Page 30 of Katie 3

His eyes land on me, then peek up at the couch and back at my drink. “Had an unpleasant conversation?”

“Katie’s too perceptive,” I answer.

“Good and bad,” he answers. “Does she feel ready, does she understand? Did you tell her about the recording, what’s going to come up, the perjury problem?”

He keeps asking more and more about her being prepared to defend Brad, but he hasn’t asked abouther. I nearly slam my glass down on the table. “She’s stressed about losing Brad. She did manage to sleep last night, thankfully, and she ate all three meals today. Oh, she’s also cried twice over this situation. Thanks for asking about our pregnant girlfriend’s well-being. Such acaringpartner.”

He purses his lips. “I am worried for her and I’m aiming to fix it.”

“It wouldn’t hurt you to show you care,” I hiss, trying to keep my voice down. “You think she doesn’t know you’re pulling away? You thinkthatdoesn’t hurt her?”

“And you know that I fixed that before you all left.”

“Fucking her once, even twice doesn’t fix it if you keep lying to her and pushing her away when she needs someone. When she needs—”

“She has the three of us and a baby on the way,” he says before grabbing the bottle from me and getting his own glass. “A fucking baby.”

“Is that why?”

“Be clearer with your words. We’re going to court,” he sneers.

“Is that why you’re pulling away? The baby?”

He pauses and swirls the drink in his hand. “You don’t know what it’s like to raise one with just two parents. And now it’s a mess. All of us are involved. I’m your father.”

I roll my eyes. “Believe me. I know.”

“So what am I to that child? What’s her mother going to say? The divorce has just been finalized and already…” He exhales sharply.

Dad doesn’t have to say more. I know this is a mess. It was never supposed to happen. In good blended families, the father and mother are deeply in love and want the best for their children and stepchildren. In good blended families, stepbrothers don’t crave their stepsister to the point they forget the new relationship. In good blended families, divorce doesn’t happen because stepbrothers are caught fucking their stepsister and the stepdad definitely isn’t involved in that.

Even then, we’re worse. We’re fucking monsters because we weren’t careful. We kept Katie in the divorce and her mom is on her own. We’re monsters because our favorite girl got pregnant and my brother is on trial for heinous crimes. I’m sure Katie’s mom will be there too.

“There isn’t enough time to fix everything. The fucking divorce.” He drinks. “This backwards relationship we all have.” Another drink. “The baby.”

“The baby isn’t a bad thing. It’s innocent. It’s barely—”

“Don’t fucking talk to me about this.”

“You’re hoping it fixes itself, aren’t you? You want it gone to make things less complicated!”

“Don’t you fucking start,” he raises his voice.

“Of course you wouldn’t tell her that! You wouldn’t dare blame your angel, so you’re going to blame us for—”

“It was one fucking question, Carter,” Dad says, eyes wild. “One question to be asked. Whether or not she was on birthcontrol. One question could have prevented this. Perhaps if you two had better control over your dicks, we wouldn’t…”

He doesn’t finish the sentence. Instead, he finishes his glass.

“First off, she was on birth control. Second, did you ever use protection? Did you wrap your cock before you stuffed it inside her? When you climbed into her bed—yourstepdaughter’s bed—”

“Don’t remind me.”

“So you’re ashamed of her?!” I demand.

He starts to speak but cuts himself off when he realizes how loud he is. He takes a slow breath. I can tell his control is hanging by a thread. “Stop putting words in my mouth, Carter.”

I continue to watch him. I’m not letting him leave, certainly not letting him approach Katie, until I get answers.

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