Free Steven by Kirsten Osbourne Page B

continue to work with you and sleep with you.”  She looked down at her hands as she said the words, hoping he wouldn’t press her on the topic.
    “Why?”  His eyes were harsh as he asked the single-worded question.  There was anger on his face.   He’d obviously expected their relationship to stay the way it had been, and he wasn’t happy she was insisting on a change.
    “It’s not right for us to sleep together in the same house where Faith is growing up.  If she weren’t involved, maybe I could do it, but she is.  And it would hurt a lot if Connie found out we’d been sleeping together.  Don’t ask me why, because I’m not sure I understand it myself, but I couldn’t bear for her to know.”  She looked down at her hands as she spoke the words.  The real reason wasn’t one she could discuss with him.  She fell more in love with him every time they made love.  How could she possibly go on living with him, and making love with him every night, without it hurting so much she couldn’t go on?
    He shrugged.  “If that’s what you want.”  He turned away from her and opened his laptop, making it clear he would work on the way home.  From the look on his face she deduced that h er decision to return their relationship to what it had been before the island didn’t matter to him in the least.
    She turned away from him then, because she couldn’t stifle the single tear on her cheek.  He didn’t care enough to even fight for them.  She picked up one of the books she’d brought for the trip and never had time to crack.  If he wasn’t going to talk to her on the way home, she had plenty of time to get through a couple of them.
    Once they were home, they fell into an easy routine.  She learned his schedule and avoided him wherever possible.  He didn’t seek her out.  Obviously she was nothing more to him than a vacation fling.  She’d always be grateful for their time on the island, though.  They’d made enough memories to last a life time.  And they’d have to last that long, because she knew she’d never love anyone else the way she loved him.
    At times, she would become angry with herself for entering into a physical relationship with a man who obviously didn’t care for her, but then she’d remind herself of the memories she had to carry through her entire life with her.  She’d done the right thing, no matter how wrong it sometimes felt.
    He went with her to the doctor with Faith when she got her shots, and asked for the paternity test to be done.  Bailey wondered how he’d react if he found out Faith wasn’t his, but she didn’t worry about it too much.  Angela had assured her Steven was her baby’s father.
    They had a pleasant lunch out, during which they talked about the baby and nothing else.  Every other subject seemed to be suddenly taboo between them by mutual consent.  Once they were back at the house, Steven went back to avoiding her and she went back to avoiding him. 
    When she walked up the stairs away from him after the doctor’s appointment carrying the baby he knew wasn’t his, he wondered again what he’d done to make her not want to be around him any longer.  He’d planned on coming back from the island and buying the biggest diamond ring he could find.  He’d never expected her to break it off on the plane.  He’d wanted to marry her, and provide a proper home for the baby.   He shook his head sadly.  If she lived with him long enough, maybe he could find a way to mend whatever he’d torn apart.
    *****
    Bailey had been in his employ for almost three months when she realized she’d not had a period since she moved in.  She’d always been extremely regular and sat down looking at a calendar to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. 
    She went to the kitchen, her face white with shock, and asked Connie if she would mind watching Faith while she went to the store. 
    Connie took one look at Bailey’s face and immediately agreed.  She