Tory’s POV
” I swear okay? I won’t bother you” he said desperately and I couldn’t resist the urge to laugh.
” Okay,” I said and I went outside with him following me as I entered our car.
” Mr. Joe, this is Nate, he’ll be staying with us for a while,” I said after entering the car along with Nate.
” Alright,” he said simply with a smile.
” How are you feeling?” I asked Nate and he exhaled deeply before clenching his teeth and saying ” horrible”.
” I’m really sorry Nate.”
He just scratched the back of his head and shrugged.
“I’m just worried about Tiffany. They better rescue her – those policemen”
” I’m sure they will,” I said trying to shift from him subtly, that didn’t go unnoticed by Nate. He cocked a brow and was about to lean closer when my mom entered the car and told Mr. Joe to drive us home.
*********
When we got home, it was already dark, some men had come with us to install security cameras around the house. I don’t even know why mom never did.
Throughout the drive, Nate had been stealing glances at me and I wondered if he was truly afraid or saddened by the fact that his stepdad is dead or that his mom was kidnapped.
I hurriedly came down and entered the house as my mom showed Nate to his room. A middle-aged woman who Nate said was his mom’s house help brought his clothes in about three large luggage.
” You’re sure you’ll be okay?” She asked Nate and he nodded, he seemed so tired so the lady left and my mom told him to go take a shower while Mrs. Arnold, our cook made us dinner.
” I hope there’ll be chicken” he muttered as he walked past me and entered his room, Trudy following him as she wagged her tail. I smiled before I entered my room and quickly showered before I put on a white tank top and shorts before I went to Tia’s room.
I knocked twice and entered and she seemed to be on the phone with Brian. I sat down on her bed as she giggled as he spoke to her.
” Alright, goodnight. Love you” she said, her face beaming like a lovestruck girl before she ended the call.
” Hey,” I said.
” Hey Tory, what happened?”
” Didn’t Toni tell you?”
” No, she’s still mad at me for not telling her that I’m pregnant”
” Oh, she’ll come around. You’ve been in here all day?”
” Yeah, I couldn’t face mom. She seemed so hurt by what you said, did you apologize?”
” Not yet but I will”
” So what happened?”
” Nate’s mom was kidnapped and his stepdad murdered”
” Oh my God!” She said as she tucked her hair behind her ears.
” We went there to see him and after they questioned him and the workers in the house as well as mom, he told Mom that he couldn’t sleep there”
” So, he’s here?”
” Yeah”
She smiled mischievously and I glared at her, ” whatever you’re thinking Tia, stop thinking it.”
” Why? Toni said he acts like he’s into you. Plus after that whole you and Rachel rescuing him from the boy’s locker room thing, I knew you’d have a soft spot for him”
” I don’t have a soft spot for Nate okay? I just hate him less.”
” Uh-hun, which is why you went so eagerly to his house today
” Tia drop it. I’m here to talk about you and Brian and of course your baby” I said and her smile disappeared.
” Oh… he says he’s gonna come talk to Mom. Since his brother died he’s been so busy running his father’s company”
” Why did they send him away with nothing in the first place?”
” He won’t say, I’ve tried asking him”
” Are you sure you wanna be with someone who’s keeping things from you?”
” It’s just this one thing, besides I’ll know eventually”
” What about his Parents, has he told them about you?”
” Yeah, it’s one of the reasons they took him back.”
” What?”
“His elder brother didn’t have a child, the minute they found out that I was carrying his child they to run to the company since his older brothers aren’t even interested in marrying anytime Soon.”
” You’re gonna marry him?”
” Yeah – not because of his parents but because we wanted to anyway.”
” This still surprises me, he kept asking me how to win you over when he already had you,” I said rolling my eyes and she laughed.
” He was just trying to annoy you”
” Obviously, you should go talk to Toni though”
” I will but first I’d like to eat, I’m famished,” she said rubbing her already protruding stomach.
” Are you gonna still go to school?”
” No, I can’t hide it anymore.”
” Mom is gonna be pissed.”
” She shouldn’t be, I’m nineteen so I can do whatever I want.” She said with a shrug as she got up from her bed and asked me ” you coming?”
” Yeah sure, I’m hungry too” I said as I got up and followed her out of her room. We both froze when we saw our mom outside the door.
” Dinners ready” she said and we both nodded before she went to knock on Nate’s door to tell him about dinner.
I sat down beside Toni who was still looking angry. She and Tia were always so close so of course, she’d be sad about Tia not telling her about her pregnancy.
My mom came down the stairs and sat down as Mrs. Arnold finished serving the dishes.
” Thanks, Mrs. Arnold” mom said and the lady nodded her head, she since she couldn’t speak.
” Thanks, Mrs. Arnold,” my sisters and I said to her and she smiled and nodded her head before she left for the kitchen.
” Where’s Nate?” I asked and Tia looked at me mischievously while I rolled my eyes at her.
” He said he’ll be eating him in his room. I don’t know if he’s shy or anything”
” I’m not shy, was just being stubborn. Sorry about that” Nate said in his deep, husky voice as he came down the stairs. The dining room was filled with his scent and I wondered what he used to bathe – perfume?
His hair was curly seemed a little darker and some of it fell on his forehead as he walked towards us and sat down opposite my mom.
He was wearing a black tank top and thankfully pajamas pants – If he wore boxer shorts I would’ve fainted. I wondered if he was aware just how sexy he looked right now, the way his tank top fitted his body, revealing his muscles and I swear that I could see his abs.
As he scanned the food – baked beans he just let out a frustrated huff.
” What’s wrong?” My mom asked and he seemed to realize that he wasn’t the only one in the room.
” Umm… I don’t like baked beans”
” You’ll like this one,” I said and his eyes immediately were fixated on me.
” I’m not sure I will”
” Come on try it,” my mom said and he cringed before he tasted a little bean, I watched as he chewed and eventually swallowed, his expression completely blank.
” So what does chef Chu put in his baked beans that makes it taste so gross?” He said to no one in particular and we giggled.
” You like it right?”
” Yeah, tastes fucking awe – I meant freaking awesome,” he said as he watched my mom’s reaction to his cursing.
” Yeah, you’re your mother’s son alright,” my mom said and we all laughed before we ate dinner. I didn’t want to be tempted by his presence so I went to my room to do my homework before I dozed off.
**********
I woke up in the middle of the night to get a glass of milk. Trudy lay on my bed sleeping and I gently got up from my bed before I left my room. The slightest sound could make Trudy wake up.
I started to head downstairs when I heard a sound from Nate’s room, I turned around to find his door slightly ajar and the light in his room was on. Were he and Toni doing the dirty? I cringed at the thought of them having sex and walked to his room.
” Nate?” I whispered as I entered his room. It was empty, the only sign that he had been in the room was his notebook on the dressing table. Where did he go?
” What are you doing Rya?” Nate said startling me as I turned around to see Nate shirtless and this time he was wearing boxer shorts – very tight ones that just emphasized the size of his manhood.
He looked very grim and his face was wet.
” I just wanted to see if you were ok, I heard a noise in your room,” I said folding my arms across my breasts. His eyes followed my movement and he exhaled deeply.
” Are you okay?” I asked trying to make him look away from my failed attempt at covering my boobs. I didn’t want him to notice that I wasn’t wearing a bra.
” I’m not,” he said looking at me now.
” I can’t sleep”
” Nightmares?” I asked and he nodded.
” Can you sleep with me tonight?” He asked and I almost choked, he cocked a brow at me and smirked.