by Nikki Wild
Raleigh… your failing health is why they escalated the timeframe, you bitter, old sod.
Instead, I bit my tongue on the matter.
“As you’re aware, I’ve concluded eight years in military service,” I reminded them. “Of which I was released just a few months ago. I’m twenty-six years old now, leaving me four years until my thirtieth birthday. I’ve enrolled in higher education, and the date will coincide with the completion of my graduate degree.”
“Very good,” he nodded. “Very good indeed.”
I chose my words carefully. “Grandfather, Dad has revealed to me that there are certain… stipulations to inheriting the Carlyle Fortune. Stipulations that I wasn’t aware were there. Could you elaborate on this concern for me?”
The two of them stiffened visibly.
“What has William said to you?”
“Nothing concrete. He merely hinted that there were rules in place to continue the longevity of the inheritance… to keep somebody foolish from wasting it all away.”
Raleigh’s face set into stone.
“It was not his place to say anything of the sort. Dalton, I command you to forget all of whatever foolish notions that man put into your head. Continue focusing on your education for now – the rest will be explained in time.”
“So there are strings attached,” I replied.
It was too late to retract my sentence, given how dark their faces grew.
“I gave you an order. Don’t defy it.”
“Of course, Grandfather,” I answered impartially. “Forgive me. It’s just that the events of today have… surprised and distracted me.”
They looked sympathetic for a moment.
Coming from them, that was never good.
“I can sympathize with that,” the thin old man replied. “Trust me, it came as a great surprise to your grandmother and I, too… a particularly unpleasant one, I’ll add.”
She looked at him briefly, the stonewall crumbling for just a moment, but within the instant she was just as impartial and statuesque as him.
It occurred to me that my grandfather was too proud to tell anybody that he was dying… which left her to break the news. Otherwise, my father would have never known, particularly given the estrangement between them.
I gazed upon my grandmother. Interesting.
“I’m sure that they’re all wondering where we are,” I replied calmly. “Shall we go inside? It’s not going to be to your usual tastes, but I’ve heard that they hired some caterers for the afternoon.”
My grandparents chuckled.
“Very well then,” Raleigh answered. “Let’s get this pernicious shit-show over with.”
And just like that, I followed them inside, walking straight towards a night that was going to change absolutely everything.
Thirteen
Unfortunately, my new grandparents-in-law looked like they would rather be dangling above a volcano than watching their son celebrate his new marriage.
Regardless of that little detail, my parents’ makeshift wedding reception was actually pretty decent, even if it was hosted out of their home. They’d even hired really good caterers – specifically, my catering staff.
“Wasn’t expecting to see you here!” Beth chuckled as I whisked a few hors d’eovres off of her tray. “Is this your event? Do you live here?”
“It’s not mine, no… it’s my parents. They just got married. And no, I have an apartment back in the city.”
“Oh, really? Your parents are just marrying today, huh? How neat!”
I laughed when I saw her confusion. “No, I mean, Mom just married this guy. He’s not my biological father. Now, I get a stepfather and a new stepbrother out of the mix.”
“Is that him over there?” She quietly asked, pointing out Dalton. Of course he stood out, dressed as nicely as he was.
“Yeah, that’s him alright,” I replied with some regret. “What, do you want me to get his number for you?”
“Oh my god, could you?”
She looked absolutely ecstatic over the idea. Luckily, before I could respond, Arnold appeared in the distance, waving both of us over.
“Beth, I’m going to need you to be more attentive to the guests, and not specific ones,” he admonished her. “And you… stop distracting my employees, Clara.”
We both apologized profusely.
Our boss sent her away but kept me near. “It’s fortuitous that I see you here, because I’ve been meaning to reach out to you. I couldn’t help but notice that you failed to indicate any premier call shifts.”
“I’m sorry, there was a distraction that night, with the wedding and all that…”
“Perfectly acceptable, given the circumstances,” he replied nonchalantly. “But if you wish to retain those privileges, you’re going to have to take them a little more seriously. I was under the impression that you were happy to be given that status. Did I make a mistake?”
“No, not at all!” I reassured him. “I’m sorry, Arnold. You’ll forgive me for being a little, you know, preoccupied with the arrangements here.”
He glanced around, unimpressed.
Of course he was unimpressed. Arnold was used to catering large wedding receptions, football games, banquets, and hotel galas… not little rinky-dink, makeshift post-marriage document reunions.
“See to it that you do not become unreliable,” he replied quietly before banishing me from his side. “I have work to do. I’ll see you tomorrow night at Prince Hall.”
“Prince Hall?”
Arnold raised an eyebrow.
“Oh yeah! Prince Hall!” It was one of the shifts I’d picked up. Thanks to missing my chances both Saturday night and early Sunday morning, I’d lost the opportunity to snag anything meaningful in the week. Joining the six-member crew working at Prince Hall for Wednesday and Thursday had been pretty much the only decent shifts left.
I just hoped my homework wouldn’t be too bad with my time eaten up like that.
Arnold looked at me sourly as I left, apparently unconvinced in my commitment to his catering and serving team. Today has just been a complete pain in my ass, I thought to myself.
At least Dalton caught the hint and left me alone after my quick little retort outside the front door. He stayed out there a while – long enough to make me wonder how much I’d affected him.
A sneak peak out the window earlier in the reception had shown me that he was talking to his grandparents before they came inside, so I felt assured.
I knew that he wanted things to continue between us. That much was obvious from just the way he looked at me, although the texts really underlined the point.
Luckily, between family and friends coming by to join the festivities, the catering staff making polite conversation during small lulls, and Dalton’s clearly intentional distance.
I wondered all night if I’d made the wrong choice after all.
It was true. I couldn’t deny the energy that I felt, crackling between us any time we were close. When our parents were giving their vows and we couldn’t take my eyes off of each other, I was imagining doing the same thing with him one day.
Such a stupid thought.
No, I needed to focus on what was important. Dalton and I were stepbrother and stepsister now, and although the taboo was sort of artificial – we weren’t related, after all – there was still the sort of lingering wrongness to it.
What we had done together the other night had been absolutely magical, and I wouldn’t trade it away for a single thing.
But it had been just that:
Wrong.
Yet… it felt so absolutely right.
After a couple of hours, it was time that we went our separate ways. I was halfway expecting a small string of text messages from him. Almost disappointingly, he had obeyed my wishes.
So, why was I unhappy about that?
I climbed into my ancient car and turned the ignition. To my complete lack of surprise, the engine failed to roll over, so I tried it ag
ain.
And again.
And again.
“Come on, now. Don’t do this to me.”
The ignition continued to do nothing. I muttered obscenities under my breath and tried it one more time, putting every little ounce of magic in my body behind it…
Nothing.
My car had apparently broken down, stranding me here at this awful place, with both the parents who had inadvertently ruined my love life, and the lover whom I could never have.
Well, this is just fucking fantastic.
“You’re having engine issues again, aren’t you?” Dalton asked, almost aloofly.
“Yeah,” I groaned, climbing out of the cabin.
“Want me to take a look?”
“Only if you can be bothered.”
Dalton reached inside, popped open the hood, and took a look at the engine. He came back around and tried the ignition again, then checked some of my fluids.
“Hmm. I can’t really tell what’s going on with this. Maybe it’s just old age by now. Listen, do you have a reliable mechanic?”
I groaned. “I have neither that, nor the money to replace this stupid thing, or anything that breaks on it. This is just my fucking luck.”
“Well, when’s the last time you took this thing for an oil change? A tune-up?”
“I don’t remember. Ages ago.”
“Wait, you’ve been skipping oil changes?”
“Hey, don’t give me the third degree here,” I grumbled. “So what if I missed a few of them? They’re optional, anyway.”
Dalton closed the hood and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Thinking that oil changes are optional is exactly what got you into this mess,” he told me in exasperation. “No wonder this thing’s giving you trouble. You’ve probably totally fucked the engine up.”
“Well, that’s just perfect,” I threw my hands up in disgust. “I rely on this thing to get home, to get to work… what the fuck am I going to do now? This piece of junk car is all I had left!”
“Listen, this might be salvageable. I know a guy in town who works at a reputable auto shop. I can have this towed there, and you can assess the damage after he takes a look. Sound good?”
“Do you remember the bit where I don’t have any money?” I reminded him tersely.
“Forget about the money. It’s on me.”
“Oh, no it’s fucking not.”
He flashed me an angry look. “Clara. You can suck up whatever bullshit is running through your head, accept my help, and get back on your feet… or you can cling to your pride and watch your life crumble around you.
“Personally? It’s your choice.”
I was livid, but he was right.
“You know what? Fine.”
“Fine is not how you convince me to shell out for towing fees and an estimate on repairs,” Dalton told me, crossing his arms angrily.
“…Would you please help me?” I relinquished.
“Of course,” he replied, letting his crossed arms sag against his chest. “I’ll make a couple of calls now, and get you set up.”
“Alright,” I nodded. “And… thanks.”
“Don’t mention it,” he shrugged.
With that, he stepped aside and pulled out his phone. I decided to venture back towards the festivities, pretending to have changed my mind from a “lack of plans.”
About twenty minutes after I’d rejoined the group of people, Dalton pulled me aside with the good news.
“Tow truck’s on the way. Your car’s being left in good hands. It’s late on a Tuesday, so you’re going to have to wait until later tomorrow afternoon to find out the damage.”
“But… what about school?” I muttered. “How the fuck am I supposed to get to school like this? And I’ve already signed up for banquet shifts, out of town…”
“You’ll need to consider cancelling those,” he answered. “No telling what the consensus will be, thanks to your maintenance plan… or lack thereof. But I can get you to school and back.”
“With what, your motorcycle?”
“Yeah,” he shrugged. “I keep a spare helmet around that’ll probably fit you. We have the same first-hour class anyway. How late in the day do you stay?”
“Until about 4 o’clock.”
“Cool. I get out of my last class an hour before then, so I can just stick around in the union for the meantime. Sound like a plan?”
Begrudgingly, I agreed.
It was pretty rock-solid… but I’d already decided to cut my ties with this guy. The last thing I needed was to be relying on him, not only to get around, but also to solve my vehicular problems for me…
Maybe he was right about that ‘destiny’ stuff.
I tried to kill the thought before it could finish, but it was too late. We’d been thrust together, him and I, and now that the fun and games were over and I decided to leave…
Something cataclysmic happened to drive us back together, no matter what.
With everyone focused towards the back patio and the kitchen, nobody noticed the tow truck pull up in front and scoop up my shitty little car. It also helped that everyone was drinking copious amounts of wine and liquor. Even Dalton’s grandparents seemed to have lowered that tremendous stick up their collective asses just a few inches.
When Dalton had paid the tow driver and the car was gone, we went into the back and said our goodbyes to everyone. Nobody seemed to find it strange that we were leaving together… nobody except his grandparents, who looked at us curiously for just a moment.
Dalton didn’t seem to notice that, thankfully.
When we were done, we walked back around to the front. With great care, he guided me onto his motorcycle. It felt strong and untamed between my legs.
“That’s right, squeeze it with your thighs,” he instructed me, watching how I grew comfortable on it. “I’m going to be in front, so just hold on around my abdomen. I’ll drive safely. Here’s hoping nobody pulls us over…”
After a moment, he was seated with his back to me. I wrapped my arms around him as Dalton revved the engine and kicked up the stand, pulling us onto the road.
Riding behind him was incredible. I loved how the wind filtered through my hair, and the sounds of the road as we navigated towards the main highway, took some turns, and wound up meeting the interstate.
But it wasn’t just that. Holding him close, practically clutching onto his body, sent a shiver down my spine that I couldn’t completely attribute to the wind.
His muscles were hard beneath his clothes. Dalton had arrived in his suit earlier, only pausing to remove his helmet and straighten his attire after parking his motorcycle. This meant that there wasn’t any thick leather or bothersome layers to come between us.
My stepbrother was built broad, tough, and with powerful muscles that lined his entire body. I’d known this as a fact when I’d straddled him during our night together, but I’d tried my hardest to push that aside.
It was hard to avoid being reminded, over and over, for the entire hour that we were on the road.
Part of me expected Dalton to try and bring me to his place. I wondered how I’d react to that… and decided, ultimately, that I’d be okay with it. After all, we had school in the morning. It made more sense for me to sleep on his couch or something.
Instead, he didn’t make the appropriate turn, and he brought me back towards Natalie’s apartment. Dalton didn’t bother killing the engine as he parked, letting me unwrap myself from around him and climb down from the throttling beast.
“So, this is goodnight, huh?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I’ll be back in the morning. You’re not far, so I don’t have to get up too much earlier. When do you need me?”
“How about seven o’clock?”
“Don’t you think that’s cutting it a little short?” He questioned, tilting his head.
“Okay. A little earlier than that.”
Dalton shook his head. “Be down here at a quarter to seven,” he instructed.
“Think you can do that?”
“Sure,” I replied, quietly admonishing myself for choosing a class so early in the day. What the hell was I thinking?
“Alright. See you in the morning,” Dalton muttered offhandedly, sailing off on his ride towards the falling sun.
“Yeah… in the morning,” I sadly, quietly responded after him. He hadn’t bothered to wait up, or to even try to convince me to come home with him.
But that’s what I want, right?
Of course it wasn’t.
I knew it even then.
Rather than try and summon him back or wallow self-piteously in the encroaching darkness, I plugged in my key code, entered the building, and took the elevators up.
To my surprise and disappointment, the lights were off as I arrived. I’d been looking forward to Natalie’s company after such a strange and stressful day, but she wasn’t here – instead, she was probably out drinking with other friends, or hanging with her boyfriend.
I was alone.
Changing out of my dress, I took a quick shower to clean up and shed the light makeup. I took it long and hot, standing with my back and shoulders against the beating heat of the water for upwards of an hour.
When I finally dragged myself out and toweled off, no happier than I’d been before, I ran my hair drier and checked my text messages.
Nothing.
I was pretty full from all the food earlier, so I didn’t feel like snagging anything meaningful to eat. There was also some homework to do, but I didn’t particularly care about it right now.
Instead, I grabbed my emergency pint of chocolate ice cream from the freezer, huddled down with a blanket, and parked myself in Natalie’s usual spot on the couch.
I hadn’t made it more than an episode or two into some mindless sitcom when the door finally opened. Natalie slid inside, her boyfriend’s lips all over her as she let them both inside. He was pinning her wrists up against the wall and kissing her neck when her eyes fell on me.
“Heya, girl… don’t worry, we’ll drag this back to the bed… room…”
