BEST FRIEND’S BROTHER

“What is stopping you then?” His father pressed,

“Sir” Sasha replied instead, “We just don’t think it’d be a good idea to get married just because of the baby”

“Sweetheart, a baby is a very good and valid reason to get married,” Jenna said softly and Sasha saw agreement on her parents’ faces. They also wanted the same thing.

“Don’t bother talking to her about it” Kaleb cut in, “As far as she’s concerned, she thinks she can do everything by herself and she doesn’t need me. Marriage to me is probably the worst thing she could ever imagine herself doing.”

Sasha glared at him, “You’re the one who said you didn’t want to get married first,” she accused

“And you agreed very strongly” he shot back.

“What did you expect me to do?”

“Easy guys,” Sylvester said, “Surely you don’t have to yell at each other. Clearly you’re both still working things out. As time goes, you both will figure yourselves out, isn’t that so?”

Their parents nodded in agreement, but Sasha was angry and tired of the whole baby business. Lately she felt like all she’d been doing was get into fights with everyone around her and she was exhausted.” We don’t have to figure anything out?” she replied, “Kaleb already has everything figured out, don’t you, Kaleb? He intends to fight for custody and take my child away from me as soon as it’s born”

Everyone turned to Kaleb, waiting for him to deny her accusation. When he didn’t, Jenna sighed, “Oh Kaleb” she said, “You shouldn’t have said that,”

“Yeah. How could you say something like that to her?” Tilly asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

“She was cutting me off” Kaleb blurted out, then he turned to face Sasha, “Let’s be honest, you have referred to the baby many times as yours and from the way you have been acting, you want to call all the shots, but I will not let that happen. I’m going to be a part of my childs life no matter what it takes…. Even if it means fighting you for custody ”

“Kaleb!” said Tilly.

Sasha was silent. She was staring angrily at Kaleb and if eyes could kill, she was sure he’d be on the floor right now. He was staring right back at her with the same intensity and Sasha wondered if they would ever get along because their situation seemed hopeless.

“No one is fighting anyone for custody” said Paul, “At least we haven’t gotten to that. All I can see right now is that the both of you really need to put your differences aside and talk about a situation that wouldn’t affect your child negatively. That’s what’s important right now,”

Sasha’s parents agreed on this, but Sasha highly doubted if she and Kaleb could come to agree on anything. Plus he confused the hell out of her. She was mad at him and yet her body craved for him. She loved him and yet she hated him. And as she sat beside him, taking care not to let any part of her body touch her, she wished that he’d reach out and hold her hand…. To assure her that everything would be fine.

Soon their parents announced that they’d be leaving. Tilly cleverly insisted that she had to go too, then suggested that Sasha stay behind to help Kaleb clean up, to which their parents readily agreed.

Sasha rolled her eyes at Tilly and hugged her parents and the Luthors. After everyone left. She and Kaleb were left alone in silence. When she moved to return to the kitchen, Kaleb stopped her.

“No, don’t worry about it. My staff can take care of that. We need to talk. Over here,” Without waiting for her to reply, he moved towards the sitting room and Sasha followed. He gestured for her to sit down, alarmed by her pallor but even more alarmed by the way she sank down into the chair without protest.

Sasha was glad to get the weight off her feet. She released her bag onto her lap, her palms all clammy and sticky and cold with sweat.

Kaleb bent over her, his face tense.

“Sasha-listen-” he began,

“No!” She thought of the baby and that gave her strength. “You listen! I’ve spoken to a lawyer-”

“Sasha-”

“Shut up!” she told him tiredly. “And listen. He told me that you do not have any rights to this baby at all- not unless we are married. And as we are not married and are never likely to be-then that’s the end of that!” She stared at him defiantly. “Okay?”

He sat on the edge of another couch and watched her, recognising that she was dangerously close to tears.

“Okay,” he agreed softly.

Sasha had wanted a fight. She’d wanted to storm and rage at him and… She sucked in some of the air, which seemed so still and so heavy. “He also told me that you are able to acquire parental rights by mutual agreement. So you need my co-operation if you want to see this baby, Kaleb.”

“And if you decide not to cooperate?”

“Then you’ll have to take me to court!” She paused for effect. “And I can easily deny everything. I can tell them that someone else is the father.”

“You would do that?” he breathed.

The weight of her head seemed unbearable. “I would do anything-anything-to stop you taking my child away from me, Kaleb. You’d better believe that!”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

He was the kind of man who needed to have every available fact at his fingertips. And he needed to know how thoroughly she had investigated the whole subject.

“What if I prove that the baby is mine?”.

“And how would you do that?” she challenged. “Certainly not by circumstantial evidence! We only had sex once, and no one has ever seen us together. It would be your word against mine! I can tell everyone else that I lied about who the father is” She allowed an ironic smile to curve her lips. “I shouldn’t imagine that it would be difficult to convince the court that you were just one in a long line of lovers!”

His mouth tightened as he found that he couldn’t bear to think of her in bed with another man. Then told himself how stupid that was.