Page 24 of Stepbrother's Obsession
Dad’s eyes snap to mine. He’s still tense as he walks past me. “Outside. Now.”
I follow after him as Katherine leads Lily into the kitchen, both of them happily crying together.
The porch boards creak under our weight. Dad walks to the rail and grips it tightly with his hands, staring out at the water. I move beside him, but not too close. He may look calm, but he’s still a dad whose son just knocked up his future step-daughter, and I’m not about to crowd him.
For a moment, we just stand and listen to the lake.
“I told you to watch out for her,” he says finally. “Not…do what you did.”
“I tried not to—”
“You are the adult, Colt. You should be able to control yourself.”
“I’m not going to make excuses,” I say firmly. “I did what I did. You can be mad at me forever, or you can accept that we love each other.”
He shakes his head. “But why her? You’ve never had a problem getting women, Colt.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t want other women. I wanther. She’s mine.” The truest words ever spoken in my life. “You saw—I tried to walk away, but I couldn’t.”
“Yeah, especially now,” he scoffs, clearly referencing the pregnancy test. He turns, staring at me like he’s searching my face for a lie. But he can’t find one. I’ve never been more resolute. Lily is the future mother of my children, and nothing will change that.
“I know this may make things awkward, Dad, but I promise you I love her. And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that toyou and Katherine. If you can’t accept that today, I understand, but I’m going to marry her. I’m going to raise our child and work every day to make a perfect life for us.”
Dad’s jaw moves side to side as the gears in his mind work. Slowly, I can see the fight in him draining away, not because he suddenly loves the idea of me and Lily being together but because he knows a brick wall when he sees one. And right now, that wall is me. I’m not budging.
“You know what people will say, right?” he says finally.
“I do.”
“You’re gonna take some heat for this, same as me.”
A faint smile twists my lips. “I can handle it. Can you?”
He finally breaks, exhales long and heavy, then grins back at me. “You’d better make sure this ends right. Or we’re indeep shit.”
“It will,” I chuckle. “Don’t you worry.”
“That girl means the world to Katherine.” His eyes cut sharp and deep to me, delivering a clear warning. “You hurt her, Colt—if you had seen her crying when you were gone—”
“It’ll never happen again,” I interrupt. “Never. I’ll never run out on that girl again. She’s mine, and I’m hers. We’re having a baby together, and the world can accept that or not, I don’t care.”
He studies me with his eyes for another beat, then sticks out his hand. I take it, and we shake. It’s not warm and fuzzy, not a hug. It’s a man-to-man thing, and I squeeze hard and firm, letting him know how serious I am.
Behind me, I hear Lily laugh—a wet, choked little laugh through tears. I turn and see her standing just inside the doorway, Katherine’s arms around her shoulders. The pregnancy test sits on the table behind them.
Lily sees my dad and me shaking hands and comes over to me like a magnet. I wrap her up in my arms and pull her close,burying my nose in her hair. Her scent is my drug. Her warmth my heaven. I press my hand gently against her belly.
My baby. My family.
“How’d it go?” she whispers.
“We’re going to be okay,” I tell her without a doubt in my mind. She sobs harder, wetting my shirt with her tears. But they’re sobs of relief, not despair.
“I thought—”
“I know, baby. I know.” I tilt her face up and kiss her, right there in front of our parents. Not a filthy kiss like I give her when we’re alone but an honorable kiss that tells the worldThis is mine.
Katherine turns away, and Jim looks down. It’s going to take them some time to fully accept our relationship, but that’s okay. They’re on board, and that’s all that matters for now.
