Climbing Out

Chapter One

Deanna

Four Months Later

Click, click, click. The sound of my fingers flying over the computer's keyboard was starting to annoy the fuck outta me. I turned up Roachford on my iPod sitting in its dock on my desk. My attention quickly went back to the monitor. Buy, buy, and buy. It was all I could think of.

Some thumps on my front door sounded over the music. I rolled my eyes, because I already knew who it was. Sighing, I put a halt on my online retail therapy and slid my chair back so I could bang my head against the desk. She was never going to get the fuckin' hint I wanted to be left alone for a while. I didn't want to taint her happiness with my...bitchiness.

"Open the flipping door, Deanna. I'm a woman on edge. I had a large slushy on the way over and I'm six months pregnant. Do you want me to pee on your doorstep for all your neighbors to see?" Zara yelled.

Fuck it.

I shouldn't have turned up the music, because now she knew I was definitely home, and I knew she wouldn't be ignored this time.

"Come on, cupcake; she's going to blow," Julian joined in on the yelling.

Scoffing, I got up and started for the front door of my two-story house. On the way, I took in the sight surrounding me. There was no way I could hide anything in the next two seconds, so I opened the door and prepared myself for hell.

"You." Zara glared as she cupped her hoo-ha with one hand while the other was pointing a finger at me. "We have some talking to do, wench, but move, 'cause I've gotta go." She pushed past me and ran for the bathroom that was down the hall off the lounge room, only her steps faltered before she reached the hall's doorway. "What the truck?" She gaped at everything around her.

"Incubator, we'll talk about how crazy our girl is after you pee," Julian said as he stepped through the front door and kissed me on my cheek.

I shut the front door and was geared up to knock myself out when Julian squealed behind me. I spun around and saw him clutching the Ouran High School Host Club DVD box set to his chest.

"Oh, my gawd! I-I've wanted this for years, but Mattie said if I got it he'd turn me out. Holy capoly, girlfriend, be prepared to have me living at your house just so I can watch this day-in and day-out." He sighed.

"Keep it," I said.

Julian eyed me suspiciously. He leisurely took me in from head to toe and then back again. "You look like shit."

I rolled my eyes and went back over to my desk, sat down and hit buy. A notice popped up on the screen announcing I was now the proud owner of a house in the Grampians.

Even though my eyes were still on the screen, I knew exactly when Zara had come back out. She stood behind me and slapped me on the back of the head.

"What the fuck?" I spun my computer chair around and glared up at her.

"What the duck, indeed," she hissed. "What is going on here, Deanna? I haven't seen you in two, nearly three months, and this is what I find when I finally catch you at home?" She gestured to the room around her. "Are you starting your own Target store? What is with all this crap?"

All this crap was the only thing I hoped would keep...him from coming after his—well, what he thought was his—inheritance. If I spent nearly every penny, he'd have no reason to hunt me down.

However, I couldn't tell Zara any of that. She was in a happy place after having been through her own hell. I wouldn't bring her down again.

I shrugged. "Just doin' a little shoppin'."