“Well, are you thinking of breaking up with him?” Leanne licked a glob of icing off the top of her cupcake.
“No. But it’s a normal thing to think about. Like, it could happen.”
“Yeah, it could. And you know what else could happen? Tomorrow the car we’re in could crash and we’d all die. Why are you working yourself up about the future so much, when you have no idea what it’s going to bring?”
“I guess I just don’t want to put in all this effort to not care about the fact that half the country thinks I’m an incestuous whore only to have the relationship fail anyway.”
“Fine. Well, you have two options. You can break up with him because maybe sometime in the future your relationship might not work out. You won’t have to face the scorn of random strangers you’re never going to meet, but you also might miss out on the best thing that’s ever happened to you. Or you could suck it up, deal with it, and see what happens. You like Kiegan, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“Then stay with him. Seriously, your own family hates you for being with him, that’s an actual reason to break up. Mrs Redneck from Backwater, Florida, thinking your relationship is weird is the dumbest reason ever to give up on something that could be awesome.”
I smiled at my friend from across the couch. Leanne always knew exactly what to say.
“Thanks. You’re awesome, Leanne.”
“I am. Thanks for appreciating. Can I have another cupcake?”
I laughed and handed her the box. “Fine, but I have to go back out and get some more for Kiegan, who insisted that it was part of my job duties. I wonder if I’ll get called a slut this time.”
“Hopefully not. How can anyone who’s about to buy cupcakes be so mean?” Leanne asked, carefully picking the caramel pecan brownie cupcake from the box and handing it back to me.
“I don’t know. I agree, I always thought cupcakes should put you in a good mood.”
We continued chatting for a while, then Leanne had to go get some stuff done for Kiegan’s company, and I had to head out and replace the cupcakes we’d already eaten.
I walked down the street, wrapping my jacket close around me. We were in Vail, in Colorado. Kiegan was doing some sort of skiing related stunt with one of the athletes from the national team. I knew Kiegan could ski, but I hadn’t realized he was good enough to actually make an episode of his adrenaline-fueled TV show out of it.
As I walked through the village it began to snow, big thick flakes falling onto the already white-lined streets as the free shuttle buses moved past and people dressed in their ski gear flocked around.
“Back again?” the lady asked cheerily as I walked in, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“I am, a friend came by and ate all my cupcakes. So now I need some more. They’re delicious, by the way,” I told her, and her smile grew.
“Thanks so much! What flavours can I get you this time?”
I left a couple minutes later with a new box of tiramisu, carrot cake and salted caramel cupcakes, knowing Kiegan would be happy with those.
And sure enough, when he came through the door two hours later with a new scrape on his face (“It was nothing, I just faceplanted once.”) he dove at the box and instantly took out one of the salted caramel cupcakes with a smile on his face.
“Oh man, these are awesome,” he told me as he undressed between bites, leaving his snow-covered clothes on the floor and wrapping himself in a bathrobe. I was glad I hadn’t gone out, Kiegan looked like he was freezing cold. I decided I would go to the bathroom and draw a bath for him, the luxury Jacuzzi tub being the perfect touch to warm him up, when suddenly I heard his ringtone. Kiegan dug through the pockets of his jacket, found his phone, and his eyes widened as he looked at the screen.
“It’s him. I’m putting him on speaker phone, but no matter what, you can’t say anything.”
I nodded. I understood just how important this conversation was going to be.
“Hello?” Kiegan answered. I saw him pull out a recorder and place it on the table next to the phone.
“Kiegan, hi, it’s your uncle Ed here.” I knew the voice was coming from the phone, I knew Edward was thousands of miles away, probably in DC, and yet even hearing the static-riddled voice over the phone, my blood ran cold. I could feel my body stiffen as I heard his voice for the first time in almost three years.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell, I wanted to hit him, I wanted to kill him for what he did to me, for what he made sure I lost. But I couldn’t. I knew I couldn’t, for the sake of our unborn sister. Instead I forced my thoughts away from the memory of what Edward Hunt had done to me, and listened as Kiegan began to chat with him.
“Listen, Kiegan. I’m wondering if you can do me a favour.”
“Sure, Uncle Ed. What can I do ya for?” Kiegan replied.
“As you know, I’m running for President.”
“Yes, of course I know!”
“But one problem I keep running into is people are asking me about my nephew’s relationship with his neice.”