Page 14 of The Regrettable Mistake

CHAPTER 7

Steph

I woke to incessant banging on my front door. There was nothing quite like being startled awake when pregnant to make it a dire emergency to get to the bathroom. It would have to be a priority over whoever was about to bang my door down.

My house was located inside a gated community, so there were only so many people who could gain access. Once I finished going to the bathroom, I made my way downstairs in time to see my sleep-addled brother sling the front door open.

“What the hell?” I yelled and caused him to take a startled step backward.

“Sorry to barge in, but it is an emergency.” I hit the last step just as Monica, Ollie’s mom darted inside with a flustered Denmark in tow.

“What’s going on, Monica?”

She leveled me with a grim look that did not bode well for things to come. “We need to talk in private for a minute, honey.”

“Okay,” I answered hesitantly before wrapping my arms around Denmark. “Hey, buddy, go put your things away and let me talk to your grandma for a minute. Then, I’ll get you something for breakfast.”

“Already ate,” my precious boy grumbled. “Momma Steph?” He asked as he stopped three steps up.

“Yeah, baby?”

“Do you not want me anymore?”

“Oh, buddy! I don’t know what’s happened, but I swear to you that you are my favorite person on this planet and nothing has changed about that. I will always, always want you in my life.”

The small smile he offered as his cheeks tinted pink warmed my heart. “Good because you’re the only mom that I want.”

I clutched a hand over my heart as he turned to go upstairs. My watery eyes made it hard to make out what Monica thought of that, since her face was blurred. She took hold of my hand and escorted me to my husband’s at-home office before turning back to my brother. “Keep your nephew busy until we’re done.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. Steph, you should have someone with you…”

“She does have someone with her!” Monica snapped at Steve. “Trust when I say, my interests lie with whatever makes my grandson safe, happy, and whole. That is and always has been your sister – who I also happen to adore. Now, go make sure our boy is kept occupied and we’ll fill you in later.”

To my surprise, Steve nodded at my mother-in-law and turned to go do just that. Then Monica shut and locked the office door behind us and guided me over to the loveseat that sat along the wall that faced Ollie’s mahogany desk.

“From the looks of things, I woke you this morning,” Monica started. I nodded, unable to find my voice as nerves settled in. “Good. Then I get to break the news to you gently.”

“I already know about Ollie’s affair.”

“Not that.” She stated it coldly, but the sentiment was not meant for me. Monica was pissed at her son for the shit he pulled. It was no secret that Ollie’s parents hated his ex-girlfriend. They had mentioned numerous times over the years that they wished he had met me first because she was always a no-good troublemaking floozy and that their son had always been blind to her bullshit right up until she took off on him. Apparently, he was still blinded by the dazzling aura she created.

“That no-good tramp has spilled the beans to the media, only she’s laid it on thick and full of lies.”

“It’s no lie that she’s been sleeping with my husband for months.”

“No, I suppose not from everything we heard from you when we picked Den up. That isn’t what she’s lying about, though. She is telling the media that you were the reason she was pushed out in the first place. She claims she went to Hollywood to chase her second dream after you home-wrecked the first one.”

“What? I didn’t even know Ollie back then. She had already been out of their lives for nearly four years when we went on our first date.”

“We all know that, sweetheart, but the woman is a C-rate actress and she pulled out the Oscar-worthy performance she never bothered with for the big screen, which is why it probably seemed believable enough for the gossip rags to run with her woe-is-me story.”

“Oh my God! Poor Den. Does he know?”

“He knows something is going on since the vultures have already landed in town. We had to fight through the media to get to your house. There were more than a few camped out in front of our home this morning and several outside the gates of your community when we rolled up. I won’t put it past them to get someone to let them through eventually, but at least you will have the ability to call the police and have them removed as the neighborhood is not accessible to the public.”

I nodded my head as everything sank in. “People really believe her?”

“I’m afraid so.” Monica patted my leg. “Don’t worry, we’ll get the record set straight.”

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