My Step-Dad's Brother(47)
My explanation certainly captured his attention, and his anger too, judging by the hint of fury in his eyes. “And what exactly happens after then?”
“I refuse to be your dirty secret. My mom was married to your dad one day before they died. We weren’t raised together. Heck, we didn’t even know each other when we first met, when we created a life together.” My hand curled around my stomach protectively. “I’m not ashamed of what happened between us, of my feelings for you. For six weeks, I knew what it felt like to miss you. I like having you back in my life. More than like it, even.”
I took a step closer to him, resting my hand on his chest while I stared up into his eyes. “I’m falling for you, Lucas. So hard and fast that I’m already half-in-love with you. Maybe even all the way.”
His eyes lit with male satisfaction at my admission. “You have to know I l—“
I pressed my finger to his lips, stopping the flow of words. “Not like this.” I shook my head emphatically, tears welling in my eyes. Stupid hormones. “Not right now. I want you to take these five days and really think about what you want. It can’t be a knee-jerk reaction to the thought of losing me or the baby. And while you’re thinking, you have to know I’d never keep you from him or her. Your decision needs to be about where you see our relationship going. Just the two of us, as a couple.”
“Dammit, Jade, you’re not being fair.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmured softly. “But I don’t have time to worry about fair. I’m carrying your baby and I have my debut show to get ready for in five days. Once it’s over, I’ll be ready to hear what you have to say. Until then, I’ll keep my lips shut to the press if anyone happens to call me. I won’t be easy to find, though, since I’ll be busy at the gallery.”
“Too busy to spend time with me?” Disappointment was clear in his tone, and there might even have been a hint of hurt there too.
“I’ll be home each night,” I sighed. “In your bed, if that’s where you want me.”
“Then I guess we have a deal. Five days from today, the minute your art show is over, you’ll have an answer,” he gritted out, swooping down to claim my mouth in a brutal kiss. “In the meantime, your ass better be in my bed each night. Or else.”
My knees buckled when he strode out of the room, and I moved over to the padded seat in front of the picture window and dropped down onto it. I’d snagged my phone off the counter on my way across the room and typed out a 911 text to my best friend. We’d been playing phone tag ever since I’d found out Lucas was my step-brother and I was pregnant with his baby. I’d had too much going on to worry about not connecting with her, but now it was urgent I spoke with her. I needed my bestie, she was the only person in the world who could possibly understand what I was going through. Lucky for me it only took about a minute before my phone rang with her call.
“Are you okay?” Bailey whispered frantically. I heard the rustling of fabric and realized I’d probably pulled her out of bed.
“Crap! I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I didn’t stop to think you might still be in bed.”
“Don’t worry about it. My sleep schedule is all messed up. I was just taking a little nap while a miracle was happening in the nursery. Jack and Julia are both down for an early morning nap.”
“This can wait while you catch up on your sleep.” It really couldn’t wait long, but I felt like I should offer since she was a sleep-deprived mom with two three-month-olds.
“Shut up,” she practically growled. “Well, not really. You know what I mean. You would never have sent me our emergency code unless it was urgent. So spill the beans. Now.”
Spill them I did. I let her know about everything that had happened since we last spoke a week and a half ago. About Lucas being my step-brother, the pregnancy, and my feelings for him. I didn’t spare a single detail, well except for a few about our sex life.
“Whoa!” She whistled once I was finally done. “It sounds like you found yourself in one hell of a situation, Jade.”
“That’s the understatement of the year,” I groaned.
“How about I give you the same advice you gave me back when I came home to pack up my mom’s house?”
I thought back to our dinner that night and laughed softly. “This is entirely different, Bailey. I told you to give him a chance, because from everything you’d told me about him, I knew he wanted you forever. You assumed Wyatt didn’t want a relationship with you when he really did, but Lucas was the one to walk away from me after he accused me of horrible things. And even after we moved past all of that, he still said he wanted to keep our relationship a secret.”