New Beginnings (Forever and Always #15)

by E. L. Todd

  “I just don’t feel like talking…”

  “But you’re talking to Hazel.” He looked hurt. “Are you mad at me for telling you? I’m sorry, but I thought it was the best decision at the time. I couldn’t hide it from you. I did what I thought was right.”

  I could tell he was really upset about this. “I’m not mad at you. I’m sorry for ignoring you.”

  “Then what’s up? Why won’t you talk to me?”

  “I guess I needed space.”

  “Scarlet is tired of giving you space. And frankly, so am I. So you’re coming to the house for dinner. Scarlet commanded me to grab you and drag you back.”

  I knew it was pointless to fight this.

  “Now get your ass up.”

  I left the booth and Hazel did too.

  “Let’s go,” Ryan said.

  When we walked inside the house, Scarlet was the first one to embrace me. Her warm arms wrapped around me and made me feel safe. I let her hold me, thinking about nothing, just feeling her.

  Everyone stared at us, waiting for me to explain what was going on.

  Ryan had his arms by his sides but I could see his impatience. Janice had her arm hooked through his, holding him back.

  Scarlet pulled away. “What happened?”

  I sighed, knowing I couldn’t hide it anymore. “I talked to Monnique. She didn’t cheat on me. The guy hooked up with a girl that looks similar to her.”

  Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief. She touched her chest, the stress evaporating from her eyes.

  Ryan’s shoulders tensed. “I’m glad I was wrong.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” Sean asked. “Why are you avoiding everyone?”

  “We broke up,” I said simply.

  Ryan’s eyes darkened in sadness.

  Scarlet looked more depressed than I was. “Why…?”

  “There’s a lot of shit that’s been going on between us for a while. She’s changed ever since she started working at the magazine, and we’ve been struggling to keep it together. She finally quit her job so we can work on our relationship, but then Ryan dropped that bomb on me. It made me realize I didn’t want to be with someone where I had to actually consider the possibility that she might cheat on me. I just feel like I’m falling apart and I told her I needed a break before I can come back to her.”

  Scarlet hugged me again, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I’m so sorry…”

  “It’s okay. We’ll work through it. I just think it’s best if we’re friends for now.”

  “I understand.”

  Ryan came up to me then hugged me, pushing Scarlet out of the way. “It’ll be alright, man.”

  “I know.” We didn’t hug very often, so I knew he was really concerned about me. He pulled away. “You must really love this girl if you’re still willing to try.”

  “You have no idea how much I love her,” I said simply.

  “What can we do to help?” Scarlet asked.

  “Don’t pity me. Treat me like you normally would. When you look at me like I’m depressed, I feel depressed.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  “I’m fine, you guys,” I said. “Really. This isn’t like last time.”

  “Okay,” Ryan said. “You got it. We’ll treat you like normal.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  Silence fell on the group. Everyone still stared at me.

  “Where’s Mike?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  “He and Cassandra will be here soon,” Scarlet said.

  “Cassandra?” I asked. “They got back together?”

  “You would have known if you didn’t ignore me,” Ryan snapped.

  “When?” I asked.

  “About a week ago,” Scarlet said. “We aren’t sure how it happened.”

  “Well, good for him,” I said. “I knew he bummed hard over that break up.”

  “We’re all happy for him,” Scarlet said.

  The door opened and Mike walked inside, Cassandra behind him. His arm immediately hooked around her waist. She wore jeans and a loose collared shirt.

  “We’re here,” Mike said. “Now we can party.”

  I clapped him on the shoulder. “I just heard the news.”

  “What?” His eyes were wide. “What news?” He squeezed her tighter.

  “That you got back together,” I said.

  “Oh.” He took a deep breath. “Yeah, it’s been great.”

  Judging by his lack of questions, I assumed he didn’t know what happened with Monique and I. I decided not to bring it up. It was in the past anyway. “I’m happy for you guys.”

  “Thanks.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “I told her if she didn’t come back to me, I’d kill her.” He shrugged. “And it worked.”

  Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Isn’t he romantic?”

  I laughed then moved into the living room. Every one sat down. Hazel sat beside me like she usually did.

  “Where’s Flynn?” Ryan asked.

  “He’s at home,” Hazel said. “I was just hanging out with Cortland.”

  “You should have brought him. I like that guy,” Ryan said.

  “I have competition,” I teased.

  “You wouldn’t if you picked up your phone,” he snapped.

  I sighed. “I’m not going to hear the end of this, am I?”

  “Nope.”

  We talked about work and Sean and Scarlet’s attempt to make a baby.

  “I’ve had sex with her at least a hundred times and I still can’t knock her up.” Sean drank from his beer. “It’s like she’s a cum dumpster.”

  She hit his shoulder. “Sean!”

  Ryan cringed. “Dude, that’s so gross.”

  “Speaking of cum dumpsters…” Mike rubbed his nose against Cassandra’s then turned back to us. “I have some news.”

  We all waited for him to speak, on the edge of our seats.

  “Cassandra and I are having a baby.” The joy in Mike’s voice was unmistakable. His smile was wide and his eyes were bright with emotion. He squeezed her hand and gave her a serious look.

  Everyone was shocked.

  “What?” Scarlet said. “When?”

  “That night we hooked up,” Mike explained. “Who knew that was why we would get back together. That’s when she knew she couldn’t live without me, and when she told me she was pregnant, I forgot about everything and took her back without further thought.”

  Scarlet stood up and covered her face. “You’re really pregnant?”

  “Yep,” Cassandra said. “Hence, all the baggy clothes.”

  “Oh my god,” Janice said. “That’s so wonderful.”

  Scarlet’s eyes watered with tears. “That so….just…wow.”

  Sean looked at his brother fondly. A smile was on his lips. He stood up then approached his brother. “You knocked her up?”

  “Fuck yeah,” Mike said proudly. He stood up, pride in his stance.

  Sean pulled him in for a hug. “Congratulations, man.”

  “Thanks.” Mike held him for a second. “I’m really excited.”

  “I’m going to be an aunt!” Scarlet was hopping up and down, too excited to stand still.

  When Mike and Sean broke apart, I hugged Mike. “Congrats.”

  “Thanks.” Mike shook hands with Ryan. “I’m gonna be a dad.”

  “You better not have their birthday party at the strip club,” I teased.

  “That’s an idea,” he said with a smile. “I’ll teach my son to be a man before he’s a toddler.”

  Cassandra glared at him.

  “I mean, I would never do that,” Mike said quickly. He put his hand on her stomach, showing the slight bulge through the shirt. “Dude, this is like the hottest thing in the world.”

  “I know exactly what you mean,” Sean said as he grabbed Scarlet’s hand.

  I felt bad that Scarlet and Sean didn’t have their baby, but they didn’t seem to be jealous or upset. They were genuinely happy for Mike and Ca
ssandra.

  “Does Dad know?” Sean asked.

  “He was the first person I told,” Mike said.

  Sean nodded. “Good. I’m sure he was thrilled.”

  “He’s very excited to be a grandpa,” Mike said. “He’ll be at the strip club for the birthday party.”

  Cassandra hit him on the shoulder. “If you keep saying that, I’m not going to think you’re joking.”

  “Who said anything about joking?” he said.

  She hit his shoulder again. “I can raise this baby on my own…”

  “I don’t think so. The two of you are mine. I’ll hold you down if I have to.”

  “That’s disturbing…” Sean said.

  Mike glared at him. “My baby likes it when I hold her down. And I can actually get her pregnant.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Sean said.

  Everyone was excited about the baby on the way. Even though I still felt the stress weigh on my heart, I felt happy because of the news. Despite the hard times we faced, we always got through it. As long as we had each other, everything would be okay.

  11

  Scarlet

  Everyone left around midnight. We said our goodbyes and walked them out the door. I took Cortland aside before he got into his car.

  “I remember what you said,” I said quickly before he could interrupt me. “But I’m here for you if you need me.”

  “I know,” he said. “I’ve always known that.”

  I hugged him tightly before I finally let him go. He was a wonderful man and an exceptional person. I just wanted him to be happy.

  “We’re heading out,” Mike said. “My baby is getting tired. And she gets grouchy when she’s tired.”

  “No, I get grouchy when I don’t get sex because you’re too tired,” Cassandra snapped.

  “I’m never too tired.” He gave her a dark look then eyed her stomach. “I’ll prove it right now in the car.”

  “Anyway…” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “We wanted to talk to you after everyone left.”

  “What’s up?” Mike asked.

  I let Sean take the lead.

  “It’s a long story,” he said. “But I’ll start at the beginning.”

  “Okay…” Mike gave him a hard look.

  “Mom told me she went to the doctor and found out she had a mass in her brain. It wasn’t cancerous, but it was affecting her mood swings. After she took medication, she returned to normal. That’s why she’s been normal lately.”

  Mike stilled at Sean’s words. Concern covered his face. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine,” Sean said. “And she’s going to be fine.”

  “Are they going to operate?” he asked. “How is she taking care of this?”

  “I don’t know any of that,” Sean said quickly. “But I know she’ll be fine. The doctors don’t seem concerned about it.”

  Mike gripped his skull. Cassandra comforted him by holding him around the waist. He towered over her so he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He took a deep breath. “So, that whole time she was acting crazy, she was sick…?”

  Sean nodded. “Yeah.”

  “And we were both assholes to her.” He stared at the ground when he spoke.

  “Yeah.”

  “Does Dad know?”

  “She didn’t want him to know, but when I saw him on a date with some whore, I intervened and told him the truth.”

  “When he was on a date?” Mike asked. “You saw him?”

  “You knew about it?” Sean asked.

  Mike glanced down at Cassandra, who’s face was pressed to his chest. He shook his head slightly, asking Sean to drop the subject. I had no idea why and I knew Sean didn’t either.

  “Anyway,” Sean said. “Mom didn’t want him to know because she wanted to win him back on her own, but I blabbed his secret. He had a break down and I took him to Mom. That was three days ago. I haven’t seen him or spoken to him since.”

  Mike processed everything for a long time. “So, they do love each other.”

  “A lot,” I said. “Their reunion was very touching.”

  He held Cassandra to his chest, his chin rested on her head. “I’m glad.”

  “I can tell Dad is happy,” Sean said. “And I am too. They’re going to get remarried.”

  “Then that’s great,” Mike said. “But now I feel like a piece of shit son for turning my back on Mom. If I’d known—”

  “No one knew,” Sean said. “It’s not our fault. We can’t blame ourselves. Everything worked out so it doesn’t matter.”

  “Yeah…” He kissed Cassandra’s forehead and turned his face into her head. “I guess I really was stupid for giving up.”

  I knew that was directed toward Cassandra, so I didn’t speak. Neither did Sean.

  “I pushed you away for no reason,” he whispered to her.

  “Forget about it,” she said. She moved her mouth to his chin and kissed him.

  I remembered what Sean said about seeing the men’s clothing and accessories at her apartment. It made me wonder if the baby was really Mike’s. He didn’t strike me as the kind of guy to ask for proof.

  When Sean looked at me, I knew he thought the same thing. “Can we talk to you for a second—in private?” Sean asked.

  “There’s nothing I keep from Cassandra,” he said quietly.

  “It’s personal,” Sean said.

  “It’s okay.” Cassandra kissed him. “I’ll wait in the car.”

  “Okay.” He reluctantly released her.

  When she shut the door and pulled out her phone, Mike turned back to Sean. “You better have a good reason separating me from her. I’ve been apart from her for a long time. I’m not wasting anymore time.”

  Sean sighed. “I didn’t want to say this in front of her just in case I offended her.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “I’m really happy about the baby. It’s great, really,” Sean said.

  “Okay.” Mike stared him down, waiting for him to get to his point.

  “I visited Cassandra when you guys were broken up…”

  “And?”

  “I saw men’s clothing, shoes, and a wallet sitting on the table. It’s none of my business what she did when you were broken up, but are you sure the baby is yours?”

  Mike’s face turned red in anger. “She wasn’t with anyone when we were apart. I don’t need a test.”

  I knew Sean had to tread this carefully.

  “I know what I saw,” Sean said firmly. “She wouldn’t let me into the apartment and she looked flustered. They were definitely men’s items on the table. When I yelled at her for sleeping with someone else, she started crying and said she didn’t, but I can tell she was lying.”

  “You can tell she was lying?” Mike asked incredulously. “You don’t know Cassandra like I do. She’s not a liar. If she slept with someone, she would have told me.”

  “I’m just saying maybe you should get a test,” Sean said. “Just in case. It doesn’t do any harm.”

  “Any harm?” Mike asked. “I trust Cassandra and I’m not going to break that trust. I know she wouldn’t lie to me.”

  Sean sighed. “I just wanted to let you know, okay? Don’t get mad. I really am happy for you. Everything you’ve ever wanted is coming together. I want you to be happy.”

  Mike calmed down slightly. “Okay.”

  We stood there awkwardly in front of each other.

  “About Dad,” Mike said. “The reason he was on that date was because of me.”

  “What?” Sean said.

  “I tried buying a house for Cassandra, but the buyer wouldn’t take my offer, even when it was over the listing price. The only way I could get it is if Dad went on a date with her. He did it as a favor to me and Cassandra. That was why he was with her.”

  Sean covered his face and sighed. “God, I’m such an ass.”

  “What?” Mike asked. “What did you do?”

  “I said and did a lot of mean thi
ngs to him,” Sean said. “I owe him an apology.”

  “You actually thought Dad was on a real date?” Mike asked incredulously. “Dad would never do that. He even said so.”

  “Which is why I feel like a piece of shit,” Sean said quickly.

  “Well, if he’s shacking up with Mom, I doubt he even remembers what you said.” He cringed at his words. “Gross. I hope I don’t have another sibling because of this.”

  “Eww,” Sean said. “Don’t talk like that. I’m going to hurl.”

  I smiled while I listened to both of them.

  Mike glanced at the car and saw Cassandra sitting inside. “I should go. She really does get cranky when she’s tired.”

  “Okay.” I hugged him. “Good night. And congratulations.”

  “Thank you.” He pulled away and gave me a firm look. “It’ll happen for you guys. Don’t worry.”

  I gave him a soft smile. “I know…”

  Mike kissed my forehead then embraced his brother. “Night.”

  “Night,” Sean said back.

  Mike got into the car then left the driveway.

  “You think she was lying?” Sean asked.

  “I don’t know…”

  “I hope Mike asks her about it.”

  “Do you think she really had a guy over there?”

  He sighed. “I know what I saw. I just hope I’m wrong.”

  12

  Mike

  When we got home, Cassandra washed off her make up then pulled my shirt on. She didn’t wear any bottoms, just her panties. I liked seeing her like this. She didn’t need to wear make up and I wasn’t sure why she did most of the time. She was perfect without it.

  “I’m glad we told them,” she said when she lay in bed.

  I undressed then tossed my clothes in the hamper. “Me too. They all seemed really excited.”

  “Not as excited as I am.” She sat up and watched me strip.

  When I was down to my briefs, she blatantly stared at my crotch. “You’re so hot.”

  I smirked then looked away, trying not to let her see the blush in my cheeks. I knew I was a good-looking guy but I wasn’t on the same level as Cassandra. She was a natural beauty, someone who didn’t need to dress up to look perfect. Her eyes emitted so much life that eye shadow and eyeliner didn’t make a difference. Her lips were full and soft, attracting everyone in the room, gay or straight. When she didn’t notice my stares, the muscles of her mouth relaxed, and her eyes became empty, making her look like a wise goddess. I noticed new details every day, but that was because I was always looking.