Page 23 of Stepbrother's Obsession
She smiles, so adorably. “Colt.”
I pinch her left nipple between my thumb and forefinger. “Again!”
“Colt!” She squeals. I bring my lips to hers, and we embrace, our love wrapped around us like chains.
I see my washer lying on her chest and lift it gently to look at it. She never took it off. She wore it, a symbol of her commitment to me, and I know our folks could not have been happy about that. Both of them must have been begging her to take it off these last two weeks. But she didn’t.
“Time to go,” I tell her. “Together. We’ll go in together and tell them the news. And if they start yelling, we’ll just tell them again. We’ll tell them we love each other, and we’d like help picking out the crib.”
Lily giggles, her eyes shining. “You’ll fight for me.”
“Like I should have done the first time.” I press my forehead to hers. “And I’ll never leave your side again.”
I kiss her again and press my palm to her belly where our kid is growing. Then I help slide out of her and help her get her clothes back on. She hops out, I start the truck, and she follows behind as we drive back to the lake house.
This is it. Time to put my foot down—ourfeet down. One big fight to bring the family together so they truly understand that nothing in the world can keep Lily and me apart.
Lily is my love, and she’s carrying my miracle.
10
COLT
The lake houselooks bigger than I remember. Maybe it’s because the last time I saw it, I was effectively being thrown out. Maybe it’s because I’ve been sleeping in my truck every night since then.
But as the sun drops and Lily pulls up beside me, the house feels like a fortress. It may look cozy and quaint, but I know what’s waiting for us inside. A couple of parents who are going to chew us out like there’s no tomorrow.
I kill the engine and hop out. Lily comes up beside me, and I take her hand in mine. I see the timidity in her eyes and press my lips to her knuckles. “Don’t worry. Everything will be all right.”
“I know.” She smiles, but I can see she’s worried. I squeeze her hand harder and lead her up the steps to the house. We could go right in, but it feels right to knock. So I do.
Movement inside. A chair scrapes on the floor, and after a moment, I hear Katherine’s voice. “I’ll get it!”
The door opens, and Katherine stops dead, the smile falling from her face. Her eyes drop to our hands first, and her lips tighten. She looks up at Lily’s face, then at mine.
“Lily?” she breathes.
Lily swallows hard. I feel her body tighten, then she lets go of my hand. For a second, it’s like she’s leaving me, but she’s just reaching for the bag—the one holding the pregnancy test. The proof we agreed would show this summer was not a mistake, but our future.
She holds it out, her arm steady while the rest of her trembles with anxiety. “We have…something to show you.”
Katherine’s hand flies to her mouth, her eyes shining with shock. She’s overwhelmed as she backs up into the heavy thud of footsteps pounding the floor behind her. My dad emerges, a towel over his shoulder like he was just drying dishes. He takes one look at us—Lily holding out the test and me behind her—and his whole face turns to stone.
My dad’s never hit me before in my life, but for a split second, I wonder if he’s about to.
He doesn’t. He doesn’t slam the door in our faces either, and that means something.
He brings his eyes to Lily, who is standing in front of me. But I move right up beside her, showing him, and the world, that I’m the man who loves this girl. I’m the man who got her pregnant, and I’m not going anywhere.
She belongs to me. My eyes project the message.
“I love her,” I tell them both, my voice steady and low. I don’t babble or go into some long speech. “I’ll take care of her, of our child. I’m not asking for anything from you other than a chance to prove we can make this work.”
Katherine squeaks like a broken hinge and pulls her daughter into her arms like she’s eight years old again. She hugs her close, tighter than before, running her fingers through her hair. Despite the tension of the moment, she’s excited for her daughter.
“Oh, baby,” she whispers as the tears begin to fall. “You should have told us sooner!”
“I just found out myself,” Lily cries back. I hear the relief in her voice. Acceptance from Katherine’s. “I didn’t do this to hurt either of you. But I love him, Mom.I chosehim.”
