Let's Do This 1: Stormi and Sebastian

Chapter 6

Sebastian POV

     Two years have passed since I first met Stormi, and I've completely fallen in love with this woman. I've helped her check things off her list, and with writing book two. She never did go on that date that was on her list. She said she's holding onto that until she's ready. She said she'll turn that into its own book called, 'Dating after Betrayal', saying there's someone she has in mind for the date. I'm not sure who it is, but I don't like the idea of her dating someone...other than me. I don't like the idea of someone else holding her hand, walking her to her door at the end of the night, kissing her. It makes me want to punch someone. I want her to be mine, but I'm worried I waited too long, and now I'm stuck in the friend zone.

     Ugh. I'm on my way to her house with Alex. We've seen a campaign over the last few weeks of negative reviews on both of the books we published. We hired a cyber specialist to trace back where the reviews were coming from and two of them came from her family. Namely, her mother's and her sister's computers. I'm sure the others are from people they know or have talked to. Alex is here to discuss what we can do about it. We had a journalist reach out to us yesterday for a comment, and I know I can't keep this from her. As her friend, and more importantly, the man who loves her, I can't keep this from her. She deserves to be able to face this head-on.

     Pulling up her drive, I see her SUV in the drive. The chimney has smoke coming out of it, indicating she's here and probably cuddled up on the couch, eating her comfort food or grilled cheese and tomato soup with so many saltine crackers it becomes mush. Knocking on the door, she opens it, waving us in. Her eyes are red-rimmed. She's been crying. Alex walks in and heads to the stools at her kitchen island. I stand in front of her, my voice low, "Storm, what's wrong?" She doesn't look up at me, just sniffles. I put my hand under her chin, tipping her head up to look at me. Tears brim her eyes.

     "What happened beautiful girl?" My voice came out slightly strangled and pleading.

     "I got an email. My sister and mother know I'm the one who wrote the book," tears are streaming down her face. "They said they're going to sue for defamation."

     "Do you have proof that they cheated? That everything in the book is true?" She paused, rushing up into the loft. I hear her printer working as I walk over to Alex.

     "Take it she found out?"

     "Her family emailed her, threatening to sue her for defamation."

     "She has proof?" I inclined my head towards the loft.

     "I think that's what she's printing now."

     "Here!" She came down, looking much more confident and determined. She's holding a stack of papers. "I have emails from Jason admitting to the affair. I also have my old phone that I've never turned back on. I just got a new number, and phone. I traded in an even older phone when I got the one I have now. I'll plug this in to see if I have anything good on it." She plugged the phone in, as Alex read through the emails from her sister, Jason, and his parents.

     "They had to get a restraining order against him? Why?"

     "He wouldn't leave my boss or friend alone. He showed up at my job demanding to know where I was. He kept going to Raven's house convinced they knew where I was. Eventually, they told him that I was somewhere they didn't know, they just knew I left the state. And that there was no baby." She mumbled the last part.

     "What now?" Alex asked, I was curious too. What baby?

     She heaved a sigh before explaining, "When the confrontation was happening, in front of my family, my parents' friends, and his family, he hurt me, so I wanted to hurt him back. I told him I was pregnant. I wasn't sure, because my period was late by like three days. We'd always been careful, but I was worried and thought I might be. So, I told him I was and left. It was two months later that I told Emily and Raven to tell him there was no baby." Her cheeks flamed red. She was embarrassed, "It wasn't my finest hour."

     "That won't look good in court, but we could always say you got a false positive, and due to the stress and emotional pain you were in, you weren't thinking clearly when you told him. And then again when you didn't tell him right away there was no baby." Alex said, matter of factly, "Let's power up that phone. If there's evidence on there, I want to use that instead of the emails."

     Powering on the phone, we didn't have to wait long before it began buzzing with unread text messages, voicemails, and notifications on her socials. I grabbed it before she could, "I'd like to read it, that way if it's hurtful," she shook her head.

     "I need to see this."

     "We all do," Alex reminded us. Nodding, we crowded around the phone, flat on the countertop.

     "Voicemails first. If we have their voices, it'll be pretty damning. Text messages next." She nodded at Alex's words. Clicking the first voicemail, and putting it on speaker, a woman's voice filled the air.

     "Straight to voicemail?! AGAIN?! You better answer the next time we call you Stormi Selene Buchcannan! You cannot embarrass your sister like that and walk out on this family! I'm sorry you're hurt that Jason chose her over you, but honestly, what did you expect?!" A scoff was heard, "Get over yourself. A year is nothing. And you'd only invested eighteen months with him when you found out about them. Get over it. Call us back you brat!"

     Clicking the next one, putting that on speaker also, a man's voice rang out, "Listen pumpkin, I know you're upset at your sister and mother. I am too. I didn't know anything that was happening. Maybe I was just choosing not to notice. But I know you can do better. I'm genuinely sorry about her sleeping with your boyfriend. Please call me. I'm worried about you. I love you, pumpkin cake."

     She gasped hearing, who I assume was her dad, telling her he didn't know and he loved her. Tears filled her eyes, "Daddy," she whispered.

     The next twenty voicemails were much the same. Her mother and sister are absolutely horrible to her, and her dad begging her to call him. There were a few from her ex, admitting to sleeping with her and apologizing profusely, begging her to call. The text messages were much the same. Even ones from after the confrontation with pictures her sister sent, with dates they were taken, and mocking her for being so naïve.

     "This is more than enough to destroy them, and any claims they've made," Alex said with a positively evil smirk on his face, "I cannot wait for the judge to hear these. We could either wait until they serve us...or...we could take this to the media. If this movement gets any bigger, ya know?"

     "How much bigger are we talking? Because they're already leaving horrible reviews on the book for sale on Amazon, the socials I have set up for the Artemis penname. I'd rather not have this get too much bigger if possible."

     Alex nodded, and I was already thinking of putting together an interview with a couple of the smaller news outlets, and maybe a statement from Artemis that we put out there to her fan base on the socials.

     "I've got a plan. But...it might involve putting your face out there if you're ready?" I asked, hesitantly because I knew the penname was to try to minimize blowback from her family. But, that's out the window now, since they know.

     "Let's do this."