Chapter 20
STERLING
Pregnant, I repeat inside my head. I’m having a baby.
This thing with June is starting to feel a lot bigger than I intended it to be. The thought of her carrying another man’s baby was destroying me.
We could have a baby together. I could learn to be a father. Fuck, I want her so bad in my life that I offered to be the godfather of her child. Well, what do you know, I’m the father. But the way she looked at me, the anger in her eyes and her words. I don’t know where I stand.
You’re not seventeen, I remind myself.
I can be whoever the fuck I want and I’m bulldozing my way into this situation if she won’t allow me to do it in a friendly fashion.
“We have to make an appointment,” she says, looking at Beckett.
“It’s set,” I announce. “I’m sure you know how things work when you are a celebrity and have money.”
She presses her lips together and nods.
“Let’s go and see if the doctor is right. You haven’t even told me how you came to that conclusion.”
Not that I doubt her, but we just had sex two weeks ago. Seeing how upset she is about this, I can see that if possible she would treat me like a male predator mantis and eat my head before the day is over.
“Why are we going through the back?” she asks.
“Part of the illusion. Important public figure,” I explain and ask Beck, “Did they sign the NDA?”
He nods.
“How, he just walks in with the order from the doctor?”
“Haven’t you heard the man for the past couple of days? We have procedures. He knows how to handle these situations.”
She opens and closes her mouth. I can see she’s not thrilled about the special treatment, nor am I but I have to use my name to speed up the process. We have to talk. I have to convince her of many things including that I can be a part of this baby’s life.
As promised, the room is ready. Beck stays outside and closes the door behind. There’s a nurse in the room.
“Good morning,” she greets us.
June and I greet her.
Without missing a beat, the nurse begins to explain what to expect, “This is a transvaginal ultrasound. Take off your clothes from the waist down and use this blanket to cover you. It’s similar to a pap smear. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”
June looks at me and then the door.
“Sweetheart, I’ve seen everything. I’m not leaving you.”
She rolls her eyes and does as she was told. The technician comes back a couple of minutes later and explains what she’s going to do.
“We’re just confirming the gestational age. You paid for a 4d sonogram which we can’t do at this point but please feel free to come back in about …” She moves the wand inside June around and says, “There they are. The gestational sacs. They’re about two millimeters each.”
“This isn’t possible,” June says. “You can’t get pregnant a week before your next period.”
The technician looks at her and smiles. “Do you have regular periods?”
“No, I have PCOS but I was taking hormones to get pregnant.”
“That explains the multiple birth. Your ovulation isn’t regular, and you might’ve ovulated not only late, but released more than one egg.”
She hands me over a grayish picture and says, “Congratulations, it’s twins.”
My heart drops to my feet because one was already mind-blowing, but two.
“You can get dressed and leave through the back door. I hope to see you soon.”
“Twins,” June says as she gets dressed. “They run in the family but … now, what am I supposed to do?”
“Take a breath,” I suggest. “Smile and enjoy the news. I thought this was going to make you happy.”
She sighs and we leave the room. By then, Clark is with us. Beck thought it’d be a good idea to have more than one security detail covering us just in case anyone recognized me. We drive to the penthouse in silence. I’m not sure how to act or what to say when she’s so quiet and frazzled.
When we arrive home, she climbs up the stairs and Beck looks at me. “What do you need?”
I point at the stairs. “For her to open up and let me in. Do you have any advice?”
He shakes his head. “You’re on your own, man. Any other chick would be asking you for money and a ring. She’s different. I like her. What do you want?”
“Them,” I answer. “Not sure how it’s going to work but I want June and my babies in my life. You said it, she’s different.”
“Let me know if you need anything.”
“Bring a new guy. We need a detail for her.”
“Are you still going to Steamboat?”
I look upstairs and shake my head. “No, most likely we’ll be staying in town.”
If I can help it, in this house because she’s not going anywhere. Not if I can convince her to stay with me.
When I go upstairs, she’s in my room pacing around and tapping her phone.
I lean on the doorframe and observe her. Suddenly, she stops and looks at me.
“Sorry for sounding ungrateful. It’s just that this makes it harder. I can hear my brothers demanding I marry you because when it comes to me, they behave as if we’re in the early nineteen hundreds and I should be a kept woman.”
I can’t help but laugh. She’s too independent to follow the rules of old society.
“What do you want?”
She shrugs. “In regard to?”
“Your future.”
She smiles and touches her flat belly. “Them. They talked about the possibilities of multiples and how the hormones might release more than one egg, but I need to rethink everything.”
“Why not enjoy it?”
“I will, soon. The house should be ready next week but maybe I should go back to San Francisco. Being a single mother of one seems like a lot of work but two? I’m sure Mom is going to help, and Dad.”
She smiles.
“Yeah, I have the entire family. This should be okay. Jeannette will help too.” Then, as if a new plan just popped in her head, she looks at me and says, “You can be as involved as you want. I just beg you, don’t hurt them. If you think this is too much—”
“Don’t hurt them or you?” I ask directly and walk toward her taking her hands.
We’re not walking around each other without facing the big issues.
“This is me telling you upfront that we’re in this together.
Stop pushing me and telling me that you don’t need me around.
Maybe you don’t, but they do. It’d be nice if you don’t take their choice of having me around away even before they’re born. Do we understand each other?”
With wide eyes, she nods.
“It’s just that you said it once, family isn’t for you. Being involved makes you part of the family even if it’s unconventional. We have to come up with rules.”
“June, why do I feel like you’re putting a wall between us?”
She looks at me and frowns. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Juniper, there’s an unspoken rule between us. We don’t bullshit each other. Be honest with me.”
“I like you, Sterling,” she pauses, looks at me from head to toe, and says, “a lot. Like, hmm, wouldn’t it be awesome if this was real and we had more than just great sex.”
Okay, so she’s scared and we’re two fucking frightened people who have been hurt so much they can’t see how this can work. Well, we’ll make this work. Fuck, this better be worth it.
“Thirty days around you sounded doable because as a fantasy it works. I know when it ends, and reality starts. I was going to pick up my things and leave with my new life. But now, you’re part of my future—even if I don’t want it. We need boundaries.”
“Boundaries,” I repeat. “So, you’re switching our dynamic.”
She nods. “It’s best if we keep our distance.”
“What if I tell you that I want this to become our reality?”