Their eyes widened and my mom’s jaw dropped slightly, her lips parting from shock. There was silence in the air. But it was a deafening silence. It seemed like even the birds outside stopped chirping and the morning breeze came to a halt. It was like the entire world took a deep breath and held it.
Steven finally cleared his throat, shattering the silence and bringing a bit of relief.
“Lisa,” he said, as he looked to my mother. “I’m in love with your daughter.”
Both my mom and William were silent for a moment. It was as though their brains couldn’t even fully absorb what was happening. I could practically see the wheels turning behind their eyes, as they attempted to grasp what was right in front of them.
“What the hell?” William said, as he glanced to Steven. “Is this a joke?”
Steven took another step forward, keeping his hand in mind the entire time.
“No, Dad,” he said. “It’s not a joke. I love Kelsey. I’ve been in love with her for months now but couldn’t find the right time to tell you.”
My mom faced us completely, but stayed seated.
“Kelsey, is this true?” she asked, with a bit of panic in her voice. “Is this really happening?”
I nodded my head and squeezed Steven’s hand.
“Yes, Mom,” I responded, as tears of emotion began to fill my eyes. “I love him. We’re in love.”
My mom looked over to William, who had confusion and anger written on his face. Then she brought her gaze back to me.
“Baby,” she said. “I just...don’t know what to say. I’m happy that you’re happy. I really am. But this...this is so...”
I finished the sentence for her.
“Weird?” I asked.
My mom nodded in agreement.
“I know it’s unique,” I said. “And I know that most people in the world won’t understand. Steven and I are stepsiblings, yes. But we aren’t related by blood, mom. We’re no more related by blood than you and William are.”
My mom stayed seated as she placed her hand over her mouth. I could tell that she was floored, but funny enough, she didn’t seem angry about it at all. Just surprised.
“So this isn’t a joke?” William asked once more. “You’re being serious, Steven?”
Steven nodded his head as he looked at his father.
“Dad, I’m being serious. And I’m not going to apologize for it. I fell in love with Kelsey the first time that I met her at your wedding. Her smile did something to me that no other girl had ever done. And from that point on, I’ve only fell more and more in love with her.”
William took a long, drawn-out breath and then leaned back in his chair as he crossed his arms.
“This is a bit shocking,” William said.
Then he paused for a few seconds as he looked back and forth between Steven and myself.
“But I’m also not a total prude,” he continued. “And I’m very aware that love comes in all shapes and sizes.”
William then paused once more, pacing his words. He then glanced to my mom.
“How do you feel about all this, honey?” he asked my mother.
She sat silently for a moment and I watched as tears began to fill her eyes.
“To be honest,” she said. “In some weird way, I think it’s beautiful. Sure, a lot of our friends and family may think it’s weird, but when was the last time we really cared about what they thought?”
She then stood up from her chair and held her arms open, motioning me to come toward her. I released Steven’s hand and walked up, letting my mother pull me in for a hug.
“All that I care about is that you’re happy, Kelsey,” she whispered. “That’s it. That’s all that I ever cared about. And if Steven makes you happy and you make him happy, then what else is there?”
I held my mom close, looking over her shoulder at William. He looked at me and I watched as the confused look on his face slowly turned to a smile and he uncrossed his arms.
“This is a whole lot to digest, especially for this early in the morning,” he said, jokingly. “But I have to agree with your mother. If you guys make each other happy, then who are we to stand in your way?”
My heart lit up as he spoke and tears of joy filled my eyes, overflowing onto my cheeks.
“Thank you, William,” I said. “Thank you.”
William stood up from his chair and walked toward Steven, giving him a hug.
“I love you, son,” he said. “You’ve always made me proud. But I want you to know, that if you ever hurt Kelsey’s feelings in any way, I will personally kick your ass.”
I gently pulled away from my mom and looked over to Steven. He squeezed his dad into a hug and flashed his boyish smile.
“I know you will, pops,” he said. “But you don’t have to worry about that.”
William stepped back from Steven, nodding his head.
“Good,” he said. “That’s all I want to hear.”
My mom grabbed my hand and I turned to face her once again.
“This is not going to be an easy transition,” she said. “For months now, William and I have seen you guys as siblings. And now, our perspective is going to have to change. But by the sound of it, William and I are willing to do just that for you guys. Just understand that it may not always be easy for us.”
I nodded my head and squeezed her hand.
“I know, Mom,” I said. “I’m so happy that you guys aren’t mad. I was so scared to tell you. It kept me up every night, just thinking about how you would react. All of my fears were incorrect, though.”
My mom smiled as she responded, “Baby, I love you. You never had anything to worry about.”
There was silence in the kitchen for a few seconds, until Steven spoke up.
“So, is this something that you guys are wanting to keep a secret? You know, like from everyone else?”
William looked to my mother and they both shrugged their shoulders.
“No,” William said. “Why? Who cares what people think?”
The ball of anxiety that had been sitting in my stomach finally began to unravel and I felt like the entire world lifted itself off of my shoulders. I didn’t realize the weight of what I had been carrying until it finally went away. I felt like jumping up and down in excitement.
I stepped away from my mother and ran up to William, giving him a big hug.
“Thank you guys so much,” I said, as I began to cry. “God, I can’t believe how supportive you are. I had no idea. I’m sorry that I doubted you.”
As I pulled away from the hug, William looked me in the eyes.
“Well, your mother and I have your back,” he said. “Society may not, though. Many people may ridicule you for this, so just be aware of that. But always remember, too, that if you’re doing what your heart tells you then you’re on the right path, no matter what other people may think.”
I turned toward Steven as William spoke and for the first time ever, I saw tears fill up Steven’s eyes as he listened to his dad. It seemed as though Steven didn’t fully know his dad up until that point. In fact, I think we had both learned more about who our parents were in those few minutes than we had in our entire lives.
“I’m just in shock right now,” Steven said, as he did his best to hold back the tears. “I never in a million years would have thought that you guys would be so understanding. I thought for sure it would end my relationship with you and that you guys would try to ban Kelsey and I from seeing each other. I thought there would be no end to what you guys would do to stop this relationship. I’m so, so sorry that I misjudged you. I feel terrible about it.”
William brought his hand to Steven’s shoulder.
“Son, I don’t think there was ever a time that I didn’t support what you wanted,” he said. “Except maybe that time when you were ten and you wanted to get that python from the pet shop. That was probably the only time.”
Steven chuckled at the memory.
“I had forgotten about that,” Ste
ven said. “I begged you for weeks to get that snake.”
William turned to me, with a smile on his face.
“If this guy ever gets on your nerves, you come to me, Kelsey,” he said. “I know how to set him straight. He acts all big and tough, but I’m pretty sure that I can still take him.”
I laughed and then shrugged my shoulders.
“Sounds good to me, William,” I said, giggling. “Between the two of us, we should be able to keep him in line.”
As William and I spoke, Steven breathed a sigh of relief. I could see that a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders as well.
“So, what now?” I asked, as I looked over to my mom.
She shrugged her shoulders and responded, “Well, would you guys like to come over for dinner later?”
I was about to respond, when Steven spoke up.
“Oh, Lisa, we would love to,” he said. “But I actually have a little surprise for Kelsey that I’ve been planning.”
My eyes lit up and I turned toward him, cocking my head to the side.
“A surprise?” I asked.
Steven nodded excitedly then flashed a smile.
“I’ve been planning it for a while, and I definitely don’t want to cancel the plans,” he said.
I placed my hands on my hips and said, “What is it?”
Steven laughed and shook his head.
“I can’t tell you, silly, or else it wouldn’t be a surprise,” he responded.
My mom chuckled and then said, “Okay, well maybe tomorrow you guys can come over for dinner then. I’d like to hang out with you two. It’s been a while since we’ve spent any time together.”
Steven stepped over to me and placed an arm over my shoulder.
“Tomorrow would be great,” he said, as he squeezed me tight. “Thank you again for your understanding on all of this. I realize that there will be some challenges and also that Kelsey and I’s love may never be fully accepted by everyone. But as long as you guys are okay with it, then that’s enough for me.”
I nodded my head in agreement as Steven spoke.
“Yes, thank you so much, Mom and William,” I said. “You guys are the best.”
My mom stepped toward me, giving me another hug. William did the same right after.
“We’re here for you, kiddos,” William said. “Now get out of here and go have some fun. Go celebrate or something.”
Steven smiled as he patted his dad on the back.
“We are definitely going to do just that,” he said.
I started to wonder what exactly Steven’s surprise for me was. I knew that I was going to just have to wait to find out, though. Steven never ruined a surprise.
“Well, we should get going,” Steven said. “We will call you guys later.”
My mom smiled at me. It was a genuine smile and it seemed like she was really happy for me.
“You guys have fun and be safe,” she said. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Love you, Mom,” I said.
“Love you too, baby,” she responded.
Then Steven and I turned around. I reached over and grabbed Steven’s hand, holding it as we walked out of the kitchen and to the front door. The excitement that was inside of me was almost impossible to contain and I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs. I didn’t do that, though. I just squeezed Steven’s hand as we walked through the front door and to the driveway, making our way toward his car. We didn’t speak a word as we walked. It was dead silent. Maybe we were still in shock or something. But once inside the car, Steven turned the ignition and started the engine. Then he glanced over at me.
“Wow...” he said, shaking his head with surprise. “I just can’t believe how well that went. It almost doesn’t feel real.”
I watched him speak, noticing the way his blue eyes reflected the morning light. His hair was still a mess and he hadn’t shaved that morning, so he had black stubble on his cheeks and chin. Still, though, he looked as gorgeous as ever. And as I sat there next to him, a feeling of deep happiness and contentedness filled my body. We were finally free. We had nothing to hide any more.
“It really doesn’t feel real, does it?” I asked. “God, I’m still in shock. Look at my hands. They’re shaking.”
Steven reached over with one hand and placed it on my knee as he backed out of the driveway and pulled away from the house.
“You did really great in there,” he said. “That wasn’t easy for either of us, but we pulled it off. I’m so happy right now.”
I closed my eyes and took a long breath, releasing the tension from the morning. It was hard to describe the way that I felt. It was almost as if a new chapter had started in my life, even though technically nothing had changed. The only difference was that Steven and I were no longer in hiding. And surprisingly, our parents were both very supportive of us.
“You know, we have to hand it to our parents,” I said. “They really showed us a side of themselves today that we didn’t know they had.”
Steven nodded in agreement, as he gently moved his fingers up and down my knee, caressing it.
“I didn’t know they had it in them,” he said. “Especially my dad. I couldn’t believe he was so relaxed about it. I guess they really do want what’s best for us, even if it may seem a little bit taboo. I think maybe they understand that love isn’t black and white at all. It comes to us in all different ways.”
Steven paused for a second, as he gathered his thoughts. Then he continued.
“I couldn’t be happier right now, Kelsey,” he said. “My life is almost too perfect. I’m so excited to celebrate tonight. I can’t wait to show you the surprise I have for you. I think you’re going to love it.”
I smiled and leaned my head back onto the car seat.
“I’m sure that I’ll love it, baby,” I said. “Is it something that I should dress up for?”
Steven pulled onto the highway, pointing the car in the direction of West Terrace, where his mansion was located.
“Yes, definitely,” he said. “Why don’t you wear the dress I gave you last night? This would be the perfect occasion for it.”
I looked over at him and smiled.
“That sounds good,” I said. “I’d love to chance to show it off.”
We drove in silence for the rest of the short trip. We were hand in hand the entire time. I felt so very loved in that moment. It was like nothing could bring me down. I was invincible. The man of my dreams was next to me and everything was coming together so perfectly.
Chapter 22
Once back at Steven’s house, we both collapsed onto his leather couches in the living room. I was emotionally drained from the morning’s events.
“God, I love you,” Steven said, as he crawled behind me, wrapping his arm around my belly. “And I love our little baby, too.”
I smiled and bit my bottom lip as I turned to face him. Then I leaned forward, kissing him passionately on the lips. He held me close as we kissed, carefully moving his fingers over my stomach.
“Can you believe we’re having a baby?” I asked, as I pulled away from the kiss.
Steven then carefully pulled my shirt up, exposing my bare stomach. Then he moved downward, bringing his face over my belly and kissing around my belly button.
“It’s hard to believe,” he said. “We’re going to be parents, Kelsey!”
My eyes lit up and a wide smile crossed my face.
“I know, baby,” I responded. “God, it’s so awesome how everything is working out. I can’t get over it. I wish I could have known things would have come together so easily. I probably would have slept more over the past few months.”
Steve chuckled as he crawled next to me once again, keeping his hand on my belly.
“No joke,” he said. “I’m still in shock at how smoothly that went over with your parents. Kind of makes me wish that we had done that a long time ago. Would have saved a lot of sleepless nights.”
I closed my eyes and relaxed into Steven
as he spoke. He was right. If I had any clue as to how easily my mom and William would have taken the news, I wouldn’t have hesitated in telling them for a second. They still didn’t know that I was pregnant, though, but I figured we could wait a while on that.
“I really learned a lot about both my mom and William today,” I said. “It makes me feel so good that we have their support.”
Steven leaned forward and gently kissed the back of my neck as I spoke. It sent a tingle through me and I found myself pressing back up against him.
“You can’t kiss me like that,” I said. “Not if we have to go get ready for this surprise that you were talking about. You know that turns me on when you kiss me there.”
Steven kissed the sensitive skin on my neck once more and then whispered, “Well, technically we just need to get there before the sun sets. So...we have a few hours to spend.”
I rolled over to face him then wrapped my arm around his waist.
“Oh yeah?” I said.
“Yep,” Steven responded.
I placed my fingers over the front of his shirt and began drawing lines around his pecks.
“Well, why don’t you take me upstairs?” I asked, as I bit my lip flirtatiously. “We can have a celebration before our celebration.”
Steven had his hand on my lower back and he slowly brought it to my ass, squeezing it gently and pulling me toward him at the same time.
“I want to have you right here,” he said.
Then, as soon as he finished speaking, he brought his lips to mine. I opened my mouth immediately, allowing his tongue inside. It darted in my mouth, twisting with my own tongue.
The kiss was the best kiss I had ever experienced. Not only was it full of the same passion that Steven and I always shared, but also it represented something much more than that. It was a kiss of liberation. It was the first real kiss that we didn’t have to feel ashamed about. And for some reason, that made it even more sexy than usual.
As our tongues dashed in and out of each other’s mouth, I moved my hand up underneath the front of Steven’s t-shirt. My fingers dragged along his abs and up to his muscular chest. I placed my hand over one of his pecks and kept it there as we kissed.
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