Page 1 of Step Daddy

Prologue

Kit gasped as his older brother, Gareth, burst into the living room and jumped between him and his stepfather.

“Dad! Leave him the fuck alone!”

Once again, it was Kit’s fault that his older brother was fighting with their dad. Well, Gareth’s biological dad, Kit’s stepdad. But still, his mom and Gareth’s dad had been married for over two years and it seemed like there was never a moment’s peace between the two men. Kit lowered his head, twisting his fingers in a vain attempt to calm down.

Gareth’s dad glared at his son. Gareth had just turned eighteen and been declaring for months now that once he was an adult, he wasn’t going to put up with their dad’s shit anymore.

Their father’s scowl deepened. “Don’t you dare tell me what to do in my own home or use that filthy language with me, young man.”

He jabbed his finger at Gareth, his features twisted with rage. It was the expression Kit associated with the man whenever he thought of him—something he tried to avoid as much as possible.

Gareth grunted, taking the easy, confident stance he employed when dealing with his father’s outbursts. Kit had observed that confidence steadily grow in the past couple years, along with Gareth’s height and muscles. Kit was so proud of his big brother. Even though he was only twelve, he doubted he’d ever be as tough or strong or handsome as Gareth. He’d never have that square jawline or such intense blue eyes, and none of the men in his family were over six feet tall.

“You know what, old man?” Gareth sneered. “Other people live here too, it’s not all about you.”

“I pay the damn bills. What I say goes.”

Kit noted the vicious edge in his stepdad’s tone softening, and how he’d taken a step back from Gareth when his son straightened and puffed out his chest as if he were about to punch him.

Gareth shook his head with what seemed like disgust. “Yeah, right. I guess you let Cassandra keep all the money from her paycheck to splurge on herself, huh? You know, since you’re the one paying all the bills?”

Gareth’s dad gritted his teeth. “Shut up, you.”

“What? You don’t?” Gareth shook his head again. “There’s a shocker.”

Gareth’s gaze darted Kit’s way. Belatedly, Kit straightened his posture to demonstrate to his brother that he was strong too, that he was standing up to the household bully as well. But Gareth was back to staring at his dad through narrowed eyes with his hands balled into fists.

“I’m done with you, and I’m done with this shitty town. I’ve enlisted in the Marines and I don’t plan on ever coming back.”

His dad’s jaw dropped, the look of surprise almost comical. But a second later, he burst into laughter. “You? The Marines?” The sneer made a reappearance. “Oh yeah, I forgot they take your kind now. This country sure has gone to shit.”

“Nah.” Gareth snorted. “It’ll only go to shit if your kind doesn’t change their ways.”

His dad scowled. “Go on then. Get out.” He gestured to the front door. “And it’s a damn good thing you’re not coming back, because you wouldn’t be welcome anyway!” Kit gasped when his stepdad pointed at him. “There’s still hope for this one if you’re not around as a bad influence.”

“That’s reminds me,” Gareth growled out, his hand resting on the doorknob. “If I hear one word about you hassling him, you’ll regret it.”

Kit clamped his lips shut. They fought about him so much that Kit was consumed by guilt. He was sure if it wasn’t for him, Gareth wouldn’t have joined the military. What if something bad happened to his brother in the service? He’d never forgive himself. Not ever, ever, ever.

“Don’t you threaten me, boy. You’ll regret that.”

For a moment, Kit thought Gareth was about to lunge at their dad, but then he glanced Kit’s way again and stopped.

“Take care of yourself, kiddo. Don’t ever let anyone put you down.”

Before Kit could muster up one word in response, the door was already closing behind Gareth and his brother was gone. His chest tightened, stomach churning with fear at the thought of never seeing Gareth again.

He raced from the room feet thumping on the carpet as he ran down the hall to his bedroom. Vague shouts filtered through the anxiety clouding his thoughts—his dad and mom were arguing about Gareth. That was fine. It would give him the chance for a proper goodbye.

The bedroom door slammed against the wall as he tore through the threshold, but he ignored what would likely be the cause of a huge punishment later. Gareth’s Harley was revving up, which meant he had precious seconds to spare until Gareth vanished into the night.

Kit’s fingers shook as he pried open the window latch before shoving the resistant panel up. He didn’t even wait until it reached the top of the frame before he wriggled his way through the small space then dropped onto the grass. Frantically waving his arms above his head, he tried to get Gareth’s attention as he backed his bike out of the driveway. However, he was looking over his shoulder at the street, so Kit doubted he could see him tearing across the lawn.

Gareth faced forward, revving the engine a few times and Kit cursed his short legs, angry that he couldn’t move any faster. In seconds, Gareth would be gone. With one final burst of energy borne of sheer desperation, Kit launched himself forward, stumbling over his feet but stopping himself before he fell.

Perhaps Gareth spotted him in the side view mirror, because he let the engine fall back to an idle and rolled backwards. He regarded Kit with a frown.

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