#37 The brothers' fight

After that night and my confession, I felt lighter and closer with Sebastian. I realized how much I loved him, and when it comes to love, you must trust and open your heart fully.
It brought me sadness and the same agony to reminisce about everything I went through, but at the same time, it was the right thing to do. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Sebastian. And thus, he should know about my past because it'd also affect my future…
Sebastian was shocked by my revelations, and he looked sad for everything I went through. However, he understood better why I had been so worried about the baby and the pregnancy. We didn't discuss anything more after that night, but Sebastian was even more careful with my health.
The doctors had advised me not to get too stressed. I could continue with my everyday routine and take some short walks for exercise. However, I had to avoid any extra activity that could make me tired. Thus, Sebastian agreed to have some friends come over than going into a restaurant or a theatre.
It was great meeting my friends on a relaxing Saturday night. I helped Martha cook dinner for the four of us. Sophie and Nickolas had gladly agreed to come over. My best friend also wanted to see the progress of the renovation in the nursery room.
Sebastian looked a bit more distant than usual. Nevertheless, he discussed with Nick some business matters while I talked with Sophie about our latest news.
"Hello, my little angel," I muttered when I felt the baby move inside me, caressing my bump.
All eyes turned on me, and Sebastian gave me a knowing smile. He spent most of the time when he was at home placing his hands on my tummy and waiting for a movement.
The billionaire stood up and pecked my forehead lovingly before he walked to the kitchen counter.
"They say it's good to talk to the baby because it helps with speech development," Nickolas said.
I chuckled and shook my head. "Are you reading pregnancy books, too?" I asked, glancing between him and Sophie.
My best friend blushed while Nick laughed.
"I'm just preparing myself for being the perfect uncle," the man said when he sobered up.
"Well, your niece wants dessert, and she won't rest until she gets it," I teased him.
"How do you know?" Sophie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, well, I'm the one craving chocolate. But I can feel the baby moving…"
Before I could finish my sentence, two pairs of hands were placed over my baby bump. Sophie and Nickolas gently rubbed my belly, trying to figure out if there was still a movement.
I looked at them with a small grin; Nick had a little frown on his forehead while Sophie was smiling brightly.
"I can't feel anything?" Nickolas grumbled with a small pout.
"Don't be impatient! Wait a few more minutes," Sophie scolded him in a hushed tone.
The youngest Leclair brother rolled his light brown eyes at the brunette woman and then turned his attention back to my bump.
I chuckled with their cute fight, and then I let my eyes fall on Sebastian. He knew me so well that he had gone to prepare the dessert without me even asking.
The billionaire walked back with a plate filled with waffles and cocoa cream.
I licked my lips in excitement as my stomach grumbled seeing the mouthwatering dessert.
"Oh, I felt it!" Nickolas exclaimed, and we all turned to look at him this time.
Sophie looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Sebastian had a smirk plastered on his lips.
"That's my stomach grumbling, you silly. I want to eat my dessert. Now shoo!" I scolded them, brushing their hands off my belly.
Sophie laughed with Nickolas' disappointed face as he kept burbling something under his breath.
"Here you go, sweetheart," Sebastian said, placing the plate in front of me.
"Oh, you put some whipped cream, too!" I exclaimed, smiling brightly at my baby's father.
"How are you keeping up with her, brother?" Nickolas asked, eying me with a frown.
Sebastian rolled his eyes and laughed while he sat back on the table. "To be honest, it's quite easy. Give her a romance book, chocolate, and sex, and she's happy…"
This time, I sent a pointed glare towards Sebastian's way while a blush crept on my cheeks.
"Oh, I definitely need to take some notes," Nick said in between his laughs.
"You've got a lot of things to learn," Sebastian told him, patting his back comfortingly.
"Well, I'm still curious about the baby's gender. How did you manage to escape a five generations tradition?" Nick asked once again, his eyes darting between his brother and me.
"Who cares about traditions, brother? Besides our mother, of course. Well, it's lovely that we're having a baby girl," Sebastian replied with a soft grin on his lips.
"Are you sure Sebastian is the father?" Nick joked once again, eyeing me with a playful look.
I rolled my eyes at him. The youngest Leclair brother was testing my patience. How could he doubt me on such a serious matter?
"I can assure you that Evelyn was having sex only with me five months ago..." Sebastian answered once again with a lopsided grin.
"So, it really happened in Greece!" Nickolas exclaimed.
Sebastian rolled his eyes to his younger brother. "Well, it was definitely in Greece, but we don't remember in which exact position it happened."
My cheeks had turned bright red with this conversation. Nickolas could act like a pervert when he wanted...
Thankfully, Sophie came to my defense. "Keep acting like a jerk, and you won't see babies for a long time, Mr."
"I'm sorry, kitty," the man apologized, giving her a sweet smile.
"I'm not the one who needs to hear your apology," my best friend shrugged.
Nick rolled his eyes at her and then took my hands in his.
"I'm sorry, darling. I can be a jerk from time to time, but I didn't want to hurt your feelings…"
I gave him the cold shoulder, not even glancing towards his way.
"Evelyn, I promise to buy you waffles, pancakes, and ice cream for a month. Also, I'm going to bring you a new romance novel every week!" the youngest Leclair pleaded with me.
I turned to look at Sophie, who had a satisfied smile on her lips. My best friend had Nickolas wrapped around her little finger.
"Okay, I forgive you! Now let me free, so I can eat in peace," I muttered.
Nickolas pecked the back of my hands and finally set me free.
"Brother, can I talk to you for a few minutes until Martha prepares our desserts?" Sebastian's stern voice caught our attention.
"What's wrong?" Nick asked, frowning slightly.
"We can talk in my office. Ladies, if you excuse us…"
"Sebastian, are you okay?" I asked as an unsettling feeling crept inside me.
The billionaire turned to look at me and tried to smile at me reassuringly. However, I knew that something was wrong.
"We need to discuss something about a business deal," the CEO replied and came around to peck my lips softly.
"Can't it wait until Monday?" I asked him, pouting a bit.
"I'm sorry, love. It won't take long. Besides, I'm sure you have some girl-talk to do…"
I bit my lower lip but nodded since I had no other choice.
We watched the two men walking towards Sebastian's office silently.
"He's really changed…" Sophie said in a low voice.
I nodded slowly and turned to look at her.
"That's the man I fell in love with; that's the man who was hiding underneath that ruthless and emotionless façade. He hasn't changed. Sebastian found himself once again…"
My best friend smiled and caressed my back softly. "You're meant to be together…"
I took a bite from my waffles and shook my head slightly. "You should have seen photos of Sebastian and his late fiancée. They were the perfect couple…"
"Evelyn, she's gone, and he's moved on. We can't change what happened… He's happy with you, and you should also be happy with everything you've accomplished…"
"I know, Sophie, and I'm grateful for everything. It's more than I could ever imagine. I'm healthy, I've found love, and I'm about to become a mother. I'm working for a publishing house, which was my dream job. What else can I ask for? Yet, I'm not sure if it's going to last. I'm not sure whether Sebastian is really over Olivia's death…" I trailed off.
"You can't make him forget about her or stop loving her, Evelyn. But you need to stop comparing yourself with her. You're you, and Sebastian loves you for this very reason."
Sebastian craved me since the moment we met. He wanted to have sex with me, and then he pushed me away because he was too scared to admit his feelings. Yet, everything changed after he found out about the baby…
Did he just love me because of the baby?
Did he force himself to love me because I was expecting his child?
Were his feelings real?
If it wasn't for the pregnancy, was he ever going to accept his feelings for me?
"I feel like this is a happy bubble that will burst at any given moment," I replied after a few long moments of silence.
"I've never seen you that pessimistic before," my best friend muttered as a disapproving frown formed between her eyebrows.
Martha placed the other plates on the table, and I thanked her politely.
After we were left alone again, I turned to face my best friend.
"I'm just afraid…"
Sophie sighed and grasped my hands in hers. "You shouldn't be! You must enjoy what you have right now and stop worrying about everything. You can't control your destiny, nor change your fate. You've managed to survive up this now; don't let your fear stop you from living your life!"
My eyes were filled with tears, and I just shook my head, unable to utter a single word.
"Oh, your mood swings are weird…" Sophie grumbled, giving me a tight hug. "Your billionaire and ex-Boss is going to kill me if he finds out I made you cry!"
I ignored her words and relaxed in her arms as she kept rubbing my back soothingly.
"I told him about the transplant a few days ago. It went better than I thought," I muttered, sniffing my nose.
"How did you expect it to go?" Sophie asked, leaning back to look at me.
"I thought he'd be scared about our baby or the babies we might have in the future. I thought it was crazy to love someone this much when…"
My words died in my lips as a sob escaped my lips.
"The heart beating inside you is just a pump, Evelyn. It doesn't affect your feelings nor your love for other people. Your feelings are carved inside your soul. They're your feelings…"
I just nodded and whipped my cheeks. Sophie was right; my feelings weren't something that this heart inside me could alter. We don't feel with our heart, but how do we love?
Suddenly, shouts were heard from Sebastian's office, putting an end to my train of thought.
I exchanged a concerned look with Sophie, and then we headed there without a second thought.
Sophie was about to twist the doorknob when I stopped her.
"You know one of them, Nick!" Sebastian yelled.
"I'm not sure, Sebastian. It was a random meeting in a hospital corridor.
"Why don't you tell me who this person is?"
"Such things are confidential. Even if I'm right, I'm going to keep this secret until I die," Nickolas replied in a calm tone.
"I don't care, Nick! She was my fiancée, and I have every right to know," Sebastian hissed.
"Why do you care now? I thought we had left this behind."
"I never forgot about this! I'm still mad at you, and I haven't forgiven you, Nick! I'm your fucking brother, yet you are worried more about other people, people who don't even know, over me!"
Were they discussing the reason for their unspoked hatred?
"Sebastian, it's better for all of us to keep this to myself. Believe me, I'm doing it for you, for our family," Nickolas sighed.
"You're doing it for Evelyn, too? Aren't you?" Sebastian asked.
A frown formed on my forehead, hearing my name.
Sophie turned to look at me with the same confusion. "What are they talking about?" she whispered to me.
"I don't know…" I murmured.
"Of course, I care about Evelyn. She's my friend, and she will be part of our family," Nick's voice made us look back to the closed door.
"No, you care because it's her! She's one of them…" Sebastian shouted.
A small gasp escaped my lips, and without a second thought, I turned the doorknob and walked into Sebastian's office.
My baby's father turned to look at me with wide eyes.
"What are you talking about?" I asked in a trembling voice.
"Nothing, Evelyn," Sebastian replied, but his tone indicated otherwise.
"Sebastian, I just heard you saying my name. What's wrong?" I countered back.
"We were talking about the company..." Nick tried to come up with an excuse.
They certainly weren't talking about the company nor a potential deal. This was something completely different, something that seemed more personal. And I wanted to hear the truth. I didn't want any other lies or hidden things shadowing my relationship with Sebastian.
"If it concerns me, I want to learn the truth," I said once again.
I was breathing hard, and my heart was beating irregularly. Sophie gave me a side hug to calm me down and comfort me.
"I'd like Nick to take over the company after our daughter is born," Sebastian stated.
I turned to look at him with wide eyes. Was he telling me the truth? Could he give up everything to be with our baby and me? We've been making plans, but I never thought he would want to make this happen.
"Sebastian, this is… Really?" I stammered, eyeing him closely.
His facial expression was stern, and I could sense the sincerity in his voice. Yet, I wasn't sure whether this was the topic they had been discussing.
"I want to be with you and our child. I believe Nickolas won't have any problem handling the company for a few years," Sebastian replied calmly.
"Well, what if I want to make a family, too?" Nickolas questioned, glaring at his brother.
"You owe me, Nick, and this will be your chance to pay me back," Sebastian hissed.
Nickolas was about to retort something, but Sophie cut him.
"Evelyn had an eventful day; she should rest," my best friend said, glaring at the two men.
"We can discuss this later," Nickolas agreed, giving me a small smile.
"Aren't we going to watch a movie?" I asked, my lips forming a small pout.
"Of course, but you're picking the movie," Sophie replied, grinning at me.
We ate pancakes, watched a rom-com of my choice, and laughed a lot that night.
Little did I know that fate was also laughing with us…


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A.N. I'm sorry for the delay. You can read my latest comment for more details. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Please make sure to leave me your thoughts in the comments. Stay safe!