Alpha’s Baby(38)

I’d been hoping that my parents wouldn’t question my story about what had happened back at NSU. While they both seemed to eat it up, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before more questions arose.

One thing that we had going for us was the fact that they had no idea of how Bella and I felt for one another. I mean, to them, there had never been any signs of inappropriate attraction. I was too busy trying to bang any girl with two legs, and Bella was too busy being a cold-hearted bitch to me.

So, I was pretty sure that even if the rumors of Bella and me having sex ever made it back to their ears, they'd just dismiss the notion.

After a moment, Evelyn glanced at my doorway and then bit her lower lip thoughtfully, the anger dissipating from her face. “Was it really that bad?”

“It was,” I replied.

“My God.” Evelyn lowered her voice to a whisper. “Do you think your father and I should file a complaint against the school?”

“No,” I said quickly.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. “Why not? If those boys you were talking about caused Bella this much distress, they deserve to be punished.”

I shook my head. “That’s not going to happen. Those guys are like the most popular dudes in the school and they have rich parents. You’d just be wasting your time filing against them.”

Evelyn scowled. “Your father has money too. He can make things happen.”

“I know, but it's probably better if we just let it all be in the past. You know the Governor won’t want to risk a scandal at a state school, and Bella wasn’t hurt. It sucks, but it’ll be fine.” God, I can bullshit when I need to.

Evelyn, for the first time, looked hurt. “But I’m her mother, Stefan. I should be the one she comes to first with these types of things.”

“I know.” I said, placing a reassuring hand on Evelyn’s shoulder. “But don’t worry. I’m sure Bella will come to you with everything that she’s going through when she’s ready. In the meantime, I’ll continue giving her the support she needs. Trust me, I won’t let any harm come to her. In fact, I kicked the living shit out of one of the dudes who was harassing her.”

Evelyn’s face lit up like a light bulb. “Did you? We aren't going to be hearing threats of a lawsuit like before, are we?”

“No, it wasn't that bad. But he got the message.”

“All right, Stefan, I hope that's the case. I really do appreciate your being there for Bella,” Evelyn said as she pulled me in for a warm embrace.

“It's no big deal,” I told Evelyn as we pulled apart. I beamed at her to make her feel even more at ease. It was hard not to gag on my next words. “As her stepbrother, it’s my duty to be there for her.”

“And that’s all I can ask of you.” Evelyn turned to leave. “I’m going to go talk to your father about Bella. Maybe he’ll know what to do.”

Shit.

The fraudulent smile on my face was frozen. “You do that.”

When Evelyn was gone, I returned to my bedroom to find Bella sitting on the bed, staring at the flash drive resting in her palm.

She looked up at me as I closed the door behind me and locked it. “How’d you get rid of her?”

“I just told her that you were going through some things and that I was providing the shoulder you needed to cry on, and that you'd come to her with your problems in due time.” I approached the bed, my eyes on Bella. “It’s not too far from the truth when you think about it.”

Bella stared at me. “And what did she say?”

I paused in the middle of the floor. “She mentioned talking to my father, but I’m not sure what else. Look, Bella. We’ve got to be strong. We can’t crack under pressure. Besides, Evelyn just asked me that as a question. I told her that you were fine, so I doubt she'll make anything of it.” When Bella refused to look my way, I sat down next to her, took two fingers, and lifted her chin toward me. “Can you be strong for me? For us?”

Bella stared at me a long time, her lips quivering, tears in her eyes. Finally, she sniffed. “I’ll try.”

I kissed her softly on the cheek, still mindful of the taste of her juices on my lips. “Good.”

Bella held out the flash drive to me. “But what are we going to do about this? And what about the threat? Who knows what they have planned for us—”

“Shh.” I took the drive from her hands and set it to the side.

“One problem at a time.” I moved my hand down to Bella’s thigh and gave it a light squeeze. “Did you come before your mom came barreling her way in here?”