Filed To Story: Kidnapped by My Mate Novel (Belle & Grayson)
He got along amazingly with all my siblings, which was surprising considering he was usually quiet and sullen, and was like an older brother to them.
My stepdad was on carpool duty to collect the boys from school, which meant I had my mom all to myself for a little while.
My mom was supposed to be at her bakery tonight, but I think she sensed my weird mood and wanted to stay with me.
“Shoot,” I said as I pulled the cupcakes out of the oven. “They’re a little overbaked.”
My mom glanced up at the burned chocolate cupcakes as she started pulling items out of the paper bag. “Dry cupcakes are better than no cupcakes. The next batch will be better.”
I dropped the pan on the stovetop with a huff.
“So,” my mom started, her voice careful, “are you going to tell me what happened or should I continue playing dumb?”
I feigned ignorance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She gave me an incredulous look.
I dropped my chin in defeat. “You’re going to think it’s stupid,” I murmured. “It’s really just a bunch of teenage drama.”
My mom lifted herself up onto one of the stools in front of the kitchen island and propped her face in her hands, making a show of giving me her full attention.
I guessed it would be nice to hear what my mom thought about the whole situation.
My mom was the embodiment of the phrase “Mother knows best.”
“Ace has been acting weird,” I finally admitted. “I mean, weirder than normal.”
She let out a deep sigh. “I thought this might have something to do with him.
“Have you seen how full the fridge is? I think this is the first time my kitchen hasn’t been emptied minutes after you got home from school. That boy knows how to eat.”
My lips twitched.
“So, what are the two of you fighting about?” Mom asked.
“Why do you think we had a fight?”
“Something must have happened. He would be here otherwise. I think he would rather gouge his eyes out than leave your side.”
I gripped the edge of the counter behind me with tense fingers. “Well, that’s not the case tonight. He has other plans.”
“What sort of plans?”
I groaned. “That’s the problem. He wouldn’t tell me. He didn’t even try. And I just know he’s keeping secrets from me. But any time I ask him what’s going on, he changes the subject or ignores me!
“I can feel him growing more and more distant from me and…and when he introduced me to this new girl at our school today, he made it extremely clear to her that I was just his friend.
“S-so I think he might be interested in this other girl and I…I…”
I trailed off, my words getting stuck in my throat.
The sympathetic look on my mom’s face made tears start to pool at the corner of my eyes.
“Would it be a problem if he were interested in this other girl?” she asked.
I hesitated for a moment. Then I nodded.
“Because you love him?” she continued softly.
I nodded my head again.
My heart flipped violently in my chest. I couldn’t believe what I had just admitted.
Oh god, this is more than just a crush on my best friend.
I am in love with Ace.
My mom stood from her seat. “Oh, sweetheart,” she whispered. She rounded the island and silently opened her arms to me.
I fell into her embrace with a pathetic whimper, blinking furiously to try to keep my panicked tears at bay. But the longer I sat there trying not to cry, the more heavily the tears fell.
After a minute of sitting in my mother’s hold, she leaned back and framed my face with her hands. “Why are you crying, sweetheart?”
It was a great question. Why was I crying? Shouldn’t I be happy? Love was supposed to be a good thing, right? So why did I feel so panicked?
I sniffled and shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. Just scared, I think. This is the first time I’ve admitted my…my feelings for Ace out loud.
“And I’m scared of how strong they are. I never realized… I thought it was just a stupid crush.”
My mom nodded. “The sort of love you and Ace share for each other is extremely special. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed.
“But this has been a long time coming, hasn’t it? I mean, the two of you have been inseparable since you met at six years old.”
“That’s the problem though. What if he doesn’t like me back? What if—?”
The door to the kitchen flew open, making both me and my mom jump, and my six-year-old brother came bursting in.
“Mom, I learned how to swim like a frog today!” Felix yelled, rushing over to us. His curly blond hair was still wet, and his shirt was inside out, probably from rushing to get dressed.
I would’ve laughed at his disheveled appearance if I weren’t so busy wiping the tears from my eyes so he wouldn’t be able to tell I had been crying.
“That’s great, sweetheart!” my mom told him. She scooped him up and set him down on the island counter. “Did you have a good time?”
He nodded, his wide smile showing off the space where his two front teeth were missing. “Yeah! Mrs. Carly showed us how to blow bubbles, and I blew for the longest, and then…”
Elliot came running in next, making a beeline for the fridge. “I’m hungry. What’s for dinner, Mom?” He noticed the unfrosted cupcakes on the stove. “Oooh, can I have one?”
I slapped his hand away. “They’re not ready yet. You can have one after dinner once I frost them.”
He stuck his tongue out at me and turned back to the fridge.
Soon, all seven of my brothers had crowded into our kitchen and were yelling and tearing through the fridge and pantry like little hungry tornadoes.
They snarled and snapped their teeth at each other in their pursuit of food. It was quite the spectacle.
Sometimes, I could have sworn they were more animal than human.
My mom found her way back to me among the chaos and put her hand on my shoulder. “We’ll finish talking about this later, okay? Maybe while we frost the cupcakes tonight?”
I smiled even though I was already regretting sharing so much. It overwhelmed me to know that she had realized my feelings for Ace before I had. What if Ace knew, as well?
“I actually think I might go to bed early tonight. Would you mind finishing the cupcakes yourself?”
She squeezed my shoulder and gave me a sympathetic nod. “Of course, honey.”
“Dotty!” the oldest of my brothers called out to me.
When Thomas was younger, he couldn’t pronounce my name and started calling me Dotty instead of Dorothy. The nickname stuck, and he even managed to pass it down to the rest of my brothers.