Stepbrother No More

“Okay, Mom.” Even if I did sleep there during the week, she’d never know it. The mansion was so freaking huge! But she didn’t know I spent my nights at Kyle’s flat near the campus. No one knew except my cat. I didn’t want to spread any insidious rumors that could follow Kyle’s promising career as a Hollywood Director and Producer.

“And don’t you worry about me. I’m fine. I promise. I’m actually going out with my friends now.”

“Well, you should.”

“Okay, well, look. I am here for you if you need me. A shoulder to cry on. Oh, right. You said you were out with a friend at the beach. Who are you with?”

“Oh, just a friend.”

“Oh. Right. Okay, well I love you sweetie. I’m sorry. Okay, well, I’m going to go now. I love you.”

I didn’t have to say a thing. He knew it. He could feel the weight lifted off my shoulders. I was instantly lighter, brighter. He lifted me up and swung me around. My legs wrapped around his waist, my arms draped around his shoulder. Happy tears poured down my face. “We’re free! We’re free!”

He laid me gently on the sand and we crashed into each other body, soul, mind and spirit. Laughing, me crying a sigh of release and relief. Every night before I went to sleep since I was eighteen, I prayed that God would make a way. He had to. Kyle was my soul mate and there would never be another for me.

“I told you it would one day happen.” He kissed me gently as he lifted me on top of him. Once teenagers, now adults. I was now twenty, he twenty-two and we still were in love as ever.

We went public one year later after my mother already snagged another fiancé, a French fiancé and she jetted off to the land of romance, leaving the two of us just Kelly and Kyle. No one knew our history. It was always a secret. Well besides Mr. Grace and he died of a heart attack soon after. No one wanted to say it, but speculations were that he died while being intimate with “the younger woman” he had an affair with. And Claire the former bitch step sister, well, believe it not, she gave her heart and matrimony to Jesus and joined a convent in Spain. She probably was tired of the ways of cheating men and the lust of the land in the sparkling hills, in the city of Angels. But she confessed she was happy. And she was happy we were happy.

Five years later, the

night before the Golden Globes where Kyle’s show was up for an award, he asked me to marry him at a private romantic dinner on the beach. I thought we were celebrating his nomination.

“When I win tomorrow, I want to thank my fiancé for inspiring me in her beauty. Her inside beauty and her outward beauty.”

I’ll never forget that out of body feeling of that moment when he won. Being in an award show I’d seen all my whole life, sitting there at a grand table with my lover and best friend, and now I was to be his. His name was finally called and I couldn’t stop the proud tears from falling.

“I want to thank my soon to be wife. My God-sent blessing. My beautiful inspiration. Thank you for your love.”

As I smiled as big as I could, I secretly thanked God. And then I thanked my mother.

Thank you mom for marrying Rick.

Thank you Kyle for your love.

I love you always and forever.

I’m so glad you were right.

I’m so glad you were right.

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Excerpt from Twister and Shout with My Step.

As soon as I saw him, my entire being froze. I thought I had prepared myself, rehearsed over a thousand times in my mind to look calm, normal, composed, but damn! Seeing him in his own little world, no doubt humming a tune before turning his sexy gaze my way locking eye contact with me, well my knees went weak and I held onto the stairwell in absolute necessity. I could not fall tumbling down the stairs! Talk about a grand entrance! Every hair on my body froze in attention. It was the sensation of an ice bucket being poured over your body without warning.

It was a sudden chill and I sucked in a cool breath of air before clenching my jaw and smiling his way.

Jake stood out like that. He was handsome all right, but one forgets how handsome until standing face-to-face. Girls and women, young and old, couldn’t stop staring at his tall broad shoulders that glowed of confidence and with his good southern charm; he sure was a catch.

It was impossible to miss the 6’3 pure steel cowboy.

His arms were folded making his muscles protrude under his tight white t-shirt. I quickly scanned the room, clearing my throat, looking for Mom. Maybe she was in the restroom.

“Hey you!” Jake side hugged me while running his hand over my hair, messing it up, like pure brotherly fashion.

“Hey!” I leaned into him with a big goofy grin catching a whiff of the smell of fresh ivory soap. His favorite. It was mixed with a fresh cologne that made me want to take another whiff, but then I would look like a dog. That or obsessed. So I teased him.

“Wow, you showered?”

“Just for you.” He winked as he released our hug. Every bit of my being was aware of his absence. The warmth now growing instantly cold from the airport AC. Or was it something more?

“I was a mess. Hauling all the hay earlier. Come on. I think you’re carousel three.”

I had an immediate visual of him shirtless in his wranglers, jamming to his favorite country station.

Hauling hay.

Damn it.