Page 87 of Pucking With My Head

“Bethany…”

“No.” I glowered at my fathers. “If Hayden wanted me to cook a meal to impress Heather, then he should have asked me before I came here. He should have given me warning so I could do it. I am not going to stay up all night preparing food when I am exhausted. That isn’t fair to me.”

They shook their heads. “Your mother was so good at this…”

There it was again, talking about how my mother would be disappointed in me. They didn’t have to outright say it. They just had to insinuate it to tug on my heartstrings and make me do whatever they wanted.

What if I had a daughter? If the baby I was carrying was a girl, how would I feel if Pack Noble treated her the way my parents treated me?

I would be livid.

I would be so obscenely angry if any men in my family treated my daughter like that. Actually, if any male, regardless of whether or not they were family, treated my daughter that way, I would be feral with rage.

Would my mother have felt the same?

“I need to go get some sleep. I’ve been working and studying all week, and I need an hour’s rest.” My voice was firmer than they were used to, and I didn’t give them a chance to argue before I turned to the stairs and made my way up to the old sanctuary that was my childhood bedroom.

Dinner was oddly quiet.

The dads had ordered pizza, and we sat in the living room, eating. I did my best to ignore the glares from my brothers. Hayden and Danny were eating, and Jake had wandered off, probably to find a beer.

Eventually, the silence became too much, and Hayden put his food down. “So, what are you going to make tomorrow?”

I gave him a cool look. “I’m going to spend time with my family and relax. This is supposed to be a break for me.”

His face twisted in anger. “You know Heather is coming over tomorrow.”

“We can go out to eat.” I shrugged. “There are several nice places in town.”

“Yeah, but thanks to you, she thinks we are a mess. We need to show her we can do family dinners.”

The energy it took to spar with my brother far exceeded what my exhausted state was capable of. “You know?—”

“Bethany!” Jake shouted as he thundered down the stairs, his voice full of anger, cutting off our conversation. “What the fuck are these?”

I looked up and stilled when I saw my bottle of prenatal vitamins in his hand.

Chapter 33

Beth

“Where did you get those?” I asked, my voice tight as everyone gathered around him, checking out what was in his hand.

“That doesn’t matter,” he growled.

“Considering the only way you would have them is if you were rummaging through my stuff, I think it does,” I pointed out.

My brothers had never respected my personal space.

“Bethany. Are you pregnant?” Pa asked, turning to me with wide eyes, dinner forgotten. His face was pale, like this was the worst news he could have possibly received.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for what I was about to say. Not mincing words, I said, “Yes.”

Every member of my family gaped at me in shock.

Danny shook his head, a disgusted look on his face. “Great, just fucking great. Who is the father?”

“None of your business,” I said, crossing my arms. His accusatory tone put me on edge.

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