| Chapter Fifteen To say the week that I found out I was pregnant held a lot of surprises would be a huge understatement. Not only did I find out I was pregnant, but three days later, I finally found out what Kevin did for a living. �Cassie,� Carly cried as she burst into my room, her face flushed and her eyes shinning. �What,� I asked, wondering what had her in such a state. �You�ve got to see this,� she exclaimed and then pulled me out of my room and down the hall to our private den. I glanced around the room, looking for whatever it was that had Carly so excited but I saw nothing out of the ordinary. �Carly, what exactly did you want me to see,� I asked, confused. Instead of answering, she dragged me over to the couch and pushed me into a cushion. �That is what I want you to see,� she said as she pointed to the television. My eyes widened as they landed on the screen and my breath caught in my throat. I had been living on my memories of what he looked like for the past two months and now suddenly there he was in front of me. A video of Kevin and his friends was playing and I was stunned. I looked at the little glowing number in the corner of the screen and recognized the channel as one of the music channels we picked up from the satellite. �I don�t understand,� I whispered as my eyes stayed on the T.V. screen. Carly�s excitement bubbled over and she squirmed in her seat. �They�re the Backstreet Boys,� she all but yelled. My eyes widened even more at the mention of that name. In the past few days all I had heard from Carly and her friends was that they were one of the biggest names in the music industry, but until that moment I had never seen them together as a group; not counting the time they had spent here at the ranch. I felt my heart drop when I realized that I wasn�t just carrying Kevin�s baby, the man who had spent a week on vacation here at the ranch. I was carrying his baby, a superstar�s baby. It scared the holy crap out of me. Before that moment, I had no idea whether I was ever going to tell Kevin about the baby, and now I found just the thought of it daunting. What if he wanted to take the baby from me? What if he won custody? Millions of thoughts ran through my head and I felt the bile rise up in the back of my throat. I had to get out of there and I had to do it now. I lurched off the couch and ran from the room with my hand covering my mouth. I barely made it to the bathroom before emptying the contents of my stomach. �Cassie. Cassie are you all right,� Carly asked through the closed door. When I didn�t answer, I heard the sounds of running feet flying down the hall and Callie�s named being called. It wasn�t enough that I just found out I was pregnant, and it wasn�t enough that I just found out that the father of my child wasn�t who I thought he was, but now I was going to have to sit my sisters down and explain things to them. Heat blasted my face and I felt embarrassed. I had always preached abstinence while they were growing up and here I was the role model, the older, supposedly wiser sister, pregnant out of wedlock. I pulled myself to my feet and rinsed my mouth out, praying the whole time that whatever was left in my stomach would stay put. �Cassandra Ray, you open this door now or so help me I�m gonna break it down,� Carly hollered. �Oh that�s really going to make her open it,� chided Callie. �I�m worried okay? I mean one minute she was fine and then the next she went running from the room. You didn�t hear her when she was getting sick,� Carly defended her actions. �Cassie, come on sis, open the door please,� Callie called softly. The time had come for me to be straight with my family, and even though I was scared and I knew they would be disappointed I opened the door. �Are you all right?� Callie asked as she stepped back to give me room to leave the bathroom. I nodded my head and forced back tears that threatened to fall. �We need to talk though. All of us,� I added as I looked at Carly. Silently they followed me back to the den and we sat down on the couch, me in the middle of both of my sisters. �Cass, whatever it is, we�re here for you,� Carly said as she took my hand in hers and gently squeezed. �I know, but it doesn�t make this any less difficult,� I murmured softly. �Just tell us,� Callie said as she took my other hand in hers. There I sat between the only family I had left and I began to tell them what was going on. �Remember the night of the barn dance and you both wondered where Kevin and I had went? Igotpregnantthatnight,� I said, rushing the last few words together. There was a long pause as they tried to decipher my words. �We�re going to have a baby,� Carly asked, a large smile framing her face. �You�re not mad or upset,� I asked, stunned. �Why would we be mad,� Callie questioned as she moved closer to me. �Because I always rode you two about not putting yourselves in positions where this would happen and then I went and did it myself. Not to mention this just adds more pressure on all of us. Pretty soon I�m not going to be able to ride a horse or do any of the heavy work around the ranch. It means you two are going to have to carry the heaviest part of the load.� �Oh sis. I may tease you and call you mom sometimes, but after all you�ve done for the both of us over the years, this isn�t all that much to ask,� Carly stated as she too moved closer to me. I couldn�t help it, the tears I had been fighting flowed over and spilled down my cheeks. �He must have gotten to you fast, for you to have been with him after knowing him for only three days,� Callie said knowingly after I wiped my tears away. �Oh did he ever,� I said, smiling for the first time since I had found out who Kevin really was. It was then that I realized that Callie didn�t know about Kevin and the guys. �There�s more,� I whispered. �More,� Callie asked, her own eyes going wide at that announcement. �More,� I acknowledged. �You see I just found out who Kevin really is.� �Who he really is,� she repeated in confusion. It was beginning to sound like there was a permanent echo in the room so I just laid it all out for her. �Kevin isn�t just some guy Callie. He�s a Backstreet Boy,� I said. �I could�ve told you that months ago,� Callie said, much to Carly�s and my shock. �What?� we both asked at the same time. �One of my roommates in college was head over heels for them and their pictures decorated my dorm room for four years. It�s not like you�d ever forget faces like those. Besides, what does it matter,� she asked me. �It matters a whole lot,� I stated, a tremor of fear ran through my voice. �Why? He�s just a guy like any other.� �Sure a guy who makes millions, who can give our child the world and the moon too. There�s absolutely no reason to be worried about that,� I retorted, my fear getting the best of me, turning my normally soft voice into one filled with sarcasm. �Are you going to tell him?� Callie asked, now seeing my dilemma. �I have no idea,� I admitted. �I didn�t even know if I was going to tell him before, but now,� my words trailed off leaving the thought unfinished. �You are keeping the baby aren�t you,� Carly asked. �That�s the only thing I am sure of. It�s my baby and I�m keeping him or her." CCC Index Chapter 16 Main Page |