Page 28 of A Stolen Christmas

I followed Seth as we hung the coats up in the hallway closet. He was just coming out when I grabbed his arm.

“Keep your mouth shut about Sirah,” I said.

“You told Dad that you kidnapped her, for fuck’s sake. You're a psycho,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Which he thought was a joke. If you don’t keep your mouth shut, I will tell Mum that you told me about the baby months ago,” I said, since blackmail might be the only way for him not to spill my beans.

“You dirty little—”

“What’s keeping you? Your mum wants you in the drawing room,” my dad said with a grin. “Congratulations to the pair of you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” we both mumbled.

I watched Seth leave with my Dad as I quickly shoved our coats on the hook and rushed back into the drawing room. I sighed in relief to see Sirah chatting away with Kat and my mum.

They all paused and turned to look at me, but I resisted the urge to squirm. I poured everyone a glass of champagne and some fruit juice for Kat so we could toast the first bit of good news together. I glanced at my brother before I gave him a hug. He was so fucked having a daughter. I could already see him pulling his hair out before she hit her teens, but my amusement died in a split second because it dawned on me that my baby could be a girl, too.

I responded to my Dad and Seth’s questions with grunts or the odd nod because I couldn't take my eyes off Sirah as I wondered how she would take the second her last gift.

Chapter 20

Sirah

I carefully observed Evelyn’s interactions with Katya. There was genuine affection between the two women. They included me in the conversation, and they turned on me once the baby talk was done.

“Seth said Saul had met someone, but I didn't believe him,” Kat said with a giggle. “How did you two meet?”

“He is—was my neighbour. Well, he is my landlord—but I didn't know. It was all a little creepy, to be honest,” I said, struggling to explain it.

“Did he stalk you?” Kat asked as his mum gasped. “That’s what Seth did when I left him.”

“What do you mean?” Evelyn asked as she huddled closer.

“They both have stalking issues?” I asked with a frown.

Was that normal in this family? They all seemed normal, and Seth seemed stable.

I turned to look at the men just as Kat and Evelyn stared at them. Saul stared at us before he went to the table and poured the drink into champagne flutes.

“Sterling was the same before we married,” Evelyn sighed dreamily.

“How did I not know this?” Katya asked.

Evelyn was about to speak when Saul brought us our drinks. I noticed he gave Katya some apple juice, which was thoughtful of him. Evelyn must be around her mid-sixties, with Sterling being a few years older. Seth and Saul looked like their dad, especially since all three had beards. Evelyn had stylish shoulder-length white hair with a curl to it. Her eyes were dark brown like the twins. She was nothing like Irene in terms of looks or nature.

“My father worked for Sterling when the company was still in the early stages. When he saw me in the office one day, he took a fancy to me. It wasn’t long before I began to receive letters and flowers. Then he began to sit outside my house in his car,” she grinned. “His father wasn’t too happy with the union because they were from old money.”

“Did he ever make a Christmas ornament using your hair?” I asked dryly.

“Shut the front door,” Katya gasped out with wide eyes.

Evelyn’s jaw dropped down, leaving her mouth open. They glanced at Saul again before Evelyn grabbed my hand and nodded to Katya as we sat on the couch. Evelyn sat in the middle while we sat beside her.

“This is what happens when you’re a fuckboy. He has no sense when it comes to courting a lady,” Evelyn muttered.

It was my turn to be gobsmacked, but Katya began to chuckle.

Who referred to their son as fuckboy?

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