Stepbrother

by Stacy McWilliams

  “That would be my stepbrother Cooper.” Sean-Paul’s eyes widened, and he ushered me to a seat.

  “Oh, do tell me about him?” I laughed and smirked.

  “Another time perhaps. We have another matter to discuss. The apartment upstairs.” He bobbed his head and continued to write down whatever he was writing. “You know that it’s empty?” He nodded his head as I swallowed. “Terry has been made homeless, and he needs a place to stay, so I was wondering if he could stay there for a while?”

  Sean-Paul glared at the page. “Hmm, an interesting idea. We could rent it out and make additional money for the gallery, but it would need renovating. If you meet the costs for the renovations, then I’m on board with renting it out, but perhaps two apartments, and we’d need to block off access to the gallery.”

  I nodded in agreement and stood up.

  “Excellent, I’ll get that arranged Monday. I’m off to Paris on Tuesday, Pierre called. I emailed you, but I know what you’re like.”

  His laugh followed me out into the gallery, and I moved towards Terry, catching Coop’s eye as I moved by him and held up five fingers. He nodded and went back to staring morosely at his coffee.

  As I told Terry the good news, he swung me around and kissed my cheek. I giggled. Terry was gorgeous and talented, funny and sweet and if he was straight, he’d have been perfect, but he was unfortunately only into males, and he was eyeing Cooper hungrily as he set me down, leaning into me and whispering, “Who is that handsome piece of ass?”

  I followed his gaze and rolled my eyes.

  “That’s Cooper, my stepbrother,” I whispered, and he leaned down to whisper in my ear.

  “He gay?” I shook my head no and Coop turned to find us watching him. His desolate eyes ran over me and then over Terry, and he turned back to his coffee cup.

  “Your stepbrother?” Terry asked and I nodded as he leaned down and whispered.

  “That boy is completely in love with you. His face, when he saw my arm around you, showed nothing but despair.” He echoed what Sean-Paul had said.

  I shrugged and stepped out of his embrace.

  “Where are you staying for the moment?” I asked, changing the subject again, and he smiled.

  “My car or my workspace, but it’ll do for a week or so until I can move in here.” He kissed my cheek once more and I moved over to Cooper, putting my hand gently on his arm as I stood beside him.

  “Sorry about that,” I whispered, about to elaborate when he shrugged his arm out of my touch.

  “We should go,” he uttered, sounding miserable. I moved so I could look at him, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes and I spoke again asking the first question to pop into my head.

  “Is Jan not coming?” He shrugged and stood up.

  “No, she is. She’s gonna meet us there. She’s with your mom getting her hair or something done.”

  I nodded, and we walked towards the door together, a mountain of space between us. As we made our way to the park, I couldn’t think of a single thing to say and Cooper walked beside me with slumped shoulders.

  “Bailey?” he sighed as we reached the entrance to the play park and I turned to face him, taking a step back from the pain in his eyes.

  “Are you really moving to Paris?” I shrugged and turned away feeling the sting of hurt beginning again.

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  He nodded without speaking and stepped ahead of me, making his way towards the playground.

  Halfway to the playpark he stopped, and I plowed into his back almost falling backward, because I wasn’t looking where I was going. I was thinking about Paris, my gallery, and Coop and his wedding. I gasped when I thought of his wedding, and he turned as I took a step back, sitting on a tree stump.

  “Bailey, what is it?” I glanced up at him with tear-filled eyes and spoke without thinking.

  “Cooper, you’re getting married.”

  He turned away from me and spoke so softly I almost missed it.

  “Bailey, I can’t talk about that. Not with you.”

  I nodded as tears clogged my eyes and my throat and I rubbed my hands over my face. I needed to be okay, I needed to be strong and be happy for him. I spoke to him softly, kissing his cheek before moving ahead as I said, “If she’s really what you want, then I’m happy for you.”

  He nodded at me, stumbled before straightening up, and stared ahead as we continued walking to the play park. My heart was stomped on in the ground, and he looked as though he felt the same. We didn’t speak again, but I managed to have fun in the park. Cooper’s face lit up as he met his niece and nephew, but his eyes still showed pain, and Samantha looked between us and gave me a sympathetic smile.

  When Jan arrived, the atmosphere got tense, and she somehow wound up having a go at Zane and Samantha because Serena got mud on her sweater. I rolled my eyes and scooped Serena off, calling to Oliver as we went off to play. I left the four of them to speak and enjoyed my time with the two children I adored.

  After a while playing with the kids, I looked over to see Zane moving around furiously, and Sam trying to calm him down. Cooper and Jan were nowhere to be found, so I left the kids playing and moved over to find out what was going on. I kept them in my sights and moved back over as a man with a dog approached them, scooping them up and taking them back to their parents.

  As I reached them, I heard what Zane was so annoyed about.

  “Babe, both Bailey and I aren’t invited to their wedding. He’s my only brother, and he’s making a mistake. He doesn’t love her…”

  Sam put her hand on his arm, her face shining with tears.

  “Zane, he’s an adult, and he’s made a choice. He told you that. He told you Jan was his choice and there wasn’t anything you or Bailey could…”

  Sam broke off as she saw me standing there and Zane followed her eyes.

  “You, how could you let this happen? Tell him how you feel about him, and he won’t marry her.” Zane shouted at me and I shook my head as my eyes burned. Tears clouded my vision and Zane walked over and pulled me in for a hug, breathing hard.

  “Bailey, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I tried to talk with him, and he shut me down.”

  I nodded against his chest and glanced at him and Sam.

  “Are you guys hungry?” I asked and Oliver jumped up and down, yelling, “I am, I am.”

  Sam glanced guiltily at Zane and I stared between them.

  “What’s going on, guys?”

  They shared another glance and I could see Sam pleading with Zane, but he shook his head at her and when she looked at the kids and then at me, she squared her shoulders.

  “Zane’s company downsized, and he was let go. He wanted to come here to see his dad, and we’d arranged it months ago, but he lost his health insurance and last month I…” She paused and her pretty eyes filled with tears. Zane moved over to her and pulled her into his arms.

  “Last month she had a miscarriage and it almost broke us. We were made homeless, but we sold most of our furniture and used the money from that and our savings to get here. We don’t have much left and because we’re living in our car, I can’t get a new job.”

  His face fell and I reached over and touched his arm in sympathy.

  “Fine, then you’ll just have to stay with me. I have the room and there’s space for the kids to play.” He looked taken aback for a moment and then Sam rushed at me enveloping me in a hug.

  “Where’s your car?” I asked and we moved towards it. As they settled the kids into their car seats, Zane pulled me to the side.

  “Bailey, you don’t have to do this.”

  His low voice thrummed with pain and I hugged him hard.

  “Yeah, I do. For your babies, you need somewhere better to stay. Please, Zane, stay with me.”

  He nodded stiffly once and gruffly whispered, “Thank you. I’ll never forget it.”

  He kissed my cheek and I told them to meet me at the gallery so I could lead them out to my house.

 
We made it back within forty minutes and I cooked lunch for the kids. My dad even joined us, but his eyes were tight as he took in Zane, Sam, and the kids. He soon mellowed though and was playing with the kids, when there was a knock at the door. It sounded official and I went to the door opening it to see Jay and his partner Sarah in their police uniforms.

  “Bailey, is Zane here with you?” Jay asked in a serious voice and I nodded at him giving him a questioning look. He shook his head sadly at me, and they both moved into the property and read Zane his rights as they told him his dad was arresting him for stealing more jewelry from the family home when he’d visited. Zane swore he hadn’t, and I believed him, so did Jay. I could tell, but there was nothing I could do. As they loaded him into the car, I dialed the number I had for Cooper and praying he would help.

  “Hello,” a female voice answered, and I knew it was Jan. My heart sank and I wanted to end the call, but I had to try. I was sure my mom had said something about Cooper being a lawyer or studying law, so I had to ask.

  “Hi, is Cooper available?” Her sharp intake of breath told me she was furious at a female calling and that I wouldn’t be speaking to Coop.

  “Who’s this?” she bit out and I sighed.

  “It’s Bailey.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth the dial tone sounded in my ears.

  I yelled in frustration and stood up, pacing around as I considered my options. Damn it, the only thing I could do would be to go back there and ask him face to face.

  “Sam,” I called, “I’m going out for a little while, I’ll be back soon.” I closed the door and rushed to my car, through the downpour.

  After driving in a deluge for half an hour, I finally reached the house and I sat outside for a few minutes readying myself for going in. A knock on my window made me jump and I rolled it down a little to see Coop standing there.

  “Great, just the person. Get in.”

  He nodded at my gruff tone and opened the door, jumping into the car.

  As he jumped in, water splashed over me and I yelped as he laughed.

  “What can I do for you, Bailey?” he asked in a low husky voice, staring straight ahead.

  “I need your help,” I muttered, and he turned to look at me. “Well, to clarify, Zane needs your help. Your father has had him arrested.”

  His face tightened, and he nodded, but his eyes darted around guiltily.

  “You knew?” I accused him and he nodded slowly.

  “He shouldn’t have stolen again. He shouldn’t have come back here.”

  His tone was harsh, and my eyes watered as I watched him harden. My words choked in my throat, but I managed to speak.

  “Never mind. Get out of my car.”

  “Bailey,” he whispered in a voice laced with pain as he reached out his hand towards me. He froze when he caught my vicious glare.

  “Zane was here once and didn’t take anything, but why would you believe he’d changed? Your dad wants him gone and wants you to follow his instruction. Whynot think for yourself and choose what you want? Get out of my fucking car, Cooper, I’m so done with you and with this messed-up family.”

  Coop’s eyes widened and then narrowed as he sneered at me.

  “And why would you always believe him? You never see the bad in people. Even me, I’ve used you over and over, hurt you time and again, but you still loved me. How fucked up is that?”

  It would have hurt less if he’d slapped me.

  “Get out,” I hissed before muttering brokenly, “I fucking hate you. I really, really hate you. I wish I’d never met you, never loved you…”

  I didn’t say anymore as the car door slammed and I slumped forwards onto the steering wheel. After a few seconds, I started the car and drove slowly away, glancing back once and seeing Coop standing on the porch with his head in his hands.

  I made it home and was calling lawyers from the phone directory when my dad came into the kitchen in a suit.

  “Bailey, what are you doing?” he asked, and I showed him the phone directory. He took it from me and closed it.

  “Don’t bother, I’ll represent him.” My eyes widened in surprise and I suddenly remembered when I was a kid my dad took me to a courtroom to see the proceedings.

  “But you’re a judge?” I said in wonderment, and my dad smiled and hugged me.

  “I am, but I was a lawyer first.”

  He kissed my head and for the first time in the longest time, I could sense that he loved me, without Alexa here, he actually loved me.

  “Thank you, Daddy,” I softly said against his chest, and he stepped back and moved towards the door.

  I sipped a coffee and cleaned as I waited and tried to ignore the pain in my chest that Cooper had caused. While I spent hours scrubbing and cleaning the kitchen my cell rang over and over again, but I refused to answer it. I didn’t even check the number because I didn’t want to speak to anyone. Coop’s words played on a continuous loop in my head.

  “I used you over and over, hurt you time and again…”

  I scrubbed hard at the worktops and took out at the utensils cleaning the drawers and cupboards and making sure that I was too busy to feel anything.

  Eventually, I’d cleaned everything and as the day passed into night, I sat on the sofa and stared at nothing. Sam had gone to bed when she’d put the kids down, telling me that maybe it was all a nightmare and that they’d wake up in their own beds at home.

  As morning rolled across the sky, the porch door opened and I rushed into the kitchen hoping to see my father and Zane, but Coop was standing there, soaked and still in his running stuff. My eyes narrowed and he froze.

  “Bailey,” he mouthed, and I shook my head at him.

  “Out, get out.”

  He shook his head moving towards me and pulling me into his arms, I struggled for a moment until his lips crashed down on mine.

  He kissed me in the way I’d remembered, sucking on my bottom lip before biting down gently, and I was transported back to my first love, and my first time, but he’d ruined those memories in the car. I pushed him away from me, and he stared across the kitchen at me, breathing hard.

  “I knew you still felt it. I knew you still loved me.”

  His words were like knives twisting in my gut as I stared at him.

  “Cooper,” I spoke firmly, “what are you doing here? Why would you come here?”

  He watched me intently and I moved uncomfortably in his stare for the first time.

  “Because I shouldn’t have said what I did. I didn’t…” He broke off as tires sounded in the drive. I shot up to the window and glanced out in relief as my dad and Zane stepped out of the car.

  “You can’t be here,” I hissed, glancing around for somewhere for him to go.

  The broom closet was perfect. I shoved him hard towards it and just before I closed the door, he yanked my arm and pulled me inside, closing the door. We stood in the darkness, and he leaned against the wall. I stood stiffly, waiting on my dad and Zane to move so I could escape from him. Cooper’s hand touched my back and his fingers rubbed gently on the exposed skin. I stepped forwards and was right against the door.

  His breath tickled the hairs on the back of my neck, soon replaced by his lips and his tongue. I melted against his embrace, and he ran his fingers around to my stomach, pressing against the skin gently as he licked, sucked, and nibbled on my neck.

  “Bailey,” he murmured as he moved closer and ground his erection into my ass.

  “It’s never been like this with anyone else.” I froze, and he groaned as he leaned his head on my neck.

  “Cooper, stop,” I spat out breathlessly.

  For once, he listened and stepped back away from me.

  “Bailey,” his hoarse voice whispered, “I never meant to hurt you and I never meant to fall in love with you. You were supposed to be something I used to get back at your mother…”

  I gasped and moved closer to the door, hearing the soft voices on the other side for a few minutes. As soo
n as they left the kitchen, I fled from the kitchen and went straight into my room.

  I didn’t think he could hurt me anymore, but he always managed it. He always managed to make me feel more pain and regret. I had to stop seeing him, every time I saw him, he had the power to hurt me. I avoided him for the next few days and left for Paris as planned, coming back a few days later, with a new gallery and a new apartment.

  I was leaving; I had a few months to get everything ready, but I was going. I’d gifted my stepbrother and stepsister the house in Florida, but I hadn’t given them any money. My dad agreed that was a fair deal and had flown back out Monday too.

  The charges against Zane had been dropped, and on Friday before I returned to work, I asked Zane and Sam if they’d like to live in my house, rent-free. All they’d have to do was keep it clean and tidy and let me visit.

  They’d agreed gratefully and I’d gone into the gallery to organize my leaving for Paris. After work that Friday, I bumped into Coop again and I’d decided to stay completely away from him. He was out at his bachelor party, drunk off his ass when I arrived in the bar.

  “Bails,” he slurred and waved me over, “come sit here…” He patted a seat beside him, and I walked towards him.

  “Cooper,” I laughed, “you’re wasted.”

  He nodded and stared at me bleary-eyed.

  “Gotta be wasted when you’re making a mistake, otherwise it doesn’t count, right?” I smiled at him and glanced around at his friends. They were all dancing with girls, too caught up in what was going on to pay attention to Coop.

  “Come on, I’ll drop you home.” He shook his head and pulled me on top of him as I went to stand up.

  “No, stay and drink with me. I need to get drunk…” He broke off, belched, and laughed.

  I moved away from him and sat down.

  “I don’t think girls are allowed at your bachelor party.”

  He nodded and rubbed his hands over his eyes.

  “But who’s here to see? You could be a slut like any of those girls.” He waved his hand drunkenly, “But you’re not. You’re Bailey, the girl I’ve always fucking wanted and can’t fucking have.” He glanced down at the table and picked up a shot, toasting, “To life fucking you over,” before swallowing.