Page 73 of Stuck with Mr. Grump

“Maybe you should go see Dr. Hale.”

“Maybe,” I murmur. “But I’m sure it’s just something small. I could just get drugs prescribed.”

“I’ll go make us a snack. I noticed you didn’t have much to eat at the party.”

I offer her a grateful smile and she stands, heading into the kitchen while I think about what could be wrong with me. I think about a lot of things, actually. Sterling’s ex-wife. Our conversation before she appeared. How close he was to kissing me in the hallway.

I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to keep fighting this thing between us. And that’s terrifying. I suddenly sit up, clutching my stomach as I gag on nothing.

“What the fuck?” I murmur.

For some reason, my mind goes back to the night Sterling and I spent at that hotel weeks ago. My heart starts to pound as I try to remember the last time I saw my period.But that’s impossible. Still, if one plus one equals two, then a missed period and the thought of that night can only mean one thing.

“No,” I whisper.

Don’t be dramatic, Emilia.There’s no way in hell I’m pregnant. That’s impossible. It can’t fucking happen.

CHAPTER 20

Sterling

Aknife could probably cut the tension in the living room at the moment. I’m standing beside a wall, staring at my ex-wife, who’s seated like she doesn’t have a care in the world. My mother’s beside Marissa. She’s always liked her; they have similar interests. And Marissa’s tried hard to get Elana to warm up to her.

Dad’s pissed. Like me he’s standing in a corner as well, arms crossed as he observes the scene.

“How have you been, sweetheart?” Mom asks, taking Marissa’s hand in hers and patting the back of it.

I manage not to roll my eyes. There are several reasons my marriage ended the way it did, and a small, dumb part of me thinks her relationship with my mother might have been a factor. Elana treats Marissa way better than she treats her own sons. She’s never tried to make it a secret that she wished she had a daughter of her own. And Marissa played that role well.

“I’ve been good, Elana,” Marissa replies sweetly. “You look amazing. Much younger than the last time I saw you.”

Mother beams, placing a hand on her stiff jaw. She must be so happy those cosmetic treatments she’s been getting are working.

“Enough.” Dad’s voice practically slashes through the air. “Your sudden appearance needs to be called into question, Marissa.”

“What are you doing here?” I ask, eyes narrowed on her face.

She finally looks at me, and the brown eyes that I used to think were so deep seem almost soulless. Like there’s nothing there.

What the hell happened to her?

“What do you mean, what am I doing here?” Marissa asks haughtily. “You didn’t think I’d miss Sean’s birthday?”

A muscle ticks in my jaw. “Yes, I did think that. Because you’ve missed every other fucking thing these past few months. Where the hell have you been? Did you not get any of my messages? Why didn’t you call?”

“Language, Sterling,” my mother cautions.

My fists clench. “Get up,” I say to Marissa.

“What? Why? I want to see Sean,” she states, crossing her arms over my chest.

“You’re not seeing Sean until you explain yourself,” I tell her. “And you’d better have a fucking good explanation for your behavior these past few months.”

She blows out a breath. “Fine. Let’s go.”

She smiles at my mother as she gets to her feet, whispering something to her. I offer my dad a slight nod before we exit the living room. I lead her up to my bedroom after ensuring that Karl is still keeping Sean occupied in his room with his nanny.

“Who was the woman with you?” Marissa asks as we walk.

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