11. Selena

"Sam, let's turn around and go back to your place. We can pick up some food on the way and eat with Jose," I ramble nervously from the passenger seat. The closer we get to my mother's house, the more anxious I feel.

"No, we're not doing that. We practiced everything, so there's nothing to worry about. If you don't know how to answer, I will. I have you, Selly. Just take a breath and calm down."

He reaches over the console, taking my hand in his, and squeezes.

"What if she remembers you from Dad's funeral?" "Then I'll handle it. I got this. I'm nothing but smooth under pressure and parents love me. Just remember that. Besides, we're not mentioning anything about Chicken Nugget tonight. That's a secret until we see the doctor. What"s that old wives' tale? You don't announce it until after your first trimester?"

I know he's right. It's not even announcing my pregnancy that I"m worried about. It's seeing them. They've consumed my thoughts every day, even though I should hate them. After all, I was a slut who slept with three men.

"Selly, stop. I'm going to be your buffer. Your dutiful boyfriend."

"I can't help it. They're all I can think about, even if they do think I'm a whore."

"You're not a whore. You're a woman who loves with her whole heart. A heart that has enough room for all three of them if they would get their heads out of their asses. But their loss is my gain."

My gaze shoots over to him, and I raise an eyebrow. "Your gain? You break out in hives around a vagina."

"Not the vagina, you can keep that. What I meant is I get Chicken Nugget. I'm the winner in this."

"I love you, Sam. Too bad you're not straight, or I'd be all over you. I'm so lucky you're my best friend."

He squeezes my hand again as we pull up to the curb in front of my childhood home. It holds so many amazing memories of my father and I can feel his warmth anytime I walk in the door. Since going away to college, those times have been few and far between, especially after his passing.

I bet I can count on one hand the number of times I've actually seen my mother in person since then. It's like once he passed away she became someone totally different, or the woman she is now was somehow contained.

"Okay, take a deep breath. It's dinner. How long can it take to eat? We introduce our relationship. We've known each other for a while, the feelings were there, and when you came back from her wedding, I was waiting and begged you for a chance. And the rest is history."

"She's pretty self-absorbed these days and wants to be the center of attention, so let's hope that continues."

He turns off the ignition, finally releasing my hand. "Let's head into the lion's den. But there's one thing you have to do while we're here."

"What's that?"

He grins widely. "I need to see baby pictures and your bedroom. Please tell me you still have posters on your wall. I'm dying to see what boy band you were obsessing over."

"I'll never tell. It's a secret that'll go to the grave with me. And the last time I was here I could've sworn I heard my mother talking about renovating my room into a home gym since I never, and I quote, come to visit her."

"Okay Mama, let's go." He opens his door, gets out, and rushes around to my side, opening mine.

"We gotta make it look good from the beginning."

He takes my hand in his, helping me to stand. Linking his arm with mine, he shuts the door and we make our way up the sidewalk. My mom's car is there, along with another one, but the Chevy Silverado is the one that has my stomach in knots. It doesn't look like anything Abel or Mom would be driving.

The sight of the swing on the porch sends a sharp pain through my heart. Before my father died, we would sit there and talk for hours. I can almost feel him here. It's as if he's sitting in that swing now, waiting for me to join him, excited about becoming a grandfather.

"You have a lot of memories with your father here. One day, you'll need to tell me all of them." It's as if Sam knows why my body tensed in his arms.

If only he wasn't strictly attracted to men, I would give Jose a run for his money for Sam's affections.

As we step up onto the porch, I take a deep breath. This was once my home. Do I knock? Do I just open the door and go right in? What's the protocol for when your parents remarry?

Taking the handle, I turn the knob and open the door. "Mom, I'm here!" I shout.

"You don't have to yell, Selena. We're in the kitchen. We've been waiting for you. I told you six sharp. Your brothers made it here on time and they had to work today."

I roll my eyes, knowing already how the night is going to go.

"I worked too, Mother!" I quickly paste a smile on my face as we step through the threshold to the kitchen.

Seated at the table are all three potential fathers of my baby, my new stepfather, and my mother. I shake my head when I see only one spot at the table left open.

"Who's this, Selena?"

"Hello, Mrs. Middleton, it's so lovely to meet you. I'm Sam, Selly's boyfriend." Sam flashes a million-dollar smile as he introduces himself.

"Selena darling, you didn't tell me you were bringing someone. This was a family dinner. And it's Mrs. Carter, now." My mother purses her lips, and I want to scream at her rudeness.

"My apologies, ma'am. Selena did mention your recent nuptials."

"Mother, I told you I was bringing someone." I cast my gaze over to the brothers, who have stunned looks on their faces.

"We can scoot down and make room for them," one of the twins says. "I'll go get another chair and Jay can get some more silverware." So, that leaves the one talking to be Ezekiel. I checked out their social media pages as soon as I got home, and as luck would have it, they posted how they just moved to Jefferson. Thank goodness this is a big town and it would take a freak of nature to run into them.

The guys come back into the room, one with silverware and the other with a chair. He sits it down right beside him. "Here, Selena, you can sit beside me. I'm Zeke, by the way. Just in case you were wondering. Dad even has a hard time telling us apart."

I give an awkward smile and take a seat as Sam sits down on the other side of me.

"So, Sam, when did you and my daughter start dating? She"s told me nothing about you, but then again, she makes sure to spend as little time as possible with me."

I go to say something, but Sam places his hand over mine, instantly calming me. "Well, I've known her for a while. She did taxes for my parents. We instantly bonded and became good friends. I always knew she was it for me, but she needed a little more convincing. When she came back from your wedding, I made a grand gesture. I bought her flowers, took her to dinner, even had a mariachi band play for her. After confessing my love for her, she agreed to give us a chance, and two months later, we're deeply in love." He leans over, placing a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth.

The sounds of throats clearing ring out and Ezekiel's leg rubs against mine, sending shivers coursing along my skin.

"We were hoping to meet up with you at the reception or the next day, Selena, but you left," Ezekiel says from beside me.

"Yeah, I wasn't feeling well. Heard some news that made me sick." I cut my eyes in their direction.

"It would have been nice if you had told me, Selena. It was so embarrassing when everyone was asking me where my daughter was. Not to mention I've been home for a month and haven't heard from you once to check on me. Your brothers have been here, I don't know how many times."

"They're not my brothers," I say through gritted teeth.

"Selly." Sam squeezes my hand as he smiles at me.

"I assumed you would want some alone time with Abel, with him moving in and all."

"Abel's not moving his stuff here. We're buying a new house, one with memories of just us. The boys have been coming over to help take care of some of the repairs. I need you to get what you want of your stuff out of the garage."

"What!" I pull my hand free of Sam, then slam them on the table as I stand. It turns out to be a bad move, as I get dizzy from the sudden movement and drop back down in my chair.

"Are you okay?" I hear in unison.

"I'm fine."

"Here, Selly, drink some water." Sam hands me a glass, and I take small sips.

"If you would lose some of that weight, that wouldn't happen. It even looks like you've gained weight since I saw you last."

"Her weight is fine. She's perfect," one of the brothers defends me.

I don't even care what they think. The only thing on my mind is that she plans to sell my family home. The last place my father lived.

"What do you mean, you're selling it? Why didn't you tell me? I'd buy it."

"Why would you want it? Can you even afford it?" I can't believe her attitude. Why wouldn't I want my childhood home?

"Ladies, why don't we table it for now? We can meet later to discuss the house, and I'm sure if you want it, Selena, your mother will make sure you get a chance to make an offer. I'm sure she just thought you wouldn't want it." Abel tries to diffuse the situation.

Is this man for fucking real? Is my mother's pussy gold-plated or something, because he's whipped.

"Yes, let's eat. Selena, please put a small portion on your plate. I know how you like to eat and you're never going to lose weight if you continue like that. I'm sure Sam doesn't want an overweight girlfriend."

I can hear my new step-brothers coughing beside me. "Julia, really?" one of them says.

"I personally love Selena's body. Every single inch of it. All my friends tell me how hot she is. If you want an extra serving of food, baby, take it. We can work off those calories later. And Mrs. Carter, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't make those comments about Selena again. I've always been taught to respect my elders, but you"re being nothing more than a bully. If you continue this act of yours, then Selena and I'll be leaving."

Tears well in my eyes, and my vision blurs. I couldn't love Sam more than I do at this moment.

"Abel, are you going to let him talk to me like that?" My mother stands and storms from the room, her new husband rushing behind her.

"Your mother is a piece of work," Ezekiel says as he drops his fork on his plate.

"Sam, let's go. I'm suddenly not hungry, or up for family." I push my chair back and stand up.

"Selena, can we talk with you before you go?" Elias asks.

"No, I'm ready to go. I don't think we have anything to say to each other."

With that, Sam and I leave. There's nothing they can say to make me forgive them for what they said.