by Sian Ceinwen
“They weren’t allowed to say in the interview because the case is ongoing,” Sebastian began, “But as soon as this group of people found out we were coming to their hotel, they planned to drug us. They went through our rooms as soon as we were at the event to see if they could find anything worth selling. They chose ecstasy in the hopes of getting some kind of scandal out of us.
“Harrison got unlucky. Heather got the offer to do Saturday Night Live, so she didn’t go, and Maddie took her place. If Heather had been there, he would’ve just slept with her like Gabriel did with Ariana. No scandal. I guess it might have then been a ‘Sebastian Fox’s wild night’ kind of story instead. For so long, I wished it had been. It almost broke Harrison and Heather.
“The thing that still pisses me off is they sold those fucking photos for a small fortune. Even if they go to jail for this, they still get that money. It was all transferred offshore as soon as they got it. The future royalties for the photo have been seized, but the biggest sums came in the immediate days after it was leaked.”
There was silence in the car as Sebastian finished telling her this. Lita was in complete shock; the truth was so much worse than she ever could have imagined.
“They didn’t care who they sold the story about,” she said, as the horrifying truth hit her. “They just drugged you all in the hopes they would get something.”
“Exactly. So, you can see how fans who support us and care about us, speculating about what’s going on is so unbelievably far from the worst thing we’ve been through, princess.”
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked him.
“Because you need to know Lolita. I’m sorry I’ve dragged you into my world, but we’re having a baby together. You need to know the darkest parts of my life, or you won’t know how careful to be.” He grimaced.
Lita thought about what he had said. “Well, if you were trying to distract me from being nervous about meeting your family, mission accomplished. Now, I’m just nervous about life in general. Kind of puts meeting your family into perspective, at least!”
“I can promise you my mother will never put GHB in your food if that helps?”
“Brilliant. Now, can your mother cook all of my meals until the end of my days?” Lita laughed.
“We can ask her if you want,” he grinned.
“Who else am I meeting today?” she asked.
“Just Mom and Dad; Bianca and Nathan are their names. Wait, did you know that already?” Lita blushed, and Sebastian laughed. “I really did knock up a groupie, didn’t I?”
“I don’t like to think of myself as a groupie, just…a big fan. I kind of just remember facts and stuff I’ve read, and I also read a lot about you guys. That’s why I was so shocked I’d never read about your Italian heritage.” She shook her head, still amazed.
“Just wait until Mom meets you; she’s going to die. I’ve never brought a woman home before, and now she gets to meet an Italian princess who is having my baby. You’re probably her dream come true,” he laughed.
“Are we far away?” she asked him, her nerves returning despite his reassurances.
“About five minutes.”
He smiled and squeezed her hand with his. It wasn’t long at all before they were driving through a suburb of Chicago with lots of fancy houses, then pulling up to an imposing-looking two-story house which stood behind some gates that opened when Sebastian pressed a button on a remote he had in his center console.
He parked the car and came around to her side as she was closing the door behind her. Sebastian locked the car, then took her hand in his and walked with her up the path to the front door. Not long after he rang the bell, it opened to reveal a beautiful Italian woman standing just inside the entryway. She was tall, with long black hair which had streaks of gray in it.
“Bello! How are––” Her smile was friendly as she greeted Sebastian before she saw Lita and stopped in her tracks. “Who is this?”
“Hello, Mamma.” He let go of Lita’s hand and stepped forward to give her a hug. Then, when it ended, he said, “This is Lolita Ciccone. I’ve brought her to meet you and Dad.”
Lita noticed he’d used her full name, probably to reinforce her Italian heritage, as Sebastian took her hand in his again. His mother smiled at her and stepped aside to let them in the house. She directed them into a sitting room, then left to get his father to come to meet her.
“You didn’t tell them you were bringing me?” she hissed at him as they sat on a sofa together, holding hands. She felt like a naughty teenager.
“I didn’t know the best way to tell them.” He grinned sheepishly.
“Well, springing it on them probably isn’t the best way,” she said sternly.
“What have you told your family about me, princess?” he asked her.
She thought about the half-truth she’d told her own family, just that she had a man she wanted them to meet, and looked abashed as she admitted, “Okay, probably not enough either. How the fuck do you prepare your parents for this shit anyway?”
“You hope to god they get excited about becoming grandparents?” he laughed.
“Grandparents, Sebastian?” a confused voice asked from the doorway, and they both looked up in horror as a man Lita presumed to be Nathan Fox walked into the room, followed by Sebastian’s mother. His father was tall as well, with blonde hair and ice-blue eyes, which were eerily similar to Sebastian’s.
“Hi, Dad.” Sebastian cringed. “Okay, that wasn’t exactly how I wanted to tell you guys, but yes, Lita is pregnant.”
There was complete silence, and Lita really hoped a convenient sinkhole would appear in the ground beneath her and swallow her up. His parents took seats in armchairs facing their sofa, and Sebastian squeezed her hand again.
“How did you meet?” Bianca asked them.
Fuck, Lita did not want to answer this, but she figured now was as good a time as any to speak up. “I won a competition to meet Cruise Control.”
“I see.” Her voice was cool. “So, you’re a fan?”
Lita frowned. “Yes, I am. Not that it has any bearing on this situation.”
“No?” Bianca Fox raised an eyebrow at Lita.
“No. I mean, fan or not, it doesn’t change the fact I’m pregnant,” Lita shrugged.
“How long have you been dating my son? You’ll have to excuse our shock, but we were unaware of your existence until a few minutes ago,” Nathan said.
“We’re not dating,” Lita replied, then looked at Sebastian, wondering when he was going to join this conversation and help her out.
“She’s right.” Sebastian smiled at them. “Look, we’re making the best out of a bad situation. Our contraception failed, now there’s a baby on the way. Can’t you be happy for us?”
“Sebastian,” Nathan frowned, “You come here with this girl we’ve never met, tell us she’s pregnant, and then want us to be happy for you. This is a bit much, even for you.”
He turned and walked out of the room without saying anything else.
“Well, that went well, don’t you think?” Sebastian announced sarcastically.
“No, I don’t think that went well, Sebastian Fox.” Lita pulled her hand out of his and turned her head to glare at him. “It’s incredibly unfair of you to bring me here from Seattle under the pretense of meeting your parents and telling them our news—which, I might add, is stressful enough—but to ambush them with me when I get here is completely and utterly unfair to both them and to me.
“You owe all of us an apology. I’ll admit, I haven’t told my parents who exactly I’m bringing to meet them or why, but shit, at least I told them I’m bringing someone. As far as I can tell, your parents didn’t even know you were coming to see them today, let alone me.”
“I’m sorry, Lita, I should’ve thought this through better. I didn’t know how to tell them, and I thought it would be easier if you were here with me.”
“I get you were scared; that’s fine, Seb. Just fucking tell me, so
I know what I’m walking into.” Lita sighed, and they fell silent.
“You live in Seattle?” Bianca asked.
Lita had been so focused on telling Sebastian off that she’d forgotten Bianca was still in the room with them.
“Yes, I do,” she told her.
“How far along are you?”
“I’m thirteen weeks tomorrow,” Lita replied.
“And your family have no idea yet that you’re pregnant by my son?” Bianca asked.
“No clue,” Lita cringed. “He’s coming to Seattle next weekend to tell them with me.”
Bianca smiled and directed her next words at Sebastian: “Have fun with that, bello.” She looked back at Lita. “Lolita, is it?”
“Yes, but I go by Lita,” she smiled.
“Sebastian, you should go talk to your father. I’ll get to know Lita better.”
Lita was horrified when Sebastian casually leaned over and kissed her on the lips before leaving the room. Once he was gone, she had no idea what to say to the woman sitting across from her.
“Sebastian seems very taken with you.” Bianca broke the silence with her words.
Lita laughed. “Not really. We’re not together, Mrs. Fox; what happened was an accident after what was honestly intended to be a one-night stand. It took some time for us to decide about the baby, but now we’re just committed to co-parenting successfully in this completely bizarre situation we’ve found ourselves in.”
“I see. You won a competition to meet my son. Did you always intend to sleep with him?” she asked.
Lita smiled. “No, Mrs. Fox. I did not, in any way, set my sights on Sebastian. I had precisely zero interest in him before I met him. I certainly didn’t intend to somehow ‘trap’ one of Cruise Control into a pregnancy. In fact, it wasn’t even my condom that broke if you want to get down to brass tacks.”
“Are you always this honest, Lita?” Bianca asked her.
“I see no reason to obfuscate or lie about things. A lot of miscommunications in life could be resolved if people were simply more direct in their communication,” Lita shrugged.
“Well, allow me to be similarly honest,” Bianca said. “I’ve watched my son for years. He has seemed unbearably unhappy. His lifestyle is hard to watch. His closest friends have all found fulfilling relationships while he jumps from one bed to another.
“I have wondered many times if I spoiled him too much when he was growing up. We tried to give him a sibling, but couldn’t. He has many cousins, on my side, at least,” she laughed. “But it doesn’t substitute for siblings. I love my son, and I want him to be happy. Watching him for five minutes with you, it gave me hope, Lita. Whether this was intended or not, I believe having a baby will be good for him.”
Lita considered what Bianca was telling her, and she saw no point in sugar-coating the truth for her.
Bianca looked horrified. “He’s not!”
“Yes, he is. I’m fine with it. As I said, we’re not together. I’m also free to get into a relationship with another man if I so wish. I’m not beholden to him any more than he’s beholden to me,” Lita said matter-of-factly.
“But you’re having his baby,” she said.
“Yes,” Lita said. “I think he’s actually going to be an amazing father. He certainly seems to care about the pregnancy a lot. I won’t lie; I had a terrible opinion of your son before I met him. I’d spent years reading stories about him, most of which were definitely close to the truth about the way he treats women. I did not wish to be one of those women.
“I also didn’t expect him to be smart, funny, and Italian, of all things, when I met him.” Lita believed in honesty, but she decided not to add in that he was sexy as fuck. “He has consistently exceeded my expectations of him. He knows I will not stand to be treated the way he has treated women in the past. I think I have made that clear to him, and a couple of times, I’ve had to tell him to pull his head in.
“Sleeping with other women, though? That’s not disrespecting me unless he’s doing it when I’m in town. If we were in a relationship, sure, I would have a problem with it. In fact, my last relationship ended because my ex cheated on me—I can’t stand it. Nothing we do can change what happened that night; we’re having a baby together. We’re just trying to make the best of the situation we’ve found ourselves in.”
Shortly after that, Sebastian and Nathan came back to the sitting room. Sebastian joined Lita on the sofa again. They talked for around half an hour before Bianca offered to make them lunch. By the time they left for Galena an hour after that, it was a lot less frosty; they were laughing and talking about Tomato Sauce Day, and Bianca invited Lita to come around to visit any time she was in Chicago.
“What did you think of my parents, princess?” Sebastian asked her as he steered the car away from their house.
“They’re very nice. I’m glad that’s done, though; I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous in my life,” she laughed.
“Lucky you, I still have a week of stress to go before I face the gallows,” Sebastian groaned.
12
LEVEL 11.6 – The Perfect Match
The baby has moved up out of your pelvis and into your abdomen, so you might finally stop having to run to the bathroom every five minutes. Enjoy this while it lasts because later in pregnancy, as your baby grows, this fun symptom will return. Most women find some relief from the nausea by this time, although around fifteen percent find it can continue anywhere up to week twenty.
It was after four in the afternoon by the time they reached a small town three hours away from Chicago, and Sebastian said, “Welcome to Galena, princess.”
“Do you come into the town often?” Lita asked him.
“Not really, I don’t really want to draw attention to myself here. It was pretty bad when Harrison and Heather got married, limo after limo driving through the town full of famous guests,” he laughed.
They drove past the town and eventually made their way to a private road before pulling up to a set of iron gates. On them, in massive, gold script, were some words in French:
Maison De L'amour Et De La Musique
Lita cast back in her brain to the French classes she’d taken in high school. “House of Love and Music?”
“Exactly.” Sebastian grinned at her as the large gates swung open, and he started to drive the car through them.
“That’s what you named your estate?” Lita asked incredulously.
“Yes, why?”
“We all thought it would be called ‘Sebastian’s Love Shack’ or something.” She poked her tongue out at him.
He threw his head back and laughed. “Brilliant. I might rename it. Especially now you’re here.”
They were driving down a tree-lined driveway, and Lita could see open fields of green grass. Eventually, they came up to a massive mansion, and Lita’s mouth dropped open. She’d seen pictures of this place in Harrison and Heather’s wedding photos, but it was so much more impressive in person.
Sebastian pulled into the garage, and as they got out of the car, Lita took a look around. It was like being in a luxury car showroom. She could see Harrison’s Tesla next to her, nearby was Gabriel’s Aston Martin, and further on from it was Hayden’s Lamborghini. There were other expensive cars here as well.
“Do I want to know how many cars you own, Sebastian?” she asked him.
“Not all of these are mine,” he laughed. “But do you want to know?”
Lita shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Probably not.”
Sebastian laughed as they took their luggage inside, and Sebastian carried both her overnight bag and his up a massive, sweeping staircase which came off the entrance hall. When they got upstairs, she followed him past many doors, to one at the end of a hall, which opened to reveal a luxurious bedroom.
Sebastian looked hurt. “Ouch, princess.”
“No, I mean, it’s like a hotel. It’s fancy as fuck,” she clarified.
Sebastian walked over to her and put hi
s arms around her waist.
“I grew up completely and utterly middle class, princess. We got money when Cards Have Been Dealt hit it big time. I didn’t spend much at first. Even Gabriel went out and bought his Aston. We went on tour, and I was still living in the same shitty apartment I’d been living in for years.
“By the time the tour was over, I was burnt out. Stuff happened. Fuck, I might as well tell you—Ariana was on tour with us, and she left the day after the Grammys. Aside from the drugging, it’s the worst thing we’ve all been through.”
“She was Ariel after all?” Lita couldn’t resist asking.
“Yes, fangirl,” Sebastian laughed. “Anyway, I came back to that shitty apartment, and I had been living in these five-star hotels for months. Everything was still so fucked; I felt bitter we’d been through all this shit. I’d worked my ass off, and I was just sitting on a pile of cash.
“So, I bought my penthouse and my Ferrari. The money kept rolling in, and we started getting followed around more. More stories. More tabloids. I decided I needed somewhere safe, so I bought this place. It has plenty of rooms so we can all be here at once. It’s also got a recording studio. You’ll see that later.”
He said it so casually, but Lita felt a thrill of excitement that she’d get to see the studio where they recorded their latest album.
Sebastian continued, “We’ve made some of my best memories in this place over the last year—Games We Play, seeing two of my best friends get married, reconciling with Ariana, it all happened here. Now you’re here, and I’m going to record our baby’s heartbeat. This place might be ridiculous to you, but it’s incredibly special and important to me.”
Lita looked into Sebastian’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Seb. I say stupid stuff all the time. I don’t ever mean to hurt you. I’m just trying to find my place in all of this. I’ve been a fan for a long time, and I don’t feel like I fit in, but I’m having your baby, so I know I do have a place here somewhere.”
