Stepbrother Forever: A Stepbrother Romance (18 page)

“You’re
pregnant?” he says. “Is it…?”

I nod
before Ryan finishes his question. He looks at me, silently asking permission,
then he unties my sweater and places his hand on my stomach.

Tears
are now streaming down his face also. “Eve, we’re having a baby?” he whispers.

“We
are,” I say, smiling and full of relief. It feels so good to tell him.

Ryan
stands back up. He puts both hands on my belly. One is still holding the ring.
“How come you never told me?”

“I
don’t know,” I say, starting to sob again, “I wanted to tell you in person. I
planned on announcing it when I got to California. Then I saw the magazine
photo and I just… I lost it. I let my feelings get in the way—I didn’t know
what to believe. Maybe it was my hormones, I don’t know. Then you seemed to be
doing so well, I didn’t want to screw it up for you. After the interview, I
wasn’t sure if there was someone else. I knew in my heart you were talking
about me, I knew it,” I admit, feeling ashamed. “I’m such an idiot, Ryan. I
made such a mess of everything.”

“Well,
we’re here now—together. We can fix it,” Ryan assures me. He wipes the tears
from my cheek with the back of his hand, then places it under my chin, tilting
my face up. I look up into his eyes; they are filled with tears, but he’s not
crying. Ryan is smiling at me and looks completely content. “We’re going to be
together, Eve.”

Ryan
kisses me gently on the lips and runs his hand over my stomach. “Forget
everything that happened since I left. None of it matters anymore. We were in
love when I was leaving, and we are in love now.” He gets back down on one
knee. “Eve Thompson, will you marry me?”

“Yes!
Yes, I will,” I reply joyfully. Ryan slips the beautiful ring onto my finger. I
hold my hand out and look at it in wonder, grinning from ear to ear. He kisses
me softly on my stomach and stands back up. His eyes look bluer than I have
ever seen them. His smile is as big as mine as we gaze at each other, letting
the pain and hurt and confusion disappear. There is now only joy and happiness,
for today and the future.

Ryan
presses his lips to mine for the first time in weeks. The warmth of his mouth
feels amazing. It’s only a matter of seconds before I slip my tongue into his
mouth and we begin to kiss passionately. Our mouths are bound, our tongues
twirling together in rhythm once again. Ryan’s hands are still on my face,
holding me there gently, like he doesn’t want to let me go. I have my arms
around him, pulling him close to me as we maintain our embrace until he gently
pulls his tongue from my mouth and kisses me on the lips again thoughtfully.

He
reaches his hand down and entwines his fingers with mine. He raises it up and
looks at the sparkly ring on my finger, which is weaved into his. Ryan kisses
me on the hand and moves it over my belly where both our hands come to rest.

“Is our
baby is craving some Chinese food?” he says with a chuckle. “How about we have
something to eat and catch up?”

I
laugh. With everything being said and the feelings being shared, I forgot how
hungry I am. “Sounds like a great idea,” I reply.

We hold
hands and walk over to the table. He starts unpacking the food and I grab the
plates and drinks. We sit down for dinner, and even though so much has
happened, it feels like no time has passed at all. We begin to talk about all
the things that we’ve missed since he left. I tell Ryan all about what’s
happening with the baby and everything I’ve been learning. He tells me all
about the filming the movie and California. Our conversation continues well
past the time it takes to eat our meal.

Both of
our phones go off at the same time. It’s Tara sending us a group text:
Hope
you were able to work everything out. Let me know what happened. I’m at the
Dive with everyone and I still haven’t said a word.
We both laugh.

“Poor
Tara,” I say. “She’s been so good to me. I feel terrible for putting her in the
middle of all this.”

“I
know. Me too,” Ryan agrees. “Why don’t we go down there? Then we can tell
everyone everything.”

I sigh.
“Yeah, we should. I haven’t seen anyone in so long. At least now they’ll
understand why,” I answer, placing my hands on my belly again.

“Good.
Let’s do it. Then we can come back here and figure out what we’re going to from
here on out.”

“True. We
have a lot of decisions to make,” I agree.

“We do.
And we are going to make them
together,
” Ryan replies. He gets up and
kisses me on my head. “I’ll clean up, you go get dressed. I want to see
everyone, but I also want to get back here and be with you.” He winks at me.

I go
into the bedroom to get dressed. I stare into my mirror and feel like I’m
seeing someone completely different. It’s like the cloud of doubt has
disappeared from around me. Having Ryan here, knowing he loves me, wearing this
ring, everything is falling into place.

Chapter 29

Ryan and I are curled up
on the couch, waiting for his car to the airport. It’s as if we are reliving
the day he left, except this time, there is no sadness. Of course, I will miss
him, but I know we will be together again soon enough, and then we won’t be
apart ever again. The few days he was here were like a whirlwind.

After
we caught up with each other, we met our friends at the bar. I wish I had taken
a picture of their faces when we walked in together, although it doesn’t
compare to the shock we saw when we told them about the baby and our
engagement. Everyone is so happy for us, most of all Tara. I’m sure she is also
relieved to not be carrying the weight of both of our secrets anymore. She made
such a nice toast in honor of the both of us and we thanked her for helping us
get back together. Without her, I don’t know what would have happened.

We
spent the next day with our parents, breaking the news. I’m sure it was a mix
of happiness and sadness. They weren’t happy that I hid the pregnancy from
them, but I was in for a bigger shock. Ryan had told them everything before he
left for California. My stepfather had been angry, but they’d come to terms
with our relationship months ago.

My
mother tries to convince me to stay with them while Ryan finishes up his film,
at least until the baby is born, but my mind is made up already. I’m going to
California to be with Ryan. He needs to be there now, and I need to be with
him. She plans on making arrangements to stay with us and help with the baby
once it’s here. She is over the moon about having a grandbaby. I can tell I
hurt her feelings because I wasn’t open with her, but the look in her eye tells
me she understands.

Later,
when we’re alone, I snuggle in close to my soon to be husband.

“I
can’t believe how everything has worked out,” I say softly.

“It’s
incredible,” Ryan answers, “it’s like everything I’ve wished for keeps coming
true.”

I tuck
myself tighter under his arm and we go back to our thoughts. The buzzer rings a
few minutes later, indicating his ride is here. Ryan kisses me softly and
stands up. He reaches his hands out to help me up off the couch. I don’t really
need his help yet, but I don’t mind, I will, at some point. He wraps me in his
arms and hugs me snug against him.

“I love
you so much,” Ryan whispers.

“I love
you too,” I whisper back.

Our
lips connect one last time. In the brief moment we have, we let our passion share
the unspoken feelings we don’t have time to say before the driver rings the
buzzer again.

We
hesitantly break our embrace and look at each other once again, taking a mental
picture before Ryan leaves. He places his hands on my stomach once more.

“I’ll
be waiting for you, Eve,” Ryan reminds me. He smirks. “You better get on the
plane this time.”

“I
wouldn’t miss it for anything,” I reply.

We
quickly kiss one last time on the lips. Ryan rubs my stomach and picks up his
bag. “I’ll call you when I land. I love you.”

“I love
you,” I say and blow him a kiss as he starts down the stairs.

Chapter 30

I’ve been worried and
complaining about how I have nothing pretty to wear. My body is huge and it
doesn’t matter what I put on—I look like a giant balloon. Ryan keeps telling me
how beautiful I am and that I’m carrying our little miracle inside me. I appreciate
it and I know he’s trying, but what I see in the mirror is reality. Nothing I
put on will make me look as exquisite as any of the famous actresses and models
that I will be surrounded by. The only thing I have to wear is not even close
to the level of style the other women will be wearing, but it’s my only option.
I leave the store, feeling defeated.

Ryan
isn’t home when I get there, but there is a large box with a ribbon on our bed.
I open the card and I’m once again overcome with the love and kindness this man
has for me:

I
know you haven’t been feeling so pretty lately. You have no idea how beautiful
you are, especially while you are carrying our baby. You are, and always will
be, the sexiest woman in my life. I only have eyes for you, and I would love if
you could show up in this tonight. I hope you like it. I had it specially made.
There is matching jewelry on the dresser on loan from the designer. I know you
will be the most beautiful woman on the red carpet.

I
love you.

I open
the box and pull the dress out. It is absolutely gorgeous. It’s light blue, the
same color as Ryan’s eyes. I hold it up against me and look in the mirror. It’s
the perfect complement to my tanned skin.

I take
off my clothes to try it on and hope it looks good since I will be wearing it
no matter what. I have a little trouble getting it on but when I turn and look
at myself, it is actually the perfect dress. It accentuates my body in the
right places and masks the areas I don’t want to call attention to.

I walk
over to the dresser and open the jewelry boxes. The stones and gems shining
back at me are like nothing I’ve ever seen. My fingers are actually shaking as
I clasp on the necklace and earrings. I am in awe of my reflection. I actually
look like a princess. Ryan has gone above and beyond anything he’s ever done,
which is a lot, having this dress made. He made sure I will look and feel as
wonderful as he thinks I am.

I take
everything back off and send Ryan a text, thanking him. He’s busy with
interviews and stylists, and all kinds of last-minute details, but I want him
to know I got his gift and I absolutely love it. We won’t see each other until
right before we arrive, but we’ll walk in together, for sure.

I spend
the rest of the afternoon having my hair and nails done. I want everything to
be perfect for Ryan. This is the biggest night of his career, and I want it be
flawless. I come home and put the dress and jewelry back on. I wear a pair of
flats. Nobody will see my feet and at this point my balance is so off there’s
no way I could get into a pair of heels. I get into the awaiting car and take
the short drive to meet Ryan.

He
steps in and his eyes light up. “You look stunning,” he says.

“Thanks
to you,” I reply. “This is amazing. Everything you do is amazing. You deserve
everything that is coming to you, Ryan.”

The
driver opens the door and hundreds of flashes of light are continuously going
off. Ryan steps out of the car and holds out his hands to help me out next
while the cameras continue to catch the whole scene. I stand up and straighten
my dress, Ryan takes my hand, and we walk the red carpet to his first movie
premier. The flashes don’t quit and microphones are shoved toward him and
questions yelled quickly over the din as we pass.

We stop
at the designated spot for a posed photo and Ryan listens to a couple of
questions. He gives the rehearsed answers, and starts to pull me toward the
entrance. One of the reporters shouts, “Ryan! Ryan, what’s your next big
project after tonight?”

Ryan
stops to answer. “We’re going to have our baby, and then I’m going to marry the
woman of my dreams.”

He
looks at me and winks and we continue the short distance to the entrance. The
usher opens the door for us and we disappear inside. I glance around the room.
It’s filled with everyone of importance to the movie and their guests. I notice
some familiar faces from AGR and PGR, and then spot our friends. Ryan arranged
for some of them to be here. The rest will meet us at the after party to
celebrate.

“Oh my
God, Ryan. I can’t believe this is real,” I whisper, awestruck.

Ryan
turns to me and squeezes my hand. “None of this would mean anything without
you.”

We hold
hands and walk in to the premier of his movie, and the beginning of our dream
come true. The lights dim, and a new chapter begins.

Dear
reader… I hope you loved FOREVER NEVER, and I have a little bonus for you. For
all of my dedicated fans, I’ve included a free copy of FORBIDDEN, my
bestselling novel. Turn to the next page to enjoy FORBIDDEN. Thank you for
being so amazing and making my life as an author possible!

-Jessica
Marx