Shannon scooted higher on the bed, groaning slightly. “Whatever you need to say can be said in front of Jackson. I’d just tell him later. This would just save time.”
“Do you know who I am?”
“N-no. Should I?”
“Fuck, I just can’t get a break. I’m your half-brother,” he hissed at her.
“You’re my what?”
“When your mom couldn’t get pregnant, they decided that he could find someone to have the kids that she couldn’t. That’s when he found my birth mom. Don’t ask me how long they were together, but apparently long enough for him to break my mom. Then he was just gone. I found out later that he left because you’re mom finally got pregnant. I came here to find you and dear ol’ dad. Thought he’d been in here by now.”
Taking a shaking breath, I watched as she swallowed hard, “M-my parents died a year ago. It’s just me and my brothers.”
Looking at the man before me, I could now see the resemblance between her and the boys and this guy. No matter I was little pissed that he was upset with Shannon. So I stood and got close to his face.
“If you think you are going to come in here and act as if Shannon is to blame for you not having a father in your life, I’ll kick your ass out right now. She’s been through e-fucking-nough!”
He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, opening them. It was then I noticed a sheen of tears glossing his eyes. “That’s not why I’m here.”
He moved around me and sat on the edge of the bed. Reaching for her hand, but stopped short. Letting out a deep sigh, he looked at Shannon for a moment.
Dropping his eyes down, “I’ve been looking for you for a while. Then when my buddy calls and tells me they could use help up here, I jumped on it because this was the last area I knew you were. Only when I got here literally two days later, I’m called by my buddy asking for my help to rescue you. I didn’t want to meet like this,” he cut off.
Shannon reached up and touched his face, causing him to look up in her eyes. “I can see my dad in your face,” she smiles sadly, shaking her head. “I’m sorry he wasn’t there for you. If it means anything to you, I don’t think he knew about you. He wanted so bad for a son. I’m sure if he’d known you were around, he would have found you.”
“You just said you have brothers,” he says, confused.
“They are four years old.”
“Oh,” he says, shocked.
“So I have a big brother?” She smiles brightly.
He laughed. “Yeah, looks like it, but I’m only four months older than you.”
“Good enough,” Shannon says opening her arms to Danger.
It was weird to see this dark, mysterious man so kind and caring like he is right now. But just as I had the thought, he stood from the bed, squared his shoulders and hardened his face. He looked at me through dark and guarded eyes.
“So you’re marrying my sister?”
“Oh dude, don’t start,” I pushed him out of the way and sat down on the bed. “Are you feeling better baby?”
“Much, but I need to tell you something because apparently I haven’t.”
She looked nervous and that put me on edge. “What? What’s wrong?”
She took a deep breath, licked her lips and whispered, “I’m pregnant.”
My first instincts kicked in and I kissed her, I kissed her hard and passionately. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back just the same passion. Just as I shifted to my knees and leaned over her, Danger broke the moment.
“I’m fully aware of how babies are made, but I’d appreciate you not give me a demonstration with my sister.”
“I already hate you,” I growled teasingly.
“Back at ya,” he says, slapping my back. “Congratulations guys.”
* * *
Finally, we were leaving the hospital. Mary had been released before Shannon had even woken. Mitchell is doing better and no longer needs oxygen. You know as unsure as I was about Tobey in the beginning, he was perfect for my sister. The way he was with Mitchell told me that my nephew would have the same kind of dad that I have. Glancing over at Shannon, she was asleep with her head resting on the window. Reaching over, I placed my hand on her stomach. It was still hard to believe that she was pregnant with my baby. They did a scan to show us the baby was fine because we both worried with all that happened… They told us our baby was perfectly healthy.
Pulling into the drive at home, I looked at the house. It seemed like a lifetime since we’d been home. Danger was taking over my apartment. Jake as supposed to take it, but he changed his mind. Something about not being in town enough. I never understood his and Mary’s thinking. If it were me, no matter how little I was in town I’d want a home to come to, not a family member’s house or in Jake’s case a hotel.
Walking around the car, I slowly lifted Shannon into my arms. Kicking the door shut with my foot, I carried her inside laying her gently on the bed. Gently I undressed her, before doing the same myself and climbing in next to her. As I wrapped her in my arms, I sighed with relief. Thanking God that I still have her with me before falling asleep.
Waking, I was having an amazing dream that I was making love to Shannon. I was painfully hard. Only thoughts of Shannon did that to me. Slowly, I tried to slip my arm out from under her without waking her. Just as my arm was almost completely out, she rolled over and straddled my hips.
“No you don’t. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up.”
“Baby, I don’t think-”
Just as I started to protest, she grabbed my erection and lowered herself slowly down on me. My head pushed back into the pillows as her warmth wrapped around me. Oh how I’ve missed this.
“Yes,” she breathed as she fully seated herself on me.
“Oh fuck,” I whispered before reaching up and bringing her down to my mouth as she rocked on me.
The kiss was passionate, full of love, and animalistic hunger. The deeper the kiss got the faster her movements became. Soon my hips were thrusting in time with her. I kept my hands in her hair and kissing her. Honestly, I was afraid to touch her. I had been the one to remove the clamps from her nipples, stitched the gashes, and witnessed her breakdown. No this was her dance and she would lead it.
“Make love to me Jackson. Please. Show me that I don’t disgust you now. Touch me. Love me. Please.” She whispered.
“I’m afraid of hurting you,” I whispered honestly, looking in her eyes.
“You’ll only hurt me by rejecting me,” she breathed sadly.
After I looked in her eyes a bit longer, I rolled us over. Carefully, I moved my arms under her shoulders, cocooning her. She wrapped her legs around my waist and we made slow, passionate love to each other. My thrusts were slow and deep. Trailed kisses from her jaw to her ear and down her neck. I gently kissed around her stitches and down to her breasts. Lightly I swirled my tongue around her hardened bud before gently taking it in my mouth. She hissed, but held my head to her chest. Repeating the same thing to her other breast. My tongue ran back up to her mouth and I kissed her deeply.
“I love you,” I breathed breaking the kiss.
“I…love…you…too,” she breathed out with my thrusts.
She began to clench around me as she began to orgasm. My balls pulled tight and my whole body hummed with the anticipation of release. As she dug her nails in my back when she climaxed, I found my release and screamed out her name.
We laid there just clinging to each other. Rolling over to my side, I held her as she began to shake with silent tears. It was going to be a slow recovery, but she will recover and I will be forever grateful to my family and everyone else involved in rescuing her.
* * *
It has been a week since Shannon came home. We still haven’t told anyone about Shannon’s pregnancy. We wanted the bad to disappear first. The whole family was here today for the first time. Mom and Dad loved what Nick and Kylee had done to it. Shannon was talking and smiling. The door burst open sudden
ly. Danger shoved through everyone and enveloped Shannon in his arms. She glanced at me with worry in her eyes. Shrugging my shoulders, I had no clue what was going on, but my gut told me something had happened. I stepped closer, tapping his shoulder.
“Dude, what the hell is with you? Let her go,” Jason whisper/hissed.
“Are you okay?” Danger asked, worry in his face.
Shannon started to visibly shake. As I wrapped my arm around her, I glared at Danger. “Look, either you tell me why you came here, and it better be a good reason to scare her like this, or get the fuck out.”
“They released Rachael today. The husband called reporting her missing,” Danger looked between me and Shannon. “She’s not been here. You’re okay? The baby’s okay?”
“No, she hasn’t been here. How could she possibly have gotten released?” I hissed, looking at my dad.
“Probably an insanity plea,” my dad said, sadly.
“I thought I could help her,” came a voice from near the door. When everyone stepped aside, it was the same guy from the restaurant, Rachael’s husband.
“How did you get here?” I hissed.
“I followed the gentleman there. Please I’m not here to cause trouble. I want to explain something, then I will leave.”
Looking down at Shannon, I wanted her to decide if she wanted to hear anything. After all, she was the one that had been through it all. When she nodded her head, I turned back to the man.
“You have ten minutes,” I snapped.
“Fair enough. I already told you that my name is Michael and that Rachael is my wife. It turns out the day her and I met, she saw you in Milan’s Bar and Grill. She continued to see me and I fell in love with her. Actually, I think I was in love with her the day I saw her in the bar and when I met her for the first time. God help me, I still love her even knowing the things she’s told me she’d done to get to you.”
“You’re running short on time,” I hissed.
“Okay, there was a car accident she caused that took a girl away from you then. She said she was protecting you.”
“She killed Hannah!” I roared.
“Um, I don’t know the name, sorry, but yes, she did,” he said it as if it was no big deal.
Grabbing his shirt and pulling him to my face, “She was pregnant you asshole. We were going to have a family and you act as if it were no big deal that she killed someone.”
“I never said it was no big deal. I’m trying to get through this so maybe you can see my wife is not as bad as she looks.”
“I don’t care to hear anymore. That day in the grill when she says she met me. It wasn’t even me!”
Jake stepped forward. “It was my stunt double getting food for me. Your crazy ass whore of a wife tormented people that weren’t even the ones she saw.”
“Oh God, I’m so sorry,” he hung his head. “I just don’t want my girls to lose their mom.”
My mom stepped forward. “As hard or as mean as this may sound, your girls may be better off without their mother around. She’s not stable and not exactly the role model I’d want my kids to see. Don’t you agree?”
Tears streamed down the man’s cheeks, “Yeah,” he squeaked.
After a few minutes longer he left and we were left to just us again. Danger hugged a crying Shannon. I cleared my throat.
“Brother or not, can I comfort my girl?”
Danger laughed and stepped back. Wrapping my arms around Shannon, I held her tight against me as she both laughed and cried.
“Wait a second, you’re Shannon’s brother,” Jason asked shocked.
Danger laughed and started to tell them yes, but my mom interrupted him. “I’m sorry dear, I don’t mean to interrupt, but you said something a bit ago that I need to know if it is true or not.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Yes, Shannon and I are having a baby,” I smiled widely.
Shannon pulled her head from my chest and wiped her eyes. “This isn’t exactly how we had planned for you all to find out. We were just waiting until everything had calmed down.”
My mom pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. The back door opened and the boys came inside. Quickly, I moved over to them and kneeled down to get eye level.
“Do you guys think you can do something for me?”
“Yes! We love helping you.”
“Well, I have someone I want you to meet. He was lost for a long time, but he’s someone very special to you and your sister. You think you can be brave and meet him?”
“Why is he special?” Sebastian asked.
“Because he’s our brother,” Shannon said as she squatted down next to him.
Atreyu smacks himself in the forehead. “Doesn’t God know we are overloaded on brothers?”
We laughed and heard the family laugh too. Sebastian didn’t look so sure. Lifting him in my arms as I stood. “What’s up, buddy?”
“I’m not…It’s still there,” he sighed.
“So what? Would you rather have someone like you at your worst than only at your best?”
He thought about it for a minute. “You’ll hold me?”
“Always.”
“Okay let’s do this.”
Shannon and I walked the boys over to meet their brother.
Danger kneeled down to shake Atreyu’s hand. “Hi. I always wanted a brother.”
“You look like my dad,” Atreyu says thoughtfully. “With you around I’ll never forget him.”
Sebastian asked to be put down. He stood with his head down and his hand out. “Hi. I’m your other brother.”
“Hi, Sebastian. My name is Danger, but I hear you’re really good at giving nicknames. I’d love it if you could give me one.”
Sebastian beams. “Jack says I’m awesome at it. Hmm, I don’t know you well enough. Give me time.
I pulled Shannon into my arms and held her close to me, watching as our family welcomed yet another member. It seems everyday our family grows more and more, but the best addition was yet to come. I lower my hand over her belly. Our little family was growing. Life couldn’t get better than this moment.
Epilogue
Jacob
Two weeks later…
“And cut!” The director yelled on yet another movie coming to a close.
It just wasn’t giving me what it used to anymore. Life as an actor was both the best and worst thing to ever happen in my life. I’m a family man and I barely see my family. So many of them are marrying off and starting families and I feel like I’m losing the closeness our family once held. The place I once held in the family.
This last movie was about a boxer. Thankfully, that gave me time with my brother Carson and my niece Colbie. She is the cutest little thing. The older she gets, the more and more she starts to look like my brother with her mama’s hair. She’s started crawling now. That was entertaining to see my hardcore brother falling to his knees when Colbie would try to walk and get hurt. Colbie has that man wrapped around her little finger, but of course so does her mama.
Walking out to my trailer, I sat down looking at all the pictures of my family. I was glad to finally have this movie behind me, but at the same time it gave me more time to think about what my lack of being around has caused. Kayla was hurt for sixteen years, Carson had gambling problems at a young age, Mary gets beat by her manager, Jackson loses a girl he loved and she was pregnant and Eli. Eli is what has pushed me over the edge. This is my oldest brother. So I’ve spent my life in this man’s massive shadow and now… Now he’s what? Dying? I’m not losing my brother. My brother has too much to live for, too much to still do. I’d give him my heart if only he’d take it.
Actually, I had talked to Eli yesterday. He sounds good. Wherever he had snuck off to was doing him good. I just hoped he didn’t stay gone long because we wanted some time with him too. I promised him that I wouldn’t treat him like he’d break. I then updated him on what was going on at home.
“You guys never thought to tell me about Shannon,” he roared.
“Calm down, man. There was so much happening all at once, really no one was called.”
“I’ll come back home for the cookout. We’ll all catch up, then okay?”
“Okay brother. See ya then. Love ya,” I said before hanging up and calling to check in on Kayla.
Kayla, I called and checked in on her often. She was the sibling I was closest to outside of Jackson. Her being pregnant had me freaking out. Kayla is to the point that she will not be around Jason and me at the same time because we fuss over her so badly. I miss her. Hell, I miss my whole family.
Sighing, I gather my stuff and head to the hotel. It was time to reconnect with my family. The closer I got to my family the more the urge came over me. My failure, my let downs, my not being there was all too much. I turned my car around and went to my normal hangout. It was time to forget for a while.
TURN THE PAGE AND ENJOY A SNEAK PEAK INTO NEVER ME BY KATE STEWART…
Available July 22nd 2014
Never Me
By Kate Stewart
Prologue
I was a thief of men … a whore.
Not the conventional type that got paid for sex. I was the girl you talked about in your sad inner circle. The girl you shielded your boyfriend from as you cleverly covered him with your body when I came near.
I was a threat to you. I dressed like sex. I knew how to get the attention of any wandering eye. I saw how hard you tried to keep his eyes from me. But they were … on me, filled with longing and curiosity. Keeping him safe in your grasp was smart. I would happily sleep with him if given the chance. It’s not that I wanted to out of spite to hurt you. Half of you would not ever know my motive or catch on. It’s that I needed to do it. I needed to see that want in his eyes—the kind of lust and need you only see in a man’s eyes the first time they had you. It was perfection. It was lust. It had nothing to do with love. It was animalistic and I made sure they brought their A-game.
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