by G. Bailey
"The baby kicked me. That's amazing," she gushes with a big smile.
"Hey, out of the way. I haven't felt him move yet," Seb says, and suddenly there are four hands on my bump.
"Wow," Sebastian says as I feel our son kick his father and apparent auntie. I look up at him and see him looking at me in wonder.
"Err, Allie, I have missed you, but your hand is a tad low," I say, making us all laugh, and she moves back, taking her hands off as he has stopped moving.
"I missed you too, but don't say you didn't love that." She winks, and I laugh.
Sebastian straightens and says, "Damn, I should have moved my hands." He grins, and Allie gently hits his shoulder.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Allie asks, all serious and standing in front of me now.
"I had to leave because I couldn't stay. I guess I was in shock, and then I thought you'd hate me for leaving," I explain with a sob. I seriously regret not telling Allie, she is like a sister to me, and I know she would have helped me. I guess my stubbornness got the best of me over time, and I just couldn’t let myself make that contact with her.
She takes my hands, snapping my attention back to her.
"I could never hate you! I love you, Maisybear," she says with her blue eyes locked onto mine, so I know how serious she is.
I nod back at her as I say, "Love you too, Alliecat."
"I missed our nicknames." She sighs, giving me a side hug and moving away.
"Can we go inside now? Maisy might be getting cold," Seb says with a gentle smile in my direction.
"Shush, overprotective Daddy. I can't wait for you to meet Izzy." She smiles as I frown, wondering why she would introduce me to some random girl.
"Hey, I'm doing the introductions, and I’m not sure I like you calling me ‘Daddy,’" Seb grunts, and it makes me smile.
“But, Daddy, I’ve been a bad girl,” Allie says in a deep, throaty voice, her face is going red from how much she is trying not to laugh.
“Allie, for fuck’s sake, I’m not going to be able to hear anyone call me ‘Daddy’ now.” Seb groans in annoyance while we all laugh. Allie winks at me as she links her arm with mine and leads us into the house while Seb follows.
The house is in the middle of nowhere with its own driveway and trees surrounding the house. The inside is all old, wooden floors, which I remember creak in certain places. The walls are newly painted cream and most of the original features have been kept, like the big chandeliers on the ceilings. The gigantic staircase in the hallway is my favourite part of the house, it makes you feel like a queen. My own house is large, but it doesn’t have a homey feel like this home always did. Everything from the worn, fur rug in the lounge to the hand-painted, beautiful paintings throughout the house, make it seem like home.
My worry returns as we walk into the house, through the entrance hall, and straight to the kitchen, where the blonde from the restaurant is cutting salad.
She turns when she hears us and walks over to Seb. She gives him a side hug before looking at me with a kind smile. I can't return it as I feel sick with worry at what Seb is going to say, the girl is very beautiful with a perfect figure and bright-green eyes around a near perfect face, too. She still looks so familiar, but I can't place it, and I end up really staring at her as I try to figure it out.
"Maisy, this is Izzy, my sister. Izzy, this is Maisy," Seb says, and I'm in shock as my jaw drops. I move closer, so I can look at her more, and I can see it in her face; she has similar looks to Harley I would say. The most obvious thing is the eyes, they are nearly the same as Seb’s, the same as all the King Brothers, a bright green.
"Wow, a sister, huh?” I ask Seb, who grins and moves to my side.
“It’s nice to meet you, Izzy." I hold out my hand, which she shoves away gently, pulling me into a hug instead.
"I've heard so much about you, and it’s great to finally be able to put a face to the name," she says, smiling at me as she pulls away.
"I hope it’s all good things," I joke.
"Of course, Allie and Sebastian haven't stopped talking about you since the restaurant. Sorry we didn't get a chance to speak then," she offers.
"Me, too." I smile, and I instantly like her. I’m a little jealous of how pretty she is, but she is a King, and they all look like gods, of course, their sister would be a knockout.
"I've cooked lasagne with a side salad. I checked online, and it's all stuff you can have while pregnant." She grins, and my heart tightens a little at how much she clearly cares already.
"Thank you, you didn’t have to go to so much trouble for me," I say, and I mean it.
"Told you, you would like her," Allie says with a grin. It's clear they are close, and I hope I can be that close to Allie again, maybe even become friends with Izzy.
"Hand your phone over now, missy," Allie says with an open hand, and I pull it out of my bag. Allie instantly takes it from my hand with a big grin.
“Same password as usual?” Allie asks with a knowing smirk, I don’t want to admit it because I know I shouldn’t have an easy password to guess.
“Yes.” I sigh with a blush, and Seb smirks at me, clearly thinking the same thing.
"What are you doing?" I ask while she pulls out her own phone and starts typing away.
"I'm going to put everyone's number in and text them, so you have our numbers," she says as if it’s obvious.
Izzy goes back to cooking as I try to hop onto a stool, and I find it embarrassing that I can't get up onto it. Just as I give up, two large hands lift me up by my hips and place me onto the stool. I glance over to see Sebastian smiling, but he doesn't say anything, and I nod at him in thanks as I’m sure my cheeks are redder than a tomato.
“So a new sister, how did that happen?" I ask Sebastian as he sits as close as he can to me on another stool, the whole side of his body is pressed against mine, and I resist the urge to lay my head on his shoulder.
"Our Dad left information on Izzy in his will, but we only read it earlier this year. So, Harley found her and got custody so she could live with us instead of foster care," he tells me quietly.
"She seems nice," I say with a smile.
"She is. Until you came home, she was the only one to make me smile," he whispers just to me, and my heart beats faster when he says that, but I look away because I can't deal with the pain.
Allie hands me back my phone with a smile and a question, "What's it like being pregnant?"
"It’s difficult. I feel like I'm carrying a watermelon around, but at the same time, it feels amazing. Every time he kicks, I don’t feel alone anymore," I say as she looks at me curiously.
"I can't wait to meet him. With both of your good looks, he is going to be a heartbreaker." She grins.
"If he looks anything like his mum, then he will be," Sebastian says, and I blush.
"I'm sure he will inherit the Kings’ good looks," I say.
I regret it when Sebastian says, "See, I knew you still want me."
"Pregnancy hormones make me crazy," I say back quickly.
"Sure, hormones . . ." He laughs, and Allie gives me a look that says she knows too much.
"Lunch is ready," Izzy shouts, and I’m relieved for the interruption. We all help carry things into the dining room, which never seemed to be used when I was around. Even when Sebastian and I were dating, it was maybe only used two times for family meals.
"It's a shame we never use this room,” Izzy says, voicing my thoughts as we start to dig into our food.
"So, are you at college?" Allie asks while we eat.
"No," I say quietly.
"Why the hell are you not, Maisybear? You were top of every one of our classes since pre-school. You’re too smart not to." She frowns a little at me.
"I can't. Just leave it, Allie," I say a little too harshly as she looks down.
"Just because you’re having a baby doesn't mean you have to give up on a decent career," she finally replies.
"I have a job, and I'm trying my
hardest to get away from my parents before this baby is born. I do everything alone," I tell her, and I know my voice is rising.
"Maisy, I'm going to buy you somewhere to live, and don't you dare say no. I'm the baby's father, and you can take it as child support or whatever, but you’re not paying me rent," Seb tells me, interrupting Allie from replying, and I turn my glare to him.
"I can't accept that," I say, getting more flustered and annoyed by the second.
"You can. My child and the woman I–" he stops and shakes his head before continuing. "You are not going to struggle to find somewhere to live. I’ll have somewhere in a month, I promise, but if your parents are still an issue, you can move in here," he says, watching for my reaction.
My first thought is how annoying he is, and then I don’t know what to say about his speech. I sit in shock, not knowing how to argue with him for a few minutes. Izzy and Allie are smirking, so I frown at them, which causes Allie to snort in laughter.
"Give up, Maisybear. You've lost this fight." She laughs, throwing me a wink.
"Fine," I say with a huff, leaning back in my chair and folding my arms. I watch as Sebastian's face lights up with a big grin.
"Thank you," he says gently before we all finish our food.
The door opens and Blake Frost, the brothers’ best friend, walks in and gives Izzy a deep kiss before sitting next to her.
"Hey, Maisy. It's good to see you." He nods as I’m, once again, shocked. I cannot believe Blake is dating Izzy. He was a massive player in school, and I know Seb wouldn’t let him date her.
"You two are together?" I ask a little louder than I should.
Sebastian laughs loudly at me. "Yes, they kept that a secret from us at the start, but it’s cool now," he says as Blake grins at me.
"Congrats, I thought I'd never see the day Blake settles down." I smile at them. They look so happy together as Izzy leans on Blake’s shoulder and smiles at me.
"I just needed to meet the right woman," Blake jokes and kisses Izzy’s cheek, which makes her blush. I remember being that in love with someone, and I remember blushing at everything Sebastian said to me. I used to love his touch, but remembering our past makes me remember that night.
I stand up quickly, and Seb stands with me but I raise a hand at him.
"Just using the bathroom," I say and rush to the downstairs bathroom next to the lounge. I rest against the door when I’ve shut it and breathe in before a sob of tears comes out. I can't stop the tears as I cover my face with my hands, the memory of that night filling my head.
As I walk through the door of my boyfriend’s house, I’m a little taken aback at the massive party going on. I mean, I heard the music down the road as I drove up, but it’s still shocking how many people are here. I haven’t seen Seb in three days, and tonight’s the first time he has texted me back. I don’t know what’s going on with him, but I’ve had enough lies, and I’m going to make him tell me tonight. I smile at a few people as they say hello as I walk through the packed house. I find Elliot in the kitchen and walk over as he frowns at me.
“Elliot, have you seen Seb?” I ask.
“In the lounge, you shouldn’t be here,” he tells me, looking much scarier than his twin as he glares down at me.
“I'll find him,” I tell Elliot with my own glare. I know it’s not really me he doesn’t like, more my best friend, Allie.
I have to tell Seb about my parents going abroad tomorrow. They didn’t tell me, as usual, and it’s only going to be for a few months. I asked them, and they said I could stay with Allie, but I really want to stay with Seb if he will have me. I hope he will.
The lounge isn’t as packed as the rest of the house, and as I walk in, my heart feels like it has fallen out of my chest. On the sofa, with his hands wrapped around a girl from school, is Seb. I can’t see his face, but it’s clear they are kissing as she grinds herself on him.
“Seb,” I shout in anger, and I see Elena turn to me with a grin. She has been flirting with Seb for years, and she looks like she just won the lottery, while I feel sick. I move my gaze to Seb, whose eyes widen in shock, but I turn and run.
When I make it to my car, I stop, throwing up all over the ground. Why did he do this? We’ve been together years, how long has he been cheating on me? All these thoughts float around my mind as I pull myself up and get into my car. As I drive away, my heart breaks as I see Seb isn’t trying to follow me, and I know there’s nothing left for me here anymore.
"Let me in please," Sebastian's rough voice comes from the other side of the bathroom door.
I open the door and just stand in front of him, wishing I could see the cheeky boy with perfect hair who I fell in love with.
"Maisy, come with me. We need to talk," he tells me in a gentle voice and holds out his hand. I stare at his hand for a long time, deciding if I want to hear this story before sliding my hand into his. The simple touch of his hand sends shivers up my arm.
34
Sebastian
The screams and uproar of the crowd are deafening as I watch Luke fight. My fists are clenched because I fucking wish I could stop this. I'm seriously mad that my other brothers aren’t here tonight. Luke is getting beat bad, the man who is not much older than my seventeen-year-old little brother is built like a tank, and every hit is knocking the shit out of Luke. I mentally review my brother as he circles his opponent, his one arm is hanging uselessly at his side and it is most likely broken, and his face is covered with his blood. The rest of him looks good, but I know he can hide his pain as well as all of us, another fucking trick our father taught us. Thank fuck he is dead.
Luke dodges another blow and manages a hit to the man’s face, but it doesn't seem to bother him as he grins like the lunatic I think he likely is. Luke is fast, but without any way to stop this man, he will tire out soon, or be knocked out. We can't lose a fucking fight here, it’s not worth it.
The man moves closer, and before I can shout he has a knife, he moves to stab it into Luke's chest. Thank fuck he is fast, as it goes through his arm instead while he defends himself. That arm is seriously going to need looking at if he makes it out of the fucking cage.
"Get the fuck out of my way," I shout, pushing stupid, drunk people out of the way as I run to the cage.
The amount of people in here means it takes me too long, but the bodyguard hasn't even stopped the fight. The fucker won’t, and I’m betting our boss has something to do with this shit. I suck in a breath when I get to the door and see Luke standing there, holding the knife while his blood mixes with the blood covering the knife as it drips onto the floor.
As if sensing how close I am to him, my brother turns to the side, and I see the dead man on the floor. The overhead speakers blast that Luke has won, but the haunted look in his eyes shows me that no one has won tonight. Luke shoves the door open, and I follow him into the back room as the music starts blasting, only quieting when I slam the door shut behind me.
"Luke, fuck, bro," I say though gritted teeth, moving to his side as he sits on the bench. His arm is still dripping blood as it hangs at his side, and his one eye is almost swollen closed. My heart aches for him as much as the rest of me wants to defend him and somehow protect him from the bitch of a life that we have.
"You need to go to the hospital," I tell him, as I’m not sure what to say. Luke hasn't ever had to kill to survive before. I have twice, and their faces still haunt my every move, but mine were because they wouldn’t stop fighting me and I ended up hitting them too hard. What Luke just did, fuck, I don't know what to say to him.
"Seb, I–" he stops as he shakes, and I wrap an arm around his shoulder.
"You didn't have a choice, it was you or him, and I’m fucking glad it's not you," I tell him as he nods.
We don't talk as I drive him the hospital. Harley pays a fortune for no questions to be asked, and Luke is kept in overnight, with a guaranteed broken arm being the worst of his issues. I eventually decide to go home, to find Elliot.
When I get home, the house is filled with random, fucking people. I hope Maisy is here, I need her. My girlfriend is fucking everything to me, other than my brothers, and I haven't seen her in days because Luke needed me to train him. I had to tell her I was ill or she would come over, and tensions were too high in the house for someone as pure as her.
I spot Elliot in the kitchen as I grab a beer.
"We need a chat." I pull his arm to get his attention, and with one look at my face, he wisely decides to follow me into the spare study. I slam the door shut and punch it. Fuck, this couldn't be worse, and I fucking hate this shit. I just want to get hammered and forget it all.
"Luke is in the hospital, the fucker pulled a knife and stabbed his arm. Luke killed him," I tell Elliot as his face darkens.
"I bet the bodyguards did fuck all to help, right?" he asks as I nod. "Fuck," he draws the word out as he leans over the desk.
"Thanks for telling me," Elliot says, and I leave him to it. I pull my phone out and find the stupid thing is dead. I can't just turn up at Maisy’s house because of her parents.
"Hey, Seb," Elena from school smiles at me as she walks over. Elena has hit on me way too many times, and looking at her now, I know I made the best decision by ignoring her and focusing on my beautiful Maisy.
"Hey, Elena," I say, basically ignoring her as I turn to watch some guys playing beer pong, I don't want to chat to anyone tonight, especially not some girl I don't know.
"I got you a drink, you look stressed." She pouts as I sigh, looking back at her. She lifts a beer higher as she offers it to me again. What the hell, I guess a drink can't hurt, I think as I accept it.
"Some of the guys from the football team are playing Xbox in the lounge, are you coming?" she asks, moving closer, and I just nod taking a sip of beer and walking away without her.
The night isn't too bad, I think a few hours later. I’m sitting in a chair as the room spins around, making me laugh. Has it been hours? I don't know, but I grab my beer, which Elena keeps finding for me, and drink more as a blurry figure moves to sit on my lap.