Mom rolled her eyes. “Oh please, Mother, that isn't even close to the same thing. Terry and I were grown with children of our own already!”
“Even still, they're not blood related. It may be frowned upon, but it's not that big of a deal, Evelyn.”
Mom growled and turned back to me. “Come, Bella. You don't have to make a decision today, but at least let us go talk to a counselor about this. I'll help you through the entire process.”
Abortion. The thought sizzled inside my brain like bacon in a frying pan. It was something I'd tried not to think about, but it had loomed in the back of my mind like the boogie man.
Now the boogie man had been let out.
Before I could reply, Stefan stepped in front of me. “Bella isn't going anywhere,” he announced flatly. There was none of the insolence, none of the smart mouth that had been in his voice only minutes before. Instead, there was just a rock-solid determination, an unwavering belief in what he was saying, in us and in our baby. In that instant, I watched as Stefan truly became a man. “And you can quit trying to convince her that she should terminate the pregnancy. We're having the baby, and that's final.”
“Listen to what you're saying, son,” Terry advised. “You want to have a baby with Bella, Stefan? With Bella. Your stepsister.”
Stefan nodded. “I do. And?”
Terry hissed with exasperation. “And what do you expect will happen when you have the baby and people find out that you are the father, huh? Do you know what kind of shame that will bring down upon our family? Or the damage it will do my reputation?”
Stefan shrugged to say it didn’t matter. “Who cares? It's no one's business but ours,” he said quickly when Terry's face grew red with rage. “Bring on the world. I’ll tell it the same thing. I love Bella, and I’m glad she’s having my baby.”
Before Terry could explode, my grandmother saved us all again. “I know how we can keep things safe and secure—for now, at least,” she suggested, surprising everyone in the room. “Make sure that Bella’s baby is born healthy and in a good home, and that you’ll both have futures.”
Though my parents looked appalled, Stefan looked intrigued and gave Emma a slight nod. “Go on.”
“Let Bella come back with me to the Livingston manor. She can stay there in complete privacy. Meanwhile, you can return to school and resume your sports career, satisfying your father in the process.” My grandma gave me a warm smile. “You would so enjoy the estate now. Your grandfather has done several renovations since you last visited.”
Memories of playing with Stefan on the estate grounds with green grass that spanned several acres flashed through my mind, and warmth spread throughout my chest.
At Emma's suggestion, a thoughtful expression showed on at least Terry's face, but Stefan was immediately shaking his head. “Thanks, Grandma Em, but I can't do that. Bella will be staying with me. I'm not going to leave her on her own.”
For the first time since I could remember, my mother seemed to grow angry with Stefan. “You promised me, Stefan,” she growled, her voice choking with emotion. “You promised me that you would take care of Bella . . . and I trusted you. I believed in you. I thought you really cared about Bella’s best interests. Now this?”
Stefan looked ashamed, but still, he was man enough, proud enough to stand up for what he did. “I know, and I’m sorry, Evelyn—”
My mother raised a sharp finger to cut off his reply. “You're not fit to speak for Bella. She doesn’t need you controlling her every move at a time like this. What she needs is someone to talk sense into her about the huge mistake she is about to make with her life.” My mother turned to me. “Bella, sweetheart, honey, please listen to me. I don't know if Stefan is controlling you, or what is really going on here, but I need you to understand that once you go through with this decision to have the baby, there is no turning back. Please let me take you where we can discuss all the options available to you.”
You don't care about my options, I wanted to scream at my mother. You just want me to kill the baby.
A black cloud seemed to press down on my chest and it became hard to breathe.
Surprisingly, Emma spoke up on the side of my mother. “Stefan, you must let Bella decide. You're not helping the situation by making life-altering decisions for her. If you really love her as you say, you'll let her have some freedom.”
Stefan stared at Emma for a long time before nodding in acceptance and stepped away from me. “You’re right. This is Bella’s decision here. I'll let Bella decide what she wants to do if that will make you all shut up. Bella?”