Lahat ng Kabanata ng Forbidden Step Brother : Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

I met Marcus at the door before he could knock."It's mine," he said. No preamble, no cushioning. "The baby is mine."I nodded, having already guessed. "Okay.""Okay?" He looked surprised. "That's all you have to say?""What do you want me to say? Congratulations?""I want you to say anything. Yell at me, cry, tell me you hate me. Just... react."But I was out of reactions. Exhausted from days of emotional upheaval."Come in," I said, stepping aside. "We should talk somewhere private."We ended up in Richard's study—neutral territory. I sat behind the desk, putting distance between us. Marcus paced like a caged animal."The test was ninety-nine point nine percent certain," he said. "No doubt. It's mine.""What does Yuki want?""To keep the baby. She's three months along already. Due in June."June. Six months away. It felt impossibly soon and forever away simultaneously."And what do you want?" I asked."To not fuck this up." He stopped pacing, facing me. "I never wanted to be a fathe

Christmas arrived with its usual chaos, but this year carried extra tension.Marcus was home. Yuki was in town, apartment hunting. Our parents knew about the baby. And I was still trying to figure out what I wanted."We should invite Yuki for Christmas dinner," Mom suggested one morning. "She's alone in a new city, pregnant. It's the right thing to do."I nearly spit out my coffee. "You want to invite Marcus's baby mama to our family Christmas?""I want to acknowledge reality and be gracious about it. Besides, she's going to be part of our lives. We might as well start building that relationship now."She was right. Which made it worse.Christmas dinner ended up being the most awkward affair I'd ever experienced.Yuki sat between Richard and Marcus, polite and charming. She'd brought expensive wine (which she couldn't drink) and compliments for Mom's cooking. She looked beautiful in a festive red dress that somehow made her pregnancy glow rather than show.And I sat across from them,

I returned from Paris with clarity and terror in equal measure.Marcus met me at the airport, looking nervous and hopeful. When he saw me, his whole face lit up."Hi," he said."Hi.""How was—"I kissed him before he could finish. Right there in the arrivals terminal, with travelers flowing around us, I kissed Marcus Steele like my life depended on it.When we finally broke apart, he was smiling."I take it Paris was enlightening?""Very. Remind me to send Jean-Baptiste a thank you note.""Jean-Baptiste?" His expression darkened. "Who's Jean-Baptiste?""My French waiter poet who helped me realize I'm completely in love with you and need to stop being a coward about it.""Your what now?""Long story. I'll tell you on the drive home." I grabbed my suitcase. "But first, tell me everything I missed. How's Yuki? The baby? Co-parenting plans?""Jumping right into the hard stuff, huh?""Might as well. I'm done avoiding reality."In the car, Marcus filled me in. Yuki had found an apartment. T

The first doctor's appointment I attended with Marcus and Yuki was surreal.We sat in the waiting room—Marcus between us, looking nervous. Other pregnant women stared, probably trying to figure out our dynamic. Was I his sister? His girlfriend? Just a friend?"You don't have to be here," Yuki said quietly. "If it's too weird.""I want to be here," I said, meaning it.When they called Yuki back, we all stood. The nurse looked confused."All three of you?""Yes," Marcus said firmly. "All three."In the exam room, Yuki changed into a gown while Marcus and I waited outside."You're really handling this well," he said."I'm internally screaming, but sure, let's call it handling.""You can leave if—""I'm not leaving."When we went back in, Yuki was on the exam table, looking vulnerable despite her usual poise. The doctor came in, not even blinking at our unconventional setup."Alright, let's see how baby is doing," she said cheerfully, squirting gel on Yuki's exposed stomach.The ultrasoun

The call came at 2 AM on a Tuesday in late May.I was at Marcus's apartment—a regular occurrence now—sleeping in his bed when his phone rang."It's Yuki," he said, suddenly alert. "Hello?"Even from my side of the bed, I could hear her panicked voice."My water broke. I'm going to the hospital. Can you—""We'll be there in fifteen minutes."We dressed in a blur, Marcus calling his dad while I grabbed the hospital bag we'd pre-packed."This is really happening," Marcus said in the car, gripping the steering wheel. "I'm about to meet my kid.""Breathe. You've got this.""What if I don't? What if I'm terrible at this?""You won't be. Now drive faster."At the hospital, Yuki was already in a room, looking scared and in pain. She'd come alone, not wanting to wake her parents in the middle of the night."You came," she said, relieved."Of course we came," I said, taking her hand. "We're in this together."The next twelve hours were a blur. Labor was long and brutal and nothing like movies m