Life is so confusing. I’ve come back to the doctor’s office after a stint as an extra on House Emergency. It’s weird to be back and to be working as a nurse after my short-lived career as a TV host. The other girls eyed me strangely at first.
“Kyleigh, aren’t your brothers really spooky? Oh my god, did you know about the incest?”
I had no idea how to answer those questions. Because of course I hadn’t known about Marygold, but the truth was even worse. Roman, Ryder and I had indulged in some pseudo-incest ourselves: I’d taken to making love to both my stepbrothers. Our ménages were a wonder for the senses, and my body exploded into a million colored shards with each sexual encounter.
I was so sad now that I’d left my Ryder and Roman, but I didn’t see any other way. They had wanted me to stay.
“Don’t go,” rumbled Ryder. “We need you,” he said, as I rolled my wheelie suitcase to the door.
“Kyleigh, please,” added Roman. “This isn’t the time to exit.”
My heart literally hurt. There was an ache in my chest as I got into the car, my stuff packed into a trailer behind me. I’d decided to leave my brothers just to clear my mind, and to get myself out of the vortex of despair.
But the truth is, I’d come back to the doctor’s office for another reason as well.
“Nancy, are the lab results back yet?” I asked.
“Hmm, let’s see,” said the receptionist. “Oh yeah, here you go,” she said, handing me a sealed envelope.
Inside were the lab results of a blood test I’d taken yesterday to determine if I was pregnant. I’d been a few days late, and while this wasn’t something to worry about, usually I’m never late. I’m like the proverbial clockwork bird – always on time.
I went into the hallway to open the envelope in privacy. The words stared back at me. Positive. I was pregnant with my stepbrothers’ baby. I knew there was no way to tell who the father was because as identical twins, Roman and Ryder have the same DNA, so my baby really would have two daddies.
Limply, I sat down on the bench in the hallway, the papers flopping loosely in my hand. I broke out into a cold sweat, my body suddenly feeling weak and lifeless, although my heart was racing at a million miles an hour. I could almost feel the baby kicking in me, although that would have to be my imagination. In reality, the baby was only the size of a pea still.
What to do? I looked at the test results again, skimming them as if to remind myself that this was real life. Sure, Roman and Ryder had done something terrible. They’d touched a six year-old girl inappropriately. But they’d been kids themselves at the time, and while that was no excuse, they hadn’t done it again after coming back from the labor camp.
Suddenly, I was filled with resolve. My brothers were my baby’s daddies, and they needed to be a part of his or her life. I needed to defend these men because these were men who loved me. They would lay out their lives for me and do the same for our child as well. In short, these were men who were strong, supportive, charismatic, handsome, and the loves of my life.