Ripe: A Stepbrother Pregnancy Romance (30 page)

Deanna smirked. “I could tell as much. What is it this time?”

Elise pretended to yawn, hoping for an out, but Deanna didn’t fall for the charade.

“I bet I could guess.”

“I’m sure you could,” Elise said, avoiding making eye contact with her friend.

Deanna could see that Elise wasn’t eager to talk about her latest dispute with Jesse, and while she respected that, she couldn’t stop herself from offering her input.

“He’s a good man, Elise.”

“Deanna…” Elise sighed. She was far too tired to be having this conversation right now. “It’s late and you know as well as I do that Isaiah wakes up at the crack of dawn…”

“Alright, alright,” Deanna said, holding up her hands. “I can take a hint.”

After making sure Elise was comfortable for the night, Deanna made her way upstairs and looked down the hall just in time to see Jesse step inside his bedroom and close the door. She smiled to herself and shook her head. The chemistry between him and Elise was obvious, and watching them attempt to skirt around it would definitely make for an entertaining visit.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Elise kept up the appearance of being comfortable on the couch for as long as she could, but by Sunday morning, her stubbornness was starting to wear thin on her. Sleep was no longer coming quite so easy, and she figured that she might as well make herself useful.

When Deanna awoke and headed towards the kitchen to make breakfast, she saw that Elise had beat her to it and was standing at the counter flipping pancakes, not to mention practically drugging herself with caffeine in the process.

“You look tired,” Deanna noted, sliding into a stool. “Are you sure you won’t let me take the couch tonight?”

“Deanna, I appreciate it, I do, but I’m fine,” Elise said for what felt like the hundredth time. “Look, Jesse usually takes Isaiah out to the beach to feed the seagulls on Sunday’s, so as soon as they leave, I’ll take a nap in one of their beds. I promise.”

“Well alright,” Deanna said. “Can I at least help you with anything?”

“Actually,” Elise spoke up, covering the heaping mound of pancakes with a washcloth. “I’m going to go take a shower, but if you wouldn’t mind feeding Isaiah some of these with some fruit when he wakes up, I’d really appreciate it.”

Deanna agreed right away, happy to be of use. When Isaiah came downstairs wailing a few minutes later, she immediately went over to tend to him. 

Elise overheard the noise from the bathroom and put her clothing back on as quickly as possible.

“Isaiah’s sick,” Deanna explained once Elise got to the bottom of the landing. “He has a slight fever. I gave him some ginger ale and sent him back to bed with a few books.”

Elise thanked her and headed into Isaiah’s room to check on him herself. She brought in a bucket in case he needed it, and as soon as he laid eyes on it, he bent over to upchuck into it.

Jesse got home from his morning run just in time to see Elise collapse on the couch and let out a sigh of exhaustion. “What’s going on here?” he questioned, casting several glances between her and Deanna.

“Isaiah’s sick,” Deanna spoke up for a second time. “It looks like some kind of stomach flu. He probably picked it up at school.” She paused and looked over at her friend. “Elise, why don’t you go nap in your room?” she offered, patting her knee. “I’ll check in on Isaiah soon, I promise.”

“You really wouldn’t mind?” Elise questioned, no longer having the energy to object.

“Not at all,” Deanna said. “Now go before you pass out. You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

Jesse remained quiet as Elise hoisted herself up. She offered him a fleeting glance as she limped past him, but that was it.

After taking a quick shower to wash the sweat off his body, Jesse went into Isaiah’s bedroom to check in on him.

“Daddy I’m sick,” Isaiah announced, greeting his father with a weak cough.

Jesse sat down on the end of Isaiah’s bed and rubbed his leg.  He could tell how badly he was feeling by the lack of enthusiasm in his eyes. “I know buddy,” he said in a soothing tone. “But hey, at least mommy will let you stay home from school tomorrow. Sick days can be fun. I always loved them when I was your age.”

Isaiah considered his father’s words for a few seconds before smiling. “But what about the seagulls?” he questioned, sitting up to look out the window. “It’s Sunday. I wanna go feed them!”

“Oh, no, buddy. You need to stay in bed and rest. But don’t worry okay? I won’t go out to the beach until you’re feeling better. Promise.”

Deanna watched Jesse and Isaiah interact from the doorway. When she started to feel like she was intruding, she made her way into the kitchen, where she poured herself a mug of coffee and sat down to read a magazine. She was so engrossed in an article about some crash diet that she didn’t even hear Jesse enter the room.

“Sounds like you’ve had a hectic morning,” he noted, nodding at Deanna from his place across the counter.

“Yeah, but I’ve had it pretty easy these past few weeks. It’s kind of nice to be needed again.”

Jesse nodded and looked around the room. “Did anything else happen while I was out?”

Deanna knew that Jesse was referring to Elise, but she pretended not to for the sake of keeping things cordial. “Nah. Elise was just about to go take a nap when Isaiah said he wasn’t feeling good.”

“Was she up all night with him or something?” Jesse inquired.

“No, she just hasn’t been sleeping well the past few nights.”

“She’s not still in pain is she?”

“No, I don’t think so. I think it’s just the couch. I wish she’d stop being so stubborn and take her bed back, but you know how she is.”

“Yeah, I know she doesn’t want to put you out, but I told her she could take my bed…”

Deanna could hear the irritation in Jesse’s voice as clear as day. “You know…” she trailed off, changing the subject. “It’s pretty admirable what you’ve done here, Jesse. There aren’t very many men who would step up to the plate the way you have, especially not in the face of so much resistance.”

Jesse shrugged. “All I’m trying to do is make up on lost time. This…well it’s all worth it so long as I get the opportunity to be in my son’s life.”

Deanna read between the lines. “So it’s been pretty rough, huh?”

Jesse rubbed his jaw as if he were contemplating a suitable way to express himself. “It’s been…
challenging
.
Let’s just put it that way.”

“Well it doesn’t show,” Deanna lied. “You and Elise seem to have a pretty organized system going here.”

“That’s just it though,” Jesse said. “That’s all we are…a system. She does her thing and I do mine.”

Deanna’s sympathy was easy to read in her expression. Her many experiences with Isabella had proven one thing to her above all else, and that was that there was no way Elise and Jesse could maintain a platonic relationship when it was obvious they were soul mates.

“Jesse, you know how Elise is. She’s just trying to protect herself from—”

“No,” Jesse interrupted, holding up a hand. “No disrespect, Deanna, but I’m really not in the mood to hear more about how Elise is just trying to protect herself from getting hurt by me again. I get it okay? That doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings too. I’m not going to keep forcing a point that doesn’t need to be proven.”

“You’re right. You’ve obviously proven yourself as a father, Jesse, but you—”

“Please, Deanna,” Jesse interrupted again. “Isaiah is all that matters here now. Everything I do, I do for his sake. That includes living with a woman who would rather I disappear.”

Deanna watched Jesse leave the room without saying anything. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He was right. He was only capable of doing so much. Now it was Elise’s turn to come to grips with what she really wanted.

Otherwise, she’d never truly be happy.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Elise awoke with a start. She felt as if she’d been sleeping for days, but the alarm clock on her bedside table revealed that it’d only been a couple hours at best.

Isaiah was asleep when Elise went to check in on him. After studying him for a few minutes, she bent down to smooth his hair out of his face, grazing a kiss against his temple.

“Sorry I was out so long,” Elise said to Deanna once she entered the living room. “I wish I could’ve been more active during your visit. I feel terrible.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Deanna stated. “You need to rest too. Being a mom is no easy job. There will be other visits, don’t you worry.”

“Well, one things for sure at least,” Elise stated, changing the subject. “Isaiah will be up all night now. I guess Jesse can stay up with him.”

“It’s nice, this setup you guys have,” Deanna hinted. “I’m glad it’s working out.”

“Yeah,” Elise agreed, not expanding on the topic.

“You know,” Deanna said, knowing full well that she was walking on thin ice. “I was talking to Jesse earlier and he seemed really grateful to have you around, you know, seeing as how you’re so fortunate and appreciative.”

Elise frowned, not quite understanding the underlying hint of sarcasm in her friend’s tone. “What?”

“I’m just saying…it’s nice that you’ve been so receptive and appreciative of Jesse’s generosity. So many women would feel like all of this is owed to them after being put through what you were. But you’re nothing like that,” Deanna reiterated. “
Right?
”

Elise felt misunderstood and on trial as she tried to decipher Deanna’s words. “Of course not,” she said defensively. “Deanna, where is all of this coming from? Did Jesse say something to you about me overstaying my welcome? Because he’s never complained to—”

Elise paused and looked down at her lap. How many times
had
she thanked Jesse? Had she thanked him at all? Deanna’s words had her thoughts moving about a mile a minute, and her mouth struggled to keep up. After awhile of thinking it over, she managed to convince herself that she wasn’t taking Jesse for granted at all. It wasn’t like she felt that he owed her any of this. He’d offered, and by his own admission, he claimed to be getting just as much out of the deal as she was.

Regardless, it was this same thought that made her seek him out later that afternoon.

Jesse was in his office when Elise finally found him. He looked up from his computer and nodded to address her, remaining quiet as he waited for her to speak.

Elise had no idea how to easily transition into what she wanted to ask him, so she decided on the direct approach instead. “Jesse…you don’t feel like I’m taking you for granted, do you?”

Jesse was taken off guard by the question. He frowned, peering over at Elise with a perturbed expression on his face. “What?”

“I…I feel like you might be under the impression that I don’t value everything you’ve done for me these past few months,” Elise said, taking a step forward. “I wanted to let you know that I do.”

Jesse stared at Elise as though he was waiting for her to add something that would ruin it all. “Elise, what’s this all about?” he finally found it in himself to ask. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine,” Elise said. “I just…I felt bad that I haven’t thanked you yet for…well, for everything. Letting me move in…being so helpful with Isaiah…bringing Deanna here. Thank you.”

Elise walked off before Jesse could respond, and he exhaled a deep breath he hadn’t realized he was holding in. He didn’t understand what had gotten into her. It made staying angry at her pretty difficult, but if she started treating him civil again, then he’d be forced to come to terms with a fact he’d much rather continue avoiding. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t the ice queen he’d convinced himself she was.