“Oh, Jesse, I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how.”

“Tell me, what?”

“Andy and Emma are together now. They have been since right after you left. I came home one night and found them.”

My stomach clenched. “Found them doing what?”

“I was mad at Andy for being mean to you, so when I heard him in his room with a girl, I stormed in to ruin his fun. I never expected it to be Emma.”

“What were they doing?” I asked again through clenched teeth. I knew the answer, but I needed to hear it from her.

“They were naked. I’m sure you can figure out what they were up to. I never told you because I didn’t want to hurt you. Besides, it’s been two years since you were with her. I didn’t think you’d care.”

“You saw my best friend and my girlfriend together and didn’t think that I needed to know? Even after all this time, it still would have been nice to know.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Jesse. I’ve just been so preoccupied with the baby that it honestly slipped my mind.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I couldn’t process all of this. After two years of nothing, the three people I came here to escape decided to bust into my life and fuck it all up. First, Ally had shown up and begged me to help hide her, and now, Emma and Andy were in town. Nothing in my life was ever simple.

“Please don’t be mad at me. I’m so sorry,” Ally whimpered.

“I’m not mad. I just wish that you would have told me.” That was a lie. I was mad. I just wasn’t sure who I was mad at right now. I thought it was a tie between all three of them.

“I should have. I was just so focused on leaving before anyone found out that I was pregnant.”

“I get it. I do. This whole situation just sucks.”

“It does.”

“How did you know they were here?” I asked.

“They hunted me down and cornered me outside of work the other night. Emma can’t stand me, but Andy wanted me to come back to California with him.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I stuck to the story that we’d agreed on. I told them that I was pregnant, and it was your baby. I said that I wouldn’t leave because you loved me.”

I buried my head in my hands. This was all so fucking complicated. When Ally had shown up on my doorstep a few months ago, alone and scared, I hadn’t thought twice about helping her. I just hadn’t expected her to ask so much. She’d stayed quiet for a few days before the truth finally came out.

“Jesse, I need to talk to you,” Ally said as she stood in the doorway of my bedroom.

I’d been listening to my iPod, but I’d paused it and set it aside. Ally hadn’t said much of anything since she’d shown up on my doorstep a few days ago. I knew something serious was going on, and hopefully, she was about to tell me what.

“What’s up?” I asked.

She walked into my room and sat down on the bed beside me. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Just start wherever you want.”

“You know that I’m hiding from everyone back home.”

I nodded.

“I’m doing it to protect them…and myself.”

“From, what?”

“I went to a party on the beach. It wasn’t with our usual crowd. Some guy invited me, and I decided that I would check it out. If I didn’t like it, I could go home. I didn’t know anyone, but everyone was nice to me, and I was having a lot of fun. I was drinking too much, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to party. I was about to graduate, and I just wanted to have a little fun before I had to go out into the big bad world.” She laughed humorlessly.

“A few of the guys there were older, like in their late twenties. They were part of one of the biker gangs that comes through town from time to time. I knew I should stay away, but there was one who seemed really nice. He went out of his way to talk to me. We hit it off really well, and I ended up staying most of the night. By the time the party started to end, I was trashed. He was sober, so he offered me a ride home. I’d never been on the back of a bike, so I told him yes. We told everyone good night, and he helped me onto his bike.”

I had a sick feeling in my stomach. I almost told her to stop, but I knew she had to tell someone.

“Instead of taking me home, he took me to that old motel next to the interstate. I told him I wanted to go home, but he said he was tired. I finally agreed to spend the night with him, and then he could take me home in the morning. Everything was fine at first. He wasn’t pushy or anything. He helped me into bed, and I fell asleep. The next thing I knew, he was on top of me, and my jeans were gone.”

She was sobbing at this point, so I sat up and pulled her into my arms. Ally was like my sister, and I couldn’t stand for her to be in so much pain.

“You don’t have to tell me what happened. I can figure it out.” I could barely get the words out. I wanted to rip this guy’s dick off for what he had done to her.

“He threatened to kill me if I ever told. I swore that I wouldn’t, and he let me go. I walked the entire way home. I tried to act like nothing had happened, but it was eating me up inside. A month later, I missed my period. I bought a bunch of tests, used all of them, and they all came back the same. I’m pregnant, Jesse. His baby is growing in me, and I want to throw up every time I think about it. I had to leave before anyone figured out the truth. If Andy found out, I knew he wouldn’t stop bugging me until I told him who the dad was. Andy would have gone after the guy, and he would have died. Those gangs don’t mess around. I couldn’t let my brother die just because I was stupid.”

I ran my hand across her hair, trying to comfort her. There were no words for how I felt right now. Someone had hurt Ally, and I wanted him to pay. I understood why she hadn’t gone to the police. The gangs ruled California. Even if they had arrested the bastard who had done this to her, one of his brothers would have come for her and everyone she loved.

“I’m so sorry you have to deal with this, Ally.”

“So, now you know why I needed to hide. I know it’s wrong, but I don’t want to get rid of this baby. It’s not my baby’s fault for what happened to me. It might be half him, but it’s half me, too.”

“I’ll help you in any way I can. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll do it.”

She grew still for a moment. “I need you to hide me.”

“I can do that.”

“And I want you to promise me that if anyone from home finds me, you’ll say the baby is yours. If Andy finds out the truth, he’ll go crazy.”

I had no idea what to say to that. I couldn’t abandon her, no matter how wrong it felt to make that promise to her.

“I’ll tell them it’s mine,” I said quietly.

Ally hid her face in my chest as she started sobbing again. “Thank you, Jesse. Thank you.”

“You’re like my family. I’d do anything for you, Ally.”

I held her as she cried. I didn’t know how long we sat there together, but it felt like hours. Her tears finally stopped, and she fell asleep on my chest. I picked her up and carried her to the room where she’d been staying. It was her room now. This was now her home, too. I watched over her as she slept, wishing I could erase the last few months of her life. No one deserved to go through that. One day, I’d find the bastard who had done this to her, and I’d beat the shit out of him.

Over the next few days, we sat down and figured out all the details just in case anyone showed up. Neither of us really expected that to happen though. What were the chances of someone looking in West Virginia? I’d just signed the lease on this place, so the landlord let me add Ally’s name, too.

My mom refused to let me work while I was in school. I’d fought with her over and over about that, but she’d finally won. Ally didn’t want to take advantage of my mom’s kindness, so she went out and started searching for a job to help cover rent. I didn’t like the idea of her working, but I didn’t want to upset her. She planned to save whatever she had leftover, so she would have some money for when the baby arrived. I’d tried to get her to apply for local state aid to get insurance and assistance for food, but she’d refused. She didn’t want to take handouts from anyone.

When I’d agreed to tell anyone back home that I was her baby’s father, I’d never expected it to be an issue. It was definitely an issue now. Emma and Andy were here, and they both thought that I’d gotten Ally pregnant. Now, I understood why Emma had run from me and why Andy had punched me. I’d hurt her again, and he had been protecting her. Of course, he would now that they were together.

“I need a beer,” I said as I forced myself back into the present. I didn’t need a beer. I needed a keg.

“I’ll get you one.” Ally ran to the kitchen, and she came back a few seconds later with a beer in her hand. “Here.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled as I popped the top and took a drink.

Ally had done everything in her power not to be a bother since she’d arrived. I knew that she still loved me, but no matter how hard I’d tried, I couldn’t love her back. By protecting her, I knew that I was throwing away any chance of being happy, but I had no other choice. She was my friend, and I couldn’t abandon her. She’d dealt with enough pain to last a lifetime.

Ally had tried to sleep in my bed after we agreed on our story, but I wouldn’t let her. She’d thrown herself at me—literally. I couldn’t do it, and I knew that had hurt her, but I couldn’t sleep with her. There was no way. I hadn’t been with anyone since Emma. I’d had opportunities, but I never took them.