Sunlight streamed through the crack in my curtains, stabbing at my eyelids until I finally forced them open. I didn’t get up right away, just lay there with my palm resting on my swollen belly, feeling the occasional kick from the little life inside me.
Glancing at the calendar on my nightstand, I realized today marked exactly six months into my pregnancy. Childbirth scared the shit out of me. The whole process was filled with so many uncertainties. Whenever the baby and I passed another milestone together, I made sure to thank the Moon Goddess because I knew not all babies made it.
I headed straight downstairs after getting up, figuring I could shower later. My stomach was growling like crazy. Yesterday’s confrontations with Aurora and then Sebastian had made me forget to eat properly.
Thinking about yesterday, my mind inevitably drifted to Sebastian’s kiss. Fuck, I had actually let the man who’d hurt me the most kiss me, and worse, I’d fucking enjoyed it.
I wanted to slap myself. I’d told myself to move on, to forget him, yet there I was, passionately kissing him back in my own living room. Even scarier was the fact that I’d wanted more, wanted his hands all over my body.
I could pretend it was just pregnancy hormones, but that would be bullshit. The truth was, no matter how much Sebastian had hurt me, my body still responded to him.
Pulling eggs and bacon from the fridge, I tried to distract myself by making breakfast. But no matter how hard I tried, the feeling of his lips lingered. His scent, his warmth, his pressure – all of it was branded into my memory. Why did that kiss affect me so much? I honestly didn’t understand.
“Fuck!” I cursed under my breath, banging the frying pan harder than necessary.
“Already this fired up in the morning?” Jaxon’s voice came from behind me, nearly making me drop the eggs on the floor.
“Jesus, Jaxon!” I clutched my chest, trying to catch my breath. “You scared the shit out of me!”
“Sorry,” he said with a hint of a smile playing at his lips. “I thought you heard us come in. The boys weren’t exactly quiet when they entered.”
I looked toward the kitchen doorway where Leo and Wyatt were busy stealing cookies I’d baked yesterday.
“Just lost in thought, didn’t notice the noise,” I replied.
His smile gradually faded. “Still thinking about what happened with Aurora yesterday?”
I nodded, not wanting to tell him who I was really thinking about. Some things I needed to process on my own.
“Mom, what’s for breakfast?” Leo asked hopefully.
“English breakfast,” I answered, starting to gather ingredients.
“Awesome!” Wyatt jumped with excitement. “That’s my favorite! All the good breakfast food at once!”
I couldn’t help but smile, seeing him so happy. I secretly hoped Aurora would come to her senses soon and accept her son before it was too late. Looking at Wyatt, I saw nothing but a pup craving his mother’s love, not an unwanted burden.
“How much longer? I’m starving,” Leo complained, rubbing his stomach.
“About ten more minutes. Why don’t you guys go play in the living room for a bit?”
The boys nodded and bounced off toward the living room.
Jaxon picked up an eggshell I’d dropped and tossed it in the trash. “Should’ve given you some space. But the little monsters insisted on coming over for your breakfast. Said mine doesn’t taste as good as yours.”
I let out a small laugh. Jaxon’s cooking wasn’t half bad, but for the kids, apparently nothing compared to my cooking. Their words, not mine.
“It’s fine. I was planning to make extra and bring some over anyway,” I replied, flipping the bacon in the pan.
“How are you holding up considering everything that happened yesterday?” I asked him with concern.
“I’m okay,” he paused. “Relieved, in a way. Everyone knows about Wyatt now. He’s such an amazing kid – he shouldn’t be treated like some dirty secret. Since my grandfather passed, Wyatt’s been my only family. While I don’t mind it just being the two of us, it’s not fair to him. He deserves a chance to know his mother’s side of the family, regardless of what Aurora thinks.”
In my eyes, Roman and Margaret weren’t worth knowing, but they had been decent to Leo, so I supposed Wyatt would be fine around them.
Damn. I really needed to let go of my bitterness toward the Sterling family. They weren’t part of my life anymore, and past hurts shouldn’t cloud my judgment.
“You’re right. Aurora has no right to keep Wyatt from knowing her family,” I agreed.
Just as Jaxon was about to say something, the doorbell rang. I heard Leo’s footsteps running toward the entrance hall, and silently prayed it wasn’t Sebastian. The last thing I needed this morning was to witness another confrontation between him and Jaxon.
I quickly put down what I was holding. “I’ll go see who it is.”
When I reached the front door, Leo was holding a piece of paper.
“Who was it?” I asked.
“Nobody,” he shrugged. “Just this.” He handed me a note with my name on it.
As I took the paper, a chill ran up my spine and my instincts went haywire.
“Go back inside, I’ll be right there,” I said, keeping my voice steady.
After Leo left, I unfolded the note. It contained just one line: “You will pay for everything.”
My heart pounded hard against my ribs. I scanned the street warily, but it was quiet with no sign of anything suspicious. Folding the note back, I slipped it into my pocket and hurried inside, making sure the door was locked.
When I returned to the kitchen, Jaxon immediately noticed something was off.
“What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Nothing. No one was at the door,” I tried to sound casual, but alarm bells were ringing in my head.
“Probably some kids playing a prank,” he frowned.
“Maybe you’re right,” I said quietly.
I finished preparing breakfast, and we all ate together. The boys shared stories from school while Jaxon talked about funny people he’d encountered at work. Though I smiled and occasionally chimed in, the contents of that note coiled like a venomous snake in my mind.
Something told me there was more to it. I trusted my instincts, and they were telling me someone was watching me – this was no prank. My life seemed to be in danger once again.