Addicted (The Addicted Series, #1)(119)

After getting through the work week, I could feel nervousness in my body as I waited for my father and Sandra's arrival. I hadn't seen either one of them since leaving the Manor for Miami, although I had at least spoken with Dad. He was, of course, disappointed in my actions. But for me, him saying he was disappointed was actually a great thing. One of the reasons I had acted up so much before, I think, was because I wanted my father to at least acknowledge me. While I know now that he did, it felt like most of the time he just passed me on to a lawyer or an assistant or someone else. He didn't get his hands dirty, and he never expressed emotion about it. Now, after admitting he was wrong by trying to be so cool and collected, it was refreshing to even hear him say that he was upset over something I did. I know, weird, right?

Dad and I had patched things up though, especially after he learned about Krystal and I coming to Kennebunkport. He'd even told me over the phone that he was proud of my hard work, especially in my college courses. Sandra, on the other hand, I was worried about. Each time I'd called, she'd been busy, although she and Krystal had talked at least. Still, I was afraid my stepmother/soon to be mother in law (God that was going to get confusing), was going to beat the hell out of me the first time she saw me.

Saturday morning, Krystal and I shared a quiet breakfast at a cafe near the harbor on Ocean Drive, waiting for Dad and Sandra to call. We'd agreed to meet outside the resort first, then see how things went. "Well, look at it this way," Krystal told me as we sipped our coffee, "at least no matter how bad it goes, we won't be the biggest scandal in town. Didn't you hear? W is supposed to be visiting his Dad at the Bush compound."

"That probably makes Dad only the second richest person in the town then," I joked in reply. "How will he take the blow to his precious ego?"

"Considering he did just fine when he visited my grandfather, probably not so bad," Krystal said. She sipped her coffee, then set it aside. "That's enough of that for me. Can't have too much of it for a while."

I looked at her, concerned. "Krystal, I've been worried. The headaches, the nausea, now you're swearing off coffee . . . is everything okay? I know I've been distracted with my finals, and trying to get along with Mr. Williamson, and my new job, but, have I missed something? Have I upset you in any way?"

Krystal bit her lip, smiling, and reached into her bag. "I was going to give this to you after our parents arrived," she said, "but I can't wait any longer. Here, a little present for you."

She pulled a small box about four inches long from her bag, wrapped up like a birthday gift or something. Since my birthday wasn't for a couple of months, I'm a classic Leo supposedly, I wondered what it was. "Go ahead, open it," she said, grinning. "I promise, it's nothing bad."

I took the gift from her dubiously, shaking it from side to side. Whatever it was, it rattled inside the package, which was about the size of a watch, or maybe a pen or something. Finally shrugging, I tore off the wrapper to find a small wooden box on the inside. "I put it in there because if I hadn't, you'd have guessed it way too quickly," Krystal giggled as I searched for the latch. The brass latch was tiny, and I could barely work a fingernail underneath to pop it open, but when I did, the lid sprung up a fraction of an inch, and I lifted the cover to see what was inside. "Congratulations."

It took me a moment to piece together what Krystal said with the small, white object inside, capped with a piece of blue plastic. It looked like a white board marker to me, until I saw the small window on the side with two clear, dark red lines on it. It was then that I saw the brand name on the cap, and I realized what I was holding. "You mean?" I said, flabbergasted. "How long have you known?"

"I took the test for the second time yesterday," Krystal replied. "I wanted to make sure. But yes, I'm pregnant. I'm going to the doctor on Monday to find out how far along and all that other stuff, but I can't be too far along I think. I started getting sick soon after we flew to Miami to sign the papers with Dwayne Forrester. Remember that weekend?"

"Uh, yeah," I said sarcastically. "We didn't sleep at all, and let's be honest, we barely used the bed."

"Just twice. And then the shower, the floor, the balcony of the hotel . . ." Krystal continued, grinning. "Babe, I don't know which time it was, but I'd like to think it was about then. The math of my cycles lines up right about then."

I sat there, joyously stunned, grinning as I held the test in my hand. "Wow. I'm going to be a father," I said, then it hit me. I already was going to be a father, now twice over. "Whoa. What about Gina's baby?"

"I wanted to talk with you about that too," Krystal said. "I think the baby isn't yours."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. Krystal related the conversation she and Kimberly had back in Chicago, and I shook my head as I realized how stupid I'd been. "So has our favorite little hacker been running checks on who it might be? Knowing her, I bet she has been."

"Of course," Krystal replied. "Nothing that could hold up in court, but lots of conflicting evidence. Julian, Gina has always been the Bohemian of the Aksoy family. Growing up, Daddy always told me to love my Aunt Gina, but not copy her in a lot of ways. I didn't understand at the time, but after I became a teenager and I saw how Gina is, I understood. There are a lot of nice words to try and buffer what Gina is, but basically Gina's a slut. I think that was part of what made me so angry at first when I found out. It's not the first time Gina's slept with someone I've been involved with."