46. Kip

46

KIP

M y heart pounds against my ribcage as I stare at Sydney standing on the doorstep, a mixture of shock and anger coursing through my veins. Her sudden appearance catches me completely off guard, and the fury immediately starts to overtake me.

I clench my jaw, trying to rein in the fury bubbling up inside me. How dare she show up here unannounced after abandoning her own child? The sheer audacity leaves me seething.

Sydney shifts her weight, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I can see the look on your face. You hate me.” She swallows. “But, Kip, please, just let me explain why I had to leave Harper-”

“Her name is Piper,” I snap, cutting her off mid-sentence. The sharp edge in my voice surprises even me. I usually try to keep things light, diffusing tension with a well-timed quip. But right now, staring into the face of the woman who hurt Piper so deeply, I can’t muster an ounce of my typical easygoing charm.

What had I ever seen in this woman?

Didn’t have to be a lot for me to sleep with her.

Indignation swells in my chest, pressing against my lungs and making it hard to breathe. My hands curl into fists at my sides as I struggle to contain the boiling resentment threatening to spill over.

She doesn’t get to waltz back into Piper’s life and act like she’s just some concerned mom. Not after the way she left. Without a word. Barely enough supplies to last the night.

Piper may not be old enough to understand, but I am. And whenever Piper found out the truth, she’d be heartbroken. I wouldn’t let Sydney cause any other damage.

Sydney’s eyes widen, her lips parting in surprise. “Piper?” she echoes softly, as if testing the unfamiliar name on her tongue. For a fleeting moment, I feel a flicker of satisfaction at catching her off guard.

She takes a step forward, her hands raised in a placating gesture. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, Kip. I just-”

“You left her on our doorstep, Sydney,” I interrupt, my tone hardening like steel. The words taste bitter in my mouth, but I force them out anyway. She needs to hear this. “You didn’t even say anything to us. You’re a coward. You don’t get to show up out of the blue and act like you’re just concerned about her well-being.”

I can feel my control slipping, anger churning in my gut like a volatile storm. It takes every ounce of restraint not to let it consume me entirely.

“Kip, please,” Sydney pleads, her voice trembling slightly. “If you’d just let me explain-”

“Explain what?” I scoff, shaking my head in disbelief. “How could you just walk away from your own child? I never knew a person could be so evil.”

Sydney flinches as if I’ve struck her, tears welling up and threatening to spill over. Part of me wants to feel guilty for causing her distress, but the larger part - the fiercely protective part - refuses to back down.

“You don’t know how much I care about her, okay, I…”

I take a step closer, holding Sydney’s gaze with an unwavering stare. I need her to understand the gravity of what she’s done, the scars she’s left on Piper’s tender heart.

“If you truly cared about her, you would have never left in the first place.”

Sydney’s shoulders sag, as if the weight of my words is physically bearing down on her. Good. She takes a shaky breath, her eyes searching mine imploringly.

“I did it for her.”

Her voice cracks on the last word, raw emotion seeping through. For a fleeting moment, I feel a twinge of empathy.

“Yeah, leaving that baby on our doorstep is the best thing that you could’ve done for her.”

Sydney nods, seeming to deflate before my eyes. Her gaze drops to the ground, and I can see the defeat etched into her features.

“If we could just talk…”

“I have nothing to say to you.” I snap before sighing, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “But luckily enough for you, my brothers may feel differently. Give me your number, and I’ll call you when we’re not in the middle of something. But right now, you need to go. We have a lot going on, and I can’t deal with this on top of everything else.”

Sydney nods, a glimmer of hope sparking in her eyes as she quickly rattles off her phone number. I type it into my phone, each digit feeling like a leaden weight.

“Thank you, Kip,” she says softly, offering a tentative smile. “I promise, I’m not here to cause trouble.”

I don’t return her smile, my expression remaining stoic and guarded. “We’ll see,” is all I say.

The moment Sydney disappears from view, I swing the door open wider, ushering Ayla inside with a sense of urgency. “We need to hurry,” I say, my voice strained. “Everyone’s waiting for us at the hospital.”

Ayla nods, her green eyes filled with understanding as she quickly steps into the house. “I’ll grab some clothes for everyone,” she says, already moving towards the bedrooms with a determined stride.

I lean against the wall, running a hand through my hair as I try to gather my thoughts. The emotional turmoil of Sydney’s unexpected appearance still lingers, a bitter taste in my mouth. How dare she show up now, after all this time? After abandoning her own child? After not trying to get in contact with us for months?

I hate her.

The sound of Ayla rummaging through drawers and closets fills the air, a welcome distraction from the chaos in my mind. I focus on the task at hand, pushing aside the anger and frustration threatening to consume me.

“Kip?” Ayla’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I look up to see her standing in the hallway, a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. “I think I’ve got everything we need.”

I nod, pushing myself off the wall. “Great, let’s go.” My voice sounds distant, even to my own ears, as if I’m speaking from underwater.

As we make our way out to the truck, Ayla places a gentle hand on my arm. “Hey,” she says softly, her eyes searching mine. “Are you okay? I know that must have been a lot to take in.”

I let out a humorless laugh, shaking my head. “That’s an understatement.” I climb into the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “I just can’t believe she had the nerve to show up like that, you know?”

Ayla settles into the passenger seat while I get in the driver’s side, fastening my seatbelt and igniting the engine before getting onto the road.

I try to keep my eyes on the road, but the anger bubbling inside me is impossible to ignore. “I can’t believe that woman,” I burst out, my fingers tightening around the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white. “She just shows up like nothing happened! I mean, how could she just leave her child like that?”

My voice rises with each word, the frustration spilling over like a boiling pot. I glance at Ayla, desperate for some kind of support or validation. “And now she thinks she can just waltz back into Piper’s life like it’s no big deal? Like she has any right to be a part of it?”

Ayla meets my gaze, her green eyes filled with understanding. “I know it’s a lot to process, Kip,” she says gently, her voice soothing despite the chaos swirling inside me. “But we need to focus on what’s best for Piper right now. Getting angry isn’t going to solve anything.”

I let out a heavy sigh, knowing she’s right but struggling to let go of the resentment that’s taken root in my chest. “That woman isn’t good enough for Piper, I know that…”

Ayla puts a hand on my arm. “You’ll figure it out. You always do.”

I nod, taking a deep breath and forcing myself to focus on the road ahead. The anger still simmers beneath the surface, but Ayla’s calm demeanor helps.

I clear my throat, my gaze darting between Clay and Teller as Ayla and I reenter Jamie’s hospital room. “Hey, can I talk to you guys for a sec?” My voice is low, a stark contrast to the beeping machines surrounding Jamie.

Clay’s brow furrows, his dark eyes searching mine. “Everything okay, Kip?”

I gesture towards the hallway, trying to keep my expression neutral. “Just need a quick word.”

Teller nods, his lean frame unfolding from the chair beside Jamie’s bed, handing Piper to Ayla’s waiting arms. “Lead the way.”

As we step into the sterile corridor, the fluorescent lights cast harsh shadows across our faces. I take a deep breath, bracing myself for their reactions.

“You won’t believe who just showed up,” I begin, my voice barely above a whisper. The words feel heavy on my tongue, weighed down by the implications.

Clay crosses his arms, his broad shoulders tensing. “Who?” His tone is wary, as if he can sense the impending storm.

I meet their gazes, steeling myself. “Sydney.”

The silence that follows is deafening. I watch as a myriad of emotions flicker across their faces—disbelief, anger, confusion.

Clay’s jaw clenches, his eyes narrowing. “What the hell does she want?” His voice is a low growl, the protective instinct radiating from him in waves.

I shake my head, running a hand through my hair. “She claims she just wanted to talk…I barely gave her the time of day.”

Teller’s usually calm demeanor cracks, a flash of fury in his eyes. “Good. She doesn’t deserve anything from us.” His words are sharp, cutting through the tense air. “Not after leaving Piper at our door and running off.”

I nod, my own anger simmering beneath the surface. “I got her number, so we could talk to her.” The memory of Sydney’s pleading eyes makes my stomach churn.

Clay’s hands ball into fists at his sides. “I don’t want to talk to her.” His voice is a low rumble, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air.

Teller runs a hand over his face, his expression pained. “This is going to be a mess,” he mutters, his voice tinged with exhaustion.

I let out a humorless chuckle. “When is it not with us?” The attempt at levity falls flat, the gravity of the situation too heavy to ignore.

“She lost her rights when she left Piper,” Clay points out.

“But she is still Piper’s mother,” Teller comments.

We fall quiet.

I run a hand through my hair, my mind racing with the possibilities of what Sydney’s sudden appearance could mean for our carefully constructed world. “I don’t want to keep Piper from her mother,” I admit, the words feeling heavy on my tongue. “But I also don’t trust Sydney.”

Whether I trust her or not…I doubt it’ll be so easy to get her off our backs.