Chapter 25

Tessa's POV:

No, no, this couldn’t be right. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the steering wheel. I looked back down at the piece of paper that said I was pregnant. It was obvious who the dad was, and that was exactly the problem. Arlo and I had been keeping our relationship a secret for weeks now. Things were going well, and now that I was pregnant, what would he say? We never spoke about kids, or marriage, or anything other than planning when we’d tell our families. Was I even ready to have a child?

I heard the phone ring, looked down, and saw it was Zavier calling. I pushed the paper away as I picked up and opened the DNA results.

“So? Have you picked it up already?” he asked. I could tell by his voice that he was a little nervous about the results. I took a deep breath and tried focusing on the paper in my hand. I read through the results till I got to the end.

“Y-yeah, hold on,” I mumbled, rereading it to be sure. “Oh my God, Zavi. You’re not the father!” I yelled into the phone, smiling.

“I knew it!” Zavier cheered and then chuckled.

“What are you going to do next?” I asked curiously. What would happen now that she had dragged him publicly and lied?

“Meet me at the mansion. I heard she has been staying there, and, well, I’ll clear up things,” he replied in a severe tone.

“Wow, I’m so happy for you,” I mumbled.

“Thank you. For everything,” Zavier replied before ending the call. I started the car and turned up the AC. I looked over my results and bit down on my lip. What to do about that?

I pushed aside the thought and pulled out of the parking lot, driving to the mansion. Part of me felt bad for how this DNA sample was obtained, but it had to be done.

~~~

Zavier’s POV:

I sat on the edge of my bed and put the phone next to me. Finally, I had proof that Andrea wasn’t mine. It was safe to say that yesterday, when I got back from work, things didn’t go well between Amara and me.

~~~

Yesterday…

After I left, I went to pick up some coffee and waited for thirty minutes to pass before heading back to the office. In those thirty minutes, I tried calling Amara, but she kept letting the phone go to voicemail. When I got to the office, Arlo was the only family member there, and he didn’t bother me at all. We both just did our jobs then went home.

“Amara? Sebastian?” I called out when I came through the door and saw Sebastian walking over to me. He was rubbing his eyes, dressed in a dino onesie, and his hair was washed. It was clear that Sebastian was ready for bed.

“Daddy.” He hugged me, and I lowered down to his level and picked him up.

“How are you, buddy?” I asked, running my fingers through his hair.

“Sleepy.” He pouted. I looked over at Amara. She leaned against the doorway, not even bothering to greet me as she would have before.

“Did you have dinner?” I asked, looking at Sebastian again and watching as he played with my tie.

“Mm-hmm, me and Mommy.” He nodded, then yawned, and rested his head on my shoulder.

“I see…should I tuck you in?” I asked, noting just how tired he was. He must’ve stayed up waiting for me. I was a little disappointed they didn’t wait for me to start dinner. Usually, they waited. Perhaps he was hungry.

“Please, yes,” he hummed, wrapping his free hand around me and closing his eyes.

“Okay, come on, then.” I kissed his cheek and walked upstairs. I turned on the lights and put him on his bed, making sure to tuck him in and kiss him on his forehead. I looked through his book collection, trying to pick a book to read him. Once I found one, I turned around and saw he had already drifted off.

I looked at him. He looked so calm and relaxed. I smiled softly and put away the book, dimming the lights and walking out without making any noise. I went downstairs, saw Amara sitting on the couch, and walked over to her.

“So, you won’t talk to me?” I asked, standing by her, arms crossed as I looked down at her.

“What is there to talk about?” Amara replied, taupe eyes focused on the screen like she wouldn’t even acknowledge my presence.

“The situation with Grace?” I replied, raising a brow at her. Surely, this was why she was acting like this and why she stormed away at work.

“No. I totally understand. That’s what you wanted to tell me, right?” she replied, turning to look at me.

“I—” I frowned, looking at her, unsure what she meant by this.

“Your mother loves Grace, and you’re also not over her. I knew this was all fake, but I expected you to be real with me,” Amara replied, looking down at the pillow she played with. By her tone, I could tell she was a little saddened.

“Amara, what are you talking about?” I asked, unsure where she got that information from.

“I overheard the conversation between you and your mother on your birthday. Like I said, I knew this was all just fake, but you shouldn’t have kept your other child a secret from me, as well as how you felt about Grace all this time. When I kissed you, I had no idea you had someone else. Had I known, I wouldn’t have acted on my feelings,” she started to say, pressing her lips together and avoiding looking at me after talking.

“Amara, please let me explain the situation,” I pleaded. This was all a misunderstanding. Surely, she didn’t hear the entire conversation.

“You don’t have to do that. Good night, Mr. Fuentes,” she said, getting up and making her way to the stairs without looking over at me once.

“Amara, good night,” I called out, but she didn’t turn around. It only made her go faster, so I gave up for now. The moment I had the DNA results, I'd hopefully be given a chance to explain the situation without her jumping to conclusions or storming away.

~~~

Present…

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I saw Mr. Fischer calling. He had been calling since Grace posted the things online, but I had been ignoring his calls just like how Amara had been ignoring me. Finally, I could pick up and tell him the child wasn’t mine with confidence.

“Hello, Mr. Fischer,” I answered, lying back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling.

“Zavier…we have some things to discuss, as well as you ignoring my calls,” he said. I let out a soft sigh, knowing where this was headed.

“My apologies, Mr. Fischer. As you can see, things have been a little busy. I know what you read in the magazines, but I can tell you that my ex is just back to ruin my image, as well as my relationship with Amara,” I replied reassuringly.

“The timeline of the child—don’t you find that suspicious?” I heard him asking. I could also hear children’s voices in the background and assumed those were his boys.

“When we broke up, it was because she had been cheating on me, but I never made that public. I had this daughter of hers tested, and it’s not a match. I’m only a father to Sebastian,” I replied, putting the phone on loudspeaker for a moment and resting it on a table as I started putting on my belt.

“Oh…it’s quite malicious of her to ruin things for you like this. As for our contract, I just received the photos, but with you trending like this now, I’m not sure whether we can release the selection so early,” Mr. Fischer replied. I could sense a dash of uncertainty in his voice. I didn’t blame him, though. I’d hate to be in business with someone whose public image wasn’t ideal.

“Don’t worry about it. I will clear my name. I have to go now. Have a good day,” I reassured him, knowing today it would all be taken care of.

“You too,” he responded, ending the call as I heard the giggles of the boys becoming louder.

I walked out of the bedroom and went down to see Sebastian running to me. “Morning, Daddy!”

“Morning, baby.” I smiled, bending down to pick him up.

“Sleep well?” he asked, holding my face in his hands and forcing me to look at him.

“Hmm, yes. You?” I answered and looked at the stairs as I walked down them.

“Good!” Sebastian smiled, running a finger down my stubble.

“Can I put some cartoons on for you? I want to go talk to Mommy for a moment,” I asked, putting him down on the couch.

“Okay.” He grinned and leaned back, resting his hands behind his head. I smiled, looking at him, then turned to put on the cartoons.

I put on some cartoons for Sebastian and helped him get comfortable on the couch before walking to the kitchen to talk to Amara. I saw her standing by the sink.

“Amara, good morning,” I said and waited for a good minute but didn’t get a response. “Seriously? We have to talk now.”

“What do you want?” She set down the dishes and turned to face me.

“Andrea isn’t mine. Tessa did a DNA test for me in secret,” I informed her, hoping this would change things around.

“I see…” Amara replied, frowning a little and leaving me confused. Why was she still acting this way?

“That’s all you have to say?” I asked, slightly annoyed. I thought maybe now we’d have a normal conversation.

“I’m tired. Sorry,” she mumbled. She was lying. I knew she went to bed around nine.

“I understand. Don’t worry about breakfast. I’m in a hurry, and I’ll just buy something,” I replied coldly. I saw she was still busy preparing it.

“I’m almost fin—”

I interrupted her. It hurt her that I wouldn’t have breakfast, but I couldn’t deal with her right now. “As I said, I’m in a hurry.” I walked away to my room and continued putting on my clothes. Dealing with her was slowly becoming harder and harder as she kept confusing me. What did she want me to do, exactly?

Before leaving the house, I made sure to kiss Sebastian goodbye. I drove over to my mother’s house, knowing everyone would be there, and I was right. Grace would be gone for good this time. Once I got to the house, the butler opened the door for me and took my coat. I spoke to him for a short moment. It'd been a while since I’d seen him. I remembered growing up with him and his children, one of whom had even become a model for the company.

“Zavier, you came,” my mother said happily, interrupting the conversation, but it was coming to an end already.

“Have a good day,” I told the butler, then saw Tessa coming through the door. “Have you got the papers?”

“Here,” she said, handing me an envelope and then taking off her shoes and walking in farther with me.

“Thank you. A lot,” I mumbled to her, reading the paper then walking to the living room where I saw everyone.

“You came.” Grace got up, smiling.

“I don’t know what spell she has you two under, but this shit ends today.” I cut straight to chase, glaring at Grace.

“What do you mean?” She frowned. My mother and sisters were obviously confused too.

“I did a DNA test with the help of Tessa, and it turns out that your daughter isn’t my child,” I responded, looking over at Grace, then at my mother as she walked up to me.

“What do you mean, Zavier?” Carolyn asked, getting up and looking at the paper I held in my hand.

“Here.” I handed her the results, watching as she read through them and gave them to Mom. Grace looked over at the paper and looked mortified, unable to form words. “You couldn’t accept that I dumped you, which was your fault since you cheated on me with not one but two men, so you decided to come back into my life after almost four years just to ruin the one good relationship I had with the woman I love.” I unloaded on her, making sure to keep my hands to myself and keep myself as calm as possible as I lectured on. Every time she opened her mouth, she closed it again, unable to muster up some other lie to tell. I did blame her for ruining things between Amara and me.

“Me mentiste! You told me she was my granddaughter.” My mother glared at Grace, fuming with anger.

“How am I supposed to know who the father is?” she broke down, shouting.

“Pack your things up and leave now!” Mom shouted and pointed to the door.

“How could you?” Grace glared at Tessa, walking up to her and raising her hand, but Arlo stopped her from moving even an inch closer.

“You were planning on getting away with ruining a good man’s reputation. Adios, Grace.” Tessa waved at her. Grace looked over at Carolyn, seeking some defense, but she wasn’t given any, so she ran to get her things, I assumed.

“I need to talk to you in private,” I told my mother and led the way to the next room.

“I owe you an apology, huh?” she said awkwardly, looking up at me.

“More than that, even. You owe Amara an apology too. That conversation on her birthday—she heard it. It was beyond disrespectful, but I figured she hadn’t heard, but it turns out she did,” I responded, crossing my arms, watching as she rolled her eyes.

“Why are you so keen on that?” Mom asked, crossing her arms too and raising a brow at me.

“Why? Because I love her, but she won’t give me a chance with my mother talking nonsense and having her think I care about Grace, and, on top of that, nothing you said that night was kind towards her. She has been nothing but sweet. If I were her, I’d cut you out of Sebastian's life,” I responded, clearly hurting her with the last sentence. She might not like Amara, but it was clear she loved her grandson.

“You speak so highly of her, but don’t you ever wonder why her own mother won’t speak with her?” she then asked, still avoiding admitting that she was wrong. I knew how older people were, and usually, I’d let it go, but not this time. This was important to not just me, but also to my family.

“I know exactly why. She told me, and it’s not really your concern as it’s private.” I shrugged. “Listen, Mama, I love you, but at some point, I’ll have to choose my own family. So, if you don’t apologize to her as well as treat her kindly, don’t expect us to come here or invite you over.”

“I see…” Mom mumbled.

“Ya voy,” I said lastly before leaving.

~~~

Tessa's POV

I saw Arlo and walked closer to him. “Can we talk somewhere in private?”

“Of course,” he mumbled and looked around. Everyone was busy right now, so we could easily sneak away. He turned around, led the way to the garden out back, and sat down on the bench.

“What’s wrong? Do you want to tell them already?” he asked, turning to face me and leaning closer as he looked at me, a slight smile on his blush lips.

“I think that should wait…” I mumbled, holding my hands together on my lap as I looked down at them.

“What? Why? Did I do something wrong?” Arlo questioned, his dark brows furrowed in a frown.

“Arlo. I…I’m pregnant…” I blurted out, taking a deep breath as I looked into his forest-colored eyes. “Say something,” I mumbled after he hadn’t said a word. Instead, he just stared at me.

“Carajo,” he mumbled, making me frown, and then my anger rose.

“¿En serio?” I scoffed, moving away from him a little.

“No, wait, I’m just surprised,” Arlo replied, pulling me back down and holding onto my hand.

“Do you even want children, Arlo?” I asked. I thought we’d be having this question a little later in our relationship, but it appeared not.

“I wasn’t too sure, but when I met Bash—he changed my mind a little. Then, Amara spoke about her difficulties during pregnancy with Char, and now I’m not sure. I don’t want my partner to get hurt,” he rambled on as Zavier would do.

“Dammit. Yes or no?” I groaned, wanting him to cut straight to it and not lead me on.

“Yes. If you’re the mother, of course. There’s no one more caring than you,” Arlo replied nervously. His hands were sweaty, but then again, mine were too.

“I see…” I mumbled.

“You? Do you want kids?” he then asked, looking back to make sure no one was around.

“Yeah, but I thought I’d be in an established relationship before this would happen.” I sighed, pulling away from his hands and wiping mine off on my pants.

“Well, what do you want to do? I’ll support you no matter what,” he asked, retrieving his hands. “I can tell them that we’re dating and that you’re pregnant,” Arlo offered.

“No! I think I want to wait a little longer,” I was quick to say. I didn’t know how to tell Zavier and, on top of that, my parents. Sure, I was an adult, but they still had some views on things.

“Till you start showing?” he replied, a little annoyed. I could tell he was excited to tell our parents and be with me without having to hide it.

“You said you’d support me no matter what.” I glared at him. I didn’t need his sass right now.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. We’ll figure this out, okay?” he promised, and I gave him a slight nod.

~~~

Zavier’s POV:

I once again took the day off from work, but after leaving my mother’s, I still planned on going in until I saw that Amara had messaged me and asked if I could come home. I dropped everything and rushed home. I asked her what the problem was, but she didn’t respond till I was already at the gate. When I opened the notification for the text she sent me, I saw the video of my conversation with Grace posted online. The only person who could’ve recorded it was Charlotte. Judging by the comments, it was clear the people didn’t like who she truly was. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this—her being dragged publicly. It was the same thing she did to me, but in the middle was her innocent daughter, who didn’t deserve this at all.

~~~

Amara’s POV:

When I saw the video, part of me was relieved things were cleared up, but then, I realized he mentioned loving someone…the relationship she ruined for him: it was me. I overreacted, and now, I was not sure if I had driven him away. He tried apologizing this morning, but I never gave him a chance.

“Hey, is everything okay?” he asked as he walked through the door.

“Be honest with me right now. Do you love me?” I asked, not bothering to beat around the bush. I wanted an answer, and I wanted it now.

“Amara—” he started, making me sigh. I didn’t want a story; I wanted a yes or no. I knew how I felt, but I kept getting mixed signals from him.

“It’s simple. Yes or no?”

“Yes, I do. How could I not? With all the time we’ve spent together, I only keep falling more and more for you. You’re one of the sweetest and strongest women I’ve ever met,” he replied, his green eyes focused on me as he took a step closer to me and took my hands in his.

“Zavier—” I mumbled, but he continued to speak.

“I never got the chance to tell you. Grace is in the past. She cheated on me, which is why things are over. You don’t ever have to worry about me having feelings for another woman because you’re the one I have feelings for. Also, no other person will come forth with a child of mine,” Zavier said, the last part of his sentence making me chuckle a little.

“I’m sorry for the way I acted,” I mumbled, realizing how mean I had been to him before by never even giving him a chance to apologize.

“It’s okay. I only have one question: is the feeling mutual?” Zavier asked, making me frown. Wasn’t the answer obvious to him?

“Of course, it is, idiot.” I shook my head and got tugged into his chest. He cupped my face and leaned down for a kiss. His soft lips moved against mine, his stubble under my touch as I held the side of his face.

“Ew!” we heard Sebastian say, and we pulled away, laughing at him.

“Let me take you out on a true date,” he said, letting go of me and walking over to pick up Sebastian.

“When?” I asked, watching as Sebastian hugged his father.

“Well, this whole weekend.” Zavier shrugged as if things were that simple.

“But Sebastian—” I pointed out.

“I’ll arrange it all. I’ll just need you to pack your bags, okay?” he asked of me. I opened my mouth to protest, but what was the point. We deserved this date. We deserved to have another shot.

“I…okay.” I nodded.

~~~

It was now Friday morning. We’d all gotten ready for the day and were currently on the road. Till now, Zavier still refused to tell me where we’d be going. The days leading up to today had been hectic for him, and honestly, I felt a little bad. I told him he didn’t have to go over the top, but he refused and said I deserved nothing less. So, between him being in the office and planning, it was busy, but he still had more than enough time for Sebastian and me. As for babysitting, Sebastian would spend the first night at Charlotte's and the second night at Amelia's. Both were more than okay with this.

We stopped at Charlotte’s place. This was the first time I'd come here, and her place looked good. It was a small house, perfect for just her, and a decent-sized yard with a sandpit Sebastian kept talking about. We stepped out of the car and helped Sebastian with his bag as he ran straight for the door.

“Hiya, buddy.” Charlotte picked him up and hugged him as he squealed with excitement. “Hey, you two,” Charlotte then said as we walked up to her.

“Hey, Charlie, thank you for looking after him,” Zavier said, hugging her and then handing her his bag.

“Hello. Yes, thanks a lot,” I added, smiling at her and Sebastian.

“Of course! You two enjoy your time, okay?” She smiled and looked over at Sebastian, who played with her necklace.

“We will.” I smiled. “Goodbye, baby.” Zavier kissed Sebastian's forehead, and he waved at him.

“Be good to Aunty Charlie. Goodbye, Charlotte.” I kissed his forehead too and was given a kiss on my cheek, and Sebastian then waved at us.

“Goodbye, you two.” Charlotte smiled at us and waved, waiting till we got in the car before going inside.

~~~

“You have your own jet?” I asked, looking at the jet before taking Zavier's hand and walking up the stairs with him. The inside left me shocked. It was so luxurious.

“Of course, I do. I sometimes have emergency meetings, so this comes in handy. I also tend to rent it out from time to time, as I don’t want it to sit and collect dust,” Zavier explained as he walked to the pilot to go speak with him and left me there.

“Wow, I’m surprised,” I mumbled, wandering about the place.

“Come on." Zavier returned and pulled me down to sit next to him.

“Will you finally tell me where we’re going?” I asked, turning to face him and admire his green eyes, as well as putting on the sweetest look I had in hopes it would convince him to tell me.

“Somewhere in Europe.” He gave in but didn’t exactly tell me where.

“Oh.” I frowned and made my thinking face as I thought of where it might be.

“That’s all you’re getting from me, missy.” He booped my nose then pulled me into him.

“Zavier, what do you want from all this?” I asked randomly, looking up at him.

“All what?” He frowned, looking at me with his brows furrowed.

“Us dating, you know?” I added awkwardly. I didn’t want to ruin the moment, but I felt I had to know this.

“Every day, I want to come home to you and our adorable son. We spend so much time as a family together, which I don’t want to ever stop. When we went on those dates for the media, I always wished it could be real. That we could hold each other, kiss each other, and be there for each other as more than just friends,” he explained, playing with a strand of my hair.

“Good. I’d like the same thing.” I smiled and kissed his cheek. Zavier smirked and put on a movie to watch. A flight attendant offered us some snacks and champagne. After the movie, we dozed off until there was an announcement that we were arriving.

We had arrived in Rome! I’d always wanted to come here. I still had no idea who the informant was who told him all these things, but my bet was on Nicole. After we got off the plane, the first stop was a market to pick up some groceries, and as such, I learned that Zavier spoke Italian, which came in handy when I was searching for specific items. When we finished buying groceries, we saw a pastry shop across the street. I bought some cannoli, along with other little pastries they had. When I stepped out, I was handed a bouquet.

“Too much, or do you love them?” he asked, looking down at the flowers he bought me and pressing his lips together.

“I love them. Thank you.” I smiled and brought the bouquet to my nose, smelling it.

“You’re welcome. Are you ready to go to our place?” Zavier smiled, taking my hand in his and leading the way through the market stalls and shops.

“Yes. Here,” I answered and handed him the pastry bags.

“Did you buy me any cannoli?” Zavier asked, raising a brow at me.

“Yes, yes. I made sure to get the cannoli.” I chuckled, stepping into the car after he opened the door for me.

“Thank you.” He smiled and sat next to me. We were then driven to a beige-colored villa, the ones you’d see in movies that had big bushes with flowers growing on the walls. When we got inside, the first thing we did was unpack.

“Thank you so much for taking me here. I’m excited to see the place!” I said, looking around before sitting down and letting out a sigh. The place was lovely.

“I know you are. In fact, I think we should go out for dinner. Your food is good, but, babe, we’re in Italy!” Zavier said, turning to face me after opening up one of the curtains.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” I laughed. I loved cooking, but I didn’t plan on doing much of it while in Rome.

“Shall we get ready then?” he asked, taking my hand to help me sit up.

“Sounds good to me.” I nodded.

I walked to my room and closed the door. I picked out my outfit before heading into the bathroom with my bag of toiletries. I looked around. The bathroom was so spacious, with so many windows on the beige stone walls. I unpacked my stuff in the bathroom and went into the shower. I spent some time just letting the water wash down my body before turning the shower off.

I picked out the breezy sage dress that came to my knees and had some buttons down the middle. I liked how it looked, and it would go perfectly with the layered necklace and straw crossbody bag. Once I was ready, I stepped out and saw Zavier had just finished getting ready as well.

“You look lovely,” he complimented me, taking my hand in his and placing a kiss on top.

“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself,” I replied, following him to the garage.

We ended up going to dinner at a busy restaurant. However, it wasn’t fancy or anything. Just cozy and perfect. We had dinner by the fireplace. We talked as if it were any normal conversation, but there was occasional flirting here and there. Zavier was quite charming. I guess I didn’t see that before, given we had just been friends.

After dinner, he took me out to get gelato. We walked down the street together, holding each other’s hands as we passed the lights, and we would occasionally look at each other with a smile on our lips.

When we made it back to the place where we were staying, we decided to check out the pool and make use of it. I looked at my green bikini. I knew I had packed it and everything, but I wasn’t sure about wearing it. I walked out to the pool and saw Zavier had turned the pool lights on and was already in the water.

“I was starting to think you were joking about going in the pool,” Zavier joked, swimming closer to the edge where I walked to.

“Oh no. I just had to search for something to wear,” I replied, setting my towel down on one of the lounge chairs.

“You sure are wearing something,” he mumbled, his green eyes going up my body before meeting my eyes.

I sat down by the edge and dipped my feet in, the temperature making me want to pull away, but Zavier placed himself between me, looking up into my eyes. His hair looked even darker now that it was wet. He ran his fingers through it, pushing it to stay back, but some strands still hung over his forehead.

“Won’t you join me?” he asked, causing me to snap out of the trance I was in.

“It’s a little cold,” I mumbled, swinging my feet in the water.

“See, you brought this upon yourself.” Zavier sighed dramatically, his cold hands resting on my thighs.

“Brought wh—Zavier!” I was about to ask when he pulled me into the water, his arms wrapped around my waist as he looked at me, smirking. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck. The look on my face displayed annoyance.

“Come on; you had that coming.” He smiled, still holding onto me. I rolled my eyes, and his hands moved down my sides, trying to hold me closer to him, as if it was possible to be any closer. Zavier leaned in to kiss my cheek, but instead, I let our lips meet. Zavier’s lips were slow at first, as if he were testing the waters, but soon enough, he got the message and moved one hand to the back of my head, pulling me closer into the kiss while my hands tugged on his hair.

“Zavier, I want you…”

This was day one of the two and a half we’d be spending together, and just tonight was more than enough. Zavier made sure we’d have a great time, and we did. I truly couldn't have had a better date. He sure deserved another chance. I was excited to see what the future held for us.

~~~

Tessa's POV:

Three months later…

I invited Zavier and Amara over. Today was the day that Arlo and I broke the news to them. So far, we’d told my parents, as well as Arlo’s family. It was only Zavier who we still needed to tell. The families weren’t too angry, but they did wish we had come forward about this earlier instead of now when I was four months along. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared.

The little bump would be a surprise, but honestly, I didn’t show too much even after four months. However, according to the doctor, both the baby and I were fine.

“They’re here,” Arlo said, walking to open the door.

“You’re here too?” Zavier asked, looking at his older brother.

“Come on in. How are you, Amara?” Arlo stepped aside and waited till they both got in before closing the door.

“I’m good. You?” she replied, smiling. The two really were happier since they started dating officially.

“Good, but then again, I haven’t gone on any whirlwind trips to Rome, so maybe just fine?” Arlo teased, leading the way to the living room.

“Well, you should go soon,” she advised him.

“It’s next on the list,” Arlo replied, smiling.

“Hey, buddy,” I said, getting up and pulling down my oversized shirt as I hugged Zavier. When our stomachs pressed together, he frowned a little.

“Hey, how have you been? Thank you for running things while I was gone,” he said and let go of me, going to sit down next to Amara.

“Of course.” I smiled. I could feel Amara’s eyes on us. She definitely knew what would happen today.

“So?” Zavier asked, looking at Arlo and me as he sat down next to me.

“Arlo and I have something to tell you,” I started, biting down on my lip.

“Okay…” he trailed off and looked between the two of us.

“We’re in love,” I blurted out.

“¿Qué?” Zavier frowned.

Amara smiled and said, “Saw that coming.”

“What do you mean you love him? That Arlo?” Zavier said in disbelief, clearly trying to wrap his head around it.

“I swear I’m good to her, Zavi,” Arlo sighed.

“We’re also engaged. He proposed last week.” I got that out of the way, showing my ring finger that had a ring on it with a big stone. This all was happening so fast, yet it felt right.

“What’s next? You’re pregnant too?” Zavier scoffed and looked at us when he realized neither of us really laughed or reacted with a “no.” “Oh my god, you are, aren’t you?” His mouth hung open.

“Zavier, please understand—” I leaned over to him.

“No. Him? Out of all the men?” He pointed to Arlo as if he were the worst guy in the world when he wasn’t. Not the Arlo I got to know.

“Dammit, I can’t control who I fall in love with!” I huffed, crossing my arms.

“Zavier, let her explain and give him a chance, will you?” Amara said, looking at her boyfriend.

“Listen, we’ve liked each other since high school, but because of obvious reasons, we couldn’t be together. I love her more than everything, and I promise I’ll make sure to take care of her and our baby,” Arlo promised. Usually, he was a playful guy, but the way he spoke in this conversation was all serious.

“You hurt her—” Zavier started to say but got cut off.

“You won’t ever have to worry about that,” Arlo assured him.

“Even my dad took this better than you,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes.

“Congratulations, you two. I’m sure Sebastian would love to have a cousin.” Amara smiled, looking at the two of us.

“Thank you so much. Now, dinner?” I replied, grinning. Her support meant a lot because I knew, in the end, Zavier would follow her lead.

“Yes, please!"