My Stepbrother, My Lover

by Ward, Alice

  Lauren smiled and started walking towards Rory. “Don’t have too much fun you two,” she called teasingly over her shoulder.

  Jackson turned to me and smiled. “So, to the campus police station?” he asked, offering me his arm.

  I was overjoyed that we finally had concrete proof that Meredith had lied. I accepted Jackson’s arm, not caring who might see us or what they might think. I felt euphoric and invincible as we made our way to the campus police station.

  ***

  “Jackson, Kennedy, thanks for stopping by,” Sidra told us. It was Monday afternoon and we’d once again been summoned to Sidra’s office.

  “No problem,” Jackson replied. “I think we’re both hoping that you have news.”

  Jackson and I had taken his recording of Meredith straight to the campus investigators. I listened to it for the first time while an uninterested detective made a copy for the case file. I’d thought it was more than enough evidence for the investigation to be closed immediately. But the investigator, Officer Shaw, simply thanked us for the information and promised to be in touch. We hadn’t heard from them since, and it had made for a tense weekend.

  I perched hopefully on the edge of my seat and looked at Sidra. “We caught her. Jackson got Meredith to confess and he got everything on tape.”

  Sidra gave me a patient smile. “Yes, Kennedy. I know. Officer Martin stopped by this morning to let me know that the complaint against you and Jackson have been officially ruled as unfounded.”

  Jackson let out a satisfied sigh, but I was still worried. “And my mother? Have they thrown out the complaint against her? I offered to turn her computer and class files over to the investigators, but they said I didn’t have the authorization. But Meredith confessed to making that up too…”

  “Calm down, Kennedy. The complaint against your mother has also been deemed unfounded. Someone from the Board will brief her on everything when she gets home, but she won’t have to deal with anything.”

  At least part of this nightmare is over. We’ve stopped Meredith. Mom and Jack will be home in a few days and Jackson and I will figure out a way to tell them that we’re in love. Soon, the next chapter of my life will finally begin.

  Since we’d come back from Fiji, I’d felt like I wasn’t really living. It was like my real life had been put on pause while I tied up the loose ends of my old one. I was tired of living in limbo and ready for the future.

  Jackson cleared his throat. “Sidra, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I’m incredibly relieved that our names have been cleared, but is any disciplinary action being taken against Meredith? After all, her lies put the reputations and careers of three people in jeopardy.”

  Sidra nodded. “I completely understand your feelings, Jackson. The university takes cheating allegations very seriously. The university also doesn’t appreciate that several investigators wasted time due to false allegations. Meredith has been put on academic probation, and a disciplinary hearing with the Ethics Board has been scheduled. She won’t be bothering you again.”

  “That’s the best news I’ve heard all summer,” Jackson told her.

  Sidra smiled. “Not that it matters anymore, but your last test results were emailed to me this morning. You passed everything with flying colors. I’m sorry you had to go through all of this, but you both handled yourselves incredibly well.”

  “Thank you, Sidra,” I said, deeply relieved. “Does this mean that I can pick back up with my tutoring schedule?”

  She looked caught off guard by the question. “Kennedy, your spot with Student Services has been filled. You aren’t on financial aid anymore. I pulled someone off of the waiting list.”

  I blushed. With everything that else that had been going on, I’d forgotten I no longer had to work off my tuition. “Of course, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Sidra looked back and forth between the two of us and I was certain she knew our feelings went deeper than stepbrother and stepsister. “I’m going to miss you, Kennedy. You were a fantastic tutor. Now the two of you need to get out of my office and enjoy the rest of your summer.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Jackson and I walked into Monkfish and spotted our parents at a corner table.

  “Are you ready for this?” Jackson whispered as we approached them.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I whispered back.

  “Kennedy, Jackson!” Mom jumped up from the table and wrapped me in a hug. The diners around us probably thought we’d been apart for months by the way Mom was acting, but I was too nervous to be embarrassed by her volume.

  “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” she told me as she pulled away. She held me at arm’s length and studied my face. “Is everything all right, sweetheart? I talked to Lewis at the Ethic’s office, I know all about Meredith. I told you she couldn’t hurt us, I hope you’re not still worrying about it.”

  “I wasn’t sure if you knew yet,” I told her. “I thought I might have to break the news.”

  “Oh darling, I had thirty messages when I turned my phone on last night.” She pulled me onto one side of the booth with her. Jack and Jackson slid in across from us.

  “Thanks for dropping our cells by the house,” Jack added. “It was nice to be disconnected for a while, but it was just as nice to plug back in. I don’t think Gloria or I looked up from our screens all night,” he joked.

  “It was no problem, Dad. Really,” Jackson told him. He shifted his weight from side to side and I knew he was just as nervous as I was.

  “Jackson, I can’t tell you how much your gift meant to me,” Mom said. She reached across the table and took Jackson’s hand. “I know that it was difficult for you, but you really couldn’t have found a better way to welcome me in to the family.”

  Gift? I had no idea what she was talking about. I shot Jackson a puzzled look and waited for him to explain.

  Jackson squeezed Mom’s hand affectionately and opened his mouth to reply. Before he could speak, a waiter appeared at the table.

  “Good afternoon, I’m Marcus and I’ll be taking care of you today. Can I get you started with something from the bar?”

  We went around the table ordering drinks. We were all familiar with the menu, so we also gave him our entrée orders. He pronounced our choices “superb” and set off for the bar. I turned back to Jackson.

  “Gift? You never mentioned anything about a gift.”

  “I’m sure he wanted it to be a surprise for both of us sweetheart,” Mom assured me. “We came home last night to discover my planned renovations nearly completed. I called Francois first thing and he said Jackson called when we were in L.A. and asked him to begin. I have to tell you Jackson, when I walked in and saw that… well I don’t think I’ve ever been so moved,” Mom said with tears falling down her cheeks.

  Jackson took her hand again. “I’m sorry if I ever made you feel unwelcome Gloria. I’m thankful that you and Dad found each other, and that you and Kennedy are in our lives. In fact…”

  Jackson quit talking when I kicked him under the table. Mom was so happy, she finally felt like we were a real family. I didn’t want to take the moment away from her.

  “In fact what, Son?” Jack prodded.

  Jackson shot me a pleading look and I shook my head, ever so slightly. “I’m just glad we’re all together, that’s all,” he mumbled.

  Marcus returned to the table with our drinks. Mom and Jack launched in to stories from their honeymoon in Ireland while I absentmindedly stirred my daiquiri with a straw. Jackson downed his first rum and Coke in one drink, ordered another, and spent the rest of dinner sulking. Thankfully, Mom and Jack were too busy being happy to notice our moods. Jackson and I each managed to choke down half of our food and when the check was finally paid, we were happy to make our escape. The four of us walked to the parking lot together.

  “Oh, did you two ride together?” Mom asked when she saw us both move towards Jackson’s BMW.

  “Yes,” I told her. “We
were both on campus so it was easier.”

  “How sweet,” Jack smiled. “I can’t tell you how happy it makes us that the two of you have hit it off so well.”

  If you only knew how well…

  Mom studied me for a minute with a strange, skeptical look on her face. She snapped out of it after a few moments and wrapped me in a hug. “I’m having my things moved to the family house this week. The two of you will have to come over for dinner.”

  “Sounds good, Mom,” I agreed as I pulled away from her. I gave Jack a quick hug and jumped into Jackson’s passenger seat. He shook his father’s hand and joined me in the car.

  “What the hell was that?” he asked as we watched our parents walk away.

  “She seemed so happy… she feels like we’re finally a real family. I didn’t want to take that away from her,” I explained. “I’m so sorry, Jackson. I promise we’ll tell them soon.”

  “When Kennedy? There’s never going to be a good time. I’m starting to think you don’t want to tell them at all. Do you really want to be with me?”

  “Of course I do!” I insisted, hurt by his accusations.

  “Well, it would be nice if you could act like it.”

  “This is hard for me, Jackson. You don’t understand.”

  “I don’t understand? It’s hard for me too! Harder even, given that I’m the one who’s wanted to tell them all along. All I want to do is hold your hand without feeling like I’m committing a crime. Is that too much to ask?”

  I knew he was right and it pissed me off. I’d completely lost my nerve over dinner and I was frustrated with myself.

  “Maybe it would be easier if we told them separately,” I suggested as Jackson drove towards campus. He didn’t reply and I spent the rest of the ride home staring out the window. We arrived at Lowell House and Jackson pulled the car up to the curb.

  “You aren’t coming up?” I asked. I didn’t even try to hide the disappointment in my voice.

  “No, Kennedy. I’m not. I’m tired of kissing you behind locked doors. If you want to tell your Mom about us on your own, be my guest. Give me a call if you actually go through with it.” He unbuckled his seatbelt, leaned across me, and opened the passenger door.

  I grabbed my purse and stomped up the staircase without looking back at the car.

  ***

  I heard a key turn in the lock and soft footsteps enter the room. “Kennedy?” Lauren called out. “I brought you some tea. Have you talked to him yet?”

  I rolled over in bed and saw Lauren in her running clothes. “What time is it?” I mumbled.

  “It’s around nine. Rory and I cut our run short this morning. We’re both really worried about you. Rory didn’t even know what had happened until I told him. He said that Jackson came home from dinner last night, stomped up to his room, and locked the door behind him. I guess you haven’t talked to him?”

  “What is there to say? Jackson was right. I completely lost my nerve in front of our parents last night. He has every right to be pissed at me. And I know there’s only one way to fix this, I’m just not sure I can do it,” I confessed.

  Lauren sat the tea down on the nightstand and stood in front of me, her hands on her hips. “Kennedy, I love you but you’ve got to snap out of this,” she insisted firmly. “You’ve built the entire situation up in your head to be a much bigger deal than it actually is. You love Jackson, I know you do. And I honestly believe that he loves you back. Who the fuck cares that your parents are married? So people will be surprised at first, they’ll get over it just like I did. And then they’ll see that the two of you are really good together. You’ve got to rip the band-aid and tell the truth all ready.”

  As if on cue, my mother called.

  “Good morning, Mom.”

  “Good morning, sweetheart. I was wondering if you’d like to come over for a mother daughter brunch. We have so much to catch up on and I brought you back all kinds of Irish treats.”

  Lauren’s right. Just go over there and tell her the truth.

  “That sounds great, Mom. I’ll get dressed and head that way.”

  “All right, darling. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Brunch with Mom,” I told Lauren as I tossed the phone on the mattress. I crawled out of bed and pulled a tank top and shorts from a pile of unfolded laundry.

  “Perfect, you’ll have a chance to talk to her alone. Just tell her how you feel, Kennedy. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

  “I hope so,” I replied. I pulled on the clean clothes and tied my hair up in a ponytail. “Wish me luck,” I said as I grabbed my purse.

  “Good luck, Kennedy. And remember, Jackson’s worth this.”

  I nodded and left the room. Looking back, I don’t remember the drive to the Montgomery house that day. All I remember is being in a haze and feeling nearly paralyzed with fear. When I arrived at the house, my mother didn’t act at all surprised by my demeanor.

  “Come in and sit down, Kennedy,” she directed. “I think we have a lot to talk about.” Her tone was serious and I realized that she hadn’t invited me over to pick up souvenirs. She took me by the arm and I let her lead me to the kitchen. A pot of tea and two mugs waited at the table.

  Mom pulled out my chair and then took a seat across from me. I stared at her blankly and she studied me the same way she had the night before. After a few minutes, she looked away and poured us each a cup of tea.

  “How long have you been sleeping with Jackson?” she asked as she lifted her mug to her lips.

  I didn’t even try to deny it. I didn’t know if she was mad or hurt, but I knew it was time to be honest. “Since before we knew that you and Jack knew each other,” I confessed. A single, guilt ridden tear fell down my face.

  “And you hid it from us because?” Mom continued.

  I couldn’t bring myself to look her in the eye. “We broke up. I mean, before we knew about you and Jack. And since it had stopped, I didn’t see any reason to tell you. I thought it would just complicate things.”

  “But you got back together.” Mom sat her mug in the saucer and folded her hands in her lap. I still couldn’t read her mood. Her voice was even, her hands were steady. But there was no warmth in her tone.

  “Yes… I tried to fight it Mom. I know that Jackson and I being together is weird, considering your relationship with Jack. I tried to forget about him, I tried to move on, but I couldn’t. And neither could Jackson.”

  “When did you get back together?”

  I sighed. We weren’t going to talk about our feelings until Mom had all the facts. “When you and Jack were in L.A.”

  “So the reason the two of you behaved so strangely in Fiji, it was because you were trying to hide your feelings for each other.”

  I nodded.

  “Kennedy, why didn’t you just tell us? I understand why you didn’t say anything in the beginning. But once you got back together, once you were sure you wanted Jackson, why didn’t you just tell me?”

  I sighed. “Because we know about the adoption, Mom. I found the paperwork when I was looking for our passports.”

  “The adoption?” she seemed completely dumbfounded.

  Maybe I did misunderstand…

  “The packet… from the adoption firm,” I explained. “I know I shouldn’t have opened it, but curiosity got the better of me. Jackson and I thought that our relationship might make things difficult for you with Social Services.”

  Mom busted out in laughter. “Oh Kennedy, you should have read past the cover letter. If you had, you’d have realized that Jack and I aren’t trying to adopt a child. I contacted the adoption firm to have papers drawn up. We were going to ask your permission for Jack to legally adopt you.”

  Embarrassment flooded my body as she continued laughing. “You were going to have Jack adopt me?”

  Mom composed herself and took a sip of her tea. “I thought it might be nice. After all, no one’s listed as your father on your birth certificate. Jack was all for it, it was actually his i
dea. Though given present circumstances, I guess we shouldn’t go through with it.”

  I shifted nervously in my seat. Mom didn’t seem upset, but I still couldn’t be sure. “Are you mad?” I asked softly.

  “No darling, I’m not mad,” she assured me. “I’m disappointed you didn’t feel like you could be honest with me. But I understand. I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t. Jack and I hid our relationship until we were engaged. I can’t expect you to act differently.”

  I took a long sip of the tea. It was chamomile, and the flowery aroma relaxed my nerves. “So who told you?” I asked.

  An amused look crossed her face. “Told me? No one told me, darling. Did you really think I missed the sideways glances and longing looks when we were on the island? I love you, Kennedy, and you have plenty of talents, but acting isn’t one of them.”

  “So you figured it out in Fiji?”

  “I’d had my suspicions for a long time. But yes, I knew for certain when we swam with the dolphins. The way you looked at each other told me all I needed to know.”

  “Does Jack know?” I thought of the way Sidra had looked at Jackson and me that day in her office and realized that there was a good chance everyone knew, and we’d kept up the charade for no reason.

  “No darling, perception isn’t Jack’s strong suit. I’ll tell him when he gets back from golfing.”

  “Don’t say anything,” I insisted. “Let Jackson tell him.”

  She considered it for a moment, then nodded. “All right... now I’m going to ask you the same question you asked me. Are you happy? Really, truly happy?”

  I nodded and tears ran freely down my face. “I’m so happy.”

  Mom stood up and wrapped me in a hug. “That’s all that matters to me.”

  On Christmas morning, Jackson woke me up by nuzzling his stubbly face against my neck.

  EPILOGUE

  “Good morning, baby. Merry Christmas.”

  I rolled over to face him and wrapped my arms around his chest. “Merry Christmas. What time is it?”