Chapter 21

Darryl Nelson

~How does it get so broken?~

Stevie’s words hang in the air between us. My heart aches at the sight of her tear-streaked face, knowing that ~I~ am the reason behind it. It seems the only thing I excel in recently is fucking up and hurting the people I care about.

She takes a shuddery breath in, closing her eyes. When she opens them again, they look more like a stormy sea than usual—the blue one dark like a brooding sky just before the first clap of thunder, the green one deep like a tempestuous ocean. “I should just go.”

“No!” I grab her as she tries to walk past me, wrapping my hand around her dainty wrist. “Please…don’t go.”

“I’ve caused too many problems for you,” her eyes flash with resolve. “You wouldn’t have slipped if it wasn’t for me. You wouldn’t have even thought about cheating if it wasn’t for me. You’re better off without me.”

“I wouldn’t have a reason to go on if it wasn’t for you,” my voice breaks on the last word, and her eyes glisten with tears again. “I’ve loved you since you were born, Stephanie McGabe. And I’ll love you forever more. You are the only one I will ever love this way.” Two tears escape from her eyes, slowly trickling down her flushed cheeks. I pull her toward me, and thankfully she comes willingly. I drop my forehead so it rests upon hers, our breath mingling in between us. “You are my everything, Stevie. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she whispers, pushing up onto her tiptoes and pressing her lips against mine, and finally it feels like I can breathe properly again, like up until now, I was trying to breathe underwater.

I deepen the kiss, clasping one hand behind her head, letting her long red locks get tangled around my fingers. Her body molds to mine, her arms snaking around my neck, pressing her breasts up against my chest. I run my tongue along the seam of her lips, asking for entry, and she opens to me, letting me plunder her sweet sighs and sexy moans. Her patchouli scent fills my senses. ~This feels like home.~

Stevie’s hands work their way up, under my t-shirt, tracing gentle shapes on my skin as I kiss my way down her cheek, down her neck, burying my face in the crook where her slender neck joins her shoulder. I bite down, relishing the little shudder of excitement it causes in Stevie, the gasp it elicits adding to my own excitement.

I run my other hand down her curves, hooking it under her thigh and bringing it up over my hip, allowing me to grind my hardness up against her. Stevie moans, her breathy voice tickling my ear and causing goosebumps to ripple over my skin. A moan of my own escapes as I get even harder—I didn’t think it was possible, but it almost hurts how hard I am, my hard-on throbbing with each beat of my heart.

I lose myself in another deep kiss, relishing in the warmth that surrounds me at her scent, her sounds…just ~her.~ I spin us around so her back is up against the wall, and I flick open the top button on her jeans, working my hand inside. I tease her along the waistband of her panties before slipping under it, finding her slick with arousal.

Just as I reach her opening, the door behind us opens, and we both freeze. “Shit! Sorry, dude!”

The door slams shut, and Stevie dissolves into giggles, dropping her head against my chest. “Oh my god! I can’t believe that just happened!”

***

“My baby’s home!” I grimace as my mom wraps me up in a huge hug, peppering my face with kisses. I wipe them away with the edge of my sleeve as soon as she pulls away, making Vinnie snort with laughter. I flash him a grin and ruffle his hair.

“Dude, you’ve gotten tall while I’ve been away!”

“That tends to happen,” he sasses back, pushing my arm away and running his fingers through his hair to try and neaten it up.

“Get the fuck over here, kid!” My dad beckons me over to the barbecue he is manning with AJ. I hold up one finger, indicating I’ll be over in a minute, and jog over to where Stevie and her sister, Carrie, have just arrived, both sets of arms laden with assorted buns for the burgers and hot dogs.

“Hey,” I say with a smile.

“Hey,” Stevie replies softly, a warming blush creeping over her cheeks.

“Oh, jeez!” Carrie rolls her eyes. “You two are fucking incorrigible.”

“Hey, can we please get everyone’s attention!” My dad puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles. “Can you all gather round, please?”

It takes a few minutes for everyone to meander over to where my folks are standing, their arms round each other. Both mine and Stevie’s families are all here, including old man McGee, plus the members of ~Ashes Within~, Smit and Evan, and Mom’s friends from the bar, Derrick and Chris.

“We asked you all to come here today because we have some news to share,” my dad starts, and across the group of people, I see George’s bottom lip start to tremble, and her hands tighten around AJ’s arm. I am surprised that my dad hasn’t cracked and told her what is up. Stevie slips her hand into mine, squeezing it reassuringly, and I can’t help but smile down at her, which makes her frown a little in confusion. “Following what you are all aware was a grueling treatment, we have had the results back from Abi’s doctors, and, well…” He breaks into a wide grin. “They have found no markers in her blood, and her scans are showing no signs of any cancerous cells. Abi is officially in remission!”

“You absolute asshole!” George slaps my dad upside the back of my head, then pulls my mom in for a tight hug, both of them sobbing. The rest of the guests all crowd around to offer their congratulations, but Stevie pulls me away from the melee.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” she chastises.

“How do you know this isn’t the first time I’m hearing the news?” I reply, my mouth twisted up in humor.

“Because you didn’t storm out of here like someone had shit in your cereal and then shoved a rocket up your ass.” I snort out a laugh, and she pushes me, a smile on her own lips.

“My mom made me promise not to tell anyone because she wanted to make this big announcement.” I pull her close, unable to resist kissing her radiant smile. “But I promise not to keep anything else from my beautiful wife in the future.”

“What?” she questions, giggling as I gently nibble down her neck.

“Marry me?” I whisper into her ear. Stevie pushes me back, her gaze bouncing between my eyes. I swallow, my mouth suddenly dry. “I love you, Stevie. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes,” she breathes, flinging her arms around my neck.

***

Carrie McGabe

I can’t help but grimace as I watch my little sister and her boyfriend all wrapped up in each other and their secret whispered proposal. I mean, we’re supposed to be here celebrating his mom beating cancer, and there they are, selfish as usual, making things all about them. I roll my eyes as they start kissing—~again.~ But who am I to go in offering words of wisdom as someone older and wiser? Stevie has made it very clear on several occasions that she doesn’t give a shit about what I think, even if it’s for her own good! So, I’m not touching this situation with a fucking barge pole; they can deal with the wrath of our parents on their own.

Being the oldest sucks. I am held to a much higher level than the others, with every little indiscretion and failure being treated as though I have brought shame upon our family. And with a nine-year age gap, I’ve always been the one who was left in charge of the younger kids when we had family outings or family vacations. And not just my own two siblings, but the Nelson kids too. It is like my mom and dad forget that I am a teenager who wants to go hang out with other teenage kids, not get stuck babysitting—without ever being compensated monetarily for my time, either.

It is no wonder that as soon as I was old enough, I moved out. Renting rooms with various friends until I got my accountancy qualifications and joined my mom’s business, and finally earning some decent money, I’ve been able to afford my own place.

My phone buzzes in my back pocket, and I know whose name will be flashing on the screen even before I’ve looked.

Sure enough, there it is…~Reece.~