Page 75 of Believe In Us

“Sebastian, stop you're being a dick,” I scowl, gripping his arm tightly and pulling him back.

“Tell me something new baby,” he growls, ignoring my demand.

“Alright son, point is I took her for granted. I assumed she would always be there, putting up with my drinking, dealing with my bad temper, and every other way I tried to control her.”

“So what you lost her, did she realize she could do better than you old man?” Bass asks mockingly.

The older man laughs, a genuine chuckle not one dripping in sarcasm like Sebastian’s. “Look at me son, you think I’d be working a street fair dealing with a bunch of trouble making punks like you if I still had her around. She left me, got tired of my sorry ass, and left. I’d hate for the same to happen to you.”

Bass’s eyes become overcome with rage, his fists tightening at his sides, his breathing turning heavy as he stares intently at him. “It won’t, she’s not going anywhere,” Bass roars, his voice quavering in anger, “I won’t fucking allow it.”

The old man laughs, loud and mocking, “Famous last words son,” he mutters, before walking away to retrieve my order.

I try my hardest to ignore the sudden look of despair that flashes over Sebastian’s eyes, but my emotions with the war against it. I turn to him, the anger I just felt now gone and in its place a newfoundsense of pity. He honestly doesn’t believe he’s doing anything wrong trying to control every aspect of our relationship. This is all normal to him. His entire life he’s had someone, his father, telling him what he could and couldn’t do, planning his life out for him, every minuscule detail mapped out for the rest of his existence. This is his normal.

However, for me, I’ve been alone my entire life choosing what I do and who I do it with. No one tells me what to do, they can try, but I won’t allow it. Though with Sebastian, I find myself wanting to let him. Is that healthy, or am I too far gone, consumed with an overwhelming need for him, that I don’t care what he tells me to do as long as he’s right there with me?

He turns toward me, eyes suddenly glossy and sorrowful, his bottom lip trying its hardest to keep steady. I ache for him, for what he must be going through trying to work through all of these newfound emotions and this new sense of fear, with the baby, with me, with his father. I never stopped to think about how all of this has changed him.

I reach for him, standing on my tip toes and cupping his face in my palms. “He’s wrong Sebastian, I’m not going anywhere.” I softly touch his lips with mine, in them a promise I wasn’t allowed to make, but did nonetheless. I can’t assure him I’ll be here forever, but the least I can do is try.

I single handedlydevoured the funnel cake, but despite my best efforts, I taped out on the fourth deep fried Oreo. Trust me, I’m deeply ashamed.

Ace, Scarlett, Sebastian, and I met up with the rest of the group after losing them to the carnival rides a few hours ago. First time since I started coming here that I’ve missed out on the rides too. Damn pregnancy. Stella is the first one I see, giggling and twirling her hair between her fingers, though the true sight to see, whatmakes me gasp out loud, is the fact that she’s cradled under the Dragon's arm, again.

I see him tense beside me before I hear him. “Why the fuck does the Dragon have his arm around my cousin?” Bass shouts, turning to me like I have an answer for him.

I shrug my shoulders trying my hardest not to laugh, “Just stay out of it Sebastian, Stella’s a big girl. The last thing she wants is you to be getting involved in her personal life, if I might be so bold as to say, one you’ve had little interest in before. I roll my eyes as he huffs and puffs out his chest, like some kind of animal trying to show hisdominance.

Behind Drake and Stella, Jaxon, and Ruby walk hand in hand with Kai sulking beside them, his gaze focused on his best friend and the girl he swears isn’t for him. As if sensing my eyes on him he turns to me, his scowl slowly disappearing as he heads in my direction. “Hey sexy momma to be,” he murmurs, smiling wide as he steps up to me. He wraps his arms around my shoulders, engulfing me in a tight hug. I instinctively tuck my face in the space between his neck and shoulder blade, inhaling the sensual scent of his cologne. Bad idea.

“Alright that’s enough,” Bass groans, making Kai chuckle as he releases me.

“Lighten up Silver, you already put a baby in her, she’s yours I know that,” Kai jokes, everyone except Sebastian laughing at his remark.

Kai always has this aura about him, cool and unproblematic, making the guys feel dangerously unarmed when near him. He’s the definition of boy next door, comfortable in his own skin, and although troubled beyond repair, he does well to hide his demons behind his charismatic attitude. Only those of us closest to him can sense what he hides so well.

We spend the next couple hours walking around the fair, stopping at every booth to play games, consuming insurmountableamounts of calories, and even manage to win a few stuffed bears before coming to rest at the bench beside the Ferris Wheel.

“I don’t know how you girls do it, I swear I’m fucking stuffed,” Kai groans, sitting back and cradling his arms around his stomach.

“I could actually go for another snack,” I tease, though it may not be much of a lie. My stomach rumbles loudly, everyone turning to me with wide eyes before they erupt in roars of laughter.

“Shit, you weren’t kidding Wolfe,” Kai yells, laughing loudly, “Fuck Bass, you need to feed your woman, and I don’t think it’s food she needs.”

Sebastian turns to Kai, ready to rip him a new one, but I place my hand on his knee advising him to take a joke. “He’s kidding babe, you know Kai, suddenly the jokester. You going to let him take your place Jax?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood and notice Bass relaxes beside me.

“You know he can never compare to me honey,” Jax says, Ruby rolling her eyes in annoyance beside him.

“Well who do we have here?”

My grip on Sebastian’s thigh tightens and I feel him tense under my hold as we both realize who it is that’s shown up to ruin our night. She’s like a fucking leech, the more you try to pull her off of you, the harder she holds on, sucking the life out of you in the process.

The guys and girls go silent, everyone carefully watching me and awaiting my response before they jump in to either join me or hold me back.

“You know Win, I never thought I’d see the day our boys would be slumming it with the help. I guess they took their community service a bit too seriously,” Kinsley mocks, turning to Wynter who watches us with a bored expression.

Wynter’s gaze finds her brother with his arm protectively around Scar, watching her with an equally menacing stare. “You’re wasting your time and energy on them Kins,” she sneers, her eyesnever once leaving his as she speaks, “They’re not worth the disease we’re sure to catch being this close and breathing the polluted air around them.” Her gaze trails to Stella who stands directly in front of her still tucked nicely under Drake’s arm.

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