Page 76 of Rough Ride with the Grumpy Cowboy
I confirmed it—I am indeed pregnant.
I’d dismissed my lack of periods as just all the stress getting to me; it has happened before. But then Ella had to make that joke, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Three pregnancy tests later, and there’s no doubt about it. I am carrying Zane’s baby.
Am I happy about it? I’m not sure yet, but I’m not sad either. Zane and I made a life together, and that is worth celebrating. I just wish it was later on in our relationship. I don’t even know what we are yet. Anytime I think we’re going to have the talk, something happens and we end up not.
This would have been good news if it had come at a better time, not while I’m smack in the middle of a family crisis.
Feeling cooped up in the house, especially with my thoughts running so wild, I decide to go take a stroll outside and enjoy the sun. I’ll also take this chance to check in on Sunny. The Morgans were generous enough to gift me a whole horse, and I’ve barely spent any time with her.
The sun is high up in the sky, and the Texas heat is unforgiving as I walk out of the house.
In the stables, I find Sunny’s stall, and she welcomes me with a happy neigh.
“Hey, girl, how are you today?” I ask, feeding her an apple from the bag hanging on her stall door.
She gobbles it up, nearly taking my hand as well, making me chuckle.
My good mood only lasts a few seconds before I’m back to thinking about all that’s wrong with my life.
More evidence has been uncovered of Estevan’s crimes, and now there’s no doubt left that he’s my stalker. I know we didn’t have the best relationship as step-siblings, but I didn’t think he’d stoop this low.
My mother married Hector when I was ten, and we became a blended family. It had been just the two of us for so long—I thought it’d be cool to have a big brother, but Estevan provedthat’s not what he wanted. He always found a way to torment me, make my life harder than it already was, and monopolize my mother’s time. I let it all go until the day he decided to take things a step further.
The day he decided to rape me was the day I realized that he never really saw me as his sister. Then my mother took his side, and I realized that I was no longer safe with them. If I stayed and he tried it again, he would succeed, and that would be the end of me, so I had to get out of there. I successfully did—it was hard and they fought me at every turn—but I had Lou by my side and my mind was made up, so there was no turning back.
That is the best decision I have ever made for myself, but now I’m paying for it. But I will not give up—I’ll keep fighting until I gain total freedom from them, and that starts with getting Estevan in jail. I hope the police catch him quickly; otherwise they will be dealing with his corpse.
Ever since I told Zane, I know he has been planning something. He won’t tell me no matter how many times I ask, but I know it’s something big and illegal. To be honest, I don’t care what happens to Estevan, but I don’t want Zane to become a murderer because of me, especially now that we are expecting a child—one that I have yet to inform him of.
That is another thing on my mind: how to tell Zane that I am pregnant. This is unplanned, so I’m not sure how he will take it. Hell, we haven’t even defined our relationship.
Things were just starting to get good again—why are they so fucked up now?
My phone rings, and I check to see that it’s a new number. I don’t pick those up, so I ignore it, but the person keeps calling. They seem persistent, but I’m not in the mood to deal with whatever fan managed to get my number, so I opt to switch off my phone.
Sunny nudges me just as I am, so I end up accidentally answering the call.
“Noa!” a familiar voice shrieks once the call connects.
“Mother?”
“Don’t you dare hang up on me again,” she demands.
“How did you get this number? Forget that—it doesn’t matter. Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“Estevan has been stalking me for months, making my life a living hell,” I question, scared of the answer.
“What do you think?”
She doesn’t directly confirm it, but she doesn’t need to. How can the same woman who gave birth to me be okay with her stepson harassing me for so long?
“Why, Mom?” I prod, my voice cracking.
“So I’m Mom now, huh?!” she cackles, breaking my heart even more.
She stops all of a sudden, and the next words from her chill me to my core. “You had your chance, Noa. I tried to be nice, but that didn’t work with you. You ruined my life, and now I am going to ruin yours, starting with the person dearest to you.”
