Chapter 32- Better the devil you know
Brax had a bad feeling the minute he left his room in the morning when he saw Casey asleep on the couch. If it was what he thought, they wouldn't be in for a pleasant morning. He rubbed his face wearily before making his way over to the couch. The youngest Braxton was fast asleep, although looking rather ill-at-rest. Not for long, he thought as he nudged his brother.
Casey's eyes slowly opened and he yawned violently, looking startled. Brax didn't plan on giving him any recovery time. "What the hell are you doing?"
The younger of the two drowsily sat up. "Well I was trying to sleep until you woke me. Does that answer your question?"
"I meant why are you sleeping on the couch?" Brax demanded, almost daring his brother to answer the question. He was pretty sure that he already knew the answer. He hoped for everyone's sake that he was wrong.
Casey suddenly looked very awake and sheepish, as if he was just remembering for himself. "Because Henri is in my bed..." He knew exactly what his brother was getting at.
The eldest Braxton shook his head in disbelief. This so wasn't what he needed right now; even more drama. "That's just great, Case. What's going to happen with Heath wakes up and sees her drinking coffee in the kitchen?" He had to admit that Heath had been hard done by and having Henri in the house wasn't really appropriate given the situation.
"Heath didn't come home last night. He probably made up with April," he stood, "She's pregnant with my baby, Brax. What was I meant to do?"
"Book her into a hotel!"
Casey scoffed. "Oh, so if it was Charlie that's what you'd do?"
"That's different. Charlie wouldn't claim that the baby is Heath's!"
"Charlie never slept with Heath!"
Brax understood why his brother was so defensive but he still couldn't justify it. "Still doesn't make what she did right." Heath was lucky the lie didn't go on for long enough to do more damage.
"I know that," the female voice interrupted their discussion. Both Braxtons turned to see Henri lingering in the doorway of Casey's room, wearing a pink pair of pajama shorts and a white singlet that proudly displayed her bump. She was much bigger than April. "I don't know what possessed me to lie. I guess I was just scared."
Brax nodded. "Yeah well that's all well and good but it could have cost Heath his relationship and the unborn child that is actually his. Did you even think about how your little pretence was going to affect him? That was a pretty serious lie!"
Henri cringed and Casey quickly shot to her defense. "Lay off a bit, Brax; okay? She's sorry."
"I'm going to go get changed," the blond told them timidly with a weak gesture before disappearing back into Casey's room.
"You better start thinking about how you're going to explain this to Heath..."
"Explain what?"
Casey and Brax simultaneously turned, only to see Heath standing in the doorway wearing an expression that was a delicate balance of suspicion and anger. This wasn't exactly the best way for him to find out, that was for sure. Brax contemplated leaving his younger siblings to it but ultimately decided against it. There was definitely a possibility that things could take a turn for the worse so a peacekeeper could very well be needed.
The two eldest Braxtons looked to Casey expectantly. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again after a few seconds. This only added to Heath's irritation. He shook his head in disbelief. "You know I'm getting really sick of always being the last to find things out! Just grow a set and spit it out!" It seemed like his brothers were purposely hiding things these days and he certainly wasn't in the mood for guessing games.
Casey frowned, trying to think of the best possible way to say what he needed to say. It was going to piss Heath of any way he put it, that was one thing he knew for sure. "I had to Heath... she had nowhere to go..."
It only took a second for Heath to realise what his brother was saying. His eyes hardened and his fists clenched. "You have got to be kidding me! You let her stay here when you knew exactly what she did!" the middle Braxton made for his brother but Brax quickly stepped in between the two.
"Heath, just calm down-"
"Calm down? You're defending him? Her? What happened to loyalty? Why the hell would I want the woman who lied about my being the father of her baby-nearly ruining everything in the process- to stay in my house?"
"Mate, I'm on your side," Brax assured him.
Heath nodded. "Yeah, but it's not you who matters! It's him!" he pointed his finger harshly in Casey's direction.
"She's having my baby, Heath! What the hell was I meant to do? What would you do?" the youngest Braxton wondered.
"I would have betrayed my brother, that's for sure!"
"Enough, Heath," the woman in question suddenly joined them in the sitting room. She was now wearing a blue sundress and a sombre expression. Heath cringed at the sight of her, the woman who had almost cost him so much. "Your problem is with me, not Casey."
"Damn right my problem is with you!" he spat back venemously, not feeling an ounce of sympathy for his ex-lover.
Henri didn't even flinch. She nodded her blond head. "Then let's sort it out. Right now."