Page 41 of Pucking With My Head (Pucking Pregnant #4)

Beth

H umming to myself, I glanced over the menu, despite having visited the café many times before.

It was one of those fun places that offered delicious seasonal drinks, and I wanted a Christmas drink.

It was only a week away, and it was officially the last day of classes, so Mama deserved a decaf treat.

A peppermint latte sounded perfect.

Ideally, I would have it jacked up with caffeine, because despite only having a small bump, the little nugget was managing to disturb what little sleep I got. Sadly, thanks to the aforementioned nugget, decaf was my only option.

“Hi! What can I get started for you?” the barista asked in a perky voice as I approached the counter.

“Can I just get that amazing-looking peppermint latte?” I asked, pulling out my purse with a smile.

“Sure! That’ll be four dollars.”

I tapped my phone to the reader to pay, frowning when it made that little rejection sound.

“Sorry, that didn’t work. Can you try again?” the barista asked.

“Sure.” I sighed but kept my smile on as I tapped my phone to the reader.

Only for it to be rejected again. While I had been using the pack credit card more and more, I had opted to use my personal card connected to my digital wallet for the coffee. I knew I had plenty of available credit, so I had no clue what was happening.

“So sorry, my phone doesn’t seem to be working.” I frowned. Digging into my purse, I reached for my wallet. “Just a second. I’ll grab the actual card.”

“Of course, go ahead.” She smiled, ever chipper.

When I went to tug my card from its slot in my wallet, I froze. It wasn’t there. “I am so sorry. I’ll come back once I’ve figured out what’s going on,” I said, turning from the counter and rushing out of the café, embarrassed. Where the heck had I left my physical credit card?

All I’d wanted was a tasty seasonal drink before I tackled the mountain of work I had in front of me.

As I walked outside, I pulled up my credit card app on my phone, scrolling through it in confusion.

I wasn’t rich, by any means, but I had been saving and working hard in order to afford my tuition.

Thanks to my family’s lack of support, I had done it all myself, and I was damn proud of it.

Also, the guys had been insisting on paying for everything, so my small stipend from the university was rapidly accumulating.

My heart plummeted when I saw my balance.

The card I had barely even used recently had a balance of nearly ten thousand dollars, fully maxing it out.

I had never seen that much money, let alone spent it!

Scrolling through the information, I tried to figure out what that much money had been spent on as I panicked, wondering how to report this to the credit card company, because some fraudster had clearly gone on a shopping spree with my card.

Bringing my phone screen right up to my face, I read the small words on the transactions.

They were from a travel website.

Had someone used my card to book a vacation?

I was religious about protecting my details.

So where was my credit card? Closing my eyes, I forced myself to think back, and that was when it hit me.

The last time I’d used the physical card had been when I was back home, to order takeout for myself.

In my rush to pack up and get the hell out of Dodge, I must have left it behind.

Fuck.

I had to call my family.

“Hey, Bethy!” Dad answered jovially on the first ring. “When are you flying home for Christmas?”

“Hey, Dad, I’m sorry to call when you’re working, but I left my credit card in my room last time I was there.

Can you check that it’s still there? There’s been some unusual transactions, and I just want to make sure my card is safe before I report it lost to the credit card company.

” I spoke in a rush, desperate to get his attention.

My dad was silent for a moment, and I could feel my heart physically pounding in my chest. What would happen if I needed to pay back that $10,000 myself? I was struggling enough to afford my tuition. There was no way in hell I’d be able to pay off that credit card balance.

“Now, don’t be mad, Bethy,” he started in a soothing tone that made my blood turn to ice.

“Do you know something about this?” I growled, my anxiety quickly turning into anger.

My father sighed. “Hayden really wanted to take his girlfriend on a little trip. You know, they’re talking about bonding and they’re getting serious, and he wanted to do something nice for her.

So he used your card to book a vacation.

Don’t worry; he’ll pay you back eventually.

He just needs a little help in the short term after the debacle that was Thanksgiving and the following weekend when you visited. ”

“A vacation. He maxed out my credit card for a fucking vacation?” I asked, my tone going shrill.

“Don’t talk to me in that tone, Bethany. He’s family, and family helps family.”

Those fucking words. That was my fathers’ and brothers’ favorite saying— family helps family —but it only seemed to matter when it came to helping my brothers, not when it came to helping me.

“I can’t make payments on this! This will ruin my credit, Dad. I need to report it as fraud.”

“Don’t do that! You need to stop being so selfish, Bethany.”

I resisted the urge to laugh at his words.

“Your brother could use the help, and you had the funds available. If you can’t afford to keep up with classes, then maybe you should come home for a few months. You know all of us are happy to support you here. Now that you’re pregnant, you should be with family, anyway.”

My body trembled with rage. I didn’t know if I wanted to sob or throw my phone against a wall and scream.

Honestly, both sounded like very good options.

“Dad, that’s credit card fraud. I can afford my classes when my brother isn’t using my credit to pay for lavish vacations!

He needs to refund the trip, or I will report it,” I said firmly.

There was no way in hell I was going to allow my idiot brother to derail my academic career.

I had no doubt that Pack Noble would take care of any of the baby’s needs, and even my own, if I asked, but this was more of a matter of principle.

My dad was silent for another moment. “You’ve become so selfish of late. I’m disappointed in you. This is a big deal to your brother. He wants to treat Heather before they settle down and start a family. You know, she hasn’t been happy the last few months. Don’t spoil this for them.”

I shook my head, even though my father couldn’t see the movement.

Despite everything he said being complete bullshit, his words still hurt.

The reason Heather wasn’t happy with my brother was because she was beginning to realize he was a giant man child who never did anything for himself.

She was looking right at her future and was realizing that it wouldn’t be pretty if she stayed with him.

My vision swam as rage simmered under my skin.

“It isn’t selfish to want to protect my credit. Hayden is a grown-ass adult. If he wants to take his girlfriend on a vacation, he can pay for it. He has a job!”

“He’s not been making as much as he wants as a mechanic. He’s been struggling.”

Struggling? I wanted to scoff. My dads still did everything for them. My brothers were spoiled. Sure, Hayden had an apartment, but he still leeched off my fathers for everything.

My dad sighed again. “When did you become so bitter, Bethy?” he asked softly.

Tears welled up in my eyes. “When did you decide I was worth nothing more than to help my brothers?”

“It’s not like that, and you know it. You are the one who chose to leave.

Ever since you’ve been living in California, you’ve become bitter and jaded, and it’s not pleasant.

You didn’t even come home for Thanksgiving.

You left us to fend for ourselves. I wasn’t going to mention it, but I think it’s very unfair that we didn’t manage to have a home-cooked meal because you left us in the lurch.

Part of the reason Hayden wants a vacation is to make up to Heather for the fact that he’d promised there was going to be a Thanksgiving dinner at our house, like every year. ”

I sighed. “Again, that isn’t my fault. I told you I wasn’t coming weeks in advance.

” Shaking my head, I decided to let the matter of Thanksgiving drop.

If he didn’t already understand, he never would.

“It doesn’t matter. Tell Hayden to refund the vacation, or I am contacting the credit card company. It’s fraud and it’s illegal.”

My dad spluttered for a moment. “You wouldn’t do that to your brother.”

Past me wouldn’t have, but I seemed to have developed a spine over the last few months. Maybe it was the strength of my pack behind me.

“I would do it in a heartbeat,” I said, my tone dead serious.

“If you want to prioritize stupid things like partying in California over the health and well-being of your family, then maybe you shouldn’t come back for Christmas,” he growled.

Was that supposed to be a threat? I couldn’t help it.

A laugh escaped my chest. “I don’t want to come home for Christmas.

I texted you that over a week ago, and you ignored it!

Do you think I want to come back there so I can do my brothers’ laundry, cook your meals?

So I can run around like a goddamn maid because you guys can’t look after yourselves?

That isn’t a threat, Dad,” I snarled. As I spoke, I stomped towards my car, angrily ripping the door open and getting in.

The last thing I needed was people watching me argue with my father on the phone.

The car at least gave me the illusion of privacy.

“You always used to be so helpful, but you’ve become selfish and bitter. Look, I’m putting my foot down—you need to come home. You are not capable of looking after a baby. You need to be here.”

“I’m not bitter. I am just looking after myself. I’ll give you a few days, and if Hayden doesn’t fix this, I’m filing a report against him.” I kept my voice level.

“Bethan—”

I hung up the phone, throwing it in the passenger seat and wiping away my errant tears. Just when I thought my family couldn’t possibly sink any lower, they somehow managed to outdo themselves.