DECEPTION : (A student/teacher romance)

A daughter. I’m having a daughter with the most beautiful woman on the planet. I bet she’ll have red hair like her mama. Little freckles over her nose like her too.

Once the doc finished measurements and other shit I knew nothing about, he told us all was good, then took blood samples and rebooked us in for another appointment for in a month’s time with the female doctor.

I text my father to tell him the good news, and he replied with a thumbs-up. Fucking prick. The least the old bastard could do was give me a pink heart or something for his granddaughter.

As soon as Hallie can get pregnant again, I’ll do it. I already love her pregnant body more than I thought I would. I imagine my need for her will only increase the bigger she gets, and those tits—fuck me. When her milk comes in, I’ll be bathing in it.

I wonder if that’s possible.

“You’re nervous too, aren’t you? That’s why you’re fidgeting.” I slice my eyes to hers, then back to the road and try my hardest to suppress the insane laughter begging to escape. She really thinks I’m nervous to tell Matt? Jesus, it’ll be a relief to finally get it all out. And fidgeting? My cock is rubbing on the waistband of my denim and hurts like a bitch, but the way she’s gnawing on her nails tells me she isn’t going to appreciate my honesty. Still, I can’t lie to her.

“He’ll understand,” I grunt noncommittedly.

We pull into her driveway, and I purposely park behind Matt’s car, blocking the little runt in just in case he plans on making a quick exit and this doesn’t go how I hope.

Before I give her a chance to overthink it, I’m out of the SUV and rounding her side to help her from the car. I give Silas a chin lift as her hand slips into mine. He rolls his eyes, unimpressed with having to become our shadow twenty-four seven.

When we step into her kitchen, she attempts to slip her hand from mine, but I only tighten my hold on her further. No fucking way is she pulling away from me.

“Hey, Mom.” Matt sticks his head around the wall from the kitchen, then his eyes land on me. “Hey, man, what are you doing here?” He shakes his head. “Forget that. Roc, you can’t be here, man. My dad—” He grinds his jaw as if pissed.

“We need to talk to you,” Hallie blurts.

“Oh, okay.” When he steps out of the kitchen, his gaze lands on our connected hands, and again, Hallie attempts to pull away from me, but I tighten my hold. His eyes narrow and his jaw sharpens. “What’s happening?” He stares at our hands as the room fills with tension. Hell, I can practically feel the anger building inside him as his chest rises and reality sets in.

Hallie opens her mouth, but I decide to explain for her. “We’re married.”

He chokes on a comical laugh and rocks back on his feet. Then his gaze locks back on us and all humor has faded. “Wh-what?”

“Married. Me and your mom.” I lift our joined hands to show him her ring, and Hallie grinds her teeth while boring her eyes into the side of my head, but I ignore her. “And we’re …”

“Rocco, don’t you dare!” She butts in, shaking her head.

“Pregnant.” Her mouth falls open as I lay it all out for him. “Your mom and I are married, and she’s having our baby.” His face pales as his eyes flick from Hallie to mine, then back to Hallie’s. Then he glances down at her stomach.

“You can’t be,” he whispers, forcing a strangled sob from Hallie.

“It wasn’t planned.” She attempts to pacify him, but I scoff. Wasn’t fucking planned? Our little girl was most definitely planned, even if she wasn’t always aware of it.

“He’s my best friend,” Matt murmurs. The brokenness of his tone actually makes my heart ache, but I choose to ignore it.

“Well, now I’m your best friend and your stepdad.” I grin back at him.

“Rocco!” Hallie snaps. “You’re not helping.”

“He … he’s, barely two years older than me. What the fuck, Mom!” he bellows, and Hallie flinches.

I step forward, pissed he’s shouting at her. “Lower your fucking tone, Matt,” I grit out.

His eyes widen. “Lower my tone? You knocked my mom up and married her! Are you insane?”

“Yes.” I smile broadly. “Very insane. But she’s my sanity.” I point toward Hallie. “That woman right there is the only reason I hold on to the little sanity I have, so I suggest you shut the fuck up and deal with it.”

“Deal with it?” he sneers, shocking the shit out of me. Where the hell has the meek and mild Matt disappeared to. “If you seriously think I’m going to be okay with this, then you’re deluded,” he spits out, his tone now poisonous.

“Matt, please,” she implores. “Can we just talk about it?”

“Dad is going to flip his fucking shit.” He turns to me. “He hates you; you know that, right?”

When I shrug, all the anger drains from his face, as if realizing something. “You did this on purpose.”

I cross my arms over my chest and lift my chin, unprepared to deliver him with my truths, not when Hallie isn’t aware.

“What the hell is this? Some revenge plot or something?”

“Don’t be so fucking stupid. I love her,” I snap back, pissed at his attitude.

“Love?” He laughs, and it’s malicious. “You?” Then he spins to face Hallie, and I already know I won’t like what he’s about to say. I wait for the onslaught of vitriol to spill from him while every muscle in my body struggles to remain in control. “You stupid bitch. I hate …” I move so fast I don’t realize what I’m doing until Hallie cries and I’m staring down at Matt on the floor as I grip his T-shirt in my hand, my fist almost at his face.

“Rocco, how could you?” She sobs as she stares up at me. “Yo-you almost hit him.” Her chin wobbles, and the disappointment in her tone forces me to step back. “You almost hit my son.”

“I was protecting you,” I fire back. I stopped myself and I’d never hurt either of them.

Her eyes turn from pitiful to angry in the blink of an eye. “Get out!” She points toward the door. “Get the fuck out!”

“No.”

“I said get out, right fucking now, Rocco.”

I stay grounded to the spot.

“Do you want me to ring the police?” She lifts her eyebrow, and I glare back at her. She knows damn well the hell that will rain down on us if that happens, all of us.

I drag my hand over my chin, trying but failing to find a solution. “Fuck!” I march toward the door and throw it open.

How can she not see I was protecting her?

I slam the door behind me and storm toward the SUV.

Silas is at my side in a flash. “What happened?”

“I almost hit the kid.” I drag a hand over my hair and tug it. “Shit!”

“Fuck, man. She went mama bear on you, huh?”

I slam my fist into the window screen and welcome the bite of pain, but this is nothing compared to how I feel inside, and however much I know Hallie did what’s right by asking me to leave, I also know I’m not going anywhere. I’ll just deal with the consequences the way I know best.

I’ll take what I want, and she’ll thank me for it.