Page 21 of The Bane of a Sinner
I looked at August, whose grin lit up his entire face. He pulled me in for a hug, burying his face in my hair. “We’re having a baby,” he whispered, as if saying it aloud would break the spell.
In the days, weeks, and months that followed, we found ourselves in a world of secret smiles and whispered plans, as we giddily prepared for our new reality. We wandered thebaby aisles of department stores, holding up impossibly tiny onesies and laughing until our sides ached at the idea of August changing diapers. We spent entire afternoons debating the merits of yellow versus green for the nursery, finally settling on a soft, sunlit gold that made the room glow with promise.
August insisted on assembling the crib himself, refusing to let me so much as lift the instruction manual. I watched from the doorway, heart full, as he wrestled with wooden slats and Allen wrenches, finally emerging triumphant and only slightly sweaty.
Some nights, I’d wake to find him tracing gentle circles over my growing belly, already talking to the life growing inside me. And every night, before sleep claimed us, he’d murmur, “I can’t wait to meet you.”
I should have known that nothing good lasts forever.
Chapter Eleven
August
December 2003...
Sitting in the medical bay at the clubhouse, I rubbed my eyes, trying not to go blind as I strained to read all the results from the latest batch of DNA test results, then entering them into the computer as Montana walked in.
“Hey, I’ve got an extra ticket to the Patriots-Bills game this weekend. You wanna go? We’re taking Kansas for his eighteenth birthday.”
“Can’t. I’ve got to get this shit entered before your dad rips me a new ass, then I have something to do.”
Groaning, Montana sighed. “I don’t know why he wants that shit done. He’s been on everyone’s ass to get their blood drawn. Mom told him to go fuck himself.”
“Bet that didn’t go over well.”
“Fuck no. Took me and Arizona to pull the fucker off her before he killed her. Something isn’t right between the two of them. I mean, they’ve tolerated each other in the past, but this is different. It’s weird.”
Yeah, I wasn’t going to comment on the marriage between George and Virginia Stone. It wasn’t my business, and as far as I was concerned, that fucker had everything he deserved coming to him soon enough.
Montana sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll let you get back to it, then. I just fucking know that Kansas is gonna wanna bring Amy.”
I barely looked up as my fingers typed away on the computer. “Okay. Have fun. Maybe we can go get a drink or something this weekend?”
Montana grinned. “Yeah sure. No problem.”
With that, Montana quietly left the room, and I tried to focus on the task at hand, but my mind kept wandering. I thought about Diana and how I’d much rather be with her than here, typing in data. Leaning back in my chair, I groaned, checking my phone for any missed messages, and I wondered if Montana and Kansas would have a good time, and whether my sister Amy would indeed tag along.
Knowing her, she would.
The medical bay felt stuffy, and the fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, adding to my growing headache. I rubbed my eyes, wishing I could take a break, but knowing George would be breathing down my neck if I didn’t finish inputting the data soon, I carried on. The fucker himself walked in two hours later.
“You got the latest batch entered?” he asked without preamble, standing in my doorway.
“Almost finished.”
“Don’t forget to send the results to my email when you’re done.”
Slamming my hand down on my desk, I snapped, “Have I ever fucking forgotten?”
George stood to his full height, and the motherfucker grinned. “Well, look who finally decided to grow some fucking balls.”
“Fuck you,” I snarled, pushing away from my desk, getting to my feet. “You know what? I’m fucking done for the night. Your fucking email can wait till Monday. I’m going home.”
“You’ll go when I say you can, boy,” the president of the Soulless Sinners sneered. “I don’t know what fucking bug has crawled up your ass, but my boot is about to fucking remove it. Now sit your fucking ass back down and finish your fucking job.”
My jaw tightened, his insult landing with the familiar sting of his manipulative power. The fluorescent lights seemed to intensify, blurring the edges of the medical bay as a primal rage simmered beneath the surface. Montana’s words about his parents echoed in my mind, a chilling premonition of the domestic storm brewing within the Stone family, a storm I was increasingly finding myself caught in the periphery of. But George’s threat, the utter disrespect, was the final spark. He thought he could break me, mold me into his obedient tool, just like he was trying to do with the DNA data. He was wrong. My hands balled into fists, the urge to shatter the pristine computer console and walk out the door almost overwhelming.
“You know what, Prez?” I spat, my words laced with a venom I rarely displayed. “I’m done taking your shit. You want your precious fucking data? You can enter it yourself, goddamn it.”
