22. Wren
22
WREN
I’m ready for today to be over.
Actually, I’m ready for this year to be over and this just now, is the icing on the shitcake that is my life right now.
Not only do I have to deal with him but now I have to deal with her as well. There is something about Alicia that has my spidey senses tingling, but she seems to have Stefan wrapped around her pinky finger. I will give her credit in that he’s been less of a douche recently, but we lost douchey Stefan and have gained bitchy Alicia … not sure which is worse.
But right now, those two are the least of my concerns, some jackass hacked my credit card so I’ve spent the last million hours down at the bank getting that sorted. Thankfully, Stefan lent me his car so I didn’t have to rely on public transportation but it left me to the traffic that is LA, and it’s almost as sucky as my life right now.
To top my day off, on the way home after stopping for groceries, some moron sideswiped the bus in front of me, causing me to nearly run into the ass of said bus because I wasn’t completely paying attention. I was listening to Margaret rattle on about the recent nuptials of Kallen and Chelsea, and that they are all on bump watch since she looked “chubby” the other day when they left the stadium. Who does this woman think she is? I’d love for someone to report on each and everything she does and eats. See how she likes it.
After finishing with the police since I was an eyewitness, I’m allowed to leave but due to the time of day now, I’m stuck in peak rush-hour traffic and it takes me almost an hour to travel three miles. At least I had my Spotify playlist to keep me company, and I had my very own rock concert. The stereo in the G-Wagon is amazing.
Finally I pull onto our street and I cannot wait to relax. I’m going to grab a bottle of wine, my Kindle, and head up to the hot tub to unwind. However, that feeling of relief at being home dissipates when I pull into the driveway and see Alicia’s car.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, I mumble, “Great.” Before I climb out, I flick the stereo’s volume to the upper limit so when Stefan gets in tomorrow morning for early practice, it will blast TayTay at him.
Leaving his car in the driveway because I hate parking the monstrosity in the garage, I head inside. When I walk in, the two of them jump apart and from the look on each of their faces, I walked in on something. It’s like I caught two teenagers doing things they shouldn’t have been doing.
“Hey, guys,” I greet them and walk into the kitchen to dump my bag and unpack the groceries I picked up.
“Get it all sorted?” Stefan asks me, walking over to where I’m standing at the kitchen island, leaving Alicia in the living room by herself.
“Yeah, but I have to wait for them to investigate, and it’ll be a week or so till I get new cards and whatnot.”
“Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks,” I tell him with a smile. Alicia clears her throat and both Stefan and I turn to face her. She has a scowl on her face and looks pissed off. “Sorry, did I interrupt something?”
At the same time they both answer with different responses. She replies with a snarky “Yesss,” hissing the S, while Stefan matter-of-factly states, “No.” Sensing it’s about to get heated in here, I walk over to the wine cabinet and grab a bottle of merlot. “I’m just gonna head up to the hot tub, I’ll leave you both to it.”
With my bottle of wine in hand, I walk up the stairs and leave the two of them to get back to whatever they were doing when I walked in.
Walking into my room, I change into a teal one-piece with side cutouts. Slipping a cover-up over me, I grab my Kindle and when I exit my room, from below I hear heated and hushed voices. Quickly, I head to the rooftop and leave the two of them to it.
I’m on my second glass of wine when Stefan appears. Holding my breath, I wait for Alicia to appear behind him, but he’s alone. Relief floods me at it being just him but the relief disappears when Stefan growls, “I don’t know why you’re so rude to her.”
“Excuse me?” I snap in defense, he did not just accuse me of being rude.
“Just now. You were rude to Alicia.”
“I never said a word to her.”
“Exactly,” he huffs.
Removing his shirt, he tosses it on the table and climbs into the tub with me. Each of us sitting in our unofficial proclaimed spots, reminding me of Sheldon and his spot in the Big Bang Theory .
“So you’re pissed because I didn’t say anything past hello?”
“I’m not, but Alicia is,” he tells me.
“Well, have her say something to me.”
“I would but she, umm, doesn’t really like you.”
“Why? I hardly know her.”
“That’s what I said and then she got all pissy, threw a fit, and left.”
Nodding, I sip on my wine and process his words. “You don’t find it odd that she hates me for no apparent reason?”
He shakes his head. “Nah, I just presumed it’s a chick thing.”
“Stefan—”
“Don’t go there, Wren. I know you don’t trust her but whether you like it or not, she’s a part of my life. She’s the mother of my child, and I will be there for my child. I may be an asshole, but I’m not going to let an innocent child be caught in the crosshairs of my life.”
“You sure it’s your child?” I mumble under my breath, but going by the murderous look on Stefan’s face, he heard me.
“Why are you so quick to judge?”
“Why are you so quick to believe her?” I throw back at him. “Stefan, use your brain, and not the one between your legs. Her word isn’t proof that you’re the baby daddy. I hope I’m wrong but something with her and Tyrone rubs me the wrong way.”
“What will it take for you to trust me?”
“A paternity test. Find out once and for all if you are the father. Once there is irrefutable proof you are the father, then I will support you, but until that happens, I cannot support something I don’t believe. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go before I say something else to piss you off.”
“I’m not pissed, I just wish people would trust me.”
“Then do stuff to earn that trust. Stefan, look at your past, you have not done one thing for anyone to trust you.”
“I’m trustworthy,” he hisses.
“Saying it and proving it are two different things, Stefan.”
With that, I climb out of the hot tub, grab my towel, and head back inside. Before I close the door behind me, I look over at Stefan and I find myself smiling. He really is trying to be a better person. I just wish it wasn’t because of a lie. And I know it’s a lie. I will catch Alicia, and when I do, all hell is going to break loose.