Chapter 11: Chapter 11

ODETTE

Reece was too observant and relentless. I couldn’t afford to get involved with him, especially now that things had become more complicated.

Before my scan, the nurse asked about my last period. When I mentioned that I was a bit late, she insisted on a pregnancy test before proceeding with the scan. To my surprise, it came back positive.

It was a good thing they checked, because a CT scan is not recommended for pregnant women. They settled for an X-ray instead.

I was pregnant with Tyler’s child and forever tied to him. No matter how far I moved, I would be linked to Tyler.

I knew my period was late, but I was also under a lot of stress. I figured stress was the reason; it had happened before.

I couldn’t tell Reece; I didn’t want to hurt him, and he wouldn’t want a child that wasn’t his.

“Etta?… I’m sorry if I overstepped,” Reece said through the door.

“Leave me alone,” I yelled back.

“I really am sorry,” Reece stated again.

“I don’t care, Reece. Just give me some space.” I feel like I’m being a bit childish, but I don’t know how to push him away.

“Okay, but don’t fall asleep,” he warned.

“I want to be left alone,” I snapped.

This was so messed up, and there wasn’t a way to fix it.

***

I was hoping that Reece would give up and go home. But when I emerged from the room I was staying in and went toward the kitchen, I found him on the couch watching TV.

“Why didn’t you go home?” I asked.

“I was told not to leave you alone. Winston would kill me if I did.”

I let out a huff and continued to the kitchen.

“You may want to get ready for the rehearsal and dinner,” Reece stated.

“I don’t have to be there for the rehearsal. We can show up a little late.”

I stood in the kitchen trying to ignore Reece. I was thankful when the door lock clicked, and Wren opened the door.

I knew I would regret being mean to Reece, but I needed to push him away. I couldn’t let him get close. I couldn’t screw up his life.

“Now that Wren is here, you can leave,” I demanded.

“I’m not leaving.”

“I don’t need you or want you here,” I snapped at him.

“Well, too bad. Your brother is my best friend, so now I’m here to hang out with him.”

“This is why you two can’t get involved,” Wren stated. “It makes my life more complicated. If you want to ride to the rehearsal with me, you better get ready.”

I didn’t want to go, but I needed to be there for dinner. If I didn’t go with Wren, I would have to ride with Reece.

“Give me twenty minutes, and I’ll be ready,” I said to Wren.

***

I was ready in ten minutes. I didn’t feel like getting too dolled up since I wouldn’t be at the wedding. I threw on a nice black dress with some sandals and applied light makeup.

I wasn’t in a hurry to see Reece again, so I sat in my room for the last ten minutes and then made my way to the living room.

“Are you ready?” Wren asked me.

I nodded my head.

“Good. Reece offered to drive, and he’s waiting out in the car. I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but knock it off,” Wren warned.

“That’s what I’m trying to do, but it’s not working,” I mumbled back.

I walked out of the condo and to Reece’s car, then slid into his back seat. We sat in silence until Wren got in the car.

I knew they would find out once I started showing, but I didn’t know how to tell Reece. I already knew I was keeping this baby. It was innocent in all of this.

I always wanted children. I just thought I would be in a loving relationship when it happened.

Wren and Reece spent the drive talking to each other while I did my best to ignore them, but it was hard to. Wren was talking about some girl asking Reece if he would go on a double date.

I looked at him through the rearview mirror and our eyes connected.

“You know how much I hate blind dates, and they all turn out to be the same. They’re interested in my job and money and not me.” He looked at me one last time before looking back at the road.

When Reece parked the car in front of the wedding venue, I quickly got out and walked as fast as I could into the building. My goal was to find someone to talk to and stay away from Reece.

Luck was on my side when I spotted Theo standing off to the side, engrossed in his phone.

“Hey.” Theo looked up from his phone and flashed me a smile.

“Should I be mad at you for not spending time with me?” I asked.

“I think you should give me a break,” Theo replied.

I hugged him tightly. I saw my other brothers regularly throughout the year. Either I visited them, or they visited me. However, Theo traveled a lot, and I was lucky to see him once a year. This might be his yearly visit.

“I’ve missed you,” I said.

“I missed you too.”

“When are you leaving?” I asked.

“Next week, but I’ll be staying in the States for a while.”

“You better add in an extra visit to us then.” I hated when Theo didn’t visit.

“I’ll try. So, Winston told me that you’re staying.”

“I took a job transfer; I was ready to be back around family again.”

“I always hated that you lived away from everyone. It’ll make me feel better knowing you’re close to the others,” Theo said.

“Any chance you’ll settle down back here?” I asked.

“Nope, I don’t want to be restricted. I want to feel free. I enjoy living the nomad life and getting paid for it.” His voice had a joking tone, but I knew he was being serious.

“As long as you’re happy.”

I would rather have him here, but I knew he wouldn’t be happy staying in one place. He’d always been a roamer.

Theo glanced at his watch. “Where is Sterling? We should have started by now.”

“I can go and find him,” I volunteered.

I scanned the area and noticed that he wasn’t anywhere in sight, which meant he was probably in a room.

I headed downstairs to check out the private dressing rooms. The stairs were dimly lit, so I held on to the rail to ensure I didn’t trip and slowly made my way down.

I passed by the open doors and saw the light at the end of the hall shining through a cracked door. As I got closer, I heard voices, and one sounded like Sterling.

“How long, Julie?” Sterling’s voice was shaky.

“I’m sorry, it was a mistake,” Julie said.

“How fucking long was this going on?” Sterling snapped.

“Just a few weeks,” Julie responded.

“Why?” Sterling asked.

“I’m sorry, he made me feel wanted.” I’m not surprised that Julie is trying to pin this on Sterling.

“Don’t try to blame this on me. You cheated, not me. I put up with a lot of shit from you; I even took your side when it came to your arguments with Odette and ruined our relationship. But I’m not taking the blame for this. I’m done with your shit…”

I was so engrossed in their argument that I didn’t realize anyone had followed me until my arm was touched.

I jumped and let out a gasp.

“What are you doing down here?” Reece asked.

“Looking for Sterling,” I yanked my arm away from him.

“Well, you found him. Let’s go before he realizes you’re nosy,” Reece said.

Before I could respond, we heard footsteps approaching the door. Reece quickly pulled me into an empty, dark room.

“Can’t you leave me alone?” I whispered.

“No, because you cause trouble, and I don’t want to be the one that gets blamed if you get hurt.”

“I’m not a child anymore,” I stated.

“I’ve noticed,” he mumbled. “You need to be careful.”

“And you need to leave me alone.”

“I can’t,” Reece whispered.

“Why?”

“Because I can’t stop thinking about you. You’ve wiggled your way into my brain and won’t leave.”

Reece grabbed the back of my neck and pulled my face to his. He kissed me. The kiss was rough and needy. His tongue demanded submission, and I felt myself losing control.

He moved his lips from mine and started kissing down my neck. Grazing his teeth down my neck with every kiss, he caused me to release a moan.

“You drive me fucking crazy, Etta,” he mumbled against my shoulder.

He pulled my dress strap down, exposing the top of my breast, and laid kisses across them. The signals in my brain were misfiring. I knew I should tell him to stop, but it felt amazing, and I wanted a release.

“Reece,” I moaned out as his hand slid up my dress, making contact with my already wet panties.

“Am I finally driving you crazy?” he asked.

When I didn’t answer, he pushed against my clit and rubbed in a circular motion.

“Am I driving you crazy?” he asked again.

“Yes.”

I brought his mouth back to mine, throwing caution to the wind. I was no longer thinking straight. Without missing a beat, Reece shoved my panties to the side and slid two fingers into me. This was what I wanted but was too afraid to ask for.

“You’re so fucking wet for me,” Reece said. His dirty talk made me want more.

Reece placed his thumb on my clit, and every time his fingers penetrated me, they rubbed.

“Oh, I’m going to…” My sentence was cut off by Reece’s lips. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close as my orgasm ripped through me.

As I came down from my high, guilt hit me. I shouldn’t have done this; it was going to lead him on. I looked at Reece when I felt his hand leave my body and watched him lick his fingers.

“You taste sweet,” he said.

I could feel myself blush at his comment.

I cleared my throat. “Do you want me to take care of that?” I pointed to the bulge in his pants.

“No,” he replied.

“Are you sure? It’s only fair.”

“You don’t owe me. I did what I did because I wanted to. I don’t expect you to get me off. Besides, we better head back upstairs before people realize we are both missing,” Reece stated.

Reece opened the door. We both let out a sound of surprise. Theo and Wren were standing in the hallway, looking at the two of us.