Steven: A Billionaire Stepbrother Romance Novel (21 page)

Luckily, though, we had set the alarm clock, which pulled both of us out of our sleep a little bit later that afternoon. I rolled over to face Steven and watched as he slowly opened his eyes.

“Wake up,” I said. “I’m excited for my surprise.”

Steven smiled sleepily and then sat up, looking at the alarm clock that was sounding on his nightstand. He reached over and turned it off, then lifted his arms into the air, stretching and yawning at the same time.

“Yeah, we need to get going,” he said. “We only have a couple of hours before it gets dark.”

I crawled out of the bed and stood up, wiping the sleep from my eyes.

“Okay,” I said. “Well I’m going to take a quick shower and then get dressed. I’m going to wear the black dress.”

Steven smiled and said, “Yes, please.”

Then he walked over to his closet and began digging through his shirts.

“I think I’ll wear my black slacks and white dress shirt,” he said. “It’s a special occasion, after all.”

I laughed and rolled my eyes.

“I wish you’d just tell me what the surprise is,” I said. “You’re really making my imagination run wild.”

Steven shrugged his shoulders as he responded, “Sorry, baby. Can’t tell you until we get there.”

“You and your surprises,” I said, as I turned and stepped into the bathroom.

I took just a quick shower. Normally, I’d have stayed in there longer, letting the warm water relax me. But I was far too excited about this little surprise that Steven had for me. I couldn’t stop pondering what it could be.

So after a few minutes in the shower, I stepped out and wrapped myself in a towel. Then I walked out to the bedroom, where I saw Steven buttoning up his white dress shirt.

“Hey, handsome,” I said.

He smiled at me as he began to tuck the shirt into his black slacks.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he responded.

I walked over to the dresser, where the black silk dress that Steven had given me the night before was laying. I picked it up, holding it in the air and letting it unfold.

“I still can’t believe you bought me something so nice,” I said, as I admired the dress. “This is just so beautiful, Steven.”

Steven walked up behind me, wrapping his arms around my belly.

“Well, I’m glad you like it,” he said. “It looks amazing on you.”

Then he gently kissed my neck before stepping away to the other side of the room. He sprayed some cologne on as he said, “Now hurry up, baby. We can’t miss the sunset.”

I dropped the towel, then slipped on my black panties and bra, before stepping into the silk dress. I had only worn it once before, and only for a few minutes. I was excited for the opportunity to wear it out of the house.

After pulling the dress up and over my curvy hips, I turned back to Steven.

“How do I look?” I asked.

Steven looked me up and down, shaking his head in admiration.

“Absolutely perfect,” he said. “But you need a finishing touch.”

He grabbed the other gift he had given me off of the dresser, a beautiful pearl necklace. Then he stepped behind me, wrapping the necklace around my neck and clasping it in the back for me.

We were both in front of the mirror, as Steven nodded his head affirmatively.

“There,” he said.

I smiled and turned around, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you, baby.”

Steven placed his hands on my waist and pulled me close. Then he leaned down, giving me a peck on the lips. As he pulled away, he looked me in the eyes and asked, “You ready?”

I nodded my head and a burst of excitement shot through me. I wasn’t even sure what I was ready for, but I knew that I was anxious to see what the surprise was that he had set up for me. Just the night before he had surprised me with a beautiful dress and a pearl necklace and I had no clue how he planned on topping that.

Steven took a quick look in the mirror, adjusting his shirt to make sure that it looked good. Then he flashed a wide smile.

“I can’t wait for this,” he said, with a boyish excitement in his voice. “God, this is going to be the most perfect day of all time.”

Then he grabbed my hand and led me out of the bedroom and down the stairs. We stepped out the front door and hopped into his car. Steven began backing out of the driveway. Out of nowhere, though, he slammed on the brakes.

“Wait,” he said. “There’s one more thing I have to do. I’ll be right back.”

Before I could respond, he put the car in park and stepped out, running quickly back up to the house. A moment later, he came back out, holding a black bandana in his hands. He stepped up to the car and opened the passenger door.

“Uh...what is that for?” I asked, looking at the bandana.

Steven smiled and leaned into the car, placing the cloth over my eyes.

“It’s so you can’t cheat,” he said. “I don’t want you to know where we are going until we get there.”

He tied a knot in the bandana, securing it to my head. My vision became enshrouded in darkness.

“You’re insane,” I said, jokingly.

I listened as Steven closed the passenger door and then got back in on his side. Then he put the car in reverse and finished backing out of the driveway.

“Are you excited?” he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I’m not really sure,” I responded. “I’m excited and kind of nervous. You’ve never gone to these extremes to surprise me before.”

Steven laughed and I felt as he placed his hand on my knee, like he always did when we drove. I relaxed into the seat and took a deep breath.

What a day it’s been!

The morning started with Steven and I coming clean to our parents, where the news was taken surprisingly well. Then we had an afternoon filled with amazing sex. And then it was going to be finished off with one of Steven’s crazy surprises for me. A smile crossed my face as I thought about the day and how quickly life can turn around for the better. At the exact moment that I thought everything was falling apart, was when it all started to come together.

––––––––

“B
aby, we’re here,” Steven said.

I felt the car pull to a stop. It had been at least a half an hour drive, maybe more. I had no clue as to where Steven had taken me. I spent the entire car ride trying to figure it out, but couldn’t. I thought that maybe he was taking me to a fancy restaurant, or a nice bar on the beach or even to the airport to go on a vacation. I had no idea what was up his sleeve.

“Keep your bandana on,” he said.

I listened as he got out of the driver’s seat and closed the door. A moment later, he opened my door and grabbed my hand.

“Come on,” he said. “It’s just a short walk from here, then you can look. No peeking, though.”

He helped me out of the car and then we walked hand in hand. I held on tight, for fear of falling in my high heels. I tried to listen as carefully as I could, attempting to find a clue as to where we were. In the distance, I heard the sound of evening crickets making their noise. And even further away, was the sound of a stream or a river.

Where are we?

We walked for a few minutes and then Steven said, “Okay, watch your step. We’re about to step off of the sidewalk and onto some grass.”

I squeezed his hand, as we stepped onto the grass.

“Where are we, baby?” I asked.

“We’re almost there,” Steven said. “Just a few more feet and then you can take the bandana off.”

We walked in silence for just a couple more minutes. Then finally, Steven stopped. I listened as he took a contented sigh.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll untie your bandana.”

Excitement burst through me, and a smile crossed my face.

Finally!

Steven stepped behind me and I felt as he worked at the knot that held the bandana over my eyes. Butterflies began to fly in my stomach as the anticipation overwhelmed me.

“Okay, you ready?” Steven asked.

I nodded my head.

Of course I’m ready!
I thought.

Steven finished untying the knot and then he let the bandana drop. It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the light, but as soon as they did, I instantly knew where we were.

The rolling green hills, the river in the background, the beautiful setting sun. It was a place that I knew all too well and brought back a memory that I had cherished so much.

“Steven,” I said, smiling as I turned toward him. “You took me to where William and Mom got married?”

Steven smiled proudly and nodded his head.

“Ah, but it’s not just where our parents got married,” he said.

I cocked my head to the side, shrugging my shoulders.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Steven approached me, wrapping an arm over my shoulder and holding me close.

“You see, this place represents so much more than just our parent’s marriage,” he said. “In fact, to me, it’s far more valuable than that.”

We began to walk across the grass, making our way to the exact location that my parents had gotten married months before, atop one of the beautiful, grassy hills.

Steven continued speaking as we walked. “You see, Kelsey, this location will always have a special place in my heart. It was because of this place that my entire life changed forever. It was because of this place that everything in my world turned upside down, but in all the best ways. It was because of this place that I met the most beautiful girl in the world. I’ll always love this area because of that.”

My eyes lit up and I felt my heart leap out of my chest.

“Oh, my God, Steven,” I said. “I had forgotten that this is where we first met!”

Steven nodded, and kept his arm around me as we approached the location of our parent’s marriage. Sitting atop the hill, in the exact spot that William and my mom tied the knot, there was a beautiful picnic set up, including an old-school picnic basket and two bottles of sparkling water sticking out of the top. I immediately looked to Steven, a shocked expression on my face.

“Did you set that up?” I asked.

Steven looked at me and responded, “Well, sort of. I had my friend set it up for me because I didn’t have a chance to sneak over here today.”

I brought my gaze back to the picnic and as we got closer, I noticed that there was a large, wool blanket spread out on the grass. Two wine glasses were set out also, and in the center there was a candle with a lighter next to it.

“What do you think?” Steven asked.

I didn’t even know what to say. I was rendered completely speechless. Not only was I surprised but his thoughtful actions had also caused me to immediately fall deeper in love him. I didn’t even realize that I could love him more than I already did. But nobody had ever done anything like that for me before in my life. So much thought and so much love had gone into it. All I could do was to stand there and attempt to hold back the tears.

“Don’t cry, baby,” Steven said, as he held me close. “Unless they’re tears of joy, those are okay.”

I chuckled through the tears and then used the back of my hand to wipe them away.

“Yes, they’re tears of joy,” I responded. “I just can’t believe how sweet you are sometimes.”

We both took a seat on the blanket and Steven started to open one of the bottles of sparkling water. Steven was even thoughtful enough to bring sparkling water instead of wine, knowing that I couldn’t drink because of my pregnancy.

I drew in a deep breath, looking around and taking the view in. The sun was beginning to sink over the horizon, giving the sky a beautiful, orange glow.

“I remember so vividly the first time that I met you,” I said, as I kept my gaze upward, watching the clouds turn orange from the sunset. “I can remember it like it was yesterday. Remember, Steven? You remember the moment we first came into each other’s lives? I do. I recall it perfectly.”

The memory of our first encounter flashed through my mind like a movie as Steven poured the sparking water into our glasses. The memory went something like this:

This is crazy...my mother is getting married today. I hope I don’t cry.

I turned back around in my seat, facing the flowery gazebo in which my mother and William were about to become married. I had always imagined weddings happening inside of a church, but I really liked the setting they had picked out. It was a beautiful park on the outskirts of town. You could hear the small creek nearby and birds chirping playfully in the trees. It was pretty serene, almost like something from a dream. It was beautiful and I felt like I could have sat there for hours just taking it all in.

“Is this seat taken?” I heard a man’s voice ask.

It shook me from my daydreaming and I jumped a little out of surprise. I turned to look, but the sun hit me right in the eyes.

“Uh, no,” I said. “I don’t think anybody is sitting there yet.”

The man stepped in front of me, temporarily blocking the sun. I brought my gaze up his body, which was adorned in a tailored black suit.

“Sorry if I surprised you there,” he said, looking down at me.

I looked up to his face and immediately felt my lips part slightly from shock.

“Oh, no problem,” I said. “But yeah, I think that seat is open.”

Holy shit. He’s gorgeous.

I had no idea who this man was. I had only laid eyes on him for a brief moment, but the image of his handsome face was burned into my mind. He had black hair that was combed to the side, complimented by a thick but perfectly trimmed beard. His smile was wide and contagious and the tone of his voice deep and sexy. But none of these things mesmerized me the way that his baby blue eyes did. They were gorgeous and so bright that they were almost fluorescent.

He’s perfect.
I thought to myself.

The man sat down in the chair to my right and I glanced over at him. He looked back in an instant and smiled.

“I’m Steven,” he said, holding out his hand.

Out of habit, I glanced down, checking to see if he had a ring on his ring finger. I didn’t have any intentions at that point, but I figured it would be good to know if he was married or not. Luckily, though, there was no ring.

“I’m Kelsey,” I responded, shaking his hand.