"How's it going?" Steven asked, "how's Carol amd Bella?"
"They're good Steven," Jacob said, "I'm calling to let you know that Carol and I are getting married next month, she doesn't want to wait till Christmas."
"Is she with child?" Steven asked, concern was laced in his voice.
"No she is not, she is just feeling a little insecure and wants to tie the knot."
"Is next month enough time to prepare for a wedding?"
"She decided she doesn't want a huge affair, she just wants to get married." Jacob told him, "and I'll do anything to make her happy."
"Are you sure you want this?" Steven couldn't help but remember the many times he had caught Jacob secretly glancing at Bella, "maybe you need more time to think about this, rushing is never a good thing."
"I've never been more sure in my life Steven, I'm going to marry her and make her my wife?"
"Well then I will throw you a bachelor party in two weekends." Steven said, hoping the party will get his mind off his own problems, "We are moving this week, maybe the girls can have their own girl party two."
"Great!" Jacob laughed, "oh and have you looked for houses, Carol and I want to move in as soon as we get married!"
"I have the perfect home for you two," Steven told him, "my wedding gift to you and Carol, it's on the shoreline near our home, and it will be available right away."
Steven refrained from telling him it was practically next door to them. All the house were next to each other, he wanted his people near him and wanted all their children to grow up together. He was a very possessive man and wanted all that was his together.
**************
When Abby heard that Jacob and Carol were getting married she was devastated. Steven noticed the change in her right away.
"Whats wrong." He asked, worried for their relationship, not knowing how much longer Abby could hold on to hope.
"Everyone is getting married!" She cried, "me and you are the only ones that are not getting married!"
A stabbing pain knifed through Steven's heart, "We will get married Abby I swear it to you!" He told her, even though he knew damn well that it was an empty promise if they turned out to be related.
Abby threw her head back and laughed her heart out, Steven stared at her horrified at Abby's reaction. Alarmed that she was going to have a mental breakdown, Steven rushed to her side and pulled her into his arms.
"Stop it Abby you're worrying me!"
Abby sobered up and then the tears came, "Just tell me the truth Steven," she said in a broken voice, "me and you will never get married, right?"
Shaking his head, Steven said hoarsely, "that's not true, I will marry you Abby!"
"You can't even kiss me!" Abby attacked, "my touch grosses you out, how will you marry me?"
"That's not true Abby, your touch does not gross me out how can you even say that!" He couldn't believe what she was saying.
Abby tried to kiss him and he shrank back, there was fear in his eyes, "You see!" Abby yelled, "fuck you Steven, fuck you fuck you!"
She pulled out of his embrace and took off to their room, leaving behind a devastated Steven.
"What happened here?" Lily asked, as she rushed into the sitting room when she heard the commotion.
"Leave it alone Lily." Steven said horsely, and he dropped himself on the couch.
"You too have not been happy for a while now, is there something I can do to help?"
"I said leave it the fuck alone!" Steven yelled, "mind your own fucken business!"
Alice rushed to Lily's side and whisked her away to the kitchen, "Don't take to heart what he says honey, Steven is going through something and it's best to leave it alone for now."
Lily was hurt by her brothers mean reaction and she shed a few tears, "I'm not happy here Alice, there is too much tension in this household."
"Why don't you and me go do some shopping?" Alice suggested, "then we can have lunch at that new restaurant that opened up downtown."
Lily's eyes glistened with tears, but she smiled, "I think I'd like that, what about dinner?"
"I have pot roast in the oven and it's almost ready, and when we return I can make a few side dishes and a salad."
"Let's go then what are we waiting for!" Lily chimed, and they both grabbed their purses and ordered John to drive them downtown which he was only too happy to oblige.
************
"Hello?" Jeff sounded frustrated.
"Hey, I was thinking to go for lunch at the Cafe Lucci, wanna come?"
"I'll meet you there in ten!"
Steven lifted himself off the couch and let out a deep sigh, he wanted to go first to Abby but knew that she would reject his approach, so he grabbed his keys and wallet and left the condo. He took a cab to Cafe Lucci and found that Jeff was already there and seated at the far end of the Cafe checking out the menu.
"Thank you for coming," Steven seated himself and grabbed a menu, "I needed to get away desperately."
"I know what you mean, I have one at home too and her tantrums are getting worse."
"I'm not talking about the children Jeff I'm talking about Abby!"
"I know and I wasn't talking about the children either," Jeff explained, "I was talking about Claire!"
They both laughed wholeheartedly until the server came and took their orders. Steven stared at Jeff for a moment, this could be his brother he thought.
"I need to tell you something deep." Steven said in a serious tone of voice, "and shocking."
Jeff raised an eye brow, "Don't know if I'm capable of hearing more drama, I have a basket case on my hands at home and she is fucken draining me!"
"This is extremely important and confidential, but I must tell you regardless, and hope you will bury it and not reveal it until the right time."
Steven's finally had Jeff full attention, "What I'm about to tell you may and can destroy lives, I want to tell you because I trust you and I can not keep it to myself any longer, I'm dying inside and don't know what to do!"
"Are you having an affair?" Jeff asked.
"That would never happen in my lifetime, I love Abby and do not care to ever cheat on her." Steven explained, "what I have to tell you is deeper than that and very damaging."
The server brought their food and as soon as the server left Steven explained in great detail his entire situation. Jeff nearly fell of his seat. Too stunned to speak, he listened quietly until Steven had confessed everything.
"So you carried this burden with you this entire month?" Jeff asked, "why didn't you come to me with this earlier."
Steven stared at Jeff and smiled, "We might be brothers you and I, imagine that."
The realization of what Steven said had Jeff mute for a second, "We don't know for sure yet, let's wait until the results are in."
"How do you feel about the idea of us being siblings?" Steven asked cautiously.
"There was a time that I would have killed you with my bare hands," Jeff admitted, "but now I welcome the idea."
Steven smiled.
"However I'm very upset with my parents for keeping such a thing from me, and the idea that we could possibly have another brother, I can't even imagine another brother that looks like you!"
Steven couldn't help but smile, "I never had a brother before and now I have two, I'm liking it." But his smile faded as quickly as it came, "but if me and Abby are siblings I will not know what to do."
"So Colber fathered Abby," Jeff said, "I hope Henry fathered you and Brandon, and then we can all
move on with our lives!"
"The only thing we know for sure is that Abby is Colber's daughter and that you, me and Brandon are brothers, we all have the same mother." Steven admitted. "I was adopted by Colber and raised by them, but except for Lily I never felt a connection with any of them."
"It's complicated," Jeff said, "what are you going to do if Abby is your sister?"
"I'm not sure I can live with that, however the thought of taking her and my children and moving across the globe has entered my mind, I will not live without her Jeff." Steven said hoarsely.
"I don't envy your position," Jeff said, "and I thought I had it worse with Claire and her pregnancy tantrums, seems to me you are drowning in misery."
"We are moving to California this weekend, maybe our luck will change with the move." Steven sounded hopeful, but deep inside he was suffering.
"Have you looked for somewhere to set up our business?"
"Yes, about a half hour drive from where we will live,."
"Doesn't it bother you at all that you will be leaving a billion dollar company to start from scratch?"
Shaking his head, Steven said, "Not in the least bit, I hated the company and what it stood for."
"And what about all that money?"
"I have set aside enough money to start over." Steven admitted, "and money is the least of my problems."
************
When Steven returned, the kids were napping and all was quiet throughout the condo. He walked to the master bedroom and opened the door slowly only to find Abby fast asleep, as she lay in a sexy negligee on the bed.
His eyes took in the sexy, hot scene before him and his swollen shaft throbbed. He wanted her so bad that he felt his balls were going to burst.
Not knowing how to react to this difficult situation, Steven held his breath and closed his eyes trying as hard as he could to calm his beating heart that hammered against his muscled chest.
But as much as he tried, Steven lost the battle, discarded his clothes quickly and climbed over Abby to ravish her. It had been much too long he thought, and the need for her was overwhelming.
When his huge hands cupped her breasts Abby's eyes flew open and she immediately wrapped her arms around Steven. He kissed her passionately releasing the beast inside of him and throwing caution to the wind.
He had reached the point of no return, he was on fire, and untamable, and prepared to slam into her, but when Abby begged in a husky tone of voice for him to fuck her, he became ashamedly aware of what he was about to do and pulled back abruptly.
"Fuck!" He cursed out loud and quickly jumped off of Abby.
"Steven no!" Abby yelled, "come back!"
"I can't." Steven said, his eyes blurred with tears, "get dressed Abby."
"What?"
"Put your fucken clothes on!" He yelled, as he too followed his own advice.
Stunned, Abby slowly dressed herself and tried to walk past Steven, but his arm stretched out and he grabbed her before she left the room.
"I'm sorry."
"So am I!" She told him coldly, as she left him and headed to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.
Crazy out of his mind, Steven raced after her, he found her sitting at the table crying her heart out. Steven sat in the chair opposite Abby and he looked broken.
"I'm leaving you Steven."
"What?"
"You heard me," Abby insisted, "I can't live this way, it's too painful for me. You don't love me anymore Steven, just admit it."
Steven smiled weakly, his eyes glistened with fresh tears, "You think it possible for me to stop loving you?"
Abby nodded, "Just admit it Steven, you fell out of love with me and don't know how to tell me."
"I have never stopped loving you Abby, and if you don't know this by now then I don't know what else to say."
"You can't stand to touch me Steven."
"That's because we could be brother and sister and it is forbidden in the eyes of God." There he said it, and it felt as if a huge load of bricks fell off his shoulders.
Abby's eyes glistened with laughter, "Is this a joke, another excuse you have so you don't touch me, have you lowered yourself to an all time low just to be rid of me!"
Steven shook his head, "It's the truth."
"What's the truth Steven." She asked calmly, already sick and tired of his games.
It took a good half hour of explaining the truth and all the possibilities of the dire situation. Abby sat quietly listening to everything he said, not believing any of it. When Steven had finished and just sat there staring at her as if his life depended on what she had to say, Abby questioned Steven's sanity.
"Your father is my father?" She laughed, "me and you could be brother and sister?"
Steven nodded.
"You're fucken crazy!" She yelled, "that's insane!"
"Steven slammed his fist on the table, "It's the truth Abby do not take this lightly!"
Abby froze, what was he saying, how could such a thing be true?
"I don't believe it Steven, and even if this craziness is true, I won't know how to live without you!" Abby finally said hysterically, "I can't live without you."
Steven rose to his feet and came around the table, kneeling before her, he lay his head on her lap and cried his heart out.
This explained Steven's behavior for the last month, and the sudden realization that it could possibly be the truth crushed her.
"Steven what are we going to do?"
"I don't know," Steven admitted.
****************