Chapter 45 45
Stefan's heart soared. It felt so damn good hearing that from her, but was that it?
“... And so would I. I need the help too. It can be quite exhausting doing everything myself. Having you around helps me relax a bit more. I know she's safe with you,”
He was touched. So much that he swallowed hard. Did she have any idea what those words did to him? It meant so much. To know that his two women needed him, and boy was he going to be there for them, he swore to himself.
“Alana…” He said, but his voice didn't sound like his because he was filled with such raw emotion that his throat felt a little tight. He cleared his throat, “I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. Thank you,”
He wanted to hug her, but then she gave him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. “You're welcome,” she said as she looked away again, “I'm going to take Juliana to her room and spend some time with her. You can move in whenever you want to,”
When she made to go he said, “Not going to the office today?”
She shook her head as she walked, “Nah, I'll be staying home today,”
_________
Stefan moved in three days later, and he couldn't deny that he'd been damn excited about it, even though their relationship felt tricky at the moment. He'd never been this confused about a woman in his life before. One minute it seemed like they were moving forward, and the next minute, backwards. Did moving in together while in a relationship like theirs count as moving forward? He had no idea.
He figured she just needed some time, and he tried as much as he could to give her space and not bring up the topic of their relationship. He intended to give her what he thought she needed, but he had a plan to make three of them a family, and he intended to make that happen as well.
It wasn't going to be easy though, seeing as she had made him move into the guest room and not her bedroom. Not exactly what he preferred, but baby steps, right? He had plans to fix that too.
A week later they took Juliana for the much needed visit to his father's. Richard was more than glad to finally be spending time with his granddaughter, but he had been disappointed when they told him they wouldn't be staying for a few days. He was holding Juliana now, laughing and responding to her babbles.
Stefan's gaze drifted to Alana. These days he found himself always looking out for her, and whenever he did find her, he found it hard to tear his eyes away.
She was sitting by the pool with Emily. Looking so peaceful laughing at something his sister had said and in that moment he was happy. Surrounded by the people he loved. That was all he wanted.
_________
“So…” Emily was saying to Alana, “You guys live together now,”
“Well, you wanted us to get along,” Alana replied.
“Yes, but I didn't say move in together. Both of you made that decision and it has nothing to do with me,”
Alana stared at her best friend in shock, “So you think it's a bad idea? You think we're making a mistake,”
“Are you nuts?” Emily asked. Her blue eyes went wide as saucers and her short, spiky, dark blond hair actually looked spikier somehow, as if it were actually standing on end more than usual. “I think it's a fantastic idea. I was only pointing out that it was not my idea. Besides, you guys look like you're headed in the right direction,”
Alana sighed deeply, then shrugged. “He…I honestly don't know, Emily.”
“Oh oh. Trouble in paradise already?” Emily stopped, narrowed her eyes on Alana and asked, “What's wrong now? Are you two… you know… Sleeping together?”
“Emily!” Alana gasped.
“What?” Emily shot back, not looking embarrassed one bit, “It's just a question. An important one if you ask me,”
“But It's your brother we're taking about,”
Emily smirked at her, “Yes, I know that, but I'm not asking for details. Just a simple yes or no would suffice,”
Alana looked away, trying to keep her voice even and calm, despite the whirlwind of emotions she felt churning inside, “Not since he moved in. No,” she replied as disappointment and need tangled up together in the center of her chest.
She wasn’t sleeping with him, but she was dreaming of him every night, experiencing erotic mental imagery like she’d never known before. Her need seemed to worsen knowing he was in the house with her, and all she needed to do to get to him now was knock on his bedroom door.
Unrequited love was exhausting. Yes, Stefan liked her. He wanted her body. He was a good father to their daughter, but he didn't love her. It would have been easier if she didn't love him either. Maybe if she didn't it'd be easier to marry him just for Juliana's sake.
But unfortunately, she did love him, and she wanted him to love her back. She was waking up every morning with her body aching and her soul empty. But she wasn't sure Emily would want to hear about all that.
“Why not?” Emily pressed,
“He's sleeping in the guest room,”
“Why?”
“Because I told him to,”
“Again why? I thought you two were doing so well together,”
“We were… I Mean, we are,” replied Alana, “We're just going through a bit of a rough patch. I'm sure we'll fix it. Nothing for you to worry about,”
Emily looked doubtful for a while, “You guys better fix it,” she said finally, “Whatever it is, because you, Alana succeeded in doing something my father and I weren't able to do for years, and we want it to stay that way,”
Alana chuckled, “Oh yeah, and what's that?”
“Getting Stefan to stay,” said Emily, “Do you know how long we tried to make him quit that dangerous job of his. We tried so many times but he wouldn't listen. Until you and Juliana came into the picture. So please do what it takes to fix whatever is between you two, because I like having all of you around… Like this,”