Page 40 of A Boy Is a Gun: Part II
Six
Cameron
Iwas halfway througha quarterly breakdown on my laptop, numbers streaming like a quiet symphony only I could hear.Money never lies.People do, emotions do, but digits on a screen tell the truth every damn time.
The door clicked open without a knock.Of course.Jamie never did bother with things like permission or courtesy when it came to me.To her, I was the ATM who happened to breathe, talk, and occasionally piss her off.
She swept in, perfume trailing, posture sharp, eyes already narrowed like she’d been rehearsing whatever storm she brought with her.No “hello.”No fake smile.Just tension wrapped in designer fabric.“I need a loan.”
I glance up from my laptop, slow, deliberate.“Why?I already give you more than enough money.”Jamie doesn’t want to admit it, but my six-figure assistance is the reason why she’s about to live that fake influencer lifestyle.
And there it was—the flicker in her eyes.The part where she hated admitting it, but knew damn well her entire curated lifestyle ran on my dollar.Without me, she’d be another suburban wife with a Pinterest account and a husband who couldn’t cover her taste in handbags.
She shifts her weight, eyes flicking to the window before she answers.“Ethan made some...questionable investments.”A beat.“Crypto.”
I don’t flinch.“I don’t mess with that.”Lie.A big one.But I say it like it’s gospel because that’s what I do.She studies me like she’s trying to decide if she’s going to push.She doesn’t.Smart.I click through a few screens, transfer the funds, and close the laptop.“It’s wired.”
She looked at me, stunned.“That fast?”
“That fast.”I lean back in my chair.“Is everything okay?”
“No.”Her arms cross.She looks right at me, testing me.“But I feel like you’d rather gloat in my misery, so I’ll keep quiet.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”Also another lie.But as much as I would love to mess with my sister right now, I also know it’s not appropriate.
Her eyebrow arches.“Oh?”
“I’m serious, J.”My voice is low, and the tension dissipates.“What’s going on?”
She takes a slow breath, then drops the grenade.“I’m pregnant.”
I don’t let my surprise show.Just nod once.“Congratulations.”
She narrows her eyes.“Are you actually sincere right now?”
“Yeah.I know how much you wanted to be a mother.I’m happy for you.”And I mean it—God help me, I actually mean it.
She watches me for another beat.“So, now that I’m pregnant, you and Ethan will call a truce.”
Memories of Mia’s birth come to mind, and I quiet them.“I’ll leave him alone if he leaves me alone.”
Jamie reads me and quietly replies.“It won’t be that easy.”
“You’re about to have a baby,” I say.“He’ll have no choice.”
“Of course,” she shakes her head, “The asshole in you doesn’t take vacations.”She smirks, like she’s got something else loaded.“We’re watching Mia for the night.Taylor asked.”
