by Sandi Lynn
“I like dancing with you.”
“I like dancing with you too.”
“Maybe when we go up to my suite later, we can dance naked. Would you like that?” He leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Sam and Julia shouldn’t be the only ones having fun tonight.”
“I’ve never danced naked with a man before.”
“Then I would be honored to be your first.”
“Dad, I want to dance with you.” Lily ran up to us.
“Of course, baby girl.”
After Stefan and Lily finished their dance, he walked over to where I stood and handed me a glass of champagne.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to get me drunk.”
“Not at all. I want you very alert later.” He gave me a wink.
Grabbing my phone from the table, I turned on the camera and held it up for a selfie.
“Smile,” I said.
He leaned in closer, and I snapped a picture of us. I continued to snap as we made cute faces. I smiled when I thought about Vegas and how I took a bunch of selfies of us acting goofy. When I’d gotten home from the trip, I checked the box on my checklist, and now that we’d danced together, I could check that box off as well.
Towards the end of the night, Stefan’s mother and Curtis took Lily home with them for the night. As I was standing and talking to Stefan and his brothers, his father walked up to say goodbye.
“What a beautiful wedding it was,” he spoke. “Now I just need to get the three of you married off and we can expand the Kind family.
“Sorry to crush your dreams, Dad, but you know that isn’t going to happen,” Stefan said. “The three of us aren’t Sam. We like our lives the way they are. Right, my brothers?”
“Yeah, Dad. Don’t make us laugh,” Sebastian spoke.
“Sorry, Dad. No can do on my end. I’m staying a happy bachelor for the rest of my life.” Simon placed his hand on his father’s shoulder.
“Then good luck to all three of you. Goodnight.” He walked away.
“What the hell did he mean by that?” Sebastian’s brows furrowed.
“Who knows,” Stefan said. “Are you ready to head up to the suite?” he asked me.
“I am.” I grinned.
Two Weeks Later
It was the day of my doctor’s appointment with Dr. Kota, the OB/GYN that Julia and Jenni referred me to. I needed a refill on my birth control, and I needed it today since I was supposed to start taking it today.
“Hi, Alex.” Dr. Kota smiled when he stepped inside the room. “It’s nice to meet you.” He extended his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Dr. Kota.”
“So, I see here you need a prescription for birth control pills.”
“Yes.”
“I did obtain your medical records from your doctor back in Seattle. It’s time for another yearly check. So, let’s get a urine sample first and then I’ll come back in, and we can get started.”
The nurse handed me a cup and directed me to the bathroom. When I was finished, I went back into the room and waited for Dr. Kota. About fifteen minutes later, he stepped in, rolled the stool over to me, and sat down.
“I’m afraid I can’t give you a refill on those pills,” he said.
“Why not?” I asked in confusion.
“Because you’re pregnant, Alex.”
“What?” I could feel the color drain from my face as a warmth shot through me. “How?”
His brow arched as he stared at me.
“Did you skip a pill here and there?”
My mind went back to the night Stefan rear-ended me. With everything that went on, I’d forgotten to take my pill and when I went to double up the next day, one of them fell down the drain. But I didn’t plan on having sex anytime soon and completely forgot about it the first time Stefan and I had sex.
“I missed one because it fell down the drain.”
“I’m afraid one is all it takes. I’m going to order some bloodwork. I suspect you’re probably about four to five weeks along. It’s too early for an ultrasound, so I want you to come back and see me in two weeks. In the meantime, I’m going to write you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. That’s if you’re planning on keeping the baby.”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Good.” He smiled as he patted my knee. “I’ll send the nurse in to draw some blood and I’ll be in touch when the results come back.”
After getting dressed, I scheduled a two-week appointment and walked out of his office dazed and confused. I’d been on my own since I was eighteen years old, and nothing ever scared me too much. But this, this scared the living shit out of me. How was I going to tell Stefan that I was pregnant with his baby? The man didn’t want any more children, let alone a relationship. I started to shake, and when I reached the lobby, I took a seat in one of the oversized chairs.
I sat there for over an hour and made up a hundred different scenarios in my head about how he was going to react. The one thing that concerned me the most was Lily. Stefan protected her from everything the best way he could. How would she react when she found out her father got her nanny pregnant?
“Oh my God,” I placed my face in my hands.
I had no choice. I’d talk to Stefan tonight since Lily was staying the night at her friend’s house.
Chapter 30
Stefan
It had been a shit day. Everything that could go wrong did, and I wasn’t in the mood to deal with anything else. When I pulled into the driveway, I noticed Alex’s car wasn’t there. Then I remembered she said she had a lot of errands to run since she didn’t have to pick Lily up from school.
Stepping into the house, I walked over to the bar and poured myself a scotch. When I took it into my office, I noticed a pair of Alex’s panties were lying on the floor from when we had sex in there last night. Picking them up off the floor, I took them to her bedroom and set them on her bed. That’s when I noticed a book sitting there. It had a pink cover with a white daisy etched into it. I picked it up to see what she was reading, and when I opened it to the first page, I saw a handwritten list with the title at the top that said, “My Perfect Guy.”
“What the hell?” I said as I took a seat on the edge of the bed and studied it.
Makes me laugh – check
Protective – check
Handsome – check
Dresses with style - check
Tells me I’m beautiful – check
Compliments me on other things besides looks - check
Excellent kisser – triple check
Kind – check
Sweet – check
Respectful – check
Emotionally available -
Good with kids – triple check
Apologizes after a fight – check
Text me good morning/good night – N/A since I live in his home.
Comes from a good family – check
Close with his parents and siblings – check
Likes to cuddle – check
Will notice when I’m upset – check
Takes cute pics with me – check
Good listener – check
Plays with my hair – check
Amazing in bed – quadruple check
Makes me think about him non-stop – check
Will dance with me – check
Loves me for who I am -
I honestly didn’t know what to make of it and this was the last thing I needed today.
“Stefan?”
I looked up and saw Alex staring at me from the doorway with the journal in my hand.
“What are you doing in here?”
“You left a pair of your underwear on the floor in my office. I brought them in here and saw this lying on your bed.”
“And you just took it upon yourself to read it?” She walked in and took it from my hands.
“I think we should talk, Alex.”
“Yeah. I think we should too.” She turned and walked out of the bedroom.
I got up from the bed and followed her into the kitchen where she opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water.
“You had no right to read that.”
“I know and I’m sorry. I thought it was a book. Listen, we need to discuss what’s really going on here.”
“What is really going on, Stefan?”
“I thought we were having fun, Alex. I’m sorry if you thought it could or would turn into something more, but it won’t. I can’t be your perfect man, your prince charming, or your knight in shining armor. And that list—”
“Stop!” She put her hand up. “Answer one question. Do you feel the same way about me that I feel about you?”
He ran his hand through his hair and looked away from me for a moment.
“I like you. You’re an amazing woman, a good friend, and a—”
“Sex partner?”
“Well, yes. I just thought we were friends with benefits. I never once led you on and suggested we could be something more, and if I did, I’m sorry. You’ve dreamt your whole life about finding your prince charming. You’re going to want to start a family one day, and you deserve that, Alex. But I’m not that person. I don’t want any more kids or a long-term relationship. I have Lily and she’s all I need.”
“And as long as you’re sexually satisfied, that’s good enough for you, right? You can just hop from woman to woman without even giving a thought of the emotional damage you leave behind.”
“I have never once slept with another woman since you. Never.”
“Why would you? You can have it anytime you want it. You’ve got your own little prostitute right under your roof. You pay me, and I have sex with you.”
“That’s enough!” I spoke in a stern voice. “I would never consider you like that and how dare you insinuate it. I can’t help who I am and how I am.”
“You know who you are, Stefan Kind? You’re a scared little boy hiding in a man’s body. You and your brothers hide behind your father and the things he’s done in the past. You let someone else’s behavior and actions control your life. Just like my father let alcohol control his.”
“How dare you!” I shook my finger at her. “You know what, we’re done here.”
“Damn right we are.” She stormed out of the kitchen, went up her bedroom and slammed the door.
I ran after her and opened the door.
“I don’t tolerate Lily slamming the door in my house, and I won’t put up with it from you either!” I shouted.
She dragged her suitcase out from the closet.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m leaving.”
“You’re quitting?” I narrowed my eyes at her.
“No. I would never do that to that little girl. But I am quitting you. I’m moving out. I’ll be here every morning to take Lily to school and then I’ll pick her up, bring her home and stay with her until you get home from work. And that’s it.”
“School is out next week!” I shouted.
“Then I’ll be here in the morning before you leave for work, and I’ll leave when you get home. I’ll babysit five days a week with weekends off. Every weekend,” she said as she threw her clothes into her suitcase as fast as she could.
“And what if I need a babysitter? I have things to do on the weekends.”
“You mean go out? Guess what. Newsflash. You’re a father. Stay home with your kid since you work Monday through Friday!”
She zipped up her suitcase and as she wheeled it past me, I grabbed the handle.
“Don’t do this, Alex.”
“Do you remember when you told me that I was the strongest woman you know? Well, this is me being strong. Now let go of my damn suitcase.”
She yanked it as hard as she could, grabbed her purse and flew out the door.
“Where are you going to go?” I shouted as I ran after her.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Julia
Sam and I had just pulled up in the driveway from the airport when we saw Alex coming out of Stefan’s house with her suitcase in tow.
“Uh-oh,” Sam said. “She looks pissed.”
“Shit. What is going on?” I jumped out and went over to her car. “Alex, what happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Tears streamed down her face.
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t know. I’ll find somewhere.”
“Listen to me. Go to Jenni’s apartment. I’ll text her and let her know you’re on your way, and then I’ll be over as soon as I can.”
“You just got back from your honeymoon. I’m fine, Julia.”
“No, you’re not. Go. Go to Jenni’s.”
“Don’t tell Stefan where I am.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
She peeled out of the driveway and as soon as she drove away, I walked over to Stefan and grabbed his arm.
“Ouch. What the hell, Julia?”
“Get inside now.” I pushed him inside.
“Julia, you need—”
“Sam!” I turned to him in anger.
“Okay. Okay.” He put his hands up.
“What the hell just happened and why did she leave?” I asked Stefan.
He ran his hands through his hair as he took a seat on the couch.
“It all started when I found her journal with her perfect guy qualities in it.”
“Here. You’re going to need this,” Sam said as he handed Stefan a drink.
“You read her journal?”
“It was lying on her bed, and I thought it was a book.”
“What was in it?” Sam asked.
“See for yourself. I think she left it on the kitchen counter.”
“Don’t you dare!” I pointed at Sam as I walked into the kitchen and grabbed it.
“She thinks I’m her perfect guy and I told her that I could never be that and I was sorry. So, she packed her shit and left. Fuck!”
“Did she quit?” Sam asked.
“No. She said she’ll still take care of Lily. She just won’t live here. What did she say to you?” He looked up at me.
“Nothing. She was just crying.”
“She didn’t say where she was going?”
“Nope. I told her to call me later.” I stood there and shook my head at him.
“What am I going to tell Lily?”
“Where is she?” Sam asked.
“She’s staying the night at a friend’s house. She’s going to be devastated when she comes home tomorrow.”
“I knew this was going to happen and I warned you.” Sam pointed at him.
“Yeah. Save the brotherly speech. I’m in no fucking mood to hear it.”
Chapter 31
Alex
I arrived at Jenni’s apartment and when she opened the door, she hugged me and brought me inside.
“Let me get you a glass of wine and you can tell me everything that happened.”
“No wine.”
“Sweetie, when you’re this upset wine is the only thing that helps.”
“I can’t.” I looked down. “I feel too sick to my stomach.”
“Okay. Come on. Let’s go over to the couch.”
She grabbed a couple tissues from the end table and handed them to me.
“What did the two of you fight about?”
“He found my perfect man list and blew up.”
“Your what?”
“It’s a list I created when I was a kid and tweaked as I got older. If a man checked off all the boxes, I considered him my prince charming.”
“And Stefan checked all the boxes?”
“All but two.”
“Would you mind if I copied that? I date a lot of losers and I could use something like that.”
I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “I thought you had a boyfriend.”
“Meh. I broke it off with him the other
day. It wasn’t working out.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh my God, don’t you dare be sorry. Besides, we’re talking about you. Let’s wait for Julia to get here and we’ll talk some more. Can I get you some coffee, water, lemonade?”
“Water please.”
She got up from the couch and walked over to the refrigerator.
“I will tell you this. You can stay here as long as you need to. My roommate moved out because she got back together with her loser boyfriend. So, it’s just me. But I am leaving in a couple days to go back to Europe for work, and I’ll be gone about two months. You’ll have the place to yourself.” She handed me a bottle of Fiji water. “Oh, and don’t worry about rent. It’s all paid up for the year.”
“I appreciate it, but I can’t do that. I have to pay something.”
“No, you don’t. All you have to do is buy your food.”
“He told me that he couldn’t be my prince charming and that I’ll want kids someday and he doesn’t want any more kids or a long-term relationship.”
The front door opened, and Julia walked in.
“You didn’t tell Sam I’m here, did you?”
“I did, but I swear to you he won’t say a word to Stefan. I threatened him.”
“No sex?” Jenni asked.
“Yep. Two months. I told him if he told Stefan, there would be no sex for two months or until I could trust him again. And trust me, he knows I’m serious. I talked to Stefan, and he told me what happened. I’m so sorry, Alex.” She hooked her arm around me. “I know exactly how you feel.”
“I’m so stupid, Julia. I never should have allowed myself to fall in love with him. But he made it so damn easy.”
“I know, sweetie.” She pulled me into her. “Those Kind brothers have a way of leaving a trail of broken hearts wherever they go. Stefan said you didn’t quit.”
“No. I can’t leave Lily like that. Not yet anyway. She shouldn’t have to pay because her father’s an asshole. Listen, I love you both for supporting me like this, but I just want to be alone for a while to think. Go home to your husband, Julia.” I gave her a small smile as I gently gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll be okay.”
“Yeah. Go home, sis. I’ll be here for the next day before I head to Europe. I told Alex she’s moving in, and she can stay as long as she needs to.”
