Ripe: A Stepbrother Pregnancy Romance (32 page)

All Elise felt now was foolish for thinking that she was doing herself any favors by denying herself of Jesse for so long. Heartbroken and humiliated, she wondered what it would be like to live with him now. Vulnerability was never something she was any good at. Not when they were stepsiblings, and certainly not now.

When Elise heard Jesse’s car pull into the driveway, she regained her composure as best she could, not wanting Isaiah to catch wind of her discomfort.

“Mommy!” Isaiah exclaimed, running into the house and skidding across the marble. “Look what I got at school!”

Elise looked down at the bag in her son’s hand. “Did the book fair visit your school today?” she questioned, doing her best to mask the unhappiness in her tone.

Isaiah nodded excitedly.

Elise stole a glance at Jesse. Just as she suspected, he looked just as lost in thought as she was.

“Isaiah honey,” Elise said. “Go put your books in your room and I’ll make you some dinner.”

Isaiah nodded and raced up the stairs with his backpack dragging behind him.

Elise looked over at Jesse once more. He was still lingering near the door, and he had yet to say anything to her. Not wanting the tension to last even a second longer, she tried her best to put him at ease.

“I’m gonna go heat up some leftover pasta for Isaiah. I can make you a plate too if you’d like,” Elise offered.

Jesse shook his head. “That’s okay. I don’t want to put you out.”

“It’s really not an issue. It’s just a matter of making enough for two.”

“Nah, I’m fine, but I—”

“Are you sure? Because it’s almost dinnertime, and I noticed that you barely ate anything today. I mean, not that I was spying on you or anything—”

“Elise!” Jesse raised his voice to silence her. When he was successful, he spoke again. “I need to talk to you.”

Elise was rummaging through the fridge, but she stopped and kept her back turned away from him as he spoke. “Jesse, it’s okay, really. I understand.”

“I don’t think you do.”

“No, I do.” Elise finally looked at him. “Can’t we just pretend I never said what I did?”

“No, Elise, I don’t think we can.” Jesse’s voice softened as he closed the distance between them and reached for her hand.

Elise was taken off guard by the gesture and the look on her face immediately communicated as much. “But I thought—” she struggled to get out what she wanted to say. “I mean…you left…”

“I was just a little surprised, that’s all. I never thought the day would come when I’d hear you say those words again.”

Elise began to tremble as she stood before him, silently awaiting his next move. When he didn’t make one, she stepped in closer to him, as if touching his body would confirm that what was happening was actually real and not just something she’d conjured up in her head.

Isaiah came downstairs right at that moment and found his parents in the kitchen. He stood in silence and watched them for a long while, not making his presence known. He didn’t know what was happening, but he knew he wanted to be a part of it too. Without a word, he stepped forward from his spot in the doorway, wrapping his small arms around them from behind.

Jesse and Elise looked down at their son and smiled, briefly meeting eyes with each other. The gesture spoke volumes and confirmed what Elise already knew. What she and Jesse shared was as right as anything could possibly get.

Epilogue

Elise and Jesse made a point of touching each other in passing throughout the rest of the evening, communicating what they were both thinking without having to say it.

Isaiah was all smiles as Elise got him ready for bed.  He wore a sly grin on his face as his mother tucked him in and read him a book. After awhile, it became clear to her that he wasn’t focusing on the words.

“What?” Elise questioned, brushing a finger over her son’s nose. It was a gesture that never ceased to make him laugh, and this time wasn’t any different.

“Do you
like like
daddy?” Isaiah giggled.

Elise smiled. The question was innocent in nature, but it made her heart swell all the same. “What makes you ask that?”

“It's just that...Ava told me that her mommy likes her daddy again,” Isaiah said, repeating the words of the girl Elise was sure he’d one day marry. “I just thought it seemed like maybe you and daddy liked each other too…”

“Maybe.” Elise nodded.

“Well…do you
love
daddy?”

“Yes,” Elise answered, not missing a beat. “Very much.”

“Good…because daddy told me on my birthday that he loves you too,” Isaiah stated, smiling as if he’d divulged top-secret information.

Elise responded by bending down to plant a wet kiss against her son’s forehead. After shutting off his light and stepping out into the hall, she was a little surprised when she couldn’t find Jesse anywhere. Just when she was sure that he’d gotten second thoughts and left, his bedroom door swung open and he paced towards her.

Elise gasped when Jesse bent down on one knee in front of her. In the palm of his hand was the small box she’d seen earlier, and when he flipped it open, a sparkling six-carat stared back at her.

A look of confusion surfaced in Elise expression as she glanced back and fourth between Jesse and the ring, but it wasn’t long before it dissolved into one of shock.

“Well?” Jesse whispered. “Will you?”

Elise took Jesse by the hand without a word, leading him into his bedroom with a newfound sense of urgency. Raw passion manifested itself between them as they rid themselves of their clothing, proceeding to make love well into the morning. As the sun began to peek its way through the blinds, they remained awake and gazed into each other’s eyes.

“So?” Jesse whispered, stroking Elise’s hair out of her face. “Is that a yes?”

“Jesse…” Elise swallowed hard and hesitated before speaking. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.”

There were so many things Elise wanted to say, but her emotions rendered her speechless. With tearful eyes, she wrapped her arms around Jesse’s naked body and pulled him in close.

Jesse could feel Elise’s tears against his flesh, but he knew they weren’t sad ones. In that moment, he didn’t just have an answer to his proposal. The soft swell of her abdomen assured him of something else he’d been longing for without even realizing it.

“Jesse,” Elise whispered, tightening her grip on him as she tried her best to force out the words that had been lingering on the tip of her tongue for months. Finally, she closed her eyes and let them flow.

“I’m pregnant.”

Contest

Hello readers!

I hoped you enjoyed reading my first full-length novel,
Ripe
. A prequel novel about Jesse and Elise as teenagers is coming soon. If you read the entire book and would like a chance at winning a $50 Amazon gift card, please send me the answer to the following question:

What was the name of Isaiah’s favorite super hero?

Send your answer to:
[email protected]
.
I will be doing the drawing on July 20
th
based on the pool of responses I receive, and an update will be made on my Facebook page (coming soon). I will also email the winner directly.

Good luck!

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Ripe
, I would love to extend an invitation for you to join my mailing list. For your peace of mind, it comes with a 100%
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Best wishes!

Kate

Contact Me

If you would like to reach out to me for any reason, you may do so by emailing me at
[email protected]
. You’ll also be able to find me on Facebook soon.

About the Author

Kate Thorn was born and raised in West Michigan, but she currently resides in Nevada with her husband and two children. Writing has always been Kate’s passion, and she loves the sense of gratification that comes along with finishing a good book, be it as an author or a reader.
Ripe
is Kate’s first full-length novel, but she’s written her fair share of erotic fiction. To stay up to date with Kate’s publication schedule, be sure to subscribe to her
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