
week,” Rachel said. “Are you kidding me?”

“
Be
happy I didn't blab it already. You know how excited I am right now.
I'm going to be an aunt.”

Fuck,
Rachel thought. She had no idea how right she was. One week. Rachel
wasn't sure she even had that long. Karen would tell Brad for sure.
There was no way she wasn't going to tell anyone. If she let it slip,
he would be the one she would tell. Her brother knew everything about
her. Shit!

Karen
played on her phone for another few minutes.

“
What
are you doing?” Rachel asked.

“
Brad
asked how you were doing. He's doing the whole big brother thing.
Making sure we're safe here. I told him you were fine and that we
were alone. There were no hot guys taking advantage or anything,”
Karen said with a laugh.

Rachel
closed her eyes and fell back onto her bed. Karen's plane was leaving
the next morning. Rachel still couldn't believe that her best friend
flew out for one night just to check on her.

“
Do
your mom and dad know you're here?” Rachel asked.

“
Nope,”
Karen answered. “Just Brad. He didn't come home. I called him
and had him book my flight. My parents think I'm over a friend's
house for the night. That's why I have to go back in the morning.”

“
I
can't believe you,” Rachel said.

“
I'm
glad I came. I can't believe you didn't tell me. You know I would
have been here for you. If I could, I would stay so I could find out
the sex of the baby with you. I don't like that you're alone.”

“
You
are such a good friend. I hope you know I love you so much and would
never do anything to hurt you. Thank you for caring,” Rachel
said.

“
I
just can't believe it's true. I thought if either of us ever got
knocked up, it would be me. You have no idea how shocked I am that
you're not a virgin anymore, let alone pregnant. What do you think
the dad's going to say?” Karen asked.

“
Look,”
Rachel said. “You're only here for tonight. I don't want to
spend it talking about something that is going to stress me out. Why
don't we watch a show and talk about you and Sam. How's that going?
Is it getting super serious?” Rachel asked.

Karen's
face lit up at the mention of Sam. The two girls sat back and relaxed
while Karen went on about her new man and how she thinks he's the
one. They talked well into the middle of the night. Karen made sure
to set her alarm so she wouldn't miss her flight. She got ready and
waited for her cab to arrive. They cried and hugged goodbye.

“
Remember,
you promised me that you wouldn't tell anyone. I need you to let me
do it. It's very important to me,” Rachel said, as she grabbed
Karen's arm as she was walking out the door.

“
I
told you that I'll give you one week. I meant it. You need us. We
will all be there for you. I know you're going to get a lecture or
two from our parents, but they will be there. The damage is already
done,” Karen said.

“
Don't
say that. I'm happy about this baby. You will never know how much.
You can't tell anyone. I mean it,” Rachel said.

“
I
won't tell our parents. It's going to tear me apart waiting a week to
talk about it. You should at least let me tell someone.”

“
No,”
Rachel said. “I mean it.”

“
Fine,”
Karen said with a frown.

She
rubbed Rachel's baby bump.

“
I
can't wait to meet you little one. I'm going to love you and spoil
you rotten,” Karen said.

She
hugged Rachel and got in the cab. Rachel watched until the cab was
out of site. She ran back to her dorm room and collapsed on her bed.
What the hell was she going to do, she wondered? Karen gave her one
week to tell her mom. How was she going to tell her that over the
phone? Her mom was going to kill her. Rachel knew that Karen would
wait the whole week before she slipped to either of their parents,
but she knew Brad was another story. Karen never kept anything from
Brad. He knew right after she lost her virginity. Not that he wanted
to know. Karen loved her brother very much. She would be dying to
tell someone. Rachel knew Brad would be the person Karen would
confide in. The problem was, he was the father.

Rachel
would never tell her mother before she told him. He was the first
person she needed to talk to. They hadn't talked in days. He was so
upset that she had blown off going home. She was surprised that he
even questioned her faithfulness to him. If he knew how much she
loved him, he would never have asked. She wasn't sure how he would
respond. Would he be mad that she was ruining his life? Would he
think she got pregnant on purpose? Would he even want to see his
baby?

She
knew his parents would want to be a part of the baby's life. They
might not talk to her, but they would want to know their grandchild.
She felt so bad, but she didn't regret having his baby. He was the
one man she knew she would love for the rest of her life. How was she
going to tell him? She couldn't do it over the phone. There was no
way. She had to see his face when she did it. That was not something
you did long distance. She had to let him know that he was off the
hook. He needed to finish college, have fun, and play ball. There was
no way that was changing. She didn't expect anything from him. All
she wanted to do was beat his sister to telling him she was pregnant.

She
got on her computer and booked a flight out in three hours. It was
more expensive than she thought it was going to be. She had the next
three days off and booked a return flight for the morning of the day
she had to work again. There were hotels by Brad's apartment, and she
knew there would be openings. The trip was going to cut into the
money she had been saving, but there was no way she wanted someone
else to tell him he was going to be a father. She grabbed some
clothes and things she needed and threw them into a bag. The cab was
on the way to pick her up. She grabbed her phone and keys and locked
the door behind her.

When
she got to the airport, she rushed through security and found her
gate. He didn't even know she was coming, she thought. What if he
wasn't home? What if he had someone in his apartment? She knew he was
mad and hadn't talked to her in a few days. If he really thought she
had been with someone else, would he have done the same thing? She
felt tears ready to spill from her eyes, but she stopped them just in
time. It didn't matter. She wasn't going to be with him anyway. It
was her and the baby from then on. She just needed to tell him and be
on her way. The only reason she was staying for a few days, was that
she knew she would be tired. It would be good to rest away from her
dorm. She would stay at the hotel and enjoy the pool.

As
soon as the plane landed, she hurried out of the airport to a cab.
She knew she had to tell him before she lost the nerve to do it. It
would still be light out when she got to his place. She wanted to get
in, tell him, and get to a hotel before it was too late to get a
room. As she gave the driver the address, she turned on her phone. It
buzzed with text messages.

Karen:
I'm home. My parents didn't figure it out. You have one week. I love
you. Call me anytime. I will be there in a second. We all love you
and will be there to help you with everything. I'll help you find a
cool place this summer and help you move in. Maybe I can stay with
you while I'm home. You're my best friend. Please, don't keep things
from me.

Rachel
felt so bad when she read that. She knew she was keeping something
huge from her. When Karen found out that she was really going to be
an aunt, she was going to lose it. Rachel just wasn't sure if it
would be a happy lose it or a pissed off lose it.

There
was a message from Brad as well.

Brad:
Are you okay?

Shit!
What had Karen said to him, she wondered? Quickly, she replied.

Rachel:
What do you care? You haven't talked to me in days.

He
didn't answer back. She knew his text was sent when she was on the
plane. Maybe he didn't have his phone.

When
the cab pulled up in front of his apartment, he still hadn't answered
her. She saw his car in the lot, so she knew he was home. Rachel paid
the driver and got out of the cab. She felt sick to her stomach as
she stood in front of his door. When she knocked, she thought she
heard laughing from inside. It was five o'clock in the afternoon, and
she knew he wasn't alone. Maybe she should turn around and leave, she
thought. There was no time for that. The door swung open, and a girl
about her age was standing on the other side.

The
girl had a huge smile on her face. She had on a pair of sweats and a
t-shirt and looked pretty comfortable. Rachel heard Brad's voice
getting closer.

“
Who's
at the door?” he asked.

When
he walked up behind the pretty girl in his apartment, his eyes
widened in shock.

“
Rachel,”
he said.

Rachel
bit her lower lip, as she worked harder than she thought possible to
hold back the tears. She took a deep breath before she said anything.

“
I'm
sorry,” she whispered. “This was a huge mistake. Goodbye,
Brad.”

She
turned around and walked down the sidewalk.

“
Rachel,”
he yelled. “Wait.”

She
shook her head and couldn't take it anymore. Her feet moved faster,
as she ran through the parking lot. She could hear footsteps behind
her, but she didn't look back. When a hand reached out and grabbed
her, she knew it was his. He swung her around to face him. She had
tears pouring down her face by the bucket. There was no way she could
have held it in. It sure didn't take long for him to move on, or
maybe he had never stopped. Was he just the same Brad that left two
years before?

“
Rachel,”
he said.

She
was looking down and noticed that he didn't have any socks or shoes
on. He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face. She thought
she saw pain in his eyes, but she knew she was mistaken. That was
probably just her hoping he actually cared.

“
Let
me go, Brad,” she said. “I need to get out of here. I
can't do this. It was a mistake. I should have known better. I can't
believe I was that stupid to believe you gave a shit about me.”

“
Are
you serious?” he snapped.

“
It
sure didn't take you long,” she said, as she pointed to his
apartment. “Or had you even stopped? Was anything you said to
me true? I begged you not to play games with me. I told you how I
felt about you. You're even worse than I ever thought you were. I
can't fucking believe you.”

She
pulled her arm out of his grip.

“
It's
not what you think,” he snapped.

“
It
doesn't matter anyway. It's better this way. I thought you were upset
that I hadn't gone home. I thought it bothered you that I wasn't
talking to you as much. I felt bad every single day for pushing you
away, but I knew it was what I needed to do. Now, I'm so glad I did
it. As much as it hurts seeing her in your apartment, I'm glad I
came. This was exactly what I needed to know that I made the right
decision.”

“
I'm
not with her,” he said. “Will you ever believe that I'm
not the same guy I was in high school?”

He
held his hands on opposite sides of her face so he could look into
her eyes.

“
I
came here because I needed to tell you something before your sister
beat me to it. My mom moved in with her boyfriend and is going to
sell the house.”

“
You're
not going to live across the street anymore?” he asked with a
soft tone.

“
Does
it really matter? That's not where you live. You live here. This is
your life and where you belong. You'll be a senior next year. Then,
you'll move on to whatever state you need to for football. You're
going to have an amazing career, but it's not going to be anywhere
near that house.”