Jenalyn: Crossing Lines (#4) [Complete]

Chapter 70: Hayden

Two days later…
Thursday, 9:16  P.M. EST

I thought I had a breakthrough with Dane today. I really fucking did…

Ever since that whole thing with Rob the other day, Dane has been kind of nice to me if you could ignore the fact that he still shoves drugs into my body in an attempt to kill my baby…

We were in his room, he had just gotten out of the shower, and in very Dane fashion, claimed he was too clean unless he had a good fuck.

I wasn't going to argue; I was high as a damned kite because of whatever he shoved down my throat, but I was mostly itching to relieve the monster inside of me that’s been overactive since I started fucking with Rob. 

For obvious reasons, Dane hasn’t called him over for anything. He’s more inclined to leave me here alone than to bring in the babysitter anymore.

“That thing still isn’t dead yet, huh?” he asked, disgust on his face despite his voice differing from the tone he usually used when talking about my pregnancy.

I didn’t need to answer him. He knew she wasn’t dead because he accidently felt her kicking last night when he slipped up and found himself cuddling with me after sex. 

“Maybe that thing really is a Scarman... these aren’t light doses, you know. Not for that thing.” he said after a few moments of silence before continuing to remove my pants. “Suicide is the only way to take us out. Nobody is going to tell a Scarman when to fucking die!” 

Dane was done with the conversation after that. He was already trying to position me the best he could on my belly to force himself inside of me. 

I couldn’t let the opportunity pass though. 

Rob and I have been texting any chance we got. He's come up with another plan considering Dane’s slight shift in attitude toward me since the other day. He thinks I should try to get Dane on board with at least letting me have the baby. After that, we could work on convincing him to let me take her to California where I could spend half of my time there with her, and the other half here without her.

It sounded impossible. It felt impossible! And I honestly didn’t want to have to crawl back to Hayden after everything I’ve done… but he made a good point.

If McKaiden is in there, and she’s putting up with all of this because of my stupid decisions? I owe it to her to at least let her live with the Golds. She doesn’t deserve to be here because a part of me is too stupid to stay away. 

I even broke my Jenalyn “character” with Ty to have him ask Harper how everyone would feel about “taking me back.” 

To my surprise, they’re expecting it. 

I told him I’d try. 

I told him I’d try, doubting that I actually would because Rob acts like I haven’t tried that before. He acts like I haven’t tried to negotiate with Dane, only to be shot down and beaten over it. 

Today was different though, it didn’t seem impossible! 

“Dane, I really think she is!” I blurted, ignoring his efforts to flip me over and turning around to face him. I didn’t mean to be so overexcited, but as soon as the moment came up it was like I could see a light for McKaiden at the end of the tunnel. “-and even if it isn’t- I’ve made mistakes, we know that! But who do I belong to? Who do I always come back to?! We don’t have to pretend, but we could just... not look into it! We do things our way!”

Dane was unimpressed at first. He just stood there looking at me as if he contemplated punching my teeth through my skull. 

He didn’t though; He knelt down on the bed, pushing me down until I laid on my back and he could lift my shirt up. “You got a name for that thing?” he asked, awkwardly placing his hand on my belly and giving it an out-of-character-for-Dane gentle rub. 

It was enough for me to lose my shit. I thought I had him! Never, in a trillion years, did I ever think I’d see Dane gently rubbing a pregnant belly. 

No- my pregnant belly! 

“McKaiden!” I blurted once again, a smile uncontrollably forming on my lips as I jumped to conclusions. “Do you like it? We could change it if you want! But I really feel like she’s a McKaiden!”

Dane smiled, letting it form into a small laugh before he gently pulled my shirt back over my belly and lifted himself from the bed. 

“McKaiden,” he repeated, almost as if to test drive it. He turned away from me, wandering off to the other side of the room for a moment while repeating her name a few more times with a smile in his voice. “That’s cute...”

At that point, the excitement was deadly. Probably literally, if I didn’t know my baby was so strong. 

I jumped a little, interrupting him. I had so much confidence in Rob’s plan at that point that it didn’t even cross my mind that something could go wrong. 

“It is! I know it is!” I excitedly agreed with him. “She’s our baby, Dane! She’ll always be our baby! I’ll take her to California, and-“

Dane turned around, his brows flat. I should’ve been paying more attention to his body language, and less attention to the excitement his slight affection toward McKaiden brought on. 

“California?” he asked, a tone in his voice I should have caught onto. It sounded like…disappointment- but I must’ve missed something!

I just nodded my head. “Yeah! With the Golds!” I exclaimed without thinking. I quickly added on, “-don’t worry though! I’ll still primarily be here! I just... have to keep up the image for Hayden! And you don’t want a baby running around here, you know?”

Dane laughed like I told a joke, and I was too overwhelmed with excitement not to laugh with him like an idiot. 

“You know what I know?” he asked, still laughing and feeding into my excitement though there has been something wrong with his tone for a minute now. 

Only when he turned back around with a syringe in his hand did my heart begin to sink. And only once he opened his mouth again, did it find its way back into the depths of my stomach. 

“I’ve never had a whore named McKaiden before.” he said, all traces of a smile or laugh vanished from his face. “She’d be an interesting addition to our little business.”