“I know, Steven,” I said. “I just don’t know if I can actually go through with it. They’re going to freak out.”
Steven shrugged his shoulders and responded, “So what? Who cares?”
I placed my hands onto his muscular chest and gently pushed him away.
“I don’t care if they freak out,” I said. “I don’t care if they disapprove or if they think it’s weird or whatever. What I do care about, is whether or not they’ll let me see you once they know. I have this feeling that they’ll do whatever it takes to keep us apart once they find out that we are together. And we have no way of knowing what they’re capable of until we tell them. And once we tell them, it’s too late.”
Steven was silent as he listened. I could tell that something I had said triggered him to think. He slowly looked at the ground, as he put his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
“I guess I hadn’t considered that,” he said. “I sort of assumed that they would have been happy for us.”
“And maybe they would be, Steven,” I said. “But at the same time, there’s a chance that they wouldn’t be. And I don’t know if I want to take that chance. Like I said, if they’re furious about it, then who knows what lengths they’ll go to in order to keep us apart?”
Steven sighed as he lifted his gaze from the ground. There was a look of disappointment on his face, but it also seemed like he understood where I was coming from.
“I just don’t know what to say, Kelsey,” he said. “I was kind of excited for the opportunity to tell them about us. Your new stance on it has sort of taken me by surprise.”
Admittedly, a part of the reason that I wasn’t ready to tell our parents about us, was because of the fact that I still thought that I may be pregnant. What would it have been like to tell our stepparents that their kids were sleeping together, and the next week notifying them that they were going to be grandparents soon? I had too much on my plate as it was and I didn’t want to complicate things any further.
“I’m sorry, baby,” I said. “I just don’t think it’s the right time to tell them. I promise that we will some day soon, but there’s just too much going on right now. Besides, we’ve been able to keep it a secret this long, so what’s the harm in keeping it a secret for a little while longer? It’s not going to change anything between us. I’ll still come stay the night at your new house. I’ll just tell them that I’m going to a friend’s house or something.”
Steven slowly began to smile. I could tell that he felt relieved that we were going to put off telling our parents. It was a big relief for me too.
“You’re right, Kelsey,” he said, nodding his head. “It won’t hurt to wait to tell them. I want to make sure that it’s the right time before we do. Because the last thing I’d want is for them to get crazy on us and try to keep us apart. I’d never forgive myself if that happened.”
Steven then approached me once again, pulling me in for a deep hug. He held me tight to his body, squeezing me affectionately.
“I love you, baby,” he said. “Everything is going to turn out great. I just know it.”
I smiled as I rested my head on his shoulder. I knew that he was right. Everything was going to turn out just fine. We just needed to be patient and wait for things to unfold naturally instead of trying to force them.
“Thanks for being so understanding,” I said. “It’s one of the things I’ve learned to love about you.”
Steven pulled away from our hug, and then brought his gaze to my face.
“So, will you still come over tonight?” he asked. “I really want you to see my new house. You’re going to be amazed.”
I smiled wide and nodded eagerly.
“Are you kidding me?” I asked. “Of course I’m coming over tonight. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
The expression on my face was full of joy and excitement. But inside, I had many concerns. Not the least of which, was the big question as to why I hadn’t had my period yet.
I think it’s time that I make a run to the grocery store to pick up a pregnancy test. I’ve got to get this figured out.
Chapter 17
The first thing that I did after Steven and the movers left the house was to make the quick drive to the grocery store. I felt so weird making my way down the aisle and grabbing the pregnancy tests. I picked up one, then another and finally, a third box of tests. It seemed excessive, but I wanted to be absolutely sure.
When I got home, I was relieved to see that neither my mom nor William was home yet from work. I quickly jumped out of the car and grabbed the pregnancy tests, running upstairs to my bedroom. I dropped the boxes onto the bed and then closed the bedroom door.
So much emotion was inside of me. I was excited and nervous at the same time. The outcome of my entire life was about to be revealed to me.
“Okay,” I said, quietly. “Time to find out.”
I opened up one of the boxes and then made my way to the bathroom. It was the first time I had ever done a pregnancy test, so I quickly read the instructions on the way.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” I said. “I never thought that I’d be in this position.”
It wasn’t that I was upset about the idea of being pregnant, either. I just always thought that it would be under different circumstances. I imagined that I’d be married and living in a house with my husband when I got pregnant. You know, like normal. But if I had learned anything over the previous year, it was that nothing in my life was normal.
Once in the bathroom, I dropped my pants and sat on the toilet, with the pregnancy test in hand. I took the test, but almost couldn’t bear to look at the results. My eyes were closed, as I set the test on the counter next to the sink.
“I can’t look at it,” I said.
I got up and paced around, making my way to my bedroom and then back to the bathroom, putting off the inevitable. I knew that at some point I was going to look at the test. I just wanted to put it off as long as possible.
Finally, though, after a few minutes of walking quickly back and forth, I got up the nerve to look at it.
“Whatever it is, it is,” I said, attempting to stir up some confidence in myself.
I marched to the bathroom, immediately picking up the test. I held it in the air, where I saw the little blue marking on it. It was a little blue mark that wasn’t there before I took the test.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered.
I immediately picked up the instructions and double-checked them. Maybe, just maybe, I had read the instructions wrong. Maybe the little blue mark didn’t actually mean that I was pregnant.
But no such luck. The blue mark meant exactly what I had thought that it meant. I ripped open another pregnancy test and then sat down once again. I had to try another, just to be sure.
But this one, like that last, showed up with the same blue mark. There was no denying it. I was pregnant. And the father of the child was my very own stepbrother. The man who had come into my life out of nowhere, turning it upside down in a good way, was going to be fathering a baby. Our baby.
My hands began to tremble and I felt a wave of dizziness come over me. I swallowed as I looked into the mirror, turning to the side and holding my hand over my belly. It must have just been in my mind, but I could have sworn that my stomach looked a little bigger. It was like I suddenly had a little gut, which pressed out against my shirt.
You’re crazy, Kelsey, I thought to myself. There’s no way that you already have a belly.
The emotions that were going through my mind were intense and touched every extreme possible. I was completely filled with joy, but at the same time, I was terrified. I was pregnant with my stepbrother’s kid! Now, no matter what, my mom and William were going to find out about us and there wasn’t a damn thing that I could do about it.
“What is my mom going to think?” I asked, quietly.
I started pacing around my bedroom, gently rubbing my hand over my belly at the same time.
“This is happening...” I whispered. “This is really happening.”
I needed to sit down. I walked over and sat on the edge of my bed. Then I laid back, relaxing into the comforter. My hands were trembling and my heart was beating loudly.
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a long breath. I slowly moved my hand in circles over my stomach, suddenly much more aware of that part of my body.
In the previous few months, I had learned that fate had a funny way of making things happen. Even how I had met Steven was very unique. If it hadn’t been for my mother meeting William, I would have never met him. As simple as that. And this pregnancy was another example of fate working its magic. Now, whether Steven and I wanted to or not, we were going to have to come clean to our parents. There would come a day when my belly would be big enough to where I wouldn’t be able to hide it. It was fate’s way of keeping Steven and I honest, I guess.
Suddenly, the sound of a car door shutting startled me from my thoughts. I glanced over at the clock on my nightstand. It was late evening and I assumed that it was my mom coming home from work.
After taking another deep breath, I got up from the bed and walked back over to the mirror in the bathroom. I quickly combed my hair and redid my makeup.
On the main level of the house, I heard the front door open and close. A moment later, I listened as someone walked up the stairs. I could tell instantly that it was my mom. She was singing quietly to herself, like she always did when she was in a good mood. Within a few seconds, I heard a knock on my bedroom door.
“Honey?” my mom called out.
I took one last look in the mirror and then brought a smile to my face, before walking over to my door and opening it up. My mom was standing there in her business suit with her purse over her shoulder.
“Hey, Kelsey,” she said. “How was work? I feel like I haven’t spent much time with you lately and I wanted to see how everything was going.”
If only I could have told her the truth.
“Things are great, Mom,” I said, still faking a smile. “Work is work. And other than that, nothing really exciting going on.”
My mom smiled and then said, “Come downstairs with me. Let’s have a glass of wine and talk.”
I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Sure. That sounds great.”
Then I immediately realized what I had agreed to. I couldn’t drink. I was pregnant!
“Uh, actually, Mom,” I said. “I don’t really feel like wine. But I’ll come down with you.”
I wasn’t sure if I was just being paranoid or if my mom knew that something was up, but she looked at me strangely for a second. Then she nodded her head, “Okay, hun. I guess you can have some juice or something instead...”
Then she turned and began making her way downstairs. I followed her and we walked into the kitchen, where I took a seat at the small table in the corner. My mom pulled out two wine glasses, filling hers with wine and mine with orange juice. Then she walked over to the table, setting them down.
“It’s been a long week,” she said, as she took a seat across from me. “Work has been crazy and there has been so much going on around here too. Can you believe that Steven is gone?”
I took a sip from my orange juice and shook my head.
“No, it feels weird without him here,” I responded. “I had gotten sort of used to having an older brother in the house. I kind of liked it.”
My mom smiled and then sighed, as she looked at me.
“You really like Steven, don’t you?”
My jaw dropped and I felt a burst of adrenaline shoot through my veins.
Does she know?
“I...uh...” I stuttered.
She had taken me off guard. I didn’t know what to say.
“Um...I...yeah, he’s cool,” the words finally managed to fall out of my mouth. “He’s a really nice guy. I think he’s a great addition to the family.”
My mom nodded in agreement.
“He really is,” she said. “I was afraid that you guys wouldn’t get along. Steven can be so blunt. William has told me that a lot of people don’t get along with him because of that. It makes me happy that you guys have become such good friends.”
Relief swept through me as soon as she uttered the word “friends”. She didn’t know about Steven and I’s intimate relationship. Or at least she was doing a good job of hiding it. And that was good enough for me. I wasn’t in the mood to have to explain myself. I’d have plenty of time for that later in my pregnancy.
“I’ve never really considered Steven to be blunt,” I responded. “He definitely isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind, though. I can see how some people could be taken aback by that, but I actually find it to be an admirable trait. I wish I could just say what was on my mind all the time like he does.”
My mom took a sip from her wine and then set it back down on the table.
“I haven’t seen his new house yet,” my mom said. “I saw a picture, but I haven’t seen it in person. He bought a mansion, Kelsey. It’s crazy.”
I nodded my head.
“I know, I saw a picture too,” I said.
“It’s hard to believe he just went out and bought it,” she responded. “Like it was nothing. Can you imagine having that kind of money?”
I shook my head.
“Nope,” I said. “It probably takes me a year to make what Steven makes in a day. I can’t even imagine. I don’t even know what I would spend that kind of money on.”
My mom laughed and then rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, right,” she said. “You’d still spend every penny on makeup and clothes, whether it was a thousand dollars or a million.”
I started laughing with her. She was right. It wouldn’t take me long to find a way to spend the kind of money that Steven had.
“That’s probably true,” I responded. “God knows I’d figure out a way to make that kind of money disappear.”
My mom and I shared a laugh, which was interrupted by the sound of my cell phone going off in my pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at it. It was a text from Steven. It read, “Hey, babe. You still coming by tonight? The movers are just about done and I’m starting to unpack. I hope that I get to see you.”
A smile crossed my face as I read the text. Any time I heard from Steven it put me in a good mood.
“Who’s that?” my Mom asked, being nosey as usual.
I lifted my gaze so that my eyes met my mother’s. Then I shrugged my shoulders.
“Well, speak of the devil. It’s Steven,” I said. “He just invited me to go over and check out his new place.”
“That’s great, Kelsey,” she said. “You’ll have to tell me what you think about it. I think William and I are going to head over there in the next couple days to check it out.”
I took the last swig from my orange juice and then stood up, bringing my empty glass to the sink.
“I’m going to go change and then head over there before it gets too late,” I said. “It was nice sitting down with you, though, Mom. I’ll see you in the morning?”
My mom nodded her head as she turned toward me.
“Yes,” she said. “I’ll be here.”
I walked up to her and gave her a hug, then headed up to my bedroom to get changed. I couldn’t wait to see Steven and his new house.
Chapter 18
After slipping on some nice jeans and a blouse, I headed out the door. I couldn’t wait to see Steven.
I jumped in my car and pointed it toward the west side of town, to an area more specifically know as West Terrace. It was an area that only millionaires could afford to live in. We used to drive through it when I was a kid just to look at all of the mansions. And there I was, driving to West Terrace to visit my boyfriend.
“It’s amazing how things can change,” I said, as I pulled onto the highway, leaving my part of town behind.
After a fifteen-minute drive on the highway, I got off on the West Terrace exit. The area was only a couple of minute
s from the beach and many of the homes were situated right along the sand, just walking distance from the water.
I pulled into the neighborhood, then glanced at my phone to check the address that Steven had texted me. As I drove along the street, I looked out of the car window, in shock at the sheer size of the homes. They were huge, standing tall against the skyline, like rows of castles. Each one seemed bigger and fancier than the last, as I drove to the top of the hill.
At the top, was a large metal gate. I drove up to the gate and punched in a code that Steven had given me. The gate opened slowly and I pulled through. Ahead of me, on both sides of the street, were houses that were even larger than the ones that I had already passed.
“This is crazy,” I said.
I looked at my phone once again to double-check the address. I couldn’t believe that it was correct.
Does Steven really live back here now?
The neighborhood looked like something from a fairy tale. Some of the mansions even had gargoyles on top, whose silhouettes stood proudly against the moonlight.
Slowly, I drove down the street, shaking my head in awe at the houses that surrounded me. After a few more minutes of driving up the curvy road, I came to the address. And I wasn’t disappointed by what I saw.
“Oh, my God,” I said, as I parked in the driveway behind Steven’s little sports car.
I hopped out of my car, bringing my gaze to the front of the home. The picture that Steven had shown me earlier in the park didn’t do his new home justice. It looked even nicer in person. It was four stories tall, made of stone and the windows at the very top were made of the most beautiful stained glass that I had ever seen in my entire life.
“This is literally a castle,” I whispered.
I walked past Steven’s car and began making my way up the path that led to the front door. As soon as I got near, Steven opened up the door.
“There’s my girl,” he said, as he held open his arms.
A smile crossed my face and I ran up to him, squeezing him affectionately. Steven spun me around once and then set me down, before leaning in and giving me a peck on the lips. As soon as he pulled away I asked, “How did you know I was here? Were you being creepy and looking out your window while you waited for me?”
Steven: A Billionaire Stepbrother Romance Novel Page 11