R U S S O 18+

R U S S O 48

R U S S O 48

It was three days later, and Mateo received short, one-worded responses from Anastasia.

He had to check in with her to make sure she was okay, but when she answered yes, he knew it meant no. Her 'I'm fine's' really meant, 'I'm tearing up over this shit right now.'

He took the blame for her pain when it was really no one's fault.

This happened before they got together, and Mateo obviously didn't set the intention for Taylor to get pregnant. Xavier was innocent in this, and neither of them wanted to hate Taylor for wanting help raising her child.

If Mateo had to step up and be a father, then that's what he had to do.

"Anastasia?" Mateo asks with shock written on his face. She was the last person he expected to see when opening the front door, and she was even more surprised to see Xavier running behind him throughout the beach house.

For the first few seconds, she was speechless. But when her eyes began to burn, she blinked and drew a breath.

"Hey. Is it a bad time?" She questions faintly. He was already putting on his father hat and bonding with his alleged child.

"No. Come in," Mateo said, taking a step back for her to enter.

She hasn't been able to get any kind of sleep, and judging by the tired look on Mateo's face, neither has he.

They were supposed to be spending this week together, living it up like they used to with their friends and family, but instead, Mateo was apparently a baby daddy, and Anastasia was bawling her eyes out in Liana's lap.

This was the same girl who had her butt hurt freshman year, and just after graduating and about to enter this new phase in their lives, Taylor's back.

"He's adorable," Anastasia says as she takes a seat on the couch. Listening to Xavier laugh that he nearly stumbled, she swallowed hard like a pill got stuck in her throat.

Mateo murmurs, "He is." Taking a look at her, he sees the puffiness in her eyes, and he reaches out to caress her face. 

She lets him, with her eyes closing gently.

Anastasia wanted to talk, and she spent the last four days thinking maybe she could do this with him, even though she kept thinking about how this baby mama thing could be shit.

On an inhale, she turned her head to pretend she was getting a look around the room because a touch to her skin was making her putty. She needed to think straight without that Mateo Courage.

"Does your mom know?" she asks, bringing her gaze to his. Her hands gripped the ends of the cushion, the uneasiness creeping in.

"Yeah. She left about an hour ago with my father," Mateo responded, sitting beside her.

"What did she say when you told her?"

Mateo huffs, "She cursed me the hell out," and she smiles gently because she knows his mother probably threw a slipper at him like she's done before.

The only difference was that Angie tossed the slipper at him because he was being mean to Anastasia—never before for having a three-year-old son.

"Gotta love Mrs. Russo," Anastasia says, and Mateo smirks. She finds his eyes again to ask, "How are you dealing with this?"

It was very obvious how she was dealing with everything, and she was over talking about herself. Mateo still had feelings, and she cared to know about them.