by Tyler Grey
“Of course,” he said. Then he reached over and kissed my forehead. “You did great, Alice. I love you.”
I wanted to ask for Jacob to stay, but as soon as I closed my eyes, I found myself easily drifting off to sleep. I was a lot more tired than I had realized. When I woke, I saw that a few hours had passed by. I called the nurse and asked if I could take a shower. She helped me get myself as clean as possible, put a clean nightgown on me, and helped me climb back into bed.
“Do I really have a little boy?” I said to the nurse. “Or did I dream that?”
She chuckled. “You have a beautiful little boy called Patrick. It’s all true.”
I grinned. “I’m sure he’s beautiful. Did you see my husband? He’s quite the looker.”
“I saw!” the nurse said and laughed.
“And you can ogle him as much as you like and he won’t even know it!” I said and then laughed at her shock expression. “I do it all the time.”
She laughed nervously. “Should I go and call him?”
“Yes, please.”
I sat back and waited for my husband to return. I couldn’t wait to see him again. I was feeling incredible after that nap and that shower, and I was now very ready to see my little family again. He took a while, but when he did, he was followed by Laurie, Hayden and my mother. I grinned at all of them.
“This is a nice surprise,” I said.
“Darling, congratulations!” my mother said and came forward to kiss me.
“You did good, Alice,” Hayden said.
“I love you!” Laurie said.
“Wow, I should have babies more often. This is quite the welcome party.” I was so happy to see all of them. I loved that I had these amazing people in my life to share my happiness with. My mother was holding Jacob’s hand, and I thought it was incredibly sweet of her. The two of them had become quite good friends over the past few months. He loved listening to her stories, and she loved telling them. She’d even taken him to meet some of her friends over some gin and tonics once, and she said he had been the hit of the party.
“Would you like me to bring Patrick?” the nurse asked.
“Yes, please.”
When the nurse came with Patrick, everyone gasped with delight. I cradled him in my arms and allowed everyone to look at him and give him little kisses.
“Right, I want everyone to explain him to me. I want details, people, details,” Jacob said. He always loved hearing people describe things to him. It was always amazing how everyone could describe the same thing differently. It was his favorite thing to do. He would pick something and then ask everyone to describe it to him.
“He looks just like you,” I said. “He has your nose.” I was always going on about how much I liked his nose, so this was very pleasing for me to see.
“I think he looks like Alice,” Laurie said. “Although, you’re right about the nose. He has your nose, Jacob.”
“He looks like an angel. He has big feet; I think he’s going to play sports,” my mother said. “His fingers are quite long too, so maybe he’ll be a piano player. Oh, won’t that be lovely,” my mother mused, as if it were already coming true.
“And very chubby cheeks,” Laurie said. “Which is just my favorite thing about babies. These are the sort of cheeks that you’re going to want to pinch all the time.”
The descriptions went on and on, and we were all laughing by the time we were done. I wished with all my heart that Jacob could see what a miracle we had created. I knew that he was nervous to be a father in his condition, but I had no doubt that he was going to be the best father in the world. You didn’t have to see to be a good parent. Jacob was very determined not to be like his father, and because of this, I knew that my kid was going to grow up with the best role model in the world.
“You know, when we were kids, I told Laurie that I would never end up with someone like you, Jacob,” I said.
Laurie chuckled at the memory. “I remember that. You were so adamant about it too.”
“Uh-oh. And here you are. With me,” he said.
“Nah, I didn’t end up with that guy at all. I ended up with someone better. You’re not that kid anymore.”
“Jacob 2.0,” he said, and chuckled.
“I love you, Jacob.”
“I love you too, Alice. Now, there’s something I want to say to you. I wasn’t going to do it in front of everyone, but I’ve changed my mind. This is my tribe now. My new troop. My new family. I want them to know how much you mean to me. When I lost my eyesight, I never for one minute thought that I would ever be happy again. I believed it was the end of my life and I had resigned myself to the fact that I would never be whole again. When Hayden suggested that I get a chef to help me at home, I wasn’t all that happy. I only said yes to him because I knew he worried about me. Little did I know that saying yes to that was going to change my life forever. I don’t deserve you, Alice, but I sure as hell am happy to have you in my life. You are the most amazing woman in the world, the best girlfriend a guy could have, and I know you’re going to be an incredible mother. I love the person you are, and the person that you make me when I’m around you. I love that we can joke about things and that we can be serious when the time is right. I love that you have taught me how to cook and how to fend for myself. I love that you have shown me how to still experience things from my past: books, walks, artwork. I never want to be with anyone but you. Thank you for choosing me to be in your life. Alice, will you marry me?”
I gulped. I tried to stop the tears from falling down my face but I couldn’t. I looked down at my beautiful little boy and then up at Jacob. I couldn’t believe that my life had become so full.
“You’re going to have to say the words out loud,” Jacob said. “Remember, I can’t see if you’re nodding or shaking your head. You better be nodding.”
I laughed. “Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes! Of course I’ll marry you.”
STEPBROTHER BOSS
By Tyler Grey
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018
Chapter One
Paisley
My days of basking in the glory of finally finishing business school were diminishing fast, and I was starting to wonder if I would ever get a job. I’d been so sure of myself throughout my studies, but with each passing day, I was starting to lose hope. I thought it would be so easy. Study hard, get a job: that was all there was to it. I was smart, but everywhere I went, people wanted me to have experience.
“How am I supposed to get experience if nobody wants to hire me?” I asked Olive. The two of us were sitting in her kitchen drinking tea and eating far too many cookies. On top of not having a job, I was also going to get fat. I pushed the box of cookies away from me, but then simply reached out to get another one anyway.
“It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there,” she said, which was of no comfort to me, at all. Olive was my best friend and probably the more level-headed out of the two of us. Still, I expected her to at least tell me everything was going to be okay. I wondered if she was simply getting sick of me living with her. I was staying at her place until I could afford something of my own, but it was taking so much longer than I expected it to.
“Think my dream job is out there?” I asked in the hopes of pushing her towards some sort of encouragement.
She shrugged. “Who knows? Not everyone is lucky enough to find their dream job. A job is out there for you, but you might not get your dream job straight away.”
I groaned. “You’re not supposed to say that.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re supposed to tell me that of course my dream job is waiting for me and that I just need to continue having faith that everything will turn out fine.”
“Everything will turn out fine, but maybe not in the way you want. You’re incredibly picky when it comes to finding a job. Especially for your first one.”
“It’s not my first job. I’ve waitressed before, I’ve been a bartender before. Those count as jobs. Sort of. Anyway, why shouldn’t I be picky? Isn’t that the whole purpose of life? To find your dream job?”
“Mine is to find love – and to discover cookies that actually make you lose weight,” she said while reaching for another one.
“Well, that, too. But come on, don’t you agree with me? Your job should make you happy.”
“Of course, I agree with you,” Olive said enthusiastically. “I’m not saying that it’s not good to have ambitions. It’s very good. I’m just saying that sometimes you have to make your way to that place slowly. Sadly, that means finding a job that you might not necessarily love, but makes you money.”
“You are the voice of reason, and I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit. Is this your way of saying you really want me out of this house? Are you sick of me? I don’t blame you. I’m sick of myself.”
“What?” she exclaimed. “I’m not sick of you. You know that. You’re my best friend. You can stay here as long as you need. I promise. Anyway, if you weren’t here, I’d have eaten this whole box of cookies by myself. I don’t feel so bad now that we shared it.” She peered inside the empty box and threw it in the trash.
“We finished it? Don’t say that!”
Olive chuckled. “We finished it. I’m not surprised. Hey, we should go the gym later. Work it off.”
I groaned. “I’m not sure what’s worse: your sensible work advice or telling me to go to the gym with you.”
“Aren’t you glad I’m your best friend?” zdhe grinned.
“The best,” I said sarcastically.
“Whatever. You love me.”
I chuckled and was just about to say something when my phone rang. I ran to the living room to retrieve it from where it had fallen between the sofa and answered it. “Hello, Paisley speaking.”
“Paisley, it’s your mom.”
“Oh, hey, Mom. Sorry I didn’t see your name come up. How are you?”
“I’m wonderful.”
“You sound wonderful. What’s going on?”
“Don’t I always sound wonderful?”
“Not like this. Your voice is all…cheery.”
She giggled. It was a sound I hadn’t heard from her in a long time. It was nice, but strange to hear again. “Cheery. I like that. So, I need you to come over. I have something I want to talk to you about.”
“You do? Can’t you tell me on the phone? You know it’s going to drive me crazy if you don’t tell me.”
“No, this is a face-to-face sort of conversation. Anyway, we’re not that far from you. Want to come over now?”
“You’re really not going to tell me?”
“I’ll see you soon, darling,” she said and cut the call.
I stared at the phone in fascination. My mother had never hung up on me before. What on earth was going on? Why did she sound so mysterious? I wondered.
“What’s going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I haven’t seen one, but I’ve heard one. The ghost of my mother’s happiness.”
“What?”
“That was my mom. She asked me to come over. Said she has something to tell me, but wants to do it face-to-face. She seemed super cheery and weird on the phone, too.”
“Ooh, I like a good mystery. When are you going?”
I rushed to get my coat. “Right now.”
“Bring your bag; you might want to stay the night. Who knows, you might need alcohol for this news, and then you’re not going to want to drive.”
“Good idea.” I ran to the spare room and threw some clothes into my bag. I still had lots of stuff at my mother’s house, but I’d gone shopping recently, and it was nice to wear the new clothes.
As I rushed out the door, I wondered if Olive just said that because she wanted me to get out the house for a while. Maybe I really was suffocating her a bit. She was my best friend, but she’d always enjoyed her own space. I could understand that. I decided I would stay over at my mother’s house for a night or two even if I didn’t have anything to drink.
When I arrived at my mother’s house, I noticed there was a car in the driveway that I’d never seen before. That was strange. My mother didn’t often have visitors around. She’d always been a bit of a loner and had retreated even more into herself when my father died. Was this part of the reason why she wanted me to come over? Who could it be? A million thoughts rushed to the forefront of my mind as I made my way up the driveway. I reached for my keys, which I still had for the house, and opened up.
“I’m home!” I yelled out.
“In the living room!” my mom called in her new sing-song cheery voice.
I made my way to the living room and stopped short at the image in front of me. Not only was there a man in our living room that I’d never seen before, but he was holding hands with my mother. Holding hands!
My mother grinned at me and blushed. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her blush. Had I ever? “Hi, darling. I wanted to introduce you to my wonderful new husband, Duncan.”
I frowned. “Husband? What? I’m confused. Uh, hi, Duncan,” I added. Although I wasn’t sure how I managed to stay polite when I had no idea what was going on.
“I know it seems sudden, but we didn’t want to tell anyone until we were sure. Plus, we’re both older now, and we’ve both been married before, so we didn’t want to do anything big for our wedding day. We wanted something quick and simple. I know it seems crazy, but I figured it was time for a bit of craziness in my life.”
I continued to stare in shock.
She giggled. “I’m sorry for the surprise, dear.”
“Uh…wow. This is… Well, this is huge. I had no idea you were even dating.”
“Yeah, I kept it quiet. Also, you’ve been so busy with your studies and trying to find a job, so I didn’t want to bother you.”
“You didn’t want to bother me? Gosh, Mom, you should’ve told me. Anyway, it doesn’t matter, I’m happy you’re happy,” I said and walked over to give her a hug. Part of me wanted to stay mad at her, but how could I be upset that she was happy. I hadn’t seen her look so lively in a long time. There was a sparkle in her eyes that I hadn’t seen for many years. I’d forgotten it existed. “And, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Duncan.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too; I’ve heard all about you –only good things, I promise,” he said with a smile. I took an instant liking to him. He had kind eyes. The sort that made you immediately trust him.
I was just about to take a seat when another man walked into the room. He looked to be a few years older than me – and he was quite possibly the best-looking man I’d ever seen. He was taller than me, although admittedly most people were, and he had a swimmer’s build. His shoulders were as broad as his smile, and he was looking at me like the cat that got the cream. I felt my lower belly tighten, and the reaction surprised me. It was one of the most intense reactions I’d ever had to someone. I had to force myself to stop staring.
“Hi,” he said brightly. I wondered if he’d noticed how flustered I was at the sight of him. I hoped not.
My mother and Duncan turned around and smiled. “Oh, this is Henry, your new stepbrother,” Duncan said.
My heart sank at the words. Stepbrother. Dammit! “Uh, hi, nice to meet you,” I managed to say. “I’m Paisley.”
“Paisley? Nice name. Good to meet you.”
“Uh, yeah, you, too,” I said nervously. I had a sudden urge to get out of there before I made an even bigger fool of myself.
“So, darling, I hope you’re staying for dinner. You’re welcome to spend the night, too.”
I shook my head. “Oh, no, no, I can’t. I have a thing on at Olive’s tonight. I only rushed over because I was curious to see what was g
oing on.”
“Oh no. Are you sure you can’t stay?”
I nodded and made sure that I looked at my mother and not at the gorgeous man standing behind her. Damn him and his good looks. “I’m sure. Well, it was wonderful to meet you, Duncan. I’m sure my brain is still trying to process all of this. I’ll be back to my normal unflustered self the next time we meet.”
He chuckled. “It was a pleasure to meet you, too.”
I mumbled a goodbye to Henry without looking at him and made my way back to the car. I couldn’t believe it. My mother had just gotten remarried without telling me, and I was more concerned about how this Henry guy had made me feel.
I did not know that feelings like this were even possible. I had butterflies in my stomach just thinking about him. What the hell was going on? And why the hell did it have to happen to a man that was now my stepbrother? First, I’m battling to find a job, next I find my stepbrother good-looking. What was going on in my life? Where was the silver lining in all of this?
I was just about to make my way back to Olive’s place when I remembered how I was going to give her a few days break from having me around. What now? I drove around the area, trying to figure out where to go when I noticed a big sign by one of the local B&B’s reading “HALF PRICE.”
I really didn’t have a lot of money to throw around, but the thought of hiding out in a B&B actually seemed worth the price. I needed to give Olive a night off, and I also needed to stay far away from Henry. If there was one thing that I knew for sure, it was how to spot a predator. The guy might be gorgeous, but he was also bad news. Very bad news.
Chapter Two
Henry
Despite the cold winter’s day, I was out on the golf course with my best friend, Shawn. I’d never understood why some people choose only the summertime to play. The winter was a million times better. All you had to do was wrap up warmly, and you could play the entire day without worrying about getting a sunburn. After all, it was a lot harder to cool down than it was to warm up.