Chapter 58

Evelyn

“This isn’t actually happening,” I state, hands out before me. “Everyone is here to play a prank on us, right?”

My mom raises her eyebrows while watching us. “What? What are you talking about?”

“You’re pregnant! Mom, I’m eighteen!”

Her face is turning white. “And I did my job with you. Now Gregory and I want to raise our own baby together,” she insists. “Aren’t you happy for me?”

Everyone else focuses their attention on Sebastian and me. I half expect Gregory to start shouting, but that’s when I realize he’s not even in the room.

“Maybe do this later?” Sebastian whispers in my ear, and I feel my spine tense.

“Why couldn’t you have at least told me?” I ask, my voice catching and coming out in pieces of broken sound.

“Eve—”

I shake my head and leave, feeling the familiar feeling of tears threatening to show themselves. I walk away with gusto from the stupid party, making my way upstairs to hide in my room.

“Evelyn!” Sebastian calls out to me from the bottom of the stairs.

I turn to look at him, feeling so many different swings of emotions. My face is wet, my head is pounding, and my heart feels betrayed by my own mom.

Sebastian takes the stairs two at a time, reaching the top in just a few seconds. “Hey, look at me, look at me.”

He takes my face in his hands and holds it straight, eyes beaming into my soul.

“She didn’t even tell me she wanted a kid!” I whine, knowing I sound like a kid crying over spilled milk. “I was fine with everything else. But there was no hint, no anything.”

Sebastian rubs his thumb across my cheek, swiping a tear out of the way. “Breathe, Eve,” he instructs.

“It’s like she wants a whole new life without me!” I cry out without caring who can hear me. “We left our home! She’s become someone I don’t know! She wants another baby! All I am is replaceable!”

He tightens his grip on my cheeks just a little. “Hey!” His voice is sharp and twinged with fear. “Evelyn, look at me, just look at me.”

I keep breathing in heavy gulps of air, feeling dizzy and heartbroken every couple of seconds as I continue breaking down in front of the man I love. I shake my head with vigor, unable to calm myself in the slightest.

Sebastian guides me down to the ground so I can stop standing, leaning me up against a wall. I keep shaking, though, at this point, I’m not sure if it’s in fear, rage, or exhaustion.

“Listen to me, Princess,” he’s saying now, staring at me with those perfect blue eyes that remind me so much of the ocean. “You are anything but replaceable. In no universe could someone replace any molecule of you or your heart.”

I want to shake my head at him. I want to tell Sebastian he’s wrong because my mom clearly is changing. But he won’t let me go as more tears appear on my face.

“Just breathe in and out with me, okay? All I want you to do is breathe. Remember that there isn’t a person on earth that could replace you. Do you hear me?”

As much as I try to fight, I can’t help but follow along with his breathing.

“In. Out,” he instructs.

In. Out. In. Out.

It works, which is surprising. The dizzy feelings start to subside, and my heart starts screaming inside of me.

“I got you, Princess. I got you.”

His hands fall away from my face, breathing in synch with me. As much as I want to bury myself in his arms and cry, I know that can’t happen here.

Gregory or Madelyn could be around any corner.

“Madelyn loves you, and I know that it might seem odd that she wants a kid,” he explains. “But your mom isn’t going to stop being there.”

“How do you know that?” My voice squeaks out.

“Because I see how close you are. I hear it in the way you two talk to one another. The way she wants you to be happy.”

“But why does she have to have another baby?”

He shakes his head lightly, sighing. “The same reason Gregory adopted me when I was young. Because they want this.”

I watch his body language, knowing he and Gregory are still on poor terms. But thinking about over a decade ago, when Gregory must have taken Sebastian home. The sudden joy of a child after the drought of loneliness.

“She could have told me first,” I whisper. “Instead of…this.”

Sebastian’s hand pokes my leg, a taunting smile appearing. “You’re not a kid anymore, Princess. She’s done her work in raising you, so now she wants another chance to do it with the man she loves.”

I know I’m being selfish. I know it’s not a fair comparison to think the baby and I could compete. But it hurts my heart to know Madelyn could so easily go and get pregnant.

“Maybe we should take a step back.” The words leave my mouth so fast; I actually can’t believe I’ve said a thing.

“What?”

“We have to be careful. But now there’s going to be a baby?”

“You don’t want to…everything we’ve discussed in Hawaii?”

My head shakes again with my curls falling in my face. “Just until school.”

Sebastian says nothing, watching me with eyes that seem betrayed.

I look around for the first time, seeing if we are absolutely alone. Then, I smile tight to the man I’ve grown to know through the months. “I love you,” I whisper. “This is so risky if we’re not careful, Sebastian. You know I’m right.”

His face seems to be growing pale, but he doesn’t say or do anything.

“Evelyn?”

Looking to the stairs, we see Ava pushing her blonde hair over her shoulder and concern lining her face. “Are you okay?”

“What are you doing here?” The disbelief is difficult to mask as I look at my friend approach.

“Gregory invited me. Said he and Madelyn wanted me here for the news since I’ve always been there for Seb and now you.”

“He did?” Sebastian asks.

“Your mom wants to talk to you, too,” she nods toward the party. “Just the two of you.”

I return my gaze to the man next to me, panic wanting to explode out of me.

“Go,” he instructs, nodding his head, too. “Talk to her, you’ll feel better.”

My eyes switch between my friend and my love, wishing one would come with me to confront my mother.

There’s no chance, though, and it’s clear to me.

So, still sniffling, I wipe my nose and excuse myself to go find her.

Madelyn is waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me, concern lining the wrinkles on her forehead. It doesn’t help me contain the tears I’ve been shedding.

“Honey,” she whispers, one hand on her heart. “I don’t understand why you’re not…happy for me?”

“Like I was happy with the marriage? Moving to New York, upheaving everything we know?” I throw back in anger.

“You told me you didn’t miss anything, that you were fine leaving Hawaii, that you wanted me to be happy!”

“I am happy for you!” I snap back. “I’m so happy you’re in love! I’m glad you found someone to care for you from now on.”

I breathe in a shuddering gasp of air, still feeling a deep sense of betrayal. “But a baby? You didn’t tell me that’s what would happen here.”

She sighs, looking around the room to avoid eye contact. “I don’t need your permission, sweetheart.”

“It’s like you want a whole do-over of being a mom,” I whine. “That the last eighteen years meant nothing to you.”

That gets her to give me all of her attention. Her eyes widen, her mouth opening slightly in what I can only describe as shock.

“Evelyn Walters,” she says slowly. “There is nothing I could ever do or have that replaces me.”

“That’s what Sebastian said,” I complain.

“I didn’t have help with you. I never got to raise a child with a man that I love. The baby will be in much better hands, having more than one parent. You deserved a mom and a dad. Or even just a second parent that loves you.”

“I turned out fine,” I note.

“Because you’re a fighter? Because you’re so strong and have continued being that way through all these years together. But Eve, just because I want another chance to be a mom doesn’t make me any less of your mother.”

I sniff, wiping at my face. “I just wasn’t expecting you to be expecting.”

“It wasn’t something I knew how to tell you.”

“But you should.”

“Maybe,” she admits.

“I know it’s a little selfish,” I add. “I know I sound like a terrible person.”

“You’re not a terrible person!” She takes the few steps separating us and pulls me into a hug, her right hand on the back of my head of curls.

“I just felt—” I can’t even finish the sentence, the uncontrollable tears and sadness flowing right back in.

“Shhh,” she whispers, stroking my head. “You’re my daughter, and I love you so much that it physically hurts.”

“I just don’t want things to change anymore,” I cry into her shoulder.

She sighs, gripping me tighter. “Life is change, sweetheart. You’ve been so strong for so long. But I know this baby, your sibling, will be so loved by you, me, Sebastian, and Gregory. And it will help us feel even closer as a family.”

We stand like that, crying in one another’s arms as I let everything I’ve been feeling come out.

“I love you,” she whispers again. “So fiercely.”

“I love you, too,” I reply into her shoulder, refusing to let go.