Baby for My Stepbrother

Chapter 5

Unfortunately, the future vision I had was more a view of the forests than it was the trees. Turning onto our street, Dane cursed under his breath, the knuckles of his hands turning white when he gripped the wheel tighter, the veins in his neck popping out because of the sudden anger he felt.

I focused my eyes on the scene ahead, and my body froze at the sight of my father walking out of the house to get the mail. His car was pulled out of the garage and into the driveway.

He was home.

After a year and a half, my father and Dane’s mother were home.

“Hey dad,” I stammered as I climbed out of Dane’s car and was taken into an immediate hug by my father. Holding me close to him, he squeezed my body between his arms. The caring gesture was lost on me and I realized that my father felt more like a stranger tome than a parent.

Holding meat arm’s length, he looked at me and said, “You look great, Luna. I can’t believe how grownup you’ve become.” “Well, maybe you wouldn’t be so surprised by her appearance if you actually stuck around to raise her over the past year.”

Dane walked up next to us, his voice exposing more of the anger that was evident in his scowl.

My father narrowed his eyes on Dane, stepping away from me to step closer to my newfound protector. “What in the hell is that supposed to mean, Dane? Your mother and I …”

“Are off saving other people’s children. I know. You’ve been feeding me the same line of bullshit since you got married. Meanwhile, I was left with your child, raising her and taking care of her when I was still, technically, a kid myself. ”

“Dane?”

Dane’s mother walked out of the house, her white gauzy shirt blowing in the breeze as she approached us. Her brown hair was cut short and when she looked at me, I was struck by how much Dane resembled her.

“Hey, Baby Boy. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”

She went to wrap her arms around him, but he stepped out of her reach, glaring down at her with so much sadness in his face that it made my heart clench in my chest. I’d known for the past few week show he felt about our parents, but it wasn’t until this moment that I understood how deeply his feelings of rejection ran inside him.

My father stepped up to Dane’s mother and put his arm around her, pulling her close against his side. “What are you doing, Dane? Why are you so angry with us?”

“You left us,” he said. “Both of us. Neither of you thought for one second that leaving your children to fend for themselves for a year and a half was a selfish idea.”

“We sent money…” my father argued.

“Thanks for that,” Dane growled back. “I had a shit ton of fun paying your bills and taking care of your house. So how long are you in town this time? A month? Two? Or is this just a pit stop you’re taking until you can get back to some other country to take care of their problems while ignoring your own?”

“Dane …”

“How long are you here, Chris?”

My dad flinched at Dane’s use of his first name. Now, more than ever, it was apparent that this family unit had never actually been anything close to a true family.

“We’re here for a week,” my dad answered, guilt tightly knit into his words and quiet voice. “Then we’re heading out again for six months.”

I felt a jolt of pain at the hard reality. Everything Dane said was true. My father felt like he had the right to pop in and out of my life when he pleased, without the tiniest bit of concern that he might be hurting me in the process.

Dane’s strong hand gripped mine, the bulge of his bicep flexing when he pulled me in the direction of the house.

My head spun around so that I look back at my father, my feet stumbling beneath me from the speed at which I was being dragged. When we entered the house, Dane said nothing as he continued up the stairs, taking me with him whether I liked it or not.

I was shoved into my room, the door slamming behind Dane’s body before he leaned up against it.

“What are you doing?” I asked, not quite sure how to deal with Dane when he was like this. Before Bean, when Dane was being pissy, I would walk away, not giving a shit whether he calmed down or not.

But then I’d met a different Dane. One who cared about me and the child inside me. One who joked around and one whose smile could light up my day. I’d met a Dane that made love tome, who held me in his arms, and chased away my nightmares.

Now, all I wanted was to calm him down. I just had no idea how.