by Ted Evans
From Stepbrother
to
Daddy
Book 3
A Stepbrother Romance
by
Ted Evans
© 2017 Ted Evans
All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author's imagination.
Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.
Author’s Note:
This book ends with a cliffhanger and it is part three in the series. You need to read part 1 in order to enjoy the second part in the series.
About Stepbrother to Daddy Book 3…
I hate him, so damn much. He drove me to the pharmacy and the next thing I know I’m there alone.
Liam left me.
I don’t need him.
I don’t want him.
I knew that it was too good to be true.
I get home and decide that I could do this.
I just needed to be strong and the only way to do that was to get him out of my mind, body and soul.
Once and for all.
Chapter One
He practically dragged me out of the hotel, he didn’t even give me a chance to dry my hair. Liam acted as if time was of the essence. I should have asked him what the hurry was, but I just wasn’t in the mood. He was acting like a man on a mission, I hadn’t realized that he could be so cruel, until we got to the pharmacy. The compassionate guy had left the moment I’d told him what was on my mind. The thing that he’d been begging me to do ever since we went to the Prom.
Then, we went to the pharmacy and bought a test. I say, ‘we’, because the man was picking up all different types as if he was buying candy or something. As we got to the counter the cashier dashed her eyes at him, at them, and finally me, the one who would be peeing on the sticks.
“How much?” he blurted out as he took out his wallet, ready to pay.
“Errh,” she said while blowing gum up in the air and playing with her loose strand of dark hair. “You only need one. They’re ninety-nine percent reliable. You really don’t need five.”
Exactly what I’d tried to tell him. He wasn’t listening to reasoning. I had been trying to look at the back of the pack, but he saw that we were in the pregnancy section and just grabbed as many as he could with his two hands. The last thing that he was going to do was listen to any sense of reason.
“Are you here to serve or give advice?”
Damn!
Liam was not to be messed with. Her eyes darted to me as if to say, ‘You poor thing.’
I looked down at the ground thinking that if he didn’t change his attitude, He’d be peeing on the stick alone. I wouldn’t be bullied by him to do anything, including finding out if I was pregnant or not.
“Forty five dollars!” She stuck out her hand and this time she was no longer chewing on the gum, but looked him directly in the eye as if she hated the sight of him.
He ignored her stare as he dropped the notes on the counter and then started to head out of the store.
“You poor thing,” she said as I turned to leave the store, but not with him. No way. I had money I didn’t need him to pay for the ride. I could do that by myself. I didn’t need him for anything, just for support and the way that he was acting, it was clear that I wasn’t going to get that from him. How had it gone so wrong?
“Adele, you coming?”
Wow!
At least he’d realized that I wasn’t standing next to him, but that didn’t make up for the crappy attitude. I was tired from last night, and the events this morning had my stomach in a turmoil. It had left me wondering why I’d got myself into this mess in the first place. I put on a fake smile and said, “Yes, dear.”
I walked up to him and he was tutting as he rolled his eyes, not appreciating my sarcasm. Which was ironic, because I really wasn’t appreciating his shitty attitude.
‘Yes, sir. Three bags full, sir. Anything else you want?”
I bowed down to him. He looked me dead in the eye and said, “To grow up. We’re not shopping for fun. We’re checking to see if you’re pregnant.”
“Really?” I said innocently, “I never knew that was why we were in the pharmacy. After all you’re the one that was picking up all the tests. I thought that they were for you.”
“Adele, stop making a scene. We came here for it. We got it. Now, you need to find somewhere to find out the truth. No WE need to find somewhere for you to do this. So, we’ll know what to do next.”
He used the word, ‘we’ as if he meant it. I knew that everything that was going to happen next, was out of my control. I had a quick vision of us being in a gas station and him handing me the tests and telling me to pee on the stick.
I didn’t have anything to say, so I walked away from him with a tear in my eye. We didn’t even know if a baby was coming and he was being horrible. This was too painful for me to even think about peeing.
“Adele, wait!” he shouted after me, but his legs weren’t moving. It was as if he said it, but really didn’t mean it as he stood outside the pharmacy still holding the door. I didn’t know if he was expecting anyone else to leave. There was no one else in there apart from us and the cashier.
“No, so you can say something really crappy to me again? Just leave me alone, Liam.”
I expected him to chase after me, but just like that I heard him shout out, “Fine.”
I turned to see that the man I expected to check to see if I was pregnant with, just leave. Just like that and he didn’t even bother to let me take my dress out of the damn car.
What the heck was I thinking hooking up with someone like him? I looked around trying to figure out how to get home.
Do I call Mom?
No, I needed to know if I was pregnant, before she found out. Besides, trust my luck that she was dating his dad. If she came, then she would have us all sitting down and discussing it. The way Liam was behaving there was nothing to discuss. I knew what was going through Liam’s mind, his expression and actions said it all. Find out if I’m pregnant and then he’ll have me at the clinic so fast I wouldn’t even have a chance to think about what I wanted to do next.
Do I call Chanel?
I could call my best friend, but she was at the Prom and I was sure that she was going to be at a hotel too until this morning. But, I didn’t know which one. Besides, she didn’t drive and I didn’t want to freak her out.
I was right back at my first option; Mom. I’d call her and tell her that she had to stop dating Henry because his son had not only knocked me up, but was a complete jerk. Liam must get it from one of his parent’s and it must be from his dad’s genes, because his mom was fantastic. I absolutely loved her, everyone did when she was alive. That was when Liam turned into a dark horse and I’d given him the benefit of the doubt and thought that he was a human being. A descent one that was misunderstood. How I’d been so wrong about that.
I found a bench and decided that I would sit and work up the courage to call Mom. My mind was telling me to call her, but something was stopping me. I toyed with the idea so many times, and then out of nowhere, I felt a friendly hand on my shoulder.
“Hey.”
I looked up to see the pharmacist staring down at me.
What was
she doing here?
“You stuck here?”
I nodded unable to say a thing because of the way that Liam had embarrassed me in her store earlier. He’d treated me like a child, then again what parent would just leave their child out on the street? If I was pregnant, I’d make sure that our kid had nothing to do with his dad, he was useless before it was even born.
“I can give you a ride. If you like?”
She smiled down at me; I couldn’t believe that she was being so nice. Then again, she’d witnessed the way that Liam had treated me.
I didn’t hesitate in saying, “Yes, please. But you don’t know where I live.”
She agreed, “I know, but I think that you could do with someone to talk to right now and I’m not only offering a lift, but a chat too. If that’s okay?”
She was like a guardian angel that had come to take me out of my misery. How could I say no? I stood up with my purse and my backpack which held the sexy number that I had on last night. I took it out of the bag and threw it in the trash. I didn’t want any memories of last night for as long as I lived. Liam had proven himself to be a jerk. One that I wanted nothing to do with from that moment onwards.
Chapter Two
I didn’t understand why she came to help me, I should have said something, told her how grateful I was, but I was so confused about the trail of events. I kept looking out. Expecting that any minute Liam would come back for me.
I checked my phone.
Nothing.
I couldn’t believe that he’d left me like that, but as time went on, I stopped thinking about him and started worrying about myself. About my future. It was clear that Liam didn’t want to be a part of it. Not anymore. Now that he knew the consequences of us being careless.
I kept racking my brain, trying to understand. I should have asked how come she wasn’t working at the pharmacy or some kind of conversation, but I was exhausted. I kept expecting Liam to tell the driver to come back. That he’d made a mistake and he didn’t mean it.
The reality of being out there for nearly thirty minutes and him not turning back and coming to see that I was okay started to hit home.
“I hate him!”
She said, “So, you should. God, he’s a jerk. Hey, let’s get something to eat before we go.”
I shrugged as I saw that we were standing in front of a diner. I didn’t feel like eating, but then again I didn’t feel like going home right then either. I was stuck in the middle of the city. At least twenty minutes from Small Borne and he just dumped me like a piece of trash.
I followed her like a little child. I still had my backpack in my hand. I put my purse inside. Without the weight of not only my dress, but my heels from last night, my bag felt a bit empty. Just like the way that I was feeling right then. Empty. As if he’d taken a piece of me in the limo.
Her dark eyes kept smiling at me. Trying to offer me some kind of comfort, but I felt as if her smile went straight through me. I didn’t know her. I did a quick peek in my purse, I was sure that I had about ten dollars on me.
I’d eat light and go to the ATM on the way to help pay for gas. That was the least I could do, especially since she’d gone out of her way for me.
“What would you girls like? Actually, Rita, I know what you’ll like. But you, sugar, what would you like?”
“What does Rita have?”
I’m saying her name as if I know her. Rita had never introduced herself. All she kept doing was smiling at me. It offered some comfort, especially when I didn’t even know her.
“She normally has the special, which has been the same special for the last two month in Rita’s eyes.”
My eyes dart from the waitress who could easily be my mom apart from the waitress has bangs. Big ones that she loved playing with like a teenager.
I decided that these guys are so friendly, maybe I’d move out there just so that I wouldn’t see the jerk again. The one whose baby I’m carrying.
“I think that she’ll have the same as me, Barbara.”
She nodded and I saw her looking at me as if I were strange, but seeing her face just reminded me of Mom. I’d thought that Liam’s reaction was bad, but it was nothing compared to what her’s was going to be like. A lot worse. A whole sight worse. But one thing was for sure, she wouldn’t have left me in the city like that.
“Rita, now I know your name. I’m Adele by the way.” I blinked my eyes a couple of times trying to focus and stop the tears from falling. “Do you help every teenager that comes in looking for a pregnancy test?”
She laughed and nervously looked around the diner probably trying to avoid eye contact. I just stared at her trying to figure out why a total stranger was helping me like this.
“I know your name. Your boyfriend kept shouting it out as he wanted you to leave the store.”
I nodded. “Yeah right.”
Remembering how Liam called me as if I was some kind of puppy from the door.
She said, “My mom owns the store. I just open up in the morning and then she comes in later on and I work there like four days a week, so I have a pretty flexible schedule.”
“Wow, great daughter,” I said as I thought about her being so young and giving up her time to work in a pharmacy. Maybe that’s what she wanted to be later on in life? I just wouldn’t have pictured her going for that kind of profession. She wasn’t the typical pharmacist with her bright make-up and punkish hair style.
She shook her head. “Not really. She has to drop my brother at school in the morning, he has ADH and his school’s kind of far. I just open up until she finds a permanent solution. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you, but with your boyfriend and all that, I couldn’t do it.”
“Ex,” I correct her pointing my finger at her. “He doesn’t dump me in the city and then he’s still my boyfriend. He’s a jerk. Prick. Coward…”
Before I could say another word she said, “Scared!”
I huffed, “Because that’s a good excuse to dump your girlfriend in the city. Because he’s the only one that’s scared.”
I move closer to her. “Like he’s really going to find out if I’m having a baby, because he can piss on the stick, right?”
She laughed and then for the first time this morning, I felt more relaxed. She said, “Can you imagine him holding the packet and doing it?”
I shook my head. “He would open it and then blame me for not being there and peeing!”
I had visions of him being so obnoxious that he would do that. It would be typical Liam to think that. We were laughing so hard and talking as the pancakes came and I saw the mountain of cream and chocolate on it. I didn’t feel so mad after all. It smelt good and tasted even better. I closed my eyes as soon as I had my first bite.
“Rita! You’re like the friend that I never had.”
She didn’t smile back and said, “Well, no one’s said that to me in a long time.”
We ate in silence as the mood suddenly changed. I wondered what I said that was so wrong, but I didn’t dare ask her. Even when Barbara brought the hot chocolate, she didn’t seem phased about it.
So, I decided to break the silence. “Sorry for whatever I said.”
She nodded. “It’s not your fault. I was like you about two years ago. But I didn’t even tell my boyfriend. I just got the money from my mom, pretending that I was going on a trip with the girls. And went to the clinic and I got it done.”
She started to sob, so I stretched out my hand and then she looked at me. The diner was a little busy, but no one was paying attention to us. If they were, I wouldn’t have cared. I was with her, my new friend, and she needed comfort. Just like I did on the bench outside.
“I went to college for about six months. It could have been shorter. My mind and body became so cold that I turned to drugs and the baby that I had inside of me. The one that I thought would ruin my life. I did that pretty much on my own. I got thrown out of college. Addicted to meth. Even have a record for stealing something in the mall. It was a mi
nor thing, I managed to get community service, but it’s still on my record. What I did realize was that if I’d talked to someone, maybe my boyfriend at the time, before I chased him away, or even better, my mom, then maybe my decision would have been the same, but I would have had the support to deal with it. My life wouldn’t have changed and been the disaster that it’s become.”
I had a question burning inside of me. I’d thought about an abortion, especially after the way that Liam behaved, but I had thought of other options too, like adoption.
“Do you regret having the abortion?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t know. I do know that I regret doing it alone. That’s all I’m saying to you. Just don’t do whatever you decide to do alone. Sure Liam’s acting like a jerk. He didn’t take it too well, but maybe give him time. But you live with your mom, right?”
I nodded my head.
“Talk to her, please.” She then reached down and got a bag. She passed it to me and said, “I saw you on the bench and thought that you’d need it. You can do it here or if you want at home. No matter what the result, talk to someone about it. Or if you like, I’ll give you my number.”
I smiled as I thought about keeping in touch with her. I knew that the pregnancy test was going to be positive. There was no two ways about it. I wasn’t a little late, I was really late and the only time that I was late was after I’d started having sex.
I nodded and said, “I would like to keep in touch, Rita. I would really like that.”
Barbara came over and took our plates. I could see her looking at us, wanting to say something. Two girls in the diner just smiling and holding hands. I didn’t care because I had a new friend. One that I knew would be important not only in my life, but her life too.
Chapter Three
We sat in the car in silence. Rita from time-to-time would look at me and smile. I would do the same with her. The only noise was her GPS directing the way. Only twenty minutes until we arrived at my house and it felt like a lifetime just clutching ahold of my backpack and wondering if going home was the best solution. I picked up my cell which was turned off and debated whether to put it on.
