by Divine A
“It's a good name,” Natalie smiled, but she felt incredibly jealous. She wished that Brian would look at her that way.
When the baby came home from the hospital things were okay at first. Michelle was in love with the baby, but she had to go back to work. Then Natalie found that Michelle was leaving the baby with her more and more often. Michelle would get up in the morning, give Michael a bottle, and then race off to work. Over night, Brian did his best to get up with the baby. He knew that Michelle was working hard, but he was exhausted. Natalie could hear him pacing back and forth in the hallway outside her room, with little Michael whimpering and sometimes screaming.
One night, she stepped out of her room. Michael was wailing, and Brian looked as if he was going to pass out.
“Why don't you wake Michelle?” Natalie asked.
“Go back to bed,” he insisted.
“Just give him to me,” Natalie offered and took the baby right out of Brian's arms. She rocked him gently and he began to calm down.
“How did you do that?” he asked with surprise.
“In case you haven't noticed, I look a lot like my sister,” Natalie smirked and kissed the baby's forehead lightly. “Michael just wants his Mommy, that's not something you can be. But I guess, maybe we look enough alike that he is okay with me.”
“Oh thank you Natalie,” he sighed. “Do you think maybe-”
“Go ahead and sleep,” Natalie nodded. “I'll take care of Michael.”
Michael became her every day job.
Even though Brian adored Michelle he was getting frustrated with how much she was working. Natalie took advantage of that when she noticed it. She began to make little comments about how Michael never got to see his mother, and how Brian must be neglected.
One day when Brian found Natalie with the baby yet again, he blew up. “Why is work so much more important?” he bellowed.
“Uh,” Natalie was not sure how to answer him. “It's not right, you and Michael are her family, she should be home with you.”
“I mean it,” he was obviously frustrated as he began to pace back and forth across the living room. “She had the baby and she's been gone ever since, the poor kid probably thinks that you're his mother.”
Natalie watched him, his muscles flexing, his jaw clenching, she could not help but admire him. He hadn't had much to say to her since her attempt at a kiss, but sine the baby was born, if he wanted to see Michael he usually had to find Natalie first. “Here, let me take him,” Michael said. Natalie felt his fingertips graze across her arm as he took the baby. She locked eyes with him for a moment, but he acted as if nothing had happened.
“You must be lonely too,” Natalie said quietly as she watched him cradle the baby. Brian ignored her words and rocked Michael gently. “From now on, I'll take care of Michael.”
“But your book-” Natalie protested.
“Can wait,” Brian replied firmly. “You are starting college soon and you don't want your grades dropping. You can help me in the evenings and I can get some work done then.” Natalie nodded, relieved that he was at least speaking to her.
From then on in the evening she would usually take Michael so that Brian could get a few hours of work done. However, Michael still did not sleep through the night. Michelle was working late every night, so Natalie and Brian were taking turns staying up with Michael. Eventually they were both exhausted. Natalie was walking in circles in the master bedroom, where Michael's crib was. She could barely keep her eyes open. Brian stepped into the room and looked at her beautiful face so pale from sleepiness. “My turn,” he said sternly and took Michael from her.
Natalie nodded a little and then collapsed on the bed. Michael eased the comforter up over her body, trying not to notice how perfect it was. The truth was he had not stopped thinking about the kiss since it happened, and it was taking all of his willpower to restrain himself from demanding another. As hard as Natalie was trying to keep her crush under wraps, he was struggling to keep himself from making big mistake. Natalie patted the bed lightly, and tossed an inviting glance his way. Brian forced himself to look away and walked out of the room with the baby.
Michelle was on her way home when her phone began to ring. She saw it was Emily so she answered it swiftly.
“How are you?” she asked cheerfully.
“Michelle where are you?” Emily asked in return.
“Just heading home,” she said with a sigh.
“This late?” Emily asked with obvious disapproval.
“Work, work, work,” Michelle shook her head and kept her eye on the road. “So Brian is home alone with Natalie?” Emily asked in a cryptic tone. “Why do you ask?” Michelle laughed.
“Michelle, I think you need to take a closer look at your family, something isn't right with Natalie and Brian.”
“What?” Michelle laughed again. “That's crazy, she's just a kid.”
“No, Michelle, she's not,” Emily said firmly. “She's a younger, more accessible version of you. Your husband has been giving her gifts, like that car, and that dress she was wearing at your baby shower, that's not okay.”
“Emily, that's crazy,” Michelle insisted. “Natalie has been helping me out so much with the baby, and she's a good girl. So the baby shower was not so great, maybe it was too big of a task for her.”
“Michelle, I wouldn't be telling you this, if I wasn't certain. I want you to pay closer attention, or you might find yourself in a bad situation.”
Michelle still didn't believe her, but she agreed.
When she arrived home, she found Brian sitting on the couch. He had just put the baby to sleep.
“Natalie's in our bed,” he yawned.
Michelle was a little startled by that. “Uh, why?” she asked as she collapsed beside him. “She was taking care of Michael and she just fell asleep,” he said quietly. “Oh,” Michelle nodded, it made sense to her.
“Michelle I feel like I haven't seen you since the baby was born,” Brian sighed. “And,” he hesitated as he looked at her deeply in the eyes. “I think maybe Natalie has a little crush on me.”
“A crush? Of course she does, who wouldn't be madly in love with you?” she grinned and kissed him softly.
“I'm serious,” Brian said sternly. “It's making me really uncomfortable.” “Brian, she's my sister, and she's just a kid,” Michelle insisted. “Just tell her to quit.” Brian nodded, but he still felt uneasy. At least he had told Michelle what was happening, of course he had not been honest about his own feelings.
“Foot rub?” he offered and she nodded, tossing her naked feet up into his lap. As Brian watched her relax, he wished there was a way he could eliminate the desire he felt growing within him.
Michelle couldn't get Emily's words out of her mind. As much as she didn't think it could be true, she wanted to be certain.
Over the next few days Natalie always found a way to be close to Brian. He liked the fact that he had to go through her to get to Michael most of the time. It meant that she had the chance to remind him, that she was available. One evening Michelle declared that she had to run out for the night, for a late meeting. Natalie agreed to take are of Michael for her. About ten minutes after Michelle left, as she was taking care of Michael Brian walked into the living room.
“Need a break?” he offered. He didn't want her to think that she was a built in babysitter. “No, but I would love some company,” she smiled sweetly and patted the couch next to her.
Brian reluctantly sat down. Natalie's hand wandered over to his knee, and rubbed it lightly.
Brian's lips tensed into a thin line, he met her gaze for just a second and looked away. “Stop fighting it,” Natalie whispered. “I'm not going to tell anyone.”
"It isn't right Natalie," he said firmly. "You had lost your parents, you just needed someone to lean on, it was just a crush."
Natalie was so angry she thought she would explode. She was fine with him telling her that he did not feel the same way, but for him to tri
vialize her emotions in such a way was more than cruel.
"Just a crush," she repeated in a trembling voice. "Right, I'll just go get him a bottle," when she stood, he reached for her, but she pushed past Brian, making her anger clear. "Natalie, that's not what I meant," he called after her, but she ignored him. She didn't want to hear anymore of his lies about what he felt about her, and what she felt about him. It had been more than a crush for quite some time, and it didn't matter how much he tried to deny it.
When she returned with Michael's bottle, Brian was still sitting on the couch, this time with Michael in his arms. She offered him the bottle and started to turn away. Brian grabbed her wrist, running his fingertips along the tender underside of her hand. "Sit with me," he asked.
Natalie knew she shouldn't. She should just ignore him, the way he ignored her, but she couldn't bring herself to. She sat down on the couch beside him and watched as Michael fell asleep in his arms.
"I don't want you to think I'm angry at you," Brian explained quietly. "I'm not." Natalie shrugged. "It doesn't really matter, does it?" she asked and met his eyes. "It does matter," he said firmly. "I told you once how much I cared about you, and that is still true."
Natalie brushed her dark hair back over her shoulders as she looked at the sleeping baby. "Sure," she nodded dismissively. She didn't believe anything that he was saying. She had learned not to trust him, as he did not trust his own instincts.
"Natalie, don't be like that," he requested in a sterner tone.
"Like what?" Natalie replied sharply. "Like you?"
Brian leaned his head against the back of the couch and groaned.
"Shh, you'll wake him," she warned.
"You're right, I should put him in his crib," he stood up with the baby in his arms and walked toward the master bedroom. Natalie watched him go, and with every step he took, she realized that this was going to be her last chance with him. If she let him slip away now, she would never find out if their feelings were real, if they ever had a true chance.
So Natalie stood up from the couch, and followed after him.
"Put him in the bassinet," she said quietly.
The bassinet was just outside of the master bedroom, in the living room. He glanced over his shoulder to find Natalie not far behind him.
"Okay," he said quietly and laid the baby in the bassinet. When he straightened back up, Natalie was standing directly in front of him.
"Brian," she whispered as she looked up into his eyes deeply. "No don't," she demanded when he started to turn away. "I've done everything I could to respect your wishes. But now, you're going to respect mine," she said flatly.
She reached up and cupped his cheeks with her hands.
"Don't," he gasped out but did not pull away from her.
"Shh," she replied and leaned up to kiss him gently. It was more than just a brush of her lips this time. Her tongue parted his lips, and she tasted him. He held his arms slack at his sides at first, but when the kiss deepened he could no longer resist. He reached up and wrapped his arms around the middle of her back, drawing her close to him and encouraging the kiss. His body felt amazing against hers, and she was so relieved to finally get to kiss him that her entire body relaxed.
He pulled away from her and the pain in his eyes when he looked at her, displayed his anguish.
“God Natalie,” he muttered. “This isn't right.”
“What isn't right?” she asked and kissed his bottom lip softly. “The fact that you married the wrong sister, or the fact that I was born too late?”
Brian shook his head dismissively. “It's not as simple as that, Natalie, and you know it.” “No I don't,” she replied. “When I needed someone you were there, and from that day on, you have been here for me Brian. I know I'm not the only one who feels this, so if you can look at me, and flat out deny that you feel the same way about me, then I will let you walk out of this house and never say another word about it.”
Brian's eyes fell shut and she trailed her fingertips down along his chest. “Natalie,” he whispered, his voice strained.
“Tell me,” she murmured and kissed the side of his neck gingerly.
“Natalie,” he groaned, and his face contorted into a grimace.
“Just say it,” she said soothingly, “That's all you have to do.”
Suddenly Brian swept her up into his arms. He carried her over to the bed, closing the door to the master bedroom behind him. He sprawled her out across the sheets and gazed down at her.
“Br-”
“Don't,” he commanded, and crawled up on to the bed beside her. In a flurry of desire and desperation they shed each others clothes. There was no slowing their passion then, as Brian finally gave himself permission to feel what he always had for Natalie. They were in the midst of their passionate embrace, arms and legs wrapped around each other, when another key slid into the lock on the door.
Neither of them even noticed when the master bedroom door swung open. “Get out!” Michelle screamed from the doorway of the bedroom. “Get out!” she screamed again and rushed into the room, grabbing whatever she could reach to throw at Brian. Natalie rolled off the side of the bed, and ducked down, narrowly avoiding a table lamp being tossed across the room. Brian was struggling to get his pants on when he shot an apologetic look in Michelle's direction. In that moment, with the fury and hurt in Michelle's eyes, it finally hit Natalie, that no matter how she tried to ignore it, what she had done was wrong. Her sister had just caught her in her own bed with her husband. Brian managed to slip past Michelle's wild thrashings and escape out of the front door. Natalie was still huddled beside the bed.
“You ungrateful little brat,” Michelle shrieked at her. “Look at you, put your clothes on!”
]Natalie started gathering her clothes.
“I gave you everything,” Michelle growled. “I invited you into my home, and you stole my husband from me!”
Natalie was in tears by the time she had her clothes on.
“Get out,” Michelle said coldly.
The baby started to cry.
“Let me get Michael,” Natalie offered.
“No,” Michelle shook her head firmly. “He is my son, not yours, you don't get him too.” Natalie winced as she realized now Michelle felt like she was trying to take everything from her.
“I know I just-”
“Get out, now, or I will call the police and tell them you did this to my room,” she insisted. “That will look great on your college applications, won't it?”
Natalie lowered her eyes and walked toward the door. She thought about getting some things from her room, but there was nothing to get. Everything she owned was provided by Michelle. So she just walked out the front door, without looking back. She walked down to the end of the driveway and out on to the street. As she started to walk out of the neighborhood, she realized that she was right back where she had started from, after her parents had died. She had no job, no money, and no where to go. Instead of being grateful to her sister for her generosity, or to Brian for his kindness, she had decided that Brian was hers for the taking.
Inside the house, Michelle was holding Michael in her arms. As she rocked him, her own tears flowed down her cheeks. “How could you do this to me?” she demanded. “Michelle I'm sorry,” Brian gasped out as he stared at his wife holding his child, sobbing over the worst betrayal he could have ever committed. He fell to his knees in front of her, his own tears beginning to fall. “I don't know why I did this,” he cried out, his sobs wracking his chest, making his body tremble.
“I do,” Michelle said quietly as she observed his anguish. He had come to her, he had told her that he was uncomfortable, that he thought that Natalie had feelings for him. She had dismissed his feelings, and laughed them off. Her friend had warned her, and she didn't take her seriously at first either. Brian had been the one to betray her, but he had tried to prevent it, that much she knew. In her arms Michael finally calmed. He reached up to tug at his mother's hair. She knew
that her family was almost destroyed. She was not going to let that happen.
“Brian, do you want to make this work?” she asked in a shaky voice.
“Of course, yes, I'll do anything,” Brian promised as he stared up at her, tears still filling her eyes.
“Well it's going to take some time, but I do think we can fix this,” she said quietly. “I think we need to, for Michael.”
“I'll do anything,” Brian repeated, his voice a whisper as a rush of gratitude flooded through him. He realized in that moment that Michelle truly was generous, not just with her money, but with her heart. She was the epitome of forgiveness to give him another chance. They worked hard to rebuild their family, and Natalie was never heard from again.
A bit of advice, if you value your family, and your loved ones. When kindness is offered to you, never return it with an Ungrateful Act.
