I soothed my hands down my sides as I stared at myself in the mirror. The dress was a simple red wrap around which I paired with some tights and black ankle boots. I didn’t bother with make-up.

“We need to go Alia,” Stephen called from the room.

With one last glance, I walked out of the bathroom. Stephen stood in the doorway staring down at his feet. I took the time to study him. This was the first time I’ve seen him wear a suit. He looked fucking sexy. His hair was combed back neatly. I liked it more when it was messy.

“You look beautiful baby,” Stephen said softly.

“So do you,” I smiled.

I grabbed my purse and then followed him downstairs. Muttering a bye to Nathan we exit the house. Instead of taking the truck like I thought we would, Stephen led me to a sleek silver car. I felt extremely nervous. My mother had called earlier today to invite us to dinner. She had said that it was important and that everyone would be there. We were meeting at one of the fancy restaurants in town.

“What do you think this is about?”

He shrugged as he glanced at me. “I don’t know baby. It could be about anything.”

I clutched my bag on my lap. My eyes were focused on the passing houses, but my mind was miles away. This had to be about that weekend they went away. It was the only reason I could think of. I turned to stare at Stephen. He ran a hand through his hair which messed it up. His grip on the steering wheel was almost deadly. He looked just as nervous as me. Half an hour later Stephen parked at the curb. He cut the engine but didn’t get out.

“Your aunt and uncle were also invited,” he said softly. “I know it makes you uncomfortable to be around Michael and your real father.”

“H-how?”

Stephen reached for my hand. “Remember that night you took shots?”

“Not really,” I said. “All I remember was taking the shots. After that I remember nothing.”

He pursed his lips. Stephen said nothing for a while. His thumb stroked my knuckles.

“You got sick. A few minutes after taking the shit you said you felt sick. I took you to bed,” he paused. “You said some things.”

“W-what things?”

He smirked. “You think I have a big dick.”

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. How embarrassing.

“You also told me that Michael isn’t your real father.” Stephen turned slightly to face me. “You also said that you love me.”
The colour drained from my face as I stared at him. I pulled my hand from his and quickly got out of the car. Stephen grabbed my wrist before I could storm off. He pulled me back and gently pushed me against the side of the car.

He was smiling down at me. “It freaks you out this much to hear that I know your secret?”

“You said you don’t want to involve feelings.”

“Alia, you and I both know that feelings got involved the first time we met.” He reached out to stroke my cheek. “You’re not good at lying or hiding your feelings. Your eyes always give you away.”

“Stephen-“

“Promise me something Alia.”

“W-what?”

“Promise me that there will be no secrets between us anymore. No matter what happens; there will always be truth.”

“I- I promise.” He smiled again and then leaned forward to press a kiss against my forehead.

Stephen took my hand and led me across the street towards the restaurant. It was easy to spot my parents once we entered. They sat at the back along with my sisters, my aunt and uncle, and my sister and Patrick. I gripped Stephen’s hand tightly as he led me forward. My mom spotted us first. She gave me a bright smile as she stood. I hugged her tightly. She was losing weight and it was easy to tell when we hugged.
Drinks were ordered along with appetizers. Stephen seemed ill at ease being around them, but he joined in on the conversation. It was after our dinner when thing became tensed. Silence settled. Michael cleared his throat as he glanced around the table. My eyes darted to my mother when she sat forward.

“I think it’s about time we tell you what’s been happening,” she said softly. “That weekend we went away wasn’t for a conversion. I went to see a specialist at a hospital that deals with cancer.”

Stephen reached out to grip my hand. I could feel my heartbeat increasing when she paused.

“A few months ago I was diagnosed with cancer,” she sucked in a breath. “I have leukaemia. There’s no treatment I can take that will cure me. I’m dying.”

***

Cool air brushed against my back when the covers were raised. The bed dipped seconds later as Stephen climbed into bed. He didn’t touch me at all. A part of me wanted to be alone, but the other part needed him to be with me. I licked my lips then turned around to face him. Stephen laid on his back staring up at the ceiling. Lightning flashed which made light flood the room. He sighed and then turned onto his side. I could feel his eyes on me even though it was dark. Minutes passed before he spoke.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be okay again,” I whispered. “She’s dying Stephen.”

He said nothing as he pulled me against his chest. A sob fell from my lips as reality settled in. My mother was dying and there was nothing we could do to save her. The tears tried which left me with a dry mouth and burning eyes. Stephen continued to stroke my back.

“Do you want me to get you some water?”

I shook my head. I sucked in a shaky breath as I pressed myself tighter against him. Stephen pressed a kiss against my forehead and then turned onto his back. I placed a leg over his as I laid my head on his chest.

“She’s dying.”

He linked his fingers through mine. “You should spend some time with her.”

“I’m sure there are some treatments she could do. Like chemo or-“

“Baby, there is no treatment. Like she said it has gone too far to be cured. It's too late.”

She’s dying. My mother was dying and there was nothing I could do. How long does she have? More tears filled my eyes and silently dropped on to his chest. Everything was silent until it started to rain. Thunder made the windows vibrate.

“Do you ever think about the future?” I whispered.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot since I met you,” Stephen said softly.

I could feel his heartbeat increasing against my ear. Was I part of his future? Were we together in the future?

“Stephen-“

“I dream of us,” he muttered, cutting me off. “I dream of watching you walked down the aisle towards me. I dream of watching our baby grow inside you. I dream of having lots of kids that look like you.”

“How many kids are we talking about?”

“At least five,” he said seriously.

“Five?” I raised my head to look up at him. “
You don’t want five kids?”

“That’s a big number,” I breathed. “How about we stick to one first and see how it goes.”

“We could do that.”

He reached up to cup my cheek. “We could buy a house on the beach.”

“No.” Horror washed through me. “I’d be spending my time worried sick that they would wonder out and drown.”

“Okay,” he chuckled. “No beach house.”

“Do you want to have a big wedding?” I traced shapes on his skin with my finger.

“Isn’t that your decision?”

I smiled. “I’m fine with anything as long as you show up.”
Stephen laughed. His hand slid down my back to settle on my hip. He fell silent.

“Let’s elope,” he suddenly said.

My mouth fell open in shock. I gasped when he suddenly moved. Stephen hovered above me.

“l’ll take a few days off at work, and you don’t have to worry about school for another two weeks. I can get some plane tickets and we can go to Vegas. Just you and me baby.”

“You’re serious,” I muttered surprised.

“Yes,” he muttered.

His lips caught mine before I could say anything.

“Stephen,” I pressed my hands against his chest, “be reasonable. We can’t just run off to get married. Too much is happening right now. I don’t want you to do this and then regret it within a few months. I-“

“I won’t regret it Alia. I’ve never been so sure about something in my life. I want to marry you and build a family with you.”
“You said you didn’t want any kids.”

He smiled at me. “The idea of having kids scares me shitless. I’ve never had a good role model so I have no clue what a father is suppose to be like. I don’t think my grandfather counts.”

“Why not?”

“He had this thing where he would hit me over the head.” He laid down on his side with his head on his hand. “I had this tendency to ignore him when he spoke. He would always start telling these stories about what he did in his time. They were really boring. I would space out and get a slap to the head. He use to do that when I did something wrong. I know he didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

“He sounds like an interesting man,” I said softly.

“He was,” he smiled. “My grandmother was head over heels in love with him. One thing she couldn’t stand about him was his smelly socks. I wished they were still here for you to meet them.” Stephen reached out to trace my cheeks. “They would’ve liked you. Especially granny.”

“I would’ve liked to have met them too.”

Silence settled again. The sound of the rain was slowly starting to lure me to sleep. My eyes fluttered close but I forced them open.

“It’s getting late. We should get some sleep.”

“Yeah,” I muttered, moving closer to him.

I was halfway asleep when he said the words that made me smile.

“I love you baby.”