The Shifter's Catch

by T. S. Ryder

  Chapter Seven

  Kelly had been in Europe for four weeks now. She had travelled to Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Norway since her arrival.

  “Are you ready?” her friend Janice called from the other room.

  “Just about,” Kelly said, trying to escape a bout of nausea by using smelling salts. It had been five weeks since she had last seen Oscar and April, but everywhere she went she swore she saw their faces. She had done her best to try and forget him. After consulting with her mother, she had left for Janice’s place immediately and gone to Europe a week later with Janice to go exploring. The journey so far had been fun, until a few nights ago when she had suddenly felt the urge to throw up after eating a pizza. Back then she had chalked it up to the cheese having a negative effect on her body, but now she was afraid it might be something else, something far more dangerous.

  “What are you doing in here?” her friend Janice asked, coming into her room.

  “I have no idea,” Kelly replied.

  “What’s wrong?” her friend asked, realising she was a bit distressed.

  “I’m not sure, but I think I might be pregnant,” Kelly told her.

  “What?” Janice asked.

  “I might have done the dirty without protection,” Kelly said, trying not to become flustered. She hadn’t thought about the possibility of her becoming pregnant until just now.

  “Do you need to go to a hospital?” her friend asked.

  Kelly looked up at Janice, who appeared to be freaking out more than she was, and laughed.

  “We just need a few pregnancy tests,” Kelly told her.

  “A few?” Janice asked.

  “Yes,” Kelly replied. “Just in case one turns out to be incorrect.”

  “Got it,” Janice said, taking off before Kelly could say anything else.

  Kelly sat and stewed over what her life was going to be like if she found out she was pregnant. She had no intention of telling Oscar. The last thing she needed was him thinking she had got intentionally pregnant just to trap him like his ex. She also was worried about what would happen if Oscar decided he wanted the child. Would she be forced to raise her child with that terrible woman Oscar had taken back into his house? She realised that she missed him. She missed April, and she just wanted to go home. Janice returned half an hour later and by then Kelly had begun crying uncontrollably.

  “Are you alright?” Janice asked, looking afraid.

  “I’m fine,” Kelly replied, taking the bag from her hand and taking out all four pregnancy tests that Janice had bought.

  “You bought four?” Kelly exclaimed.

  “I didn’t know how many the right amount was,” Janice said, smiling.

  Kelly made her way into the bathroom and peed on each individual stick before resting them on the bathroom counter. She sat there waiting and then decided it was best if she let Janice read them.

  “I think you should read them,” she told her friend when she opened the bathroom door.

  “Are they ready?” Janice asked.

  “In a minute,” Kelly replied.

  They both waited, barely taking breaths as the tests processed. After a minute Janice walked into the bathroom and picked up the tests. By the third one she looked over at Kelly.

  “You’re pregnant,” she whispered.

  Kelly could hardly believe it. Nothing could have prepared her for this. She clutched her stomach and ran to the bathroom as another wave of nausea washed over her.

  “What are we going to do?” Janice asked.

  “No idea,” Kelly replied. “I’ll figure it out.”

  Chapter Eight

  Five days later, Kelly was home in bed catching up on the notes she had missed when she heard a knock on the door. She had returned home as soon as she found out that she was pregnant, somehow feeling the need to be around her family. Her mother had been at her neck to figure out what was wrong since day one. She had decided to wait until it was absolutely necessary before she told her mother. Until then, she would keep it a secret. She was going to try and finish her degree and get a good job so that her parents would be less worried about her having a child on her own.

  Assuming that it was her mother coming in to try and catch up about her trip, she walked to the door and peeped out. Instead of her mother standing on the other side of the door, though, she came face to face with Oscar. For a moment, neither of them spoke to each other. They just stood there staring, until Oscar finally broke the silence.

  “May I come in?” he asked.

  “Oh, umm, sure,” Kelly replied.

  She looked around at the mess in her room and cursed the fact that he had shown up so unexpectedly. The room was so small that all she had been able to fit in there was a dresser, a bed and a chair, which was currently stacked with clothes. Kelly motioned for Oscar to sit on the bed.

  “Why are you here?” Kelly asked, coming to sit beside him. She wanted to keep a bit of distance between them, and she angled her body away from him.

  “Well, firstly, I need to talk to you, and secondly I wanted to bring you home,” Oscar said.

  “Bring me home?” Kelly asked. “I’m not sure what you mean by that and I think it’s for the best if we don’t confuse April. Her mother is back so you should try to ensure she understands that her mother loves her. Your family is reunited and now your daughter can be happy with her mother.”

  “My daughter is miserable,” Oscar replied. “She’s been miserable ever since you left. I’ve never had and will never have any intentions of reuniting with my ex-wife.”

  “That’s not what she told me,” Kelly said.

  “Well, she lied. I came home that day and you were missing. I figured you were still here with your mother and needed some time alone after, well, you know... But then you didn’t come back. I called you, stopped by to find you and no-one could tell me where you were,” he said. For a second Kelly thought she heard a bit of hurt in his voice.

  “I had to leave,” Kelly said. “I thought you had got back together with her and I just wanted to get away.”

  “You should have called me,” Oscar said. “I would have set your mind at ease. I would have rushed to your defence. You know how much you mean to me.”

  “I’m not sure I do,” Kelly said. “And what about your ex? Is she going to be popping up regularly to mess with me?”

  “Well, I sent her away. She’s not healthy for April, who luckily didn’t have to see her,” Oscar replied. “April and I were at my parents’ when she arrived. Kelly, we haven’t had much chance to talk after what happened that night, and I really wanted to talk to you about it.”

  “It was a mistake. I know,” Kelly said.

  Oscar reached out and touched her cheek.

  “It wasn’t for me,” he said. “In fact, I’ve been wanting to do it since I saw you that first day. You are the most captivatingly beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

  Kelly was silent. She had no idea what to say.

  “That day when we made love, I wanted to give you an idea of what I was feeling. I wanted to know if you felt the same way,” he said.

  “I thought you were using me,” Kelly said. “You can have almost any woman you want. Why would you even waste your time with me?”

  “I don’t want just any woman,” Oscar replied. “I want you. You’re beautiful, smart and kind, and from everything I’ve observed with you and my daughter, you’re the best thing that could have happened to her, and by extension to me. It’s hard to find a person who will love and care for your child with as much passion and enthusiasm as you have done with my April.”

  “She’s easy to love,” Kelly said. “But what does that mean for us?”

  “It means that I want you to be a part of my family in more ways than one. I know the age difference might be a bit much, but for now we can just start off dating and see where it goes from there,” he said.

  “You want us to date?” Kelly asked.

  “Yes,” Osc
ar replied, reaching over to pull her onto his lap. “Now, back to what I’ve actually been thinking about doing for the past six weeks,” he said, before pulling her in for a kiss. His lips were firm but gentle. Kelly wanted nothing more than to stay in this moment forever, but she was all too aware of her mother lingering behind the door.

  “How did you know I was home, anyway?” she asked.

  “Your mother called me to tell me you were holed up in your room like a hermit,” he joked.

  “That sounds like something she would say,” Kelly replied.

  “I’m glad I came,” he said.

  “I have something to tell you,” Kelly said, as he held her in his arms.

  “What’s that?” Oscar asked, nuzzling her neck.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Oscar’s motion stopped and, for a minute, the whole room was quiet.

  “I swear, I’m not trying to trap you. I wouldn’t even have told you if you hadn’t told me April’s mother was out of your life.”

  Oscar tilted her body so that she was looking right at him. Kelly was surprised by what she saw. She had expected anger, disappointment, regret even, but the look of love on his face surprised her.

  “You’re pregnant?” he whispered reverently.

  “Yes,” Kelly replied.

  “I have no idea what to say,” Oscar said, reaching in front of her and touching her belly.

  “Say anything,” Kelly told him.

  “I’m glad,” he said. “Now you’re a solid member of my family.”

  This made Kelly laugh. While it was not a confession of love, it was more than she had even dared to hope for. They sat there for a few minutes as Oscar gently rubbed her belly.

  “We should go,” she told Oscar. “My mother is likely standing at the door listening to our conversation.”

  Just as she had predicted, Kelly walked out of her room and found her mother lingering at the door.

  “Everything alright?” her mother asked, smiling.

  “Yes, mom, everything has been cleared up. Turns out it was all a misunderstanding, and now I can go back to work.”

  Kelly did her best to avoid her mother’s prying questions as she packed her case and left. Oscar took her home and walked her to her room, then said goodnight. Before she closed the door, she saw April walking towards her room.

  “You came back,” April said, with a smile. Kelly was surprised at how drastically she seemed to have changed in the short space of time.

  Kelly could see that the little girl had been crying, so she picked her up and took her into the room.

  “Why were you crying?” she asked.

  “I missed you,” April said, hugging her.

  Kelly felt as if her heart would burst from her chest. She had no idea how anyone could resist such a pure love.

  “I missed you too,” Kelly said, before placing her on the bed and laying down beside her.

  That night she slept peacefully, dreaming of what lay ahead. She was relieved she wasn’t losing her new found family, but she was also anxious to see what would become of her relationship with Oscar now that he knew she was pregnant with his child.

  ***

  Four months later, Kelly walked into the house after finishing her final exam. She had spent the last two weeks in her room away from everyone so that she could study. Maggie had mercifully helped her to take care of April, and Oscar had been surprisingly absent. For the past four months, he had wined and dined her in every possible way, from fancy gala dinners to the burger shop nearby. She had done her best to hide her pregnancy from the public eye, which had been easier than she had thought it would be. Her mother had cried when she had told her about the baby, but somehow knowing that Oscar was the father had made it easier for her mother to accept it with less worry. Aside from all that, she had fallen hopelessly for Oscar and she knew he knew it. Now, as she stepped into the house, all she wanted to do was see him and tell him how happy he had made her. She had grown a lot while dating Oscar, which had come as a surprise. He had introduced her to another world. It had been scary at first, but now it motivated her and she felt as if she could conquer anything.

  She looked around the house and noticed that there was no one there. She wondered where everyone had gone and why Oscar wasn't there to greet her after being away for two weeks. She turned the corner to the kitchen and saw a single candle on the floor with a slip of paper underneath it. She picked it up and read the note.

  “We’re out back,” it read. She left her bag on the kitchen counter and went into the backyard. The garden was decorated with candles and flowers everywhere. At first she didn’t see anyone, but then Oscar stepped into the center of the yard, smiling at her. She made her way towards him and was about to ask him what was happening when he dropped down onto one knee. Kelly’s heart went into her throat, but what brought the tears was when April came and knelt beside her father. They both looked up at her with searching eyes.

  “What are you doing?” Kelly asked, as Oscar reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a velvet box.

  “What I should have done the moment we met,” he said. “Kelly, will you marry me and be my wife and the mother of my beautiful baby girl and our newest bundle of joy?” he asked.

  Kelly could hardly breathe as she tried to look at him through the tears. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “Yes,” she answered, stretching her hand out so that he could put the ring on it.

  “Thank God, I was worried you would say no,” Oscar said, standing and pulling her into a hug.

  “I love you two so much,” Kelly said, unable to contain her happiness. She had found love, and the best part was that it was everything she had hoped for and more.

  *****

  THE END

  Played by the Rock Star

  Description

  I’m a good girl, I don’t like hot, famous rock stars. All I have to do is pretend that I’m dating one...

  Brent Jacobsen is living the life of a rock star.

  Sold out concerts.

  All of the girls that he could ever want.

  Parties and fancy hotel rooms.

  It’s just too bad that he’s broken and self-destructing. After destroying another hotel room, his best friends come up with a brilliant idea on how to deflect the negative press: date their younger sister out in public and feed off of her sweet and clean life. They already know each other, so it will be easy enough.

  It sounds so simple, until it isn’t.

  Riley is beautiful and smart. Brent watched her grow up but now, at twenty-two, she is mature and compassionate in ways that he doesn’t understand. They both agree, but soon know that it is more than just a news story.

  Can Brent find it in himself to give Riley what she deserves? Can he be what she needs?

  Will his friends ever forgive him for what he’s about to do to their sister?

  Will he ever be the same again after he tastes her lips?

  Chapter One

  The sun glared into the room. Brent Jacobson raised his hand to block it and turned onto his stomach in the king sized bed. “What the fuck? It’s so early.”

  “Poor baby. What they hell are you up to, Brent?” the sharp voice of his publicist responded, as his head started to pound. “Nice room. Too bad the rest of it is trashed.”

  “Trashed? What happened?” Brent groaned as the full effects of his hangover started to kick in and make him feel like shit.

  “Jesus fucking Christ. You’re lucky the band is doing well,” McKenzie Adams grumbled, as she stared at the man who was making her life a living nightmare. “A few girls went scrambling out of here when I knocked, since you wouldn’t answer your cell. I got a call from the hotel due to a report of noise sometime this morning and had to catch a flight here from Philadelphia. It was my daughter’s fifth-grade graduation today. Thanks a lot for that, Brent.”

  “Shit, I’m sorry.” She snorted at his apology as she paced the room.

 
“The rest of the band doesn’t even want to answer their phones anymore. Do you think there’s a problem?”

  Brent turned in the bed and kept the sheet over his body, even though he knew that Kenzie didn’t care. When she wasn’t babysitting him, she was a happily married mother of two kids. “The gig was great, and we partied afterward. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing, except that you have another bill from another trashed hotel room. It’s in the thousands of dollars, this time, Brent. That TV was quite large. Judging from the mess of bottles, you owe on the mini bar as well.” She looked at him with worried, jade green eyes as she ran a hand through her wavy, chestnut hair. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know, Kenzie. I wanted to have some fun after a show, and the girls were hot.” He looked at her with dull blue eyes that before covering his handsome face with one thick, tattooed arm.

  “You know it’s more than that,” she said, before letting out a sigh. “Are you going to stay calm for a while? I have to do damage control.”

  “I’m fine, Mom.”

  “I am going to call Declan and have him come be here with you.” Her brother was a roadie for Nothing Lost and staying in the same hotel, but she hadn’t made the call yet. She knew how late he’d been up, and this was her job. Technically. Declan just helped her out.

  Brent groaned as he saw her shadow leave the room and pulled the sheets over his head. He had no recollection of last night apart from the girls and the drinks, but Brent was well aware that he could lose control quickly these days. His life was successful, and he was doing well on paper, but inside he was a mess.