whirlwind

Eight - Baby Steps

"What a beautiful day it is."

Cara murmured to herself. It was spring break, and she sat on the veranda of the Callaghan house, the wind blowing through her hair as she typed away on her phone, browsing through certain websites and shopping for clothes.

She still wasn't showing very much, which had her worried, but the doctor that Elizabeth took her to told her it was normal. While if she was shirtless it would be noticeable, with a sweater, it wasn't. Months of hiding a pregnancy from her family and peers was exhausting, but she supposed it could have been worse.

As she closed her eyes and began to relax, a bump jolted her awake.

She pressed her hand to her stomach, feeling a very faint bump.

The baby was kicking.

She grinned, standing from her seat, and going to where her feet instantly took her.

Ignoring the strangeness that her thoughts automatically took her to Nicolas' study, she knocked on the door, then opened it, seeing him sitting in a lounge chair and reading.

His eyes met hers and he stood in curiosity. "What is it?"

She hadn't stopped smiling, so she rolled her shirt up to her ribcage, then took Nicolas' hand in hers and pressed his open palm to her abdomen.

"What are you doing?" He asked, but she soon after shushed him.

"Feel," She whispered, waiting in silence a moment before a kick hit her stomach, Nicolas looking at her in shock as she looked up at him, grinning as his expression turned into a smile. A genuine smile.

The baby was kicking.

He adjusted himself so that he could feel her better, one hand feeling her stomach, his other resting gently on her lower back.

Cara naturally wrapped her arm around his shoulders, their current position becoming a casual and comfortable one as she covered his hand with mine, unable to stop beaming at his utter joy with such a little movement.

The door she once came through opened, and they both turned to see Alexander, only becoming slightly aware of their awkwardly close position.

His eyebrows raised, and she beckoned him closer, only then becoming aware of the absence of Nicolas' warm hands. He had stepped away.

When Alexander was near her, Cara took his hand and did the same as she did with Nicolas, letting him feel the baby kick.

Once he had, he smiled crookedly, leaning forward and kissing her forehead.

"Congratulations," he spoke, smiling and nodding to Nicolas, then exiting the room.

In all honesty, Alexander was like a brother to Cara. She knew she would always be able to count on him.

Nicolas was another story. Cara didn't know what to call him. She was having his child, yet at times they were friends, then the next, they were strangers.

Sadly, though, she found herself drawn to him.

It was unfathomable.

Their moment of happiness was ruined when Alexander's phone rang, startling only her. When he answered it, his expression turned from a lighthearted one to one of frustration.

With short, one word answers, Cara knew something was wrong. Her fears were confirmed when he hung up.

"Business."

An hour later, Elizabeth escorted Cara home, parking in front of her house as she let the younger girl out. "Promise me you'll call Nicolas within the next hour."

Cara laughed softly. "Elizabeth, it's only one 'o clock, not much can happen to me in the middle of the day,"

Elizabeth drove her straight home after Nicolas and Alexander were pulled away on business.

Cara thanked her for the ride and stepped out of the car, heading into the house. After opening the unlocked door, she saw her parents sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey," she greeted them briefly albeit normally.

"Where were you, Cara?" Her mother asked, watching her daughter.

"With Ben," Cara spoke, spouting her usual cover. "I already told you that."

"Benjamin is in Costa Rica," Hugh stated, causing Cara's heart to sink.

Ben was in Costa Rica. How the hell did they know that?

"Who have you really been with, Cara? You know, I don't even have to ask, because I know. You've been with that boy. You've been with Nicolas."

Cara felt like she couldn't breathe.

"You know?" She murmured as her mother sat her down in the kitchen table.

"Yes, we know you've been going to him. Sneaking out. Is it just for s*x?"

"No-"

"You don't know what he's capable of."

"And you don't know what you're talking about!" Cara spoke back up for the first time in her life. She was not going to let him walk all over her any longer.

"Well, I found some things out about Mr. Nicolas Callaghan," her father told her, turning and reaching for a file on the desk behind him, throwing it down in front of her. She gingerly opened it and saw that there was a year or two old picture of Nicolas and Alexander, among many other papers.

Cara looked up at her father in utter shock. "You've been digging into his past?"

" And rightfully so," the man said. "This man is my enemy, the enemy of our family. He's a bad guy — and he didn't think to share any of this with you, did he?"

"I don't care."

She stood abruptly, wiping her damp eyes from the interrogation sequence, and grabbing the file with all of the 'incriminating evidence.'

"He's not that important to you, Cara!"

"I love him!" she harped, only then pausing to realize what she had said as things fell silent. "I love him," she murmured, saying out loud as she heard her own voice saying it, also knowing how much she meant it.

Her mother and father both looked shocked, and Cara quickly brushed them off, snatching her bag once more without further explanation.

She couldn't take this any longer.

As soon as she got in her car, she threw it in gear, pulling out of the house's drive way, dialing Elizabeth's number. When she didn't answer after a few rings, Cara huffed, dialing Alexander's number.

He didn't answer either. She supposed, in hindsight, it wasn't that big of a deal, but she was at her wits' end. Alexander's voicemail popped up, and she debated on whether or not to leave a message.

"Hey, Alexander, it's me, I just... You know what? Don't worry about it. I'm fine, the baby's fine, I was calling for a stupid reason. Just ignore this call. Okay, uh... bye."

Cara quickly hung up, banging her head against the steering wheel at a stop sign at her stupidity.

She drove for thirty minutes, doing her best to stay out of her own head so she wouldn't have to think so much about her reality at the moment. She didn't want to think.

After a bit, she pulled into town, thinking of a small, secluded place she could grab a bite to eat without being intruded. Privacy was her number one concern, human interaction didn't really seem like a priority right now, nor something she wanted to do.

She came upon a small little bakery on the street that wasn't as popular, so as much as she loved tourists, Cara wouldn't have to interact with a single one, only a few locals who usually weren't ones to bother.

Parking her car, she quickly grabbed her bag and closed her eyes as she leant back in the seat momentarily to allow herself to breathe. Once she thought that she was emotionally and physically ready to go out in public without looking like an absolute panicked individual, she stepped out of the car and closed door behind her.

Stepping on the sidewalk, she cursed when she dropped her purse, her keys falling on the concrete. Bending down to pick them up, Cara quickly threw the car keys back into her bag and stood up to see what she had run into.

Upon realizing it was a person, a man with brown hair who looked at her, she apologized.

Quickly he took her off guard by crossing his arms. "So you're the one all the hype is about,"

"Excuse me?" She asked, confused.

His eyes darted to her stomach then back to her face, and she covered her stomach with her hand in shock. How did he know?

"Forgive me, love. My name is Lucas, and I have been looking forward to meeting you."