Chapter Six
Stephen couldn’t believe how great things were going between him and Brenden. It might have been only a couple of days, but he was enjoying the closeness that was growing between him and Brenden. They were getting familiar with each other in more ways than one. They kept things professional at work and a lot more intimate whenever Brenden stayed over. It was all going so great, he didn’t want to spoil it. But he couldn’t keep things from Brenden anymore. What’s the worst that could happen?
He might yell and walk out on me? I’ve waited long enough. And then again, maybe I’m overreacting, and Brenden will be overjoyed.
His thoughts and uncertainty were driving him crazy. Brenden would be arriving soon and no matter what he would tell him. He’d asked his dad to take Nicholas out to dinner and keep him busy just in case they got into a shouting match. The knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. He stood to his feet and walked to the door. Stephen didn’t know what he was going to say to Brenden. Either way, he was going to get the words out before Brenden could distract him. Opening the door, he was grabbed by the back of his neck and pulled into a kiss before he could say anything.
“Do you know how hard it is to keep my hands off you at work?” Brenden asked him, pulling back from their kiss.
“Brenden, I’m almost four months pregnant,” he blurted out, even surprising himself.
Brenden leaned back, and the confusion was clearly written over his face. Stephen stepped back and waited for the other man to say something… anything. “Brenden, say something.”
“Who…” Brenden stuttered.
“The baby is yours,” Stephen answered.
Brenden stumbled inside and sat down in the nearest chair. Stephen closed the door and rested his back against it, waiting for Brenden to collect his thoughts.
“How long have you known?” Brenden asked.
“I found out just before I moved here,” he whispered.
“You’ve known for months, and you’re just now telling me?”
Stephen sighed and looked away from Brenden. Would he understand the reason why he’d waited so long? It was not a selfish reason, he wanted to give Nicholas time to know the father he’d waited four years to meet.
“Answer me!” Brenden shouted, getting up from the chair.
“Yes, dammit!” Stephen yelled; he was still standing at the door.
“Why? Why… why tell me now? What reason can you give me this time for not telling me about the baby? God, Stephen, every time I open my heart up to you, you fucking stomp on it!”
“You want to know why?” Stephen snapped. “Because I knew this was how you would react. You would jump to conclusions and think I have some ulterior motive for not telling you. I wanted to tell you the same day I told you about Nicholas, but I saw how well you handled that news. Can you fucking blame me? And besides, I was also thinking about Nicholas.”
“Don’t bring our son into this, he has nothing to do with it,” Brenden argued back. “You didn’t tell me because you are a fucking coward.”
“Fuck you, Brenden.”
“That’s all you can say is fuck me,” he snarled.
“You know what?” Stephen looked at Brenden. “I’ve been trying to tell you this for weeks…”
“Not hard enough, apparently.”
Stephen shook his head. He didn’t know the man standing in front of him. Or maybe he did which was why he’d waited so long to tell him. “I need you to leave,” he said to Brenden. He was relieved when there was no arguing, he stepped aside, letting Brenden leave without trying to stop him.
** ** ** ** **
Brenden pulled up to his driveway parking his car. His brows creased in confusion when he noticed that someone was sitting on the porch apparently waiting for him. He knew it couldn’t be anyone in his family since his mom and both his sisters had keys to his home. He reached for his service weapon in the glove compartment and checked his clips and that the safety was on. He didn’t want to have to use it, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. Getting out of his car he discreetly kept the hand holding his gun from view just as the figure stepped out giving him a clear view of who it was.
Paige, what the fuck is she doing here?He looked around wondering how he missed it when noticed her car parked on the other side of the street. “How did you find out where I live?” he asked as soon as he was close enough to her. He’d never brought her to his house during the short time they dated. They’d always met at her house or somewhere more public.
“Not going to say hello?” she asked instead of answering him.
“Answer my question,” he snapped. He wasn’t in the fucking mood to play games.
She sighed and crossed her arms pushing up her breasts, he’d been so angry that he’d only just noticed the way she was dressed. The short tight black dress that left nothing to the imagination.
