Best Laid Plans

  Best Laid Plans

  LK Farlow

  © 2018 by LK Farlow

  All rights reserved.

  Cover Design & Interior Formatting: Jersey Girl Design | Juliana Cabrera

  Editing: Librum Artis Editorial Services | Gray Ink Editing

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referred to in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  www.authorlkfarlow.com

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. Natalie

  2. Natalie

  3. Natalie

  4. Natalie

  5. Natalie

  6. Alden

  7. Natalie

  8. Natalie

  9. Alden

  10. Natalie

  11. Alden

  12. Natalie

  13. Alden

  14. Alden

  15. Natalie

  16. Natalie

  17. Alden

  18. Alden

  19. Natalie

  20. Alden

  21. Natalie

  22. Alden

  23. Alden

  24. Natalie

  25. Alden

  26. Natalie

  27. Alden

  28. Natalie

  29. Alden

  30. Natalie

  31. Alden

  32. Natalie

  33. Natalie

  34. Alden

  35. Natalie

  36. Alden

  37. Natalie

  38. Alden

  39. Natalie

  40. Alden

  41. Alden

  42. Natalie

  43. Alden

  Epilogue

  Rebel Heart

  Other titles by LK Farlow

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  To my Phoobs. I’m so thankful life took my best laid plans and tore them apart. After all, it led me to you.

  Blurb

  The summer before my senior year of high school I had only one goal: to make Alden Warner see me as more than his best friend’s annoying little sister.

  Finally, my wish came true and he noticed me. In a big way. Too bad that the next morning he had no memory of our night together, leaving me heartbroken, and as I later discovered…pregnant.

  For the last four years, I’ve been rocking the single mom thing, making sure my daughter comes first. In fact, everything is going fine—until Alden storms back into my life, as my new boss.

  His reappearance wasn’t something I planned for. Add my nosy, meddlesome three-year-old and an overprotective brother, and I’m obviously in way over my head.

  My only hope now is that I can sway Alden to see things my way…but you know what they say about the best laid plans…

  Prologue

  NATALIE

  Alden Warner. My brother’s best friend. The boy I’ve loved for as long as I can remember.

  I’ve been watching him all night. Which is nothing new—my eyes are drawn to him anytime he’s near.

  From the very first time my brother invited him over after school, I was hooked. Even with our almost four year age gap, he didn’t look at me the way Nate and all of his other friends did—with annoyance and frustration.

  No, he always looked at me kindness and patience. Even when I was being annoying and clingy. Hell, even when I tattled on them, he never lost his cool with me.

  But tonight, I’m not the only one looking. Nope. He’s looking at me too, and good Lord, there’s fire in his eyes.

  At first when Mom said Nate would be chaperoning my party for me, I was upset. But then, Nate invited a few friends and seemingly forgot he was supposed to be in charge.

  Currently, I’m in the middle of the living room dancing with my friend Alyssa. He’s posted up against the wall in the corner of the room, his eyes freely roaming my body, transfixed as I roll my hips to beat of the music.

  There’s something in the air that feels charged. The kind of energy that says anything could happen. The song changes and I close my eyes, hoping like hell I’m not misreading him. Blinking them back open, I scan the room for my brother—he’s nowhere in sight—good.

  I set off toward Alden, hips still swaying, and he noticed. Oh, he notices. When I get close, he takes two steps bringing us toe-to-toe. “Small Fry,” he murmurs, his voice a little slurred.

  Feeling bold, I run the tip of my index finger down his chest. “Dance with me?”

  He too scans the room before spinning me and pulling me into him. With my ass nestled against him…oh, God…he’s hard. He grips my hips and we move together, every roll, every dip completely in sync.

  I startle when his lips come down on my neck. “When did you get so fucking hot?”

  My stomach—and things lower—clench. This could be it! He’s finally noticing you! The boy you’ve always loved is noticing you! my brain shouts at me.

  I grind back into him and turn my face up to his. “It’s not my fault it took you so long to notice.”

  His lips descend on mine, capturing them in a kiss that turns my legs to jelly. I fall back into him, using the hard planes of his body as support. He nips at my lip before pulling back.

  He smirks down at me, licking my kiss from his lips as he steps away. I instantly mourn the loss of his heat. But then, he takes my hand and sets off for the stairs. Before I know it, we’re in the guest room he always stays in when he spends the night. He sits down on the edge of the bed and loops his index fingers in my belt loops, tugging me forward.

  He flicks open the button to my jeans and I gasp, shocked and turned on by his boldness. A boy my age would never dare. When he begins pulling them down my legs, my breathing accelerates. Just as quickly, he strips me of my shirt, leaving me in nothing more than my matching bra and panty set—though, the bra doesn’t last long.

  I think I shock both of us when I say, “What about you?”

  He drags his hands around to my ass, squeezing it, before trailing up over my sides and to my breast. “What about me, Small Fry?”

  “Are you gonna take your clothes off too?”

  He leans forward and takes one of my breasts into his mouth. I moan at the foreign sensation. I’ve heard Alyssa talk about how good it feels, but this…this is beyond anything I could have ever imagined. “Do you want me to?”

  “Y-yes.” I can hardly get the word out due to the sensations rioting through my body.

  He quickly shucks off his clothes and strips me of my thong. He kisses my right hip and then lower before rolling us so that he is poised above me. I’m not sure which has me feeling more drunk—the two beers and shot I took earlier, or Alden’s touch. “You sure, Small Fry?”

  “More than ever,” I murmur, meaning it with my entire being.

  1

  Natalie

  The to-do list of my life definitely has “start a family” on it…somewhere way down near the bottom. You know, after things like college and getting married.

  I absolutely imagined myself out of freaking high school; yet here I am, two towns over, buying a pregnancy test. And to top it off, my potential baby dadd
y—who also happens to be my older brother’s best friend and what feels like a lifelong crush—has no clue we even hooked up.

  Talk about mortifying.

  I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with Alden Warner since the very first day I met him. Thanks to his mossy green eyes and lopsided smile, I was absolutely enamored with that boy…still am, if I’m being honest. And I finally thought he noticed me. I finally thought he saw me as more than Nate’s little pest of a sister. I was naive enough to think that growing boobs and losing my baby fat would make him suddenly realize he wanted me as much as I wanted him.

  And I guess, in a way, he did see me. Only, he had his beer goggles on. We fell into bed together with him apparently unaware of my identity and me thinking he was nowhere near as intoxicated as he was.

  What was meant to be the most magical night of my life—what I thought was the turning point in our relationship, so to speak—turned out to be nothing special at all. Sure, I lost my V-card to the boy of my dreams, but what’s the point if he doesn’t even remember it? He literally woke up the next morning with no recollection of the fireworks we created beneath the sheets.

  The blank stare he gave me when he asked me why I was in the guest bedroom with him the next day will forever be etched into my mind as one of the top five most humiliating moments of my life.

  It was around six-thirty in the morning when the need to pee forced me out of Alden’s arms. I slipped on his shirt, along with my panties, before scurrying to the bathroom. I did my business and attempted to sneak back into bed with him. The thought of us waking up together after our night of bliss was something I was eagerly awaiting.

  I could just see it so clearly in my mind: I would roll over to face him and he’d lazily blink his eyes open and run his knuckles over my cheekbone before drawing my lips up to his in a passionate kiss—morning breath be damned. Then, he’d declare his love for me, and we would make the long-distance thing, and the age-gap thing and the brother’s best friend thing work. Because, you know…love!

  Only that isn’t how it went down. Nope. Not by a long shot. I snuck back into the room, and he lazily blinked himself awake and promptly asked, “What’re you doing in here, Small Fry? Did Nate send you to wake me up? Lazy fucker couldn’t even do it himself.” She smiles a sleepy smile, his eyes roving over my body. “Hey, is that my shirt?”

  In that moment, my heart shattered. He truly had no clue.

  With my tears threatening to spill, I shook my head and dashed from the room, leaving him to his hungover ramblings.

  I shake off the memory of that painful morning and snatch a two-pack box from the shelf and head to the front of the store. At the cash register, the clerk shoots me these knowing looks, and I want so badly to scream that these tests aren’t for me, but that will only reassure her that they most certainly are mine.

  As soon as she tells me the total, I slap down some cash, snatch my bag and dash out of the store—leaving my change and receipt behind.

  All too soon, I’m home and pulling into my driveway. Luckily, I have the house to myself. My parents are at work, and Nate and Alden left the very same morning he unwittingly broke my heart to head back to college, to start his junior year.

  I debate calling Alyssa, my bestie, and asking her to come over for moral support, but I don’t. I think this is something I need to do on my own. After all, if I’m going to be a mother—a freaking teenaged mother—then I need to be strong and independent.

  I rip open the box and remove the foil-wrapped stick, placing it on the countertop. After reading the pamphlet front and back, I take the test, cap it, and place it on the counter to wait.

  With three minutes to kill, I set a timer and scroll through social media. Bored with Facebook, I switch to Snapchat. The very first snap I see is from my brother. I open it and immediately regret it. On my screen is a short video loop of Alden and some random coed grinding on each other at a party.

  My heart seizes painfully in my chest. And like a glutton for punishment, I switch back to Facebook and go to his profile. Right there, in bold, blue, soul-shattering letters, it says: In a relationship with Mia Collins. I stare at those six stupid words until my vision blurs with tears.

  Finally, the sound of my alarm chiming breaks the spell. I close out of the app and steel my resolve. Whatever that test says, it’s going to be okay.

  Maybe.

  I think.

  I inhale a deep breath and release it, dropping my eyes to the pregnancy test on the counter.

  Two pink lines.

  Fuck.

  2

  Natalie

  It’s been a week since I found out I’m going to be a mother. Seven days since I became aware that I’m growing a life inside of me. One hundred and sixty-eight hours since I sat shell-shocked on the bathroom floor, clutching that stupid little stick to my chest, wondering why me. My salty tears were a confusing mix of emotions…

  Sadness, for the loss of my youth.

  Happiness, because I know that I’m going to be an amazing mom, because I learned from the best.

  Fear, for all of the changes coming my way. Will I be able to finish high school? Will my friends stand by me? Will my parents still love me?

  And anguish, because how in the hell am I supposed to explain this to Alden? Hey, you don’t remember this at all, but you took my virginity, and it was awesome, for me at least, and now we’re gonna have a kid, so I hope your stupid girlfriend is down with being a stepmom! Yeah…I think not.

  The thought of telling him is daunting. So much so, it makes telling my parents seem like a cakewalk instead of the death march it should be. Or at least that’s what I’m trying to convince myself as I walk down the stairs to face them.

  They’re in the kitchen when I find them. My mom is standing at the stove, minding her sauce pot. Dad is at the island chopping veggies with chef-like precision.

  My dad notices me first. “Why the long face, Nat bug?”

  I bite down on my bottom lip. “Uh. Well. I was hoping we could talk.”

  At my worried tone, my mom turns to face me, giving me her full attention; Dad looks my way but keeps chopping.

  “What’s wrong, Natalie?” Mom asks, motherly concern lacing her tone. I wonder if I’ll sound like her when I talk to my kid?

  “Maybe y’all should have a seat?” I scrunch up my nose. Why did I say that?

  Mom walks over closer to me and wraps me in her arms. “Talk to us, sweet girl. You know we’re here for you.”

  Deciding the Band-Aid approach is the best way to go, I blurt it out. “I’m pregnant!”

  As soon as the words leave my mouth, my dad shouts, “Fuck! Goddamn it!” Apparently, my news caused him to miss the carrot and slice his thumb instead.

  He should have sat down like I said.

  “Oh, m-my God! Dad are you oh-okay?” I ask, my voice wobbly and tears streaming down my cheeks.

  He grunts out some unintelligible reply and turns away from me.

  Mom releases me from her embrace and passes him a dishtowel. He wraps it around his thumb, applying pressure. “Do you need stitches?” she asks.

  Another grunt.

  Taking my own earlier advice, I plop down onto a bar stool, tucking myself out of the way while Mom administers first aid to Dad. Good thing she’s a nurse, I guess.

  My eyes stay on my parents while my mom works, but I’m not paying attention to them—not really. My mind is racing a million miles a minute. I can’t help but feel like I’ve let them down…like I’m a failure and a disappointment.

  Before I know it, my silent tears have turned to gut-wrenching sobs. I know they say a parent’s love is unconditional, but how could they possibly still love me?

  How could anyone?

  I’m so lost in my own mind I don’t even notice that my parents have moved until I feel both of them wrapping me in their arms. Their comfort only makes me cry harder, because I know I don’t deserve it.

  3

  Natalie<
br />
  “Oh, honey,” Mom whispers brokenly into my hair, her voice clogged with emotion. “Let’s go sit and talk.”

  I nod and they step back. In the family room, I claim the loveseat while my parents sit across from me on the couch. I can tell my dad is furious from the way his jaw is ticking and how he keeps clenching and unclenching his fists.

  My dad is the first to speak. His tone is shockingly calm. “Nat bug, how did this happen?” I open my mouth to reply, but he cuts me off. The calm has worn off. “How the fuck did this happen? Your mother and I have provided for your every need, and this is how you thank us? By getting knocked up before you’re even out of damn high school?” His face is an angry shade of red, and spittle flies from his lips as he yells at me.

  Unable to take any more, I draw my knees to my chest and drop my head onto them, letting my hair fall forward like a curtain.

  Taking note of me folding in on myself, Dad softens his tone…a little. “Are you sure you’re even pregnant? Like one-hundred-percent positive? Who is the father? Why didn’t you use protection? How could you be so…”