15. Stefan
15
STEFAN
Surprise is fucking right , I think, but somehow my brain to mouth filter kicks in and I don’t voice it. Wren would be so proud, but I think the pregnant woman before us will trump my little vocab win just now.
“How? What? Is it mine?” I stammer, my eyes flicking between the woman and her belly and Wren.
“We had sex. It’s a boy. And yes, he’s yours.”
Nodding, I take in what she just said.
From beside me, Wren says, “I’ll, umm, leave you two to chat.”
“Your girlfriend can stay,” the chick says.
“I’m not his girlfriend,” Wren informs. Shit, I don’t even remember her name but I do vaguely remember her lips around my cock. She sucked dick like a Hoover, if memory serves correctly. There’s something else in my mind regarding my night with her too, but I can’t put my finger on it right now. All I can think about is her lips on my dick. “I’m Wren. I work with Stefan.”
“I’m Alicia.”
“I’ll, ummm, ahhh,” Wren stammers. “I’ll be over there.”
“It’s fine, you can stay,” Alicia nonchalantly says. “I just wanted to let Stefan know he’s going to be a daddy.” Her hands once again rubbing her bump.
“How did you find me?” Not really the question to ask but my mind has been blown, and not in the fun sexy way.
“I saw it in the local paper,” she tells me.
A silence overtakes us because right now I can’t form words. I don’t know what to say or do, I haven’t ever been in this situation before.
“How far along are you?” Wren asks, breaking the silence.
“Six months.”
“Six months,” I repeat, my head moving up and down as I try and think back six months ago. That was just before Wren and I were shipped off to Emerald Creek and paradise.
“Anyway, I’m off.” She turns to leave and I reach for her wrist.
“Wait,” I call out. “We, ummm, we need to discuss this.”
“I don’t want anything from you, Stefan.”
“Then why tell me?”
“Because it was the right thing to do.”
“And the right thing to do is for me to be there for my son.”
“That’s if he is your son,” Wren mumbles under her breath.
Alicia’s gaze snaps to Wren’s, a murderous look crosses her face. “Excuse me,” she hisses. “Are you calling me a liar?”
“I’m not calling you a liar,” Wren defends, “but what sane man would just take the word of anyone when it comes to this?”
“Stefan and I had sex and I got pregnant. End of story.”
“Stefan’s had a lot of sex,” Wren throws back at her. “You’re not the first to tell him this?—”
“I’m not a liar,” Alicia says with a snarl. She snaps her gaze to mine. “Are you going to let her talk to me like this?”
“Well, she has a point.” Alicia goes to interrupt me but I raise my hand. “But until we can get a paternity test, I will do what any father would do, and I’ll be there for you and our baby.”
“Really?” Her eyes widen in shock at my words and, to be honest, I’m kinda shocked too. Contrary to what Wren just said, I have never been in this situation before. I’ve always wrapped it. During health at school someone said, “If it’s not on, it’s not on” and that statement resonated with me. Ever since I lost my virginity to Velma Jones during senior year, I have never gone bareback—not even with Chels and we were a couple for years. I’ve also never had an STI or a pregnancy scare. Which is kinda amazing when you think about things.
“Really,” I confirm. “Give me your number and we can meet up tomorrow. I’ll get my lawyer to draft an agreement?—”
“And you’ll need to sign an NDA,” Wren interrupts.
“Why do I need to do that?” Alicia voices.
“Because Stefan doesn’t want his business spread about. This is a private matter, and the world does not need to know. If and when Stefan wants to make his impending fatherhood public knowledge, the two of you can come to a new agreement. Until that point in time, you can’t talk to anyone about it.”
“And if I don’t sign?” Alicia asks.
“Then you’ll get nothing from Stefan.”
Her face blanches at that. “I need to discuss this with Tyrone.”
“Who’s Tyrone?” I snap, suddenly pissed that there’s another guy in this scenario.
“My boyfriend.”
“Couldn’t he be the father?”
“No … he and I were, umm, ahhh, on a break then.”
My head starts to move up and down as I process her words, and doubt begins to creep in, and as if she can read my mind, Alicia steps closer to me. She takes my hand and presses it to her swollen belly. Her hand rests on mine, and I can feel movement. My eyes drop to our joined hands, and I quickly pull mine back. “He’s yours, Stefan.”
“I believe you,” I mumble. From beside me Wren scoffs but tries to cover it with a cough. Alicia glares at Wren but when she looks back at me, her features soften. “Give me your number and I’ll text you when we can get in to see my lawyer.”
“Do you have a pen?” she asks.
“I do,” Wren replies. She pulls one out from her pocket. Her always having a pen is something I’ve noticed she’s started to do so if a fan comes up to me, I can sign things for them. She really is great at her job, I think to myself as Alicia writes her number on a piece of paper. Handing it back to me, she smiles. “I’ll wait to hear from you.”
Nodding, I stand here and watch her walk away. Before she exits the room, she looks over her shoulder and she smiles. The door closes and I turn to Wren. She has a look of shock on her face, and when she notices me staring, she turns her head toward me and says seven words that shock me, “Stefan, I don’t think you’re the father.”