Part 15



We say our goodbyes to the last guest and I sigh when Matt closes the door.

”Thank god! I am so tired.” I turn around and I stop when I see that Steel is still here. I had hoped that he had left when I didn’t notice. ”Mr Steel, are you staying overnight?”

”Yes, my boys fell asleep and your father helped me carry them to one of the guest rooms. I hope you don’t mind?”

His expression tells me he doesn’t care if I mind it or not, but it’s not like I will throw them out when my dad invited them to stay.

”Of course not,” I answer him with a forced smile.

”It will give us a good chance to talk.”

Everyone in the room is listening to our conversation. Dad, Bree, Anne, Martin, Matt and Anna. Only half of them knows my secret and I feel nervous suddenly. I don’t want them to find out the way Martin did, I would hate to have them upset over it.

”We can talk later, I already made up my mind.” I put my hand lovingly on my belly and walks up to Anna. ”I can’t wait to lose all this weight, my back hurts so much now.”

”Matt can massage you later,” Anna tells me with a wide grin.

”Everyone, can we please sit down?” I ask them. ”There is something I want to tell you.”

I lead the way to the karaoke room and everyone follows me and we take our seats. Matt holds me closely to him and I let my head rest on his shoulder. I close my eyes for a few seconds before speaking up.

”Thank you all for a lovely evening and for your support. It means a lot for both me and Matt.” I look at them and they seem to be just as tired as I am. ”You see, tonight I planned something else too. You may call me a scheming sister Anne, but I set you and your friends up to dance here tonight to show off your skills to my friend Anna.”

Anne gives Anna curious look and then she smiles.

”It was my pleasure, I hope you liked it Anna. I don’t see the seriousness in it though?”

”What my… friend is trying to say is,” Anna starts saying, ”is that you went through a test. You told your sister a few weeks ago that you want to apply to my dance school and she wanted me to see you dance when I was coming anyway. We are kind of bending the rules for you, but… your sister is different like that, she like to do things her own way. You are an amazing dancer Anne, you have a lot of potential. As the principal of Anna’s school of Dancing, I offer you and your friends who performed here tonight to become students there starting January.”

”What?” Anne stutters all pale. ”Oh my gosh! Is this a sick joke?”

Everyone seem to have mixed emotions, some thrilled, some not knowing what they should believe but Anna just picks up a card and hands it over to my sister who accepts it and reads it with big eyes.

”It is not a joke,” Anna tells her.

”How do you know my sister?” Anne asks her weakly.

”Well, I taught her how to dance a few years ago. She is not nearly as skilled as you are though. I think… Molly should tell you all this though.”

”No!” Martin yells completely white in his face. ”Don’t do it Molly.”

Everyone looks at me now and I know it is time to fix this before it’s too late.

”So Martin knows now?” Matt states.

”He found out by accident,” I say with a nod. ”I’m sorry Martin.”

”You should tell them MD.”

I look at Steel with a sigh.

”You are not giving up until you have it your way right?” I frown at him.

”Just like you always want things to be your way,” he answer me with a grin.

”I have decided, I told you that a few minutes ago! I also told you that we will discuss this later.”

”Molly,” Anne interrupts me. ”Are you aware that you are talking against the Shawn Steel? Besides that I think we all want an explanation. I am so confused right now.”

”I am very aware who he is. I did this to make your dream come true, are you not happy at all?”

All my nervousness disappears when I see her smile and nod enthusiastically.

”Yeah, I am just confused over the whole situation.”

”Yes,” my dad says. ”This whole evening has been weird with the security tonight. It is time that you tell us the truth Molly because we all would like to go to bed soon.”

”I’m Darlene.”

The words leaves my mouth before I even knew I was going to say them. I feel a bit shocked and Martin looks pissed. Matt holds me really tight and I don’t know what I would do without his support. Anne, dad and Bree are just staring at me like I’m some kind of an alien.

”The world star Darlene? The singer?” Bree whispers.

”Yes, I’m definetly her. So you see, the school I want Anne to go to was something I helped Anna create. I understand that you all are shocked right now and I’m sorry.” I bite my lip, not knowing what I should say. Nothing I say can really make up for this secret.

”Oh, honey,” Bree says warmly with a smile. She walks up to me and gets down on her knees and takes my hands into hers. ”Honey, you are the sweetest girl I ever met. I always thought that.”

I look into her eyes and see the sincerity burn in them. I am crying again and I can’t stop it. I didn’t mean to tell them like this, but what way is better to tell them I lied for years?

”It doesn’t matter if you are Darlene, you are still my step daughter and so it will be. Nothing will change and thank you so much for doing this for Anne. You succeeded with your dream and you are still modest enough to use it carefully.”

”Thank you Bree,” I manage to say. ”You are a lot better than I ever gave you credit to be.”

”Don’t worry about it. It is hard to live with fame and you did the right thing to not let it affect your family life.”

A door slams and I wince. It was my father who left the room.

”Will he forgive me?” I ask Bree.

”He will come around. Just give him time alright?”

I nod at her and then look at Anne. She is grasping her dress really hard and I can see that she is trying to sort her feelings out.

”Oh come on Anne,” Steel tells her. ”Now is the perfect time to beg for a private show.”

Anna picks up a magazine and smashes it hard on his head.

”No wonder people hate you!” she yells.

”Ouch! That was not nice.”

”I’m nicer than you are.”

Bree leaves the room with a shaking head. Matt reaches out to stop Anna from hitting Steel again and I can’t help to laugh when he takes the magazine from her.

”Anna, shouldn’t you behave better in front of your future student?” Matt asks her.

”Maybe, but Shawn ticks me off in a bad way.”

”You are assaulting a responsible family father,” Steel says in a sad voice.

”I can as long as Darlene doesn’t tell me to stop.”

”Hey wait!” I interrupt them. ”Don’t bring me into your argues. I am going to bed, are you coming Matt?”

”Yes of course sweetheart.” He drops the magazine on the table and helps me up. Anna and Steel keeps arguing but I don’t care to listen to them.

”Anne,” I look at my sister. ”We can talk about it tomorrow, just me and you if you want?”

She gets up from her seat slowly and then gives me a hug.

”Goodnight Molly. Thank you so much! I just… Where were you last Christmas for example? I thought you didn’t want to see us but instead you didn’t have time because you’re all famous.”

Her voice is slightly dead but I hope she will be her usual cheerful self by tomorrow.

”In Tokyo.” I answer her truthfully.

”Oh, wow.”

”I understand that it will take time for you to forgive me. I hope you will forgive me though.”

”Yeah,” she sighs. ”I wish I was as forgiving as Bree is. I understand why you kept it a secret though. Show business is not accepted in our society unless you already made it. Why did you keep it a secret though?”

”I was way too busy to give it a second thought. I don’t know, I just want you to see me and not my fame.”

”Let’s hope Mrs Gregory never finds out then. No offence Matt.”

”No offence taken,” he answer her. ”Molly can barely stand up so I better take her to bed. Night all.”

-

Finally in bed I let Matt’s arms warm me and I kiss his soft lips.

”I didn’t plan to tell them today, it just happened.” I confess.

”I’m glad, sweetheart. I’m sure they would have reacted the same anyway.

”Martin didn’t want me to tell them.”

I think of my brother and his will, it is not his decision to make though. I still feel like I let everyone down.

”It was a decision you took when you were still very young, don’t think about it too much. Do you think your father would have let you travel all over the world? I didn’t get that impression when he left the room.”

”You’re right.”

I feel happy and I love that Matt is playing with my hair. Still I feel injured on the inside but I don’t want to cry anymore tonight.

”Is there something more bothering you?”

”I can’t keep it from you right?” I sigh. ”Jamie called me tonight and said he still loves me. Apparently Rick forced him to break up with me and I just feel so mad about it. I don’t want to see any of them again right now.” I clench my teeth and can’t stop the anger that builds up inside of me.

”It’s too late for him now, you’re mine,” Matt says possessively and I love that he feels like that.

”I love you Matt. You don’t play with my feelings and you stand up for us.”

”Like a real man should.”

”Can I ask you something?”

”Of course. Who needs sleep anyway?”

I blush when I think of how many nights we lost sleep because we were making love. I hope we always will be like that. I still feel tingles when I touch him and I hope it never fades.

”Did you ever feel like calling me Darlene?”

”I wasn’t even tempted to.” he starts and I listen quietly as he talks. ”I had a huge embarrassing crush on Darlene for years. I went to a few concerts and I read everything about her. I know her career better than I knew my own job. I was an obsessed fan. Was as in was. I thought she was beautiful and amazing. I couldn’t feel anything for another woman before I met you. You knocked me out completely Molly. You are completely different from the Darlene I knew. I recognized you instantly and suddenly I fell out of love with Darlene’s image and in love with you. Even if you weren’t Darlene I would still love you, you know?”

”Really? I didn’t know that you had a crush on me for so long.”

”I didn’t want to tell you about that actually, it’s quite embarrassing.”

I can sense him blush in the dark and I laugh quietly to myself.

”It doesn’t matter Matt. I feel flattered.”

”If you promise to not bring it up again.”

”You’re so cute!”

He moans in pain.

”Please Molly, cute? Haven’t you learned to not call guys that?”

”I think girls and boys have different meanings to the word cute.” I say thoughtfully.

”Then it is good that I am a man then.”

I shiver when I feel his hand touching my stomach.

”Night Molly.”

”Night,” I answer and grabs his hand. I will never be able to sleep if he touches me like that.

-

Breakfast is awkward so to say. Everyone is quiet besides Steel and his kids. Bree is in a wonderful mood and she refuses to let me help her with the breakfast.

”Pregnant women are supposed to sit down,” she tells me strictly and I give up.

”I don’t like to do nothing,” I complain.

”You did enough yesterday honey, have a rest day.”

She is making pancakes and omelettes at once and by the smell of it I can understand why my father fell for her. Matt makes me a sandwich and I accept it and use it as an excuse to give him an extra kiss.

”Eww!” Martin says. ”Not by the kitchen table!”

”What are you five?” Anne gives him a glare. ”I think they are cute."

”I am five!” Albin says and shows his hand with five pointing fingers.

Preston is slamming his spoon on the table so his porridge is flying everywhere.

”Preston!” Steel roars. ”Gentlemen doesn’t behave like that alright?” He tries to make his son stop but Preston finds it hilarious and keeps doing it.

”It’s alright,” my father finally says. ”My children were the same, this table have seen worse.”

Everyone looks at my father who refused to talk since yesterday and he sighs knowing what he must do.

”Molly, I always supported and agreed to everything you wanted.” he tells me. ”Why did you feel that you couldn’t tell me? How do you think I as father feel when my first born turns out to be one of the most famous women in the world?”

”Disappointed?” I answer weakly. He nods.

”I thought you could trust me. I am not disappointed in your achievements though, just the fact that you kept it a secret from us all.”

”And you wouldn’t have held me back if I told you from the beginning?”

”Damn right I would have held you back! That is why I can forgive you for what you did. I am proud of you Molly Darlene.”

”Thank you father,” I smile at him so happy for his approval.

”For all of us,” my dad keeps talking. ”I think it is best if you keep the charade up to all outsiders.”

”Yes I will.”

Everyone nods in agreement. Bree puts the last of the breakfast on the table and everyone rushes to get a piece of it. Matt gives me a piece of everything and I can’t help to be blown away by his loving behaviour. It feels so good to have my whole family around me, everyone besides my aunt and uncle of course. It doesn’t even feel weird to have a rock star and his kids being with us. I allow myself to give Steel one glance and as I thought my breathing stops. I shake away those feelings and look at Matt instead.

”Who wants to take a walk in the snow after breakfast?” Bree wonders.

”Can I play in the snow dad?” Albin begs.

”Of course you can!” my dad answer him. ”I have some old winter toys you can use. We can all go out and give Shawn and Molly some time to discuss what they argued about yesterday?”

”Yes, that’s great!” Steel says and looks at me.

”Fine,” I give in with a sigh.