“Do you miss your mom?” she asked.
“Yes, of course,” he replied honestly. “We were really close even when I was already in my teens.”
“What happened to her?”
“She, uh… went missing.”
“Oh, my gosh! Why? You never found her again?” Erin asked in shock.
He opened up then about his mom being some sort of police agent or investigator who was assigned to protect someone. But when she failed in her mission, she suddenly disappeared and they never found out where she had gone.
“That’s so sad,” Erin said, her heart going out to him. “It must have been so painful for you and your dad.”
He nodded silently. “What about you? How did you cope as a little girl after your dad… passed away…?”
“It was difficult,” she said. “Mom was a wreck. And I didn’t talk for months after that. I withdrew from people, I guess. But somehow our relatives and friends helped us recover.”
“That’s good.”
Silence followed.
Suddenly, they heard the front door swing open. The sound was followed by two pairs of excited footsteps. When Erin turned around to face the living room area, she was shocked to find her mom standing in the center with outstretched arms.
“Erin, my princess, my baby!” she exclaimed. “Come here and give me a hug!”
“Mom!” Erin said in shock. “What are you doing back here?”
Jillian folded her arms across her chest, frowning in a joking manner. “Is that the way to greet your mom whom you haven’t seen for some time?”
Erin gave her mom a hug, though still astonished.
Meanwhile, Winston came forward with their luggage and greeted everybody. All of a sudden, the room had become livelier with Jillian’s excited chitchat. She and Winston were thrilled to get home early so they could be one big happy family before the summer break was over.
Later that evening, as Erin was moving her things to the guest room, she could not help feeling awkward and a little bit guilty. Here they were supposedly celebrating as a new blended family, while she and Kale were keeping their relationship a secret.
Suddenly, reality was creeping in, slowly sinking into her. Kale’s my stepbrother, for crying out loud! she screamed in frustration in her mind. Images of their various sexual encounters and sweet gestures suddenly came rushing back to her.
It’s just for the summer, she told herself. After this vacation, everything will go back to normal. This whole affair will seem like a dream.
Thinking that, she did not know whether to feel relieved or miserable.
*****
Kale was sound asleep in the sofa. Even Jillian and Winston were already snoring, probably tired from the long day of travelling. But Erin was wide awake, pacing back and forth in the room. Because she could not sleep, she decided to fix her clothes in the closet. She turned on the light and started arranging her shirts, jeans, jackets, and accessories.
That was when she stumbled upon an odd-looking jewelry box. It was a simple rectangular box covered with genuine leather. Imprinted on top was Kale’s name. At first, she thought of just setting it aside and giving it to him in the morning. But her growing curiosity made her open the lid.
“What are these?” she whispered in horror as she dug through the piles of photos that showed her as a little girl with her parents. There was also a newspaper clipping about the car accident that had killed her dad but which she’d miraculously survived. Then she saw other pictures of herself as she was growing up. There was even one of her and Arnold, as well as one of her with Courtney.
“Oh, my God,” she hissed, fear and doubt gripping her heart. “Oh, my God. He knew them all this time. He’d been stalking me?!”
At that instant, a sound from the doorway made her turn around. Kale was standing there with a serious expression on his face that she could not decipher.
“Let me explain, Erin,” he started.
But she exploded right then and there. “All this time, you’d been lying to me! What’s the meaning of all this? Are you some crazed stalker?”
“No, Erin, listen…” He tried to reach out to her but she stepped back quickly.
“I can’t believe it, Kale! I trusted you!” she cried, her heart breaking terribly. She knew she was becoming hysterical but she didn’t really care at that moment. “Did you and Winston plan all this?!”
Suddenly, her mom was standing behind Kale. She’d probably awoken because of all the commotion. Beside her, Winston simply looked apologetic and worried.
“Mom, did you know about these?” Erin demanded, throwing the photos and other items onto the bed.
Jillian looked down on them and then looked up again with a remorseful face. “I’m so sorry, Erin. I think we all have to sit down and explain to you the truth about Winston and Kale. You two were so close when we got here, I assumed he’d told you…”
“Told me what?” Erin almost screamed, looking from her mother to Kale. “What’s going on??”
Her mother led her out to the living room where they all sat together and waited for her to calm down. Winston prepared tea as they gathered round the table.
Jillian took a deep breath then plunged into the story. “I met Winston online because he was working for the government. He and Kale are… helping the space research department.” She paused, looking at the two men who were giving her encouraging looks. “We fell in love even before we had seen each other face to face. But when we finally got to spend time together, I noticed some strange things happening. He could heal fast, he could vanish and reappear whenever he wanted to…”
Erin gasped. “Kale too…” she murmured with dread.
“Yes, Erin,” Jillian said, nodding and holding her daughter’s hands. “You see, they’re not like us. They are from… far away…”
“From where?” Erin wanted to know.
Kale spoke up then. “I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time, Erin. Winston and I are from a community of guardians or what some also call protectors. Each one of us is assigned to a human being on Earth, sort of like a ‘guardian angel’…”
Erin was shaking her head in disbelief. Her mom did not seem shocked by the story at all. Did she really buy this?
“Erin, I have pictures of you because… I… I’m your protector,” Kale finally finished. He was breathing heavily, obviously worried about her reaction.
Erin’s eyes widened, but she could not think of anything to say at that moment.
“It’s true, Erin,” her mom said, sitting beside her and placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Kale is the one who saved your life during the accident.”
“But… but… what about Dad?” Erin asked, her voice barely a whisper. Tears began forming in her eyes as she recalled the traumatic accident. “If this is all true, why wasn’t Dad saved like me?”
“It was my fault, Erin,” Winston said in a grieving tone. All eyes were on him now. “Your father’s protector was my… former wife… We’d had an argument right before the accident. She was very distracted and was not alert enough. It was too late… And because of that…” He paused, trying to speak clearly despite beginning to choke on his words. “She… she… she had felt so guilty and so bad that she went away and never showed herself again. Many believe that she’d banished herself from our community because of her great shame.”
Tears began to fall down Jillian’s cheeks. Erin too could not help crying. She felt his sincerity and his deep remorse. But more than that, the memory of her father was making her heart constrict. These revelations were also making her feel so lost and confused.
“I vowed to protect your mother, Jillian, with all my life for the rest of my life,” Winston continued. “I left my post as senior trainer of the guardians because I knew it was the right thing to do.”
“So… what are you guys, really?” Erin whispered, dreading the answer but needing to hear it once and for all.
Kale was the one who faced her and said i
t. “We’re aliens.”
*****
It was one thing to fall in love with her stepbrother. It was an entirely different ballgame to love a stepbrother from outer space.
Yes, that was how it turned out to be for Erin as her summer vacation came to an end. She’d wanted to run away after that night of revelation. She’d wanted to hide in the city and never be part of that family again. But she couldn’t. She just couldn’t turn her back on her mother and on the man who had made her feel loved again.
As a favor to her mother, she stuck it out. Anyway, there was only a week left of summer before she had to get back to her reality.
At times, they were like any other blended family trying to adjust to one another and to the new situation. But more often than not, it was plain awkward for her to mingle with these aliens whom she must now learn to accept.
At least she and her mom did not have to worry about being in danger ever again. They had protectors to make sure they were always safe and secure.
And on the brighter side, at least she did not have to worry about having an actual relationship with her stepbrother. As far as she was concerned, their summer affair was long over. It was good while it lasted, and she was thankful for that.
A few times Kale had tried to reach out to her, but she had simply brushed him off. Soon he stopped trying. Perhaps she wasn’t that important to him, after all. And it was all for the best, anyway.
After saying goodbye to the beautiful lake house she would never, ever forget for the rest of her life, Erin forced herself to drive away and go back to the city where her life was waiting. But as she was heading down a steep road, she somehow lost control, causing the car to skid fast towards a huge tree on the side of the road.
Erin screamed, hitting the brakes just in time before she hit the tree. She sat there, breathing heavily, scared out of her wits.
“Glad to know you saved yourself,” somebody said from the passenger’s seat.
Kale had suddenly appeared inside the car. He was gazing at her so intensely that she felt like she was going to melt. Despite her resolve to forget about him, she could not keep her heart from soaring into high heavens upon seeing his ruggedly handsome face and deep, beautiful green eyes.
“As I’ve told you, I don’t need any saving,” Erin responded, trying to keep calm. “You can go find someone else to protect. I’m not a damsel in distress.”
“I know,” Kale said, his lips turning up in a slight smile. “You’re very strong, Erin. You’re the knight in shining armor, and I’m the damsel in distress.”
“Are you playing with me?” Erin said irritably.
“Oh, no, no…” he quickly replied. “I’m serious, Erin. I need saving. You see, there’s this woman who captured my heart and no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to get her out of my mind.” He paused, leaning closer and making Erin’s heart race wildly. “I’ve fallen hard,” he whispered sincerely.
Erin’s heart seemed to skip a beat. “But Kale…”
“My dad and Jillian have already approved,” he quickly said.
“You told them?!” Erin exclaimed incredulously.
“I told them that I’ve fallen hard for my stepsister, but that I’m not sure if she’s willing to pick me up and face the future with me…Will you help your stepbrother?” he asked hopefully.
“How?” she whispered. “How can I help you when I’ve fallen hard too?”
Kale gazed into her brown eyes, smiling and lifting his hand to caress her cheek. “Tell me you love me, Erin. Save me… because I am so damn in love with you.”
Tears welled up in Erin’s eyes. “Oh, Kale… I do love you!”
He leaned down to kiss her on the lips. She kissed him back eagerly, her heart overflowing with joy and relief.
She understood then that what they had for each other was more than just a momentary affair. It was something worth fighting for, something worth saving. It was love, for sure, for real.
THE END
Bonus Story 23 of 25
The Choice
Marceline
I sighed deeply, trying to prepare myself for the night that lay ahead. This wasn’t going to be one of my typical waitressing shifts, this was going to be working with extremely rich men and women – people that had more money than sense – and I had to be top notch if I wanted the party to go well.
After all, it was the tips that kept me going, and this party held endless possibilities for that. I’d made sure in advance that I was looking my best for that exact reason. I’d pulled back my long dark hair into a French braid, I’d scrubbed and exfoliated my body to give me added confidence, and I’d even bothered to apply a cute red lipstick, which contrasted well white my pale, milky skin.
It wasn’t that I particularly got off on using my looks to get me places, but in waitressing, looking smart and presentable always equaled more respect and bigger tips. Every single time.
“You okay?” Nikki, one of my closest friends asked me. “You seem a little nervous.”
I couldn’t help but notice that she seemed completely at ease with all of this – as if hosting this sort of event was something that she did all the time. Why did I seem to be the only one that was finding this difficult?
“Yeah.” I huffed once more. “Just a little tired.”
Juggling my studies with this job – which I needed to do to fund my dream to become a lawyer – was difficult, but I didn’t have any choice. My family was too poor to be able to help me, and I was unselfish enough never to ask them. I’d been independent from a very young age, and was proud of that quality about myself.
“Come on,” she tugged on my arm, smiling. “Dominic needs to prep us.”
As our manager Dominic droned on about proper behavior, the billionaires filtered onto the yacht. This party was to celebrate some business merger or another and I was certain that it was going to get nuts. I’d never seen rich people party, but I was sure that they went wild when they really got into it. Seeing all of that was one thing that I was really excited about!
Finally, we were set lose among them, holding platters of various pretentious food items. Some people were rude, and others dismissed us entirely as if we were dirt to be trampled on. That really annoyed me.
Well, it would have done under normal circumstances, but tonight I was focused on something else. There was one businessman that kept distracting me by sending me secret smiles. At first I decided that I was imagining it, but then it kept on happening, and finally I got a wink – proving to me that there was something going on here.
I didn’t know what to think about that, what I was supposed to do, but I couldn’t stop myself from grinning back on more than one occasion. He was absolutely stunning – talk, dark and very handsome – so of course I was incredibly flattered.
But it was more than that. He was sending butterflies flying all over my body. I liked him, a lot. I found him incredibly sexy.
But out of my league… obviously.
“What are you doing?” Nikki hissed at me when she caught me sending him another smile. I tried to shrug it off, but she was having none of it. “Just don’t let Brad catch you. You’ll get fired.” She wasn’t judging me, she was warning me. We’d seen more than one staff member lose their jobs for stepping over professional boundaries.
Much as I knew that she was right, I didn’t seem to be able to help myself.
Finally, as the night started to darken, the yacht turned around to go back home, and the party started to wind up, he approached me.
“You’re a pretty young thing, aren’t you?” he smirked, sending a bolt of desire racing right through me. If anyone else had said this, I would have found it sexiest and offensive, but somehow coming from him, it felt like a compliment.
“Th… thank you.” I stuttered, glancing around hoping that I wasn’t about to get caught. Talking to the clients was fine, but if anyone heard what was being said… that would be another story!
“So, are you g
oing to tell me your name?” He moved closer to me, giving me the chance to inhale his musky scent. The way he smelt was so sexy that it actually made it hard for me to think.
“M… Marceline,” I stammered, feeling a blush fill my cheeks. “Yours?” As soon as I said this, I realized that it was probably rude. Asking the name of a billionaire was probably not the done thing. I’m sure it had been mentioned in the proper behavior speech.
“Guy.” He completely brushed over my blunder. “Now, what’s a stunning girl like you doing waitressing? Shouldn’t you be a model or something?”
“Oh, I… I don’t think so.” I grew in embarrassment, not sure how to react to such blatant flirting. I knew how I wanted to react, especially with him so close to me, but I also knew that wouldn’t be appropriate. I could not afford to lose my job over this bit of fun!
“Anyway,” I smiled weakly, already feeling sad that I had to leave. “I’d better get back to work.”
“Oh of course.” He touched my shoulder, causing me to suck in a shocked breath. “But here’s my phone number, in case you want to reconvene after the boat has docked. I’d like to see you again.”
And then he left in a breeze of expensive cologne, leaving me confused and incredibly turned on, with a business card between my fingers.
I stuffed it into my pocket, racing off to find Nikki. I needed to tell her what had just happened!
“So text him,” she hissed, as soon as I’d finished my story. “Men like him don’t come around every day.”
“I know, but… what if he’s a dick?”
She sighed deeply, knowing that I was referring to my past. My ex-boyfriend, Dylan, had been a real shit – cheating, lying, and manipulative. It had taken me a long time to walk away from him, and even longer to recover from it all.
“Not every guy is like that,” she murmured quietly. “You can’t allow your past to define you. You’ve spent too long avoiding men because of Dylan. And anyway,” she smiled at me, landing her final argument, “no one is asking you to marry him. Just have a bit of fun for crying out loud!”
Alpha Vampire Romance: Vampire’s Mate (Paranormal Shapeshifter Alpha Demon Vampire Romance) (Coming of Age Werewolf BBW Shifter Women’s Fiction Short Stories) Page 72
