But the photo of Jane stays where it has always been. I keep it turned away so she doesn’t have to witness what I’m about to do with her sister.
As soon as Kelsey closes the door, I pounce on her. I’ve been kissing these lips nonstop for six months but they still feel just as soft as incredible as that first day.
Far too soon, Kelsey pushes me away.
“Hi,” I say.
“Hi.”
With her curt reply, I meet her eyes. They’re stained red. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“Don’t call me that,” she gasps. Fresh tears pour down her cheeks. I haven’t seen her cry this hard since Jane’s funeral.
“Kelsey, talk to me. What’s going on?”
I lead her over to the couch and set her down. There’s a box of tissues on my desk. I hand it to her and wait for her to blow her blubbering nose.
“I have to tell you something,” she says.
My fingers find her face. I gently wipe away a stray tear. “You can tell me anything, Kelsey. Is this about Jane?”
Her face falls further than it already had. “No. Not directly. It’s about us.”
My heart races. There’s no way she wants to stop what we’re doing, right? Has she met someone else? I won’t be able to handle seeing her with another guy. Knowing that he’s taking her to bed would be a dagger to my heart. I’d be eviscerated and completely destroyed.
“Are you breaking up with me?”
Kelsey barks a laugh. “No, that’s not it.”
“Then what is it? Whatever it is, we’ll get through it.”
Her lip trembles as tears begin to fall again.
“I’m pregnant,” she blurts, the words coming out in gasping sobs. I sit back on the couch, trying to grasp what she said.
Pregnant? I’m going to be a father?
Holy shit! I’m going to be a father with the most beautiful girl I know! Hallelujah!
Because I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have a child with than Kelsey. The thought stuns me into further silence. I really have fallen in love with this woman.
“Okay,” I say comfortingly. “We can get through this. We’ll be amazing parents. This is good news, sweetheart. I’ve always wanted to be a daddy.”
Kelsey gasps. “You can’t be serious! You’re my brother in law. I can’t believe I was so stupid. I let you cum in me over and over again without even thinking about the possible consequences and now look where we are! I can’t have my brother-in-law’s baby. Imagine what people will think!”
“I don’t care what people think,” I say firmly.
She stands and starts to pace around the room, hands cradling her stomach. “This is all my fault. I never told you that I wasn’t on birth control. You probably think I tricked you into knocking me up!”
“I don’t think that at all,” comes my low voice. “That’s never crossed my mind.”
Kelsey ignores me. “I’m horrified with myself. I can’t possibly bring a baby into the world knowing it was conceived under these circumstances. My sister just died! We wasted no time jumping into bed together when we should have been properly grieving her. And now I’ve committed the ultimate betrayal and I’m pregnant with her husband’s baby.”
I try to interrupt her train of thought, but she continues her rant.
“My parents will disown me. Aunt Sylvia! Oh, God it’s like she knew this was going to happen. Why didn’t I listen to her warnings? I’m such a damn idiot. I threw myself at my sister’s husband and now I’m pregnant with his baby. It’s laughable! We’ll end up on some reality TV show for sure. No, we can’t have this baby. There’s no way. The rumors, oh god, the rumors. The baby will never be able to escape them. No child deserves parents like us.”
“Kelsey, stop,” I say firmly, my mouth pulled into a grim line. “We will be incredible parents to this baby. Who cares what people say?”
“I care!” she cries. “I don’t want to be the woman who got pregnant by her brother in law. I won’t be.”
“Let’s talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she flings back in my face. “I came here to tell you because you deserved to know, but that’s it. You and I are not a couple. We’re glorified fuck buddies, and brother and sister in law to boot. You don’t bring a baby into this world like this. A child needs loving parents. We screwed up, and I won’t let a child pay the consequences.”
I hold up my hands, alarmed.
“Please sweetheart. We need to talk about this. Don’t make any rash decisions right now.”
“I’ve made up my mind, Marcus. I’m only here as a courtesy.”
“Kelsey, baby…”
Her face reddens with anger. “Don’t baby me. This is as much your fault as it is mine. You never considered slipping a condom over your baby making machine. Sure, I never spoke up, but you should have thought about it. Now I’m pregnant with your child.”