Page 111 of A Little Secret
“Fin, it’s okay,” he says.
“What?” Everett’s neck swivels left and right as Griffin approaches us, the stairs creaking beneath his weight.
“You already know we’ve been seeing each other—” Griffin starts, but Everett cuts him off.
“Yeah, but for how long, Griff? You knocked my sister up?”
“Personally, I’d think he’d be happy about it,” Ophelia chimes in, mumbling to Dylan like they’re watching a soap opera or something. “At least she isn’t tied to Drew for the rest of her life, am I right?”
“Sh…,” Dylan murmurs. “They’re getting to the good part.”
“There is no good part,” Everett snaps. “I thought you two were…new.” His lip curls. “How long has this been going on?”
“Why? Because the math isn’t mathing?” I toss back at him then give Griffin a pointed look.
“A while,” Griff answers for me. “We were keeping things quiet until we knew it was the real deal, and then she wound up pregnant, and?—”
“So, wait.Youwere cheating on Drew?” Dylan interrupts. “With my brother?”
“Why do you think Drew wanted Fin to cut me out?” Griffin challenges.
Seriously, is the room spinning? It feels like it’s spinning.
Although, bravo because this is an excellent lie. Too good, really. And if I didn’t have a conscience, I just might go along with it, but I do have a conscience, and it’s rearing its ugly head. I can’t do this to Griff. I can’t hijack his entire future all because I wound up pregnant even if things are going pretty freaking perfectly on the relationship front. It isn’t fair to him, and it isn’t fair to my baby.
Is it?
How the hell am I supposed to get out of this?
By opening your freaking mouth, Finley, I remind myself.
Shaking my head, I push away from the wall and call out, “Okay, enough bullshit, all right?” I move closer, wedging myself between Griffin and Everett at the top of the stairs. “First of all, you’re a dick. I’m not sweeping shit under the rug. I’m trying to come up with a game plan since I’m well aware having a baby is kind of a big deal, but thank you so much for the vote of confidence. You’re a realjackass. You know that, right?” I jab my brother’s sternum with my forefinger. “Second of all, Griffin is?—”
“We need to talk,” Griffin interjects. “Right. Now.”
Unease swims in my gut, and my head snaps to my brother’s best friend. “Griff?—”
“Please.”
It’s thepleasethat does me in. The way he’s looking at me like he might fall to his knees if it would give him what he wants, which, apparently, is a minute alone with me.
Without taking my eyes off the man in front of me, I murmur, “Everett, can you give us a minute, please?”
The floor squeaks beneath his weight as Everett steps away from us and down the stairs. Once we’re the only two on the second floor, Griffin follows me into Everett’s and Raine’s room. The quiet click of the latch reverberates throughout the room as I force my lungs to work, praying the oxygen will bring some clarity with it, but nope. This situation is just as messed up as before.
Turning to Griffin, I whisper, “What the hell are you thinking?”
“Give me two minutes,” he begs.
“Two minutes.” A delirious laugh bubbles out of me, and I collapse onto the bed. “Sure. Why not? You have two minutes until we go out there and clear things up. Start talking, Griff.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
GRIFFIN
Two minutes. She’s giving me two fucking minutes. What I deserve is a round of applause for this.
I lock the bedroom door and press my back to it. The girl’s cagey. Flighty. Anxious. Her eyes bounce around the walls, and she wrings her hands in front of her as she sucks her lips between her teeth.