by Skyla Madi
Twenty minutes later, my mom took a seat next to me. She placed her hand on mine as she relaxed.
“Stephen will be staying with you this weekend. I’ve already talked to Emma’s friend’s mom, and everything has been arranged. She will pick Emma up from school. I’ve packed a bag of clothes for her, so if they get here, you can just give it to her.”
Silence settled between us. For a few minutes, we were both focused on the television.
“Patrick said he’ll stop by to make sure everything is fine.”
“He doesn’t have to,” I said softly.
“It’s just to ease my mind, honey.” She smiled. “There’s some money in the cookie jar for some pizza or something when you don’t feel like cooking. We trust you to look after Sam and to behave yourself. You’re not a little girl anymore, Alia. If you do have sex, just make sure you use condoms.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. I felt embarrassed about the topic of conversation, but also a little guilty. If only she knew that it was too late. An hour later, I stood outside watching as Michael loaded the bags in the car. I hugged my mom tightly as she said goodbye. With a kiss on my cheek, she walked toward the car. I watched silently as they drove away. I was feeling uncomfortable, and it had nothing to do with Stephen. Maybe it was the fact that I had his baby growing in my womb or the fact that we would be home only with my baby sister. Stephen silently led the way back into the house. When the door closed behind me, he was there. He gently pushed me back against the door with his body. Stephen smiled down at me.
“Well, hello there. Haven’t seen you for a while,” he muttered.
His smile was infectious. I couldn’t help but smile back at him. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I pressed my face against his chest.
“I didn’t think he would let you stay here with me.”
“He may be hard on you, but he does care,” he muttered against my hair. I glanced up at him in question. “Most of the guys are out in the field or in undercover. The only ones that could have stayed here with you aren’t fit for it.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“They got caught staring at half-naked photos of you, Alia. How do you think they would react staying with you?” I winced. I’d forgotten about the photos posted on Facebook a few months ago. Lately, I’d been forgetting a lot of things.
“Michael said I’ll be staying in your brother’s room.” He kissed my nose. “But I was hoping we could change that arrangement.” I giggled as he wiggled his eyebrows at me. This was a different side of him that I absolutely loved to see.
“I’m sure it could be arranged.”
He chuckled then leaned down to capture my lips. I moaned. My body instantly reacted to him. I clung to him as he gripped my thighs and hoisted me up against him. With my legs wrapped around his hips, he started walking towards my bedroom. My back hit the mattress, and that’s when sanity returned. I broke the kiss. His lips started trailing down my neck. It got harder and harder to think as he nibbled my skin.
A cry suddenly echoed around the silent house. I’d never been so grateful to hear Sam crying. I pushed at his chest until he rolled off me. Without a backward glance, I walked out of the room. I had to stay clear of him. I couldn’t allow him to seduce me. If we ended up having sex, he would definitely notice the changes in my body.
Chapter Thirty
I snuggled deeper under the covers as I turned onto my side. The weather was already starting to change. I could feel the cool air in the mornings and in the evenings. One of these days, it was going to be winter. I was about to fall asleep again when lips brushed against my forehead. My brow furrowed as they continued lower until they reach my lips. My eyes snapped open. Stephen’s face was hovering a few inches from mine.
“Morning, sleeping beauty,” he said softly. “Patrick is here to check up on things.”
“Damn.”
He chuckled as he straightened. Giving me a wink, he placed a cup of coffee on the nightstand. Then without a word, he walked out of my room. I stayed in bed for a few more minutes until I remembered Sam. The clock stated that it was already past eight, and Sam never slept past eight. Throwing on some clothes, I almost ran down the hall. Her room was empty. With a beating heart, I raced down the hall. My steps faltered when I reached the kitchen. The scene that greeted me was unusual—something I never thought I’d ever see. Stephen sat at the table with Sam on his lap. He was feeding her some of her porridge. I had to clutch the wall when my body swayed. He said something to her that made her smile up at him. Tears filled my eyes. He would make such a good father.
“You okay?”
My eyes snapped to Patrick. I nodded as I blinked away the tears. I even managed a smile as I walked further into the kitchen. The smell of eggs made me scrunch my nose up. It’s the one smell that I couldn’t take. It made me want to puke my guts out.
“Sam has been up since six,” Stephen said softly. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
I clutched the back of the chair in a death grip. My head was spinning.
“You should have,” I forced past my dry lips.
Stephen looked up at me. “You went to bed after midnight. You deserve to sleep in. Are you okay?”
I nodded. My breathing sped up as the temperature started to rise. Stephen was saying something, but it felt like I was underwater. The room was tilting dangerously. I clutched the chair tighter, but it didn’t help.
“Breathe, baby.”
I sucked in air. It still felt like I was going to be sick, but the room had stopped spinning. When the dizziness and the panic faded, I realized I was sitting on the chair with my head between my legs. Fingers were massaging the sides of my neck.
“I’m okay,” I whispered.
The hand at the back of my neck moved to cup my cheek. I slowly looked up. Stephen was kneeling on the floor in front of me. His eyes caught mine briefly before trailing over my face.
“Alia.”
“I’m okay.” I covered his hand with mine. “I’m okay.”
“You just fainted,” Patrick stated.
He was standing close to us with Sam in his arms. His brows were furrowed and his eyes filled with concern. My eyes dropped to Sam and then back to Stephen.
“I didn’t see her in her room, and I just panicked,” I lied.
I couldn’t look at either of them.
“Get her something to eat.”
With pursed lips, Stephen got up and walked over to the stove. I leaned back in the chair. Letting out a breath, I glanced around. Patrick caught my eyes. The longer he stared, the more uncomfortable I got. He was still frowning at me, but something in his eyes told me that he knew it was a lie.
“Here,” Stephen muttered as he placed a plate in front of me. “Coffee or tea?”
“Tea, please.” I risked a glance down at the plate.
A relieved breath parted my lips when I found no eggs on the plate. There was only some bacon and two slices of toast.
“She didn’t eat much last night.” I glanced up to find Stephen watching Patrick. “She was so focused on studying that I had to force her to eat and then get some sleep.”
I nodded at him as I forced a smile onto my lips.
“That doesn’t mean you need to neglect your health. Getting A’s isn’t all that matters, Alia.”
“It does to me!”
“Why?” he questioned.
“It just is for me,” I muttered.
My eyes dropped to my plate as I started eating. He didn’t need an explanation. Neither of them did. I was doing this for me. The silence felt uncomfortable. Every time I glanced up, both of them would be watching me. I finished my plate in record time.
“Alia?” I looked at Patrick. “If something was wrong, you would tell me, right? You know I’m always here to help you, don’t you?”
I nodded. “I know. If something was wrong, then I’d tell you.”
“Good.” Patrick stood and walked over to me. He handed Sam over before kissing
my cheek. “I’ll stop by again before I head home.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Stephen said before following him out of the kitchen.
Sam’s hand had closed around the necklace on my neck. She tugged on it suddenly.
“You can’t play with that, princess,” I said as I pulled her and away. “Let’s get you cleaned and then we’ll find some of your toys.”
She gurgled then made baby noises as she stared up at me. I smiled at her. Having a baby wouldn’t be so bad. I’d love him or her no matter what. Stephen stood in the doorway. I froze as our eyes locked. He was watching me with a strange expression. Swallowing, he straightened. Stephen walked past me and started clearing the plates.
I watched him for a few more seconds before walking out of the kitchen. Giving Sam a bath wasn’t an easy task. The more I tried to wash her, the more she splashed. By the time I finally finished, the floor and my clothes were soaked. I changed her into some cute clothes before grabbing her pacifier and teddy bear. I found Stephen in the living room. He glanced up as I entered but only for a second before his eyes dropped to my chest.
“Are you trying to kill me, baby?” he groaned. “You can’t walk around with a wet t-shirt and expect me to keep my hands to myself.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. I couldn’t help it. Shaking the dirty thoughts away, I walked to the play area Mom created for Sam. I lowered her into the playpen then handed her the teddy bear. Her attention was instantly captured by her toys. I turned my head as I straightened. Stephen was staring at my ass with his phone forgotten. My lips twitched when he quickly glanced away. Giving Sam one last glance to make sure she was okay, I made my way toward him.
“Will you watch her for a few minutes? I’m just going to change and clean the bathroom.”
Panic filled his eyes. I saw it before he managed to compose himself. I frowned. “I don’t know a thing about looking after babies, Alia.”
“It’s not so hard. Just make sure she doesn’t choke or get hurt. I won’t be long.”
I walked away before he could do or say anything. Before heading to the bathroom, I grabbed the pregnancy test from my closet. I cleaned the bathroom and then took the test. My hands were shaking too badly to read the instructions on the pamphlet. A knock on the door made me jump. I winced as the test clattered to the floor.
“Alia?” The handle rattled. “Why is the door locked?”
Panic gripped me, which made it impossible to utter a word. I scooped the test from the floor and glanced around. My eyes fell on the cabinet. Without really thinking about it, I opened it and pushed the tests beneath a few towels.
“Alia? Open the door!”
“I-In a minute,” I yelled. “I’m on the toilet.”
“Kate is here.”
“O-okay. Thank you.”
I walked down the hall with my head held high. Secretly, I was hoping that I looked like my normal self and not like I was about to have a heart attack. By the look on Stephen’s face, I was doing a pretty good job.
“Where’s Kate?”
He glanced back down at his phone. “In your room.”
“Oh, cool.” I nodded. An awkward silence fell between us.
“I have to go pick up some things at the office,” he said as he stood. “I’ll be back before she leaves.”
“No problem.” Sam started crying. I walked over to her and picked her up. With her in my arms, I turned to face Stephen. “Can you pick up something to eat? Pizza or Chinese is fine. I’ll get the money.”
His hand caught my arm before I could walk away. I looked up at him in question. Without saying anything, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against him.
“I have money. Plus I think you need something other than oily food. I’m worried about you, baby.” He stroked my cheek with his finger. “You don’t look healthy.”
“I’m fine,” I smiled up at him, “and I’ll be fine as long as you don’t make me eat rabbit food.”
Stephen chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of it. It doesn’t taste bad either. You just need the right ingredients.”
“Mmm,” I hummed. Giving him a small smile, I pressed my hand against his lower stomach. “Is that what you eat to stay so fit?”
I loved how he reacted to my touch, even if it was something so simple. His hand closed over mine and then moved it lower.
“Nah, baby, it’s just some special exercises that give me this body,” he said with confidence.
I groaned, dropping my forehead against his chest. “You’re impossible.”
“Only with you, baby,” he whispered. “Will you be okay? Are you feeling okay?”
“Oh, Alia’s fine!” Kate suddenly appeared. “She’s just worried because she missed her period. That’s all.”
The little color that had filled my cheeks instantly drained from my face again. Stephen tensed against me. Why the hell did she say that? I pulled away from him to glare at Kate, but she had disappeared again. My eyes darted to Stephen. His face was emotionless.
“It’s just because of the stress,” I muttered. “My period has never really been regular.”
“I should get going,” he said softly.
I nodded, but he was already out the door. Seconds later, his car pulled out of the driveway. I listened until I was sure he had left before walking down the hall again.
“Did you do the test?”
I debated on lying to her but gave her a nod instead. If the test was positive, I would need my best friend’s support.
“Let’s see it. Where is it?”
“Under the towels.” I shifted Sam to my other arm as Kate pulled out the tests.
“Holy shit, Alia,” she exclaimed.
I felt dread fill me as I stepped toward her on shaky legs. Without saying anything else, she turned toward me. I took the tests from her and stared down at them.
Both of them were positive.
Chapter Thirty-One
I’m pregnant. I’m fucking pregnant. The words repeated over and over in my mind as I stared at the wall. Sam kicked her legs, which made my eyes snap down to her. It was already past ten, and I just managed to get her to sleep. We were lying on my bed with only the bedside lamps on. The big teddy bear was placed by the edge of the bed to keep her from rolling off. He needs to know, that voice whispered. I slowly sat up, keeping my eyes on my baby sister. She didn’t stir. Placing pillows next to her, I made my way out of the room. The house was dark, but I knew Stephen would be working in the kitchen.
He had returned earlier in a very foul mood. The fact that Kate was still here seemed to have pissed him off even more. After forcing Kate to keep everything silent, she left. I paused in the doorway when my gaze fell on him. He was sitting at the table with his head bent over a blue file. I was about to step forward when he spoke.
“I’m fucking getting tired of this, Nathan. How much longer do I need to pretend? It fucking makes me sick when she touches me.”
I grabbed the wall when my knees started to buckle. My eyes searched until I located his phone pressed to his ear.
“No,” he said angrily. “I don’t give a fuck about that either. I’m done. I don’t fucking care if she’s pregnant! I want nothing to do with that bastard.”
With tear-filled eyes, I quietly turned and made my way toward my room again. He felt repulsed by me? Did Kate tell him? Was that what they were talking about before she left? He was going to leave me. I pressed a hand against my stomach as I sat down on the bed.
“It’s just you and me, baby.”
***
The black van had been following me since I left school. Panic washed through me. It made it hard to concentrate on what I was doing. My grip on the steering wheel tightened when the light turned red. I was thinking about running the red light, but that would endanger my baby. I glanced down at my stomach as I slowed the car. I had already started to show. The fact that I was pregnant wasn’t a secret anymore. The light turned green.
/> I didn’t wait to push my foot down on the gas. I needed to keep my baby safe. My car was halfway across the stop when I heard the horn. Something slammed into the back of my car and then into the side. My body jerked forward, causing my head to slam into the steering wheel. Pain shot through me, making me moan. I reached up to touch the side of my face. When I pulled my hand away, it was covered in blood. I looked up just in time to see a familiar man walking toward me. My mouth opened, but no sound came out. Everything was spinning, and then the darkness closed in on me.
The sound of water dripping somewhere slowly pulled me from unconsciousness. I blinked, but I was still surrounded by darkness. I tried to move my hand. Panic flashed through me when I realized I was tied to a chair. Rope cut into the skin of my wrist and neck. The more I struggled, the tighter the rope around my neck became.
“I’d stop that if I were you,” a gruff voice said. “Don’t want you dead just yet.”
My body froze. Footsteps echoed around me, and then seconds later it came to a stop. Something tugged on my hair. I cried out when my head was pulled back. Pain flashed through my skull. There was suddenly bright light. My eyes were tearing up because of the pain. Someone moved the light away from me and onto something else. My breath caught in my throat.
“S-Stephen,” I whispered.
He groaned. His head dropped onto his chest and then slowly rose. Red-rimmed eyes caught mine. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. His chest was bare and covered in bruises and blood. A man stepped forward with a gun raised. I sucked in air and then screamed when he fired. Stephen’s body jerked.
“Stephen!”
***
Hands gripped my arms tightly. A voice was shouting my name, but I couldn’t think clearly. My head felt heavy with panic. The man laughed as he continued to shoot at Stephen. I struggled harder, but that only made the rope around my neck tighten.
“Fuck. Alia, open your eyes!”
The hands moved to my face, forcing me to stare at his body. It wasn’t lifeless anymore. He was staring straight at me. His lips moved. Everything started to shake, and then the room started to fade. Thunder sounded, making my body jerk. My eyes snapped open. A blurry image of Stephen hovering above me filled my vision. I couldn’t stop the sob from escaping. With shaking hands, I reached up and pulled him down. I buried my face against his neck. His skin was warm against mine. He was alive.
