Russell

Butterflies In My Stomach

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Sam

"I'm sorry you feel that way about me, Roxanne. But I'm not going anywhere. You and Russell are over, and his responsibility, if she is his daughter, is with her. Not with you." I said politely, standing tall and raising my head high.

She clenched her jaw, irritated with my words. "Why, you little bitch." she says, fisting her hands. The little girl sensed the tension, whimpering as she threatened to cry. The least I wanted was to cause her to cry. She looked like such a little angel. I know she was ready to spit back at me.

I have never been the kind to look for trouble. Hell, I've always tried to avoid it. But Jorge and Roger's wives would always tell Kim and me that walking away from an unsettled argument is the same as giving the win to the other person. You have to think rationally and justly. And this time, I had the right to defend what I felt in my heart.

"Why hello there, Roxanne. Oh, look at you, little Kate." uncle Fred came, making us both turn towards him. Russell gave Roxanne a menacing look. His hands fisted, and jaw clenched. "Sam, are you ok?" he whispers, placing his hand delicately around my waist and pulling me against him.

"I'm fine." I respond, placing my hands on his chest.

"Why, Roxanne. I didn't know you were back in Lakeview, dear. I thought your mom had said you were in Texas, still with that boy, uhm," Uncle Fred says, snapping his fingers and closing his eyes. "What was his name, again? I forget, to be honest. How is your relationship with that kid going? Boy, Kaitlyn sure has gotten big. Hasn't she?" he talks on, giving her no time to respond back as he kneels down to hold the baby's hand. Roxanne looks bothered by his words, but for some reason, she holds back, pulling her back and standing straight.

"It's Michael, and... No. It's over between us. We're not together anymore. I decided to come home for the holidays, and well, while here, I felt a bit homesick, so I transferred to Middle Tennessee University to finish my degree." she says proudly.

"Well, isn't that nice, honey. I wish you the very best with that. As for you, little lady, you look bigger every time I see you. Your grandma must be taking awful good care of you. Hopefully, your momma will be more involved in your life now that she's back." he says, whispering the last part to the baby, poking her cheek playfully and making her giggle. Roxanne disagreed with his words, though. She looked away, rolling her eyes in disgust.

I looked at Russell, who smirked and nodded, getting a bit of a kick at his uncle's mischievous behavior. He looks back at me, tightening his hold on my waist and kissing the top of my head.

"I see you met Sam. He's Russell's girlfriend, you know? Isn't she just beautiful?" he says, making me blush. I look at Russell, who is still holding me around my waist. My hands still rest on his chest. I can't help but give him a sad look.

He softly lifts my chin, placing a kiss on my lips. The last thing I wanted was to come here and start drama for them.

"Really? Last I heard, they only pretended to be dating so friends would think they were a couple. Or so I heard."

"Well, maybe it started that way, but they're dating now, and she makes my boy happy. That's all it matters. Now, I'm sorry things didn't go well for you and Kevin."

"Michael." she corrects him. He waves her off, squeezing the baby's cheeks before he stands up.

"Right. I'm sorry to hear things didn't work out for you with him. Maybe you'll find someone suitable to settle down with in the future. Little Kate needs a good father figure, after all. Anyway," he says, fixing his jacket.

"We'll be out of your way. You take care of that baby now. She's so precious. Bye, little lady." he says, waving at Kaitlyn.

He walks toward us and signals us to follow him. We get back in his truck, and he drives away.

"Uncle Fred, what was all that about? I thought you were fond of Roxanne." Russell says as we drive what looks like back to their house.

"Well, son. I never really liked that girl. Something about her." he says as he stops at a red light.

He looks at me and sighs, placing his hand delicately on my arm. "The only reason I was nice to that girl was because of that baby. I have to be honest; at first, I had my doubts. I was sure Kate was yours and thought you were too afraid to tell me. I guess. I felt I needed to be nice to the mother of your child."

"What? No. Uncle Fred, no."

"I know. I know," he says, closing his eyes and stating the obvious. I'll be honest. I was intrigued by this conversation. I was getting my answers without saying a word.

"I did the calculations from when the baby was born. Roxanne's momma confessed that she was pregnant around October. Little Kate was born in July, which means she had a full gestation." I looked between them.

Russell looked at him calmly, which told me he already knew. "You didn't start seeing Rox until late January. She was already going into her third month of pregnancy. I know she's not your daughter son. Even then, you tried to make yourself responsible for a baby that wasn't yours because, at the time, you felt it was the right thing to do. I have to say; I was damn proud of you."

He drives slowly, stopping for pedestrians who are crossing the streets in front of small shops. "Russ, son. Your time will come to be a dad with the right person. When that time comes, you will know she's the one." he says, smiling at me and winking at me. I give him a slight smile and sigh.

Russell gave him a slight smile, grabbing my hand and squeezing it before placing a kiss on my knuckles. I was quite the whole ride; it didn't take long before we arrived back at their house. "Listen. I know that confrontation may have worn you kids out. Why don't we rest a little, and we can head to the fair later on? You kids go on in. I'll get more wood for the chimney for tonight." he says as we get off the truck and head inside the house.

God, that conversation with Roxanne left me perplexed.  But, I was glad I had clarity on Kaitlyn and Russell. I had already thought about it, though. If he was the dad, I was prepared to acknowledge her; I would try my best to be part of their family, even if it meant having to deal with Roxanne.

Russell held my hand, leading me to his room. He leads me inside, closing the door behind him. "Be honest. You thought she was mine, didn't you?" he says with a playful smile. It took me aback by it, making my face red. "I... Uh."I sigh, closing my eyes as I feel him hug me.

"Yes. But now I know that she's -"

"Sam, I love you. And I would never keep something so important like that from you, I promise. I told you she wasn't mine, and if she were, I would not have lied to you about it. You mean too much to me." he blurts out, making my eyes widen.

He looks at me, but I'm left dumbfounded by his words... He said he loved me.

"Sam, say something." I can't help but launch myself in his arms, claiming his lips as I wrap my arms around his neck. He returns the kiss, molding his tongue with mine as our kiss deepens.

We part from our kiss, gasping for air as we catch our breath. "Did you hear me? I said I lo-"

"I love you too. I love you, Russell. And I believe you." I whisper, making him smile as he leans his forehead against mine.

"Sam," he calls my name softly as I respond in a soft hum.

"Would you be my girlfriend?" I feel the butterflies in my stomach awaken, fluttering uncontrollably in my stomach. I can't help but give him a big kool-aid smile. "Yes. I'd love to be your girlfriend." I reply, making his smile wider. He interlaces his fingers in my hair, pulling me flush against him as we kiss again.

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