Kiss Me Again: a Stepbrother Romance (Second Chances) Read online

  I watched as Cole bent down to tie the laces on Morgan’s tiny pink sneakers. He tweaked her on the nose and she grinned up at him.

  “Will you take me for ice cream later?” she asked him.

  She clearly adored him, but absolutely had him wrapped around her cute little finger. I couldn’t help but think that he would maybe make a great dad one day, if his patience with her was anything to go by.

  “Sure kiddo, whatever flavor you want. As long as you are a really good girl for Callie.”

  “Callie lets me braid her hair, and always gives me loads of paper to draw with. I’ll be good for her.”

  I could hardly believe my ears. Not only did Cole and Morgan know Lesley, but they were clearly on very intimate terms with Callie, my new boss. Suddenly fuming once more, I wanted to storm out and confront him about all sorts of things: for using my feelings for him to try and get me to go back home, manipulating my life so he could feel less guilty about it, getting me this job for his girlfriend so he could get off letting me down again scot-free.

  But now wasn’t the time. However I had gotten the job, I needed it. I would not ruin my reputation for being professional because of a two-timing guy like Cole Kent. And, I would still go home to be with my dad, because he and Steph needed me, and my mom wanted me to be a part of their family. I had spent long enough avoiding all of them. Keeping out of the way of just one would be easy as pie, but I wouldn’t let him ruin my chance at reconciliation with my father.

  I waited for him to head up the stairs, but Callie had chosen to come down. I was forced to watch as Cole embraced her and kissed her. “Thanks for helping me out. Can’t tell you how much it means to me,” he said.

  “Sugar, me and Morgan always have a great time together, don’t we sweetpea?” Morgan nodded happily up at the human-sized Barbie doll she was about to get to play with. “Anything for you. I owe you big time after these last few weeks!”

  The last few weeks?! What on earth had he done for her to make her so fawningly grateful to him? How had he had the time, or the stamina to be with us both? I put my fingers in my ears, not wanting to hear anymore, and waited until I was sure he was gone. I peeked out to make sure the foyer was empty. Even Lesley seemed to have vanished, and I ran out of the building as fast as I could toward the bus station.

  * * *

  The hospital was clean and everywhere was glaringly bright. I have never much liked fluorescent lighting. It gives me headaches. But I moved through the corridors as quickly as I could. I was so scared that I would lose my nerve, and run straight back out of there. My dad was out of ICU and was on the cardio-thoracic ward. I could only hope that was a good thing as nobody would tell me anything more than that.

  I reached the ward, only to be faced with a whole corridor of closed doors. I asked a passing nurse which one I needed. She wasn’t sure, but ran off to check. An orderly came back. “You want to see Tom Rivers?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Follow me Miss…?”

  “Rivers, Lucy Rivers. I’m his daughter.”

  “His wife is with him and the doctor, but I am sure they will be done in a moment,” he said as he stopped outside a partially opened door. “I’ll get you a seat so you can wait.”

  “Thank you.”

  I paced the corridor nervously, even though the orderly brought me a chair very quickly. Now that I was here, I had no idea what I was going to say, or how they would react to seeing me, and I prayed and prayed that Dad would be okay – and that the shock wouldn’t give him another episode.

  The doctor finally emerged, and I grabbed him before he could walk away on more of his rounds.

  “Hi, um, I’m Lucy. Tom’s daughter. I haven’t seen him in over five years. I didn’t leave under the best circumstances. I was a terrible daughter. But, I am just so worried about him, and I know now I love him so much and I was so stupid.” I couldn’t stop myself. The doctor looked mildly amused.

  “Slow down. Your dad is doing fine. Now, I think you are asking me if I think seeing you might make your dad worse?” I gaped at him.

  “How did you get that from all that?”

  “I’ve been doing this job a long time. We learn how to interpret panic,” he said soothingly. “Go on in. I’ll bet he will be very happy to see you. And no, you won’t do any damage to his heart. You may even help it heal up a bit quicker,” he continued reassuringly.

  I stood staring at the door.

  “Go on in, Miss Rivers,” he repeated, “don’t make him wait any longer.”

  I took a deep breath, and opened the heavy door slowly.

  I peeked in and saw my dad, lying there all hooked up to monitors and screens, things beeping all around. I wanted to cry, but managed to hold it together.

  Steph looked up, and I tried to smile at her. It came out all wrong, and I just sobbed. I had expected her to be angry with me, to shout and yell, but she simply got up and just took me in her arms, no questions asked. I wrapped mine around her too and let her hold me while I cried. She let me go, and tenderly pushed my hair back behind my ears for me.

  “Oh Lucy, it is so good to see you, sweetie,” she breathed. “Your Dad and I have missed you so much.” I squeezed her hand, unable to find any words at all to express how sorry I was for all that pain, but I think she knew anyway.

  I moved over to the bed, and tucked my hand into my dad’s. He opened his eyes, and I bent down to kiss him on his cheek. He tried to smile.

  “Hey Dad, you just rest. We’ve got all the time in the world to talk once you’re well again. I am so sorry. I love you so much.” He closed his eyes again as a single tear rolled down his wrinkled cheek. He squeezed my hand real tight and I stayed by his side. Steph sat on the other side and we held hands over his lap. It was good to be back around family, even though my best friend, the man I had fallen head over heels for a second time, had turned out to be the sneakiest, most devious and horrible rat alive.

  I would never forgive him for his betrayal. How could he do such a thing, to me and to Callie? She was such a lovely person, prepared to help him with his sister, and to even get her to give me a job? What kind of an asshole actually does that? Sadly, I knew that I would have to face him at some point, and knew he would be back here on Sunday with Morgan too. His time at the DA’s office was now up. He had a week off before he began his new semester, and that meant he would be here, at home with his, our, family, especially given the circumstances. How on earth would I be able to face him, knowing what I now knew?

  Steph and I drove home late that night. Dad had been doing well, responding to all the treatment he was being given. The attack had been a minor one, but it had been enough to shake us all up, that was for certain. We got into the house, and I noted the odd things here and there that she'd changed, but mainly it was still my old home.

  “Thanks for not taking every bit of Mom out of here,” I said to her.

  She grinned.

  “Lucy, your mom made this place so beautiful. I am not even close to being the designer she was, or from what I’ve heard, you are too. Cole told us all about your work and how well you are doing. We are so proud of you honey. Sounds like your first job is a doozy!”

  “Thanks, I don’t know how much of what Cole has told you is true, but despite everything I am glad he found me.” There must have been a bit of an edge to my voice, and I should have remembered that Steph was the queen of picking up on the unspoken.

  “What do you mean? I thought you and he were finally together?” Steph asked me gently. “We were so pleased for you both. He has loved you and only you his entire life, sweetie.”

  “He has a girlfriend already and I couldn’t even hope to compete.”

  She shook her head in disbelief. “No. Cole and I talk all the time Lucy. I am absolutely certain that if there was a girl who meant more to him than you do that I would have heard about it. The only other women in his life are Morgan, myself, and his best friend Callie.”

  “Yes, that
’s her. They were all over each other in the foyer of her company building. Kissing and cuddling, and in front of Morgan too!”

  I had hoped to shock her, but clearly even my turning up out of the blue hadn’t fazed her, and this wasn’t likely to either so she just laughed at me.

  “Oh Lucy, you have always been so impetuous, and so inclined to jump to conclusions. Callie has been Cole’s best friend, along with Jacob, since they went to UCLA together. She and Jake are the couple – not her and Cole. I promise you.”

  I could hardly believe what I was hearing. But that still didn’t excuse the fact he hadn’t trusted me to make a go of my business alone, and had felt he needed to enlist his multi-millionaire friends to give me a job. I was a big girl. I didn’t need some do-gooding, over-protective big brother. I needed a man who would love me, but let me make my own mistakes. One who would let me make it in my own way, and not interfere. And I would tell him so the very next time I saw him.

  Steph laughed again. “That look is one I see constantly on Morgan’s face. You two are so like your daddy. But that stubborn streak – you get all that from your mom, sweetheart! He’d do anything for you, you should know that by now. And none of us can do it alone,” she said as if she had read my mind. “We all need a helping hand every now and again, and why shouldn’t someone who worships the ground you walk on want to do whatever they can to help you succeed? And, I’ve met Callie. That girl doesn’t do a thing she doesn’t want to. She may well have agreed to meet with you, but I can bet you got that job on your own merits. She doesn’t accept second best, ever.”

  13

  Cole

  Mom had warned me that Lucy was on the warpath.

  I had no idea what I had done this time, but as I headed back to Newton with Morgan strapped securely in her car seat behind me I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Lucy had always been a bit of a loose cannon, but Mom had said something about her getting her panties in a twist about Callie and me. I could have laughed as I thought of her and Jake waving us off this morning, their arms glued around one another, clearly enraptured. Still, I sang along with Morgan to her favorite nursery time songs CD, and prepared for the tongue-lashing I knew would be coming my way.

  I had barely pulled up onto the driveway when Lucy emerged. Mom had quickly taken Morgan inside, as Lucy stormed toward me. “You are the biggest piece of shit on the planet,” she yelled. “How could you? You cheating, lying sack of shit!”

  “Okay, so I am a shit. We know this, always have, but why specifically this time Lucy?” I asked, suddenly finding it all just too funny.

  “You and Callie, and your mom tells me she is going steady with your friend too. How could you do that? Cheat on me, and go behind your best friend’s back with his girlfriend? What kind of a monster are you? And getting me a job with her? How on earth were you ever going to manage to keep it all quiet, huh?”

  I chuckled. I really shouldn’t have. It was like a red cape to a bull. But the whole thing was so ludicrous.

  “Lucy Rivers, you really are the most wonderful woman I have ever met. But you can also be the most ridiculously stupid. Callie is my best friend. Just like my mom told you. I have no idea what you think you may have seen or heard, but it is not what you think.

  “Oh, I’m stupid now too?” she blurted and then poked a finger into my chest.

  I frowned, thinking maybe I should wipe the smile off my face and take this seriously. “No, I didn’t mean it like that…”

  “Want a ladder for the hole you are digging, mister?”

  I held up my hands trying to make her calm down. I needed to untie my tongue and explain.

  “I dropped Morgan off at Glitch. Callie thanked me, yet again, for making her see just how much Jake adored her. They have been in cloud cuckoo land ever since I got them together at the Red Hot Chili Peppers gig. She helped me to take the photo of you so we were even. Then yes, I sent her your details. Getting you in for a meeting seemed like the least I could do to try and help you out considering how much I know I hurt you when I took my mom’s side. But you, I promise you, did the rest. Callie has not stopped raving about the absolute gem I have sent her. She said she was more than happy to take care of Morgan, it seemed more than a fair exchange for the favor I had done her in sending you her way.”

  Lucy looked at me, her cat-like eyes narrowed with skepticism. I wanted to pick her up and kiss every inch of her face, to make her see sense, until she knew just how much I adored her – but I knew that would be the worst thing I could do right now. I waited and let her think it all through. It seemed to take forever, and I began to agitatedly hop from one foot to the other.

  “So, you weren’t dating anyone else when we were talking by email and text?” she asked shrewdly.

  Fuck, she had me there. Oh god this was going to sound so preposterous.

  “Well, I was – but it really isn’t what you think. You see, Jake entered an eating contest, and Callie bet me he wouldn’t win and she forced me to sign up to ‘Wooed and Won’ and take out at least four girls.” I gazed down at the gravel I was kicking about with my toe of my shoe. I knew it was true and it still didn’t sound in any way plausible.

  “That sounds like the lamest excuse I have ever heard, but at least there are people who would be able to corroborate your story.”

  I looked up at her, hearing a tone of mild amusement in her voice. She was grinning from ear to ear. “I called Callie this morning, after my chat with your mom last night. I wanted to be sure, but I couldn’t resist getting you back just a tiny bit for not telling me who you were on ‘Wooed and Won’ right from the start. And since when are you hot enough to name yourself after a Greek god? Apollo, really?”

  I stepped tentatively towards her. “So, you don’t hate me then? You forgive me? Oh, please say you forgive me?” I begged.

  “Well, you may have a lot of work to do to make it up to me, but I am sure we can think of something you can do that might get you back on my good side?”

  “Would this help?” I asked as I took her into my arms. She melted into me ever so slightly.

  “It might,” she teased.

  “How about this?” I brushed her lips tenderly with a kiss. I felt her shiver a little in my arms.

  “Mmm, we may be getting somewhere.”

  “What about this?” I pressed my lips to hers, sliding my tongue gently across her bottom lip. She opened to me willingly, and I felt the gentle flickering of her tongue as it sought my own.

  I dipped and tasted, she did the same. The kiss deepened and I felt her fingers running up the muscles of my back. I pulled her in as close to my body as I could, and lifted her so her feet were off the ground.

  “I love you Lucy, I always have. I always will.”

  “I love you too,” she breathed, her eyes welling up.

  I took her chin, and held it lightly. “I know we are young, and I know people might think it’s crazy, us being stepsister and stepbrother, but will you have me for the rest of my life? Will you marry me?” I murmured against her lips.

  “What, you’re not even going to get down on one knee?” she asked playfully.

  “I will do whatever you want, my love. Your wish is my command!” I said as I dipped down, my knee touching the gravel.

  She giggled and her eyes sparkled as I waited patiently for her answer.

  “Get up you idiot,” she said as she pulled back toward her body. “Oh yes, Mr. Kent, of course I will marry you. Now shut up and kiss me again.”

  She sighed as I dutifully obeyed, claiming her lips as my own from now until eternity. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for Lucy Rivers, the woman that stole my heart all those years ago.

  Epilogue - Lucy

  I sat alone in the quiet room, staring at my reflection in the ornate mirror before me. My hands were steady, not even a hint of nerves, it was as if they knew I’d made the right decision.

  Today was the day I’d let everything go from my past, no longer dwelling on it – mo
ving on – and when I really thought about it, well, it was about time.

  The corners of my lips flittered up into a smile as I considered the new beginning that awaited me, and with a final swipe of sparkling nude lipstick I was ready.

  It was time.

  “Are you done yet?” Alison’s voice called through the door, frustrated that I hadn’t let her in yet. “He’s not going to wait forever you know… and neither can I!”

  “Nonsense, he’s waited how many years already? He can wait a few more minutes, it won’t kill him. You take your time, hon!” said Callie, her voice muffled from also being locked out of my little sanctuary. “But you just let us know if you need any help.”

  It probably was time to let them in, I thought as I remembered the tiny pearl buttons that were just out of my reach, lined up in the middle of my shoulder blades.

  But before I could open up and let my two bridesmaids in, a tiny rapping sounded at the door and a small but confident voice demanded entry. “Lucy, I have to show you my dress! Let me in!”

  I imagined my new stepsister, Morgan, stomping her little foot, hands on her hips.

  I drew in a breath, unlocked the door and took a step backward.

  “Okay, you can come in now.” I patted and smoothed at the lace material of the ivory dress as the door swung open.

  Morgan was the first in and immediately came to stand before me, her head tilted up. “Well it’s about time!” she said scolding me and I couldn’t help but giggle at her frowning face.

  I slipped my hand into Morgan’s. “You look beautiful, just like Cinderella,” she whispered.

  “So do you, sweetie. Like a princess.”

  From the doorway I heard multiple gasps, Callie and Alison both stood with their hands covering their mouths, their eyes glossy.

  “Oh my god, you look stunning, Luce!” Alison said as she enveloped me in a hug. A wayward tear escaped and streaked down Alison’s face.