Page 17 of An Unexpected Encounter

I take a moment to look at Dad. His face is lit up with happiness as he watches Julia make her way toward him. I haven’t seen him this happy since Mom was alive.

Why do I feel that if I tell him how I feel about Selena, it’ll crush him? It was just one night. Do I really have as intense feelings as I think I do, or is it just the chase that has me feeling all these emotions? I’ve never had a woman sneak out on me before.

Julia makes it to us, handing her bouquet to Selena, and Dad takes her hands in his.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re gathered here today to join these two people in holy matrimony,” the pastor begins and everyone sits.

I keep my eyes on the back of Dad’s head, focusing on the thinning patch of hair at his crown. If I look past him to Selena, I know I’ll come undone. I can’t rush toward her like I want and wrap her in my arms, kissing her deeply. I don’t want to ruin Dad’s wedding.

I tune the pastor's words out as I run through all the possibilities of how this is going to end. Only one of them is the ending I want. The one with me and Selena together, and Dad not upset about it.

“Zeke,” my brother whispers as he shakes my shoulder.

“What?” I mumble back.

“The ring!” His words zap me back to reality.

Aww, shit! I totally spaced out.

“Sorry, Dad. Here you go.” I pull the ring from my pocket and hand it to him.

I feel like an idiot. It’s Dad’s wedding and I space out in front of everyone, thinking about the woman standing across from me.

Dad and Julia exchange their vows, rings, and then kiss.

It’s official.

Selena is now my stepsister, and I fucked her. Worse, I want to do it again. It’s all I can think about—me and her together. Not for just a fleeting moment or to get my dick wet, but forever.

How in the world could I be so drawn to someone I only met over the course of one night? A woman whose name I didn’t know until she walked down the aisle.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Abel Carter,” the pastor announces as my father and his new wife turn to face the guests of their wedding.

He glances over at my brothers and me, and his face is full of happiness. There’s no way I can dampen it with news of being with his new stepdaughter. After everything he endured with my mother’s failing health and untimely death, I can’t bring shame upon this marriage.

Dad and Julia walk down the aisle, arms interlocked. Movement catches my attention and Selena’s moving, falling in step behind them.

I step along with her, taking her arm in mine, just as the wedding planner said we should. I can feel her body stiffen under my touch as her breath hitches.

I catch tiny glimpses of her out of the corner of my eye, both of my brothers’ hot breath on my neck from where they walk behind us.

As soon as we get to the end of the aisle, she pulls free from my hold and rushes away to her mother, where the photographer is waiting to take pictures of the happy family and bridal party.

My brothers each take hold of one of my arms and pull me to the side, keeping us slightly out of sight of Dad.

“I can’t believe it’s her?” Eli says from beside me, low enough that only we can hear.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I whip around to face them.

“That’s my woman from the plane. Veronica. No, she’s Selena, and crap, she’s our new sister?”

“No, that’s my woman from the hallway,” Jay announces through gritted teeth.

“She’s the woman that ditched me in bed. Christ, instead of each of us finding the woman of our dreams, we found the same exact one.” I sigh.

“And she’s off limits.” Jay sticks his hands in his pockets as he rocks back and forth on his feet.

“We all slept with her!” I say out loud, not even realizing.

---