Page 3 of Not Afraid to Trust Again

I kept my eyes on Elise almost the whole time we had been at the party. She avoided me at all costs, making sure we were never alone in a room together. I caught her looking in my direction a few times, but she would quickly divert her eyes when I looked her way.

The way her jeans hugged her thighs made my mouth water. I couldn’t wait until I could ease my way between them again.

My jaw ticked as I watched Melanie’s brother, Melvin.

He had been watching Elise since he walked in the door.

Melanie was friends with the girls, but I wasn’t sure why she brought her brother.

He tried to talk to every woman here but never got any play.

I knew he tried to talk to Elise before, and I guess he felt bold enough to try again.

I was about to put a stop to that shit, though.

The house had an open concept, so I could see him in the kitchen smiling and shit in her direction while I sat on the couch nursing a drink. I took one long swig to finish it, then stood to go into the kitchen. I put my cup on the counter and stood next to Melvin.

“You might want to find someone else to gawk over besides that one.”

He choked on the drink he swallowed, so I patted his back.

“Shit. My bad, sheriff. That’s you?” He tilted his head in Elise’s direction.

“She is, and I would appreciate it if you didn’t eye fuck her all night.”

She wasn’t officially mine, but he didn’t need to know that. Even if she was to mess with someone else, it wouldn’t be Melvin. He had nothing going for himself, and he wouldn’t know how to handle someone like her.

“Again, my bad. I’ll keep my eyes to myself.” He picked up his cup from the counter and left the kitchen.

My brother entered the kitchen as Melvin walked out. Kaleb looked at me then at Melvin’s back, then at me again.

“You ran that man out of here.” He chuckled as he came to stand next to me.

I cut my eyes at him. “He didn’t know how to keep his eyes to himself.”

Kaleb took a swig of his beer.

“Possessive much?” He smirked.

I had never been the possessive type, but with her, I felt the need to be.

“Don’t act like you aren’t over Janae.”

His gaze fell on his wife, and he smiled.

“Maybe. But she’s also my wife, and I know she isn’t going anywhere. You, on the other hand, are still in the friend zone.”

I scoffed. “Friend zone? Nah, I’m much more than that.”

“But still not enough.” His lip curled upward before he took another swig. “You still ain’t told her your secret, though, have you?”

Kaleb always found a way to remind me of the shit I’d been keeping from Elise. It wasn’t right, but I didn’t know how to explain it all to her without sounding like it was a lie. My shit was liable to make her leave me alone for good, and I wasn’t ready for that. She probably would kill me.

“I will when the time is right. She has been avoiding me all night and a little bit before last week.”

My brother and I didn’t keep secrets from each other, so he knew about the stunt she pulled. He wanted Elise and me together, but he also knew why I held back.

“Well, you better find a way to tell her soon before she finds out from somewhere else.” He patted my chest then left the kitchen.

I stood there for a few minutes, thinking about what he said. I’d have to tell her before anyone else.

I poured myself another drink, but before I could drink it, I noticed Elise leaving the living room to go upstairs.

I took that as my opportunity to corner her.

I put my cup on the counter and hurriedly left the kitchen.

I slowly crept up the stairs, not wanting her to hear me or anyone to see me.

It took a couple of minutes before the bathroom door opened.

“Shit, Ky. You scared me.” Her hand flew to her chest.

Her curls were pulled into a bun, and she wore small gold earrings in her ears. Her sweater hung loosely off one shoulder as her scent filled my nose.

The last time Elise and I had sex, it felt different from any other time. I’ve heard men say pregnant women get wetter than normal, plus her mood had been off. That also could have been the reason why she avoided me.

I pushed off the wall and closed the short distance between us. “When were you going to tell me you were pregnant?”

I might have been grasping at straws, but her reaction confirmed I wasn’t.

She stepped back. “Wha-what?” Her voice elevated as her eyes widened.

I moved closer to her again. “I asked when were you going to tell me you were pregnant? Or were you never going to tell me?”

I reared my head back and crossed my arms over my chest. Her eyes roamed from my arms to my face as she bit her bottom lip.

I watched her intently as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“I had plans of telling you. I just . . .” Her voice trailed off.

“You just what?” Like someone hit a switch, something popped into my head. “You weren’t going to tell me because you planned on getting rid of my baby, Elise. Is that what it is?”

My heart dropped to my feet when she dropped her head. I lifted her chin so she could look at me, and the tears in her eyes made my heart squeeze.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You don’t want to have my baby?”

She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she finally spoke. “Can we not talk about this right now? We are in the middle of a party.”

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. She knew how to test my damn patience.

“Elise, I don’t give a fuck where we at. None of that other shit matters.”

I grabbed her hand and led her to the guest room.

When we entered, I closed the door behind me.

She walked over to the loveseat and sat down.

I wanted to sit next to her, but I sat on the edge of the bed to give her some space.

I placed my elbows on my knees and looked into her eyes.

The freckles on her face were highlighted by the light makeup she wore.

Her left leg bounced, so I placed my hand on it. She looked down at it but then stopped bouncing. “What’s going on? Why didn’t you want to tell me?”

She sighed. “I didn’t know how to tell you. We never talked about having kids, and we never solidified our relationship. I didn’t even know if you wanted children.”

I rubbed my hand up and down her leg. “I understand that, but that doesn’t mean you can’t tell me. It’s ultimately your decision, but I would like input on whatever you decide. Did you think about not keeping it?”

She closed her eyes, and her shoulders dropped.

“I did,” she whispered as a tear slipped out of her eye.

That crushed me, but I never gave her a reason to feel as though she could trust me enough to know that I had her back no matter what.

“Damn,” I whispered. I ran my free hand over my head.

“That’s on me for not giving you the safe space you needed to communicate your fears with me.

But I’m telling you right now that you don’t have to hide anything from me.

And I’ll support you in whatever you want to do, but I do hope you keep it. ”

She put her hand on top of mine. “I want to keep it.”

“Are you sure?”

I hoped she was for real because I always wanted children. I didn’t see it happening this way, but things happen at the time they were supposed to.

“Yes. I had time to think about it. I’ll admit I was afraid and unsure at first, but I want it.”

There was still some hesitation in her eyes, but I didn’t ask about it. She said she was sure, so we were having a baby. I stood and pulled her up with me. I wrapped my arms around her, and she put her head on my chest.

“Thank you, baby. I can’t wait to see what we made out of love.”

She looked up at me. “Love? Since when?”

We never said those words to each other, but I knew I loved her for a while now. I just wasn’t sure if she felt the same way or how she would feel with me saying it.

“Since the moment I spotted you in that corn maze.” I smiled at her and kissed her glossy lips. “I also want to know if you would be my girlfriend.”

I could see myself marrying her when the time was right.

“Before I respond, I want to apologize for avoiding you.”

“Apology accepted.”

“I also want you to know that I love you, too, Kyden, and yes, I’ll be your girlfriend. Can we keep the baby thing a secret for now though?”

“We can do whatever you want to do. Have you been to the doctor yet?”

I released her so we could sit back down. This time, we sat next to each other on the bed.

“I have an appointment next week.”

“Send me the information on that one and any future appointments. I want to be there for everything.”

I wasn’t trying to miss a single thing during her pregnancy. I wanted to be there for all of the cravings, mood swings . . . whatever.

I turned to face her. “I want you to know that I will be beside you every step of the way. Don’t hesitate to call me when you want some weird stuff to eat or need your feet rubbed.

If you need something done around the house, let me know.

I want this experience to be as peaceful for you as possible. ”

I placed my hand over her stomach and rubbed it.

Excitement filled me as I thought about our baby growing inside of her.

I could picture a little person being the perfect combination of both of us.

I hoped he or she had the same curly hair and freckles as her.

If it were a boy, I hoped he would follow in mine or his uncle’s footsteps.

If it were a girl, I hoped she was sweet and smart like her mother.

Ultimately, I just wanted a healthy baby.

I pulled her sweater up and leaned down to her stomach. “It’s your daddy, little one. We have a long way to go, but I love you already. Don’t give your mother a hard time in there. Can’t wait to meet you.”

I placed a kiss on her stomach and pulled her sweater back down. I stood from the bed and helped her up.

“Let’s go enjoy the rest of the party.” I kissed her lips again and led her out of the bedroom. “Wait.” I stopped her before she walked down the steps. “No more running.”

I lifted the side of my mouth into a smirk. She turned to face me and stood on her tiptoes.

“No more running, Kyden.”

She kissed the corner of my mouth then walked down the steps. As I walked behind her, I prayed that when everything came to light, the love she had for me would outweigh everything else.