Page 58 of His Stepdad Wears Leather

Riley frowned and gazed at Parker. “Why does your dad have a different last name than you?”

“Because I’ve got my moms’ last name.”

“Cool,” Riley mumbled and went back to blowing up her balloon.

“Okay, Stace—what else do you need done to get ready?” Brody asked, rising from where he’d crouched beside Parker.

“I was hoping you might put your talents in the kitchen to good use? Maybe we can have an early dinner? I recently bought a big pack of steaks and we have a bag of potatoes. Geena just got back from the grocery store with a birthday cake, some chips, dip, party trays, and drinks.” She threw up her hands. “Though, I have no idea what he likes. What he doesn’t like. If he has any new food allergies since he left here. What if he’s a vegetarian? Or vegan? I know nothing!”

Brody grasped her by the arms. “It’s going to be okay.”

Stacey nodded, but it was clear she was nowhere close to being okay.

Brody sighed. “How long until you think he’ll get here?”

“No idea,” Stacey answered. “I offered to pick him up, but he said he needed some fresh air.Fresh air?I now assume that means he’s walking. I’m not even sure where the bus stop is or how far he’s got to go.” Stacey sighed in frustration. “It would’ve been easier to go get him. Why didn’t he let me go get him?”

Something whispered in the back of Brody’s mind—gone before he got a good hold on it. Stacey’s near meltdown was of more concern.

Geena wrapped an arm around Stacey’s shoulders. “I’m sure he’s fine and he’ll be here soon,andin one piece. Let’s finish getting ready for this party of his, okay? That’ll keep you occupied.”

Stacey nodded. Brody jumped in, trying to stay busy for her sake. He spent the next thirty or so minutes straightening up the kitchen and prepping the potatoes for the oven, and helping with balloons and streamers, all the while helping Geena keep Stacey from exploding into a mass of tears. When they were pretty well done, Parker asked if he and Riley could go play video games in his bedroom until Noah arrived.

“Sure, hon,” Geena said, urging them on. “We’ll call you if he gets here.”

“When,”Stacey corrected.“Whenhe gets here.”

Once the kids were upstairs, he turned to Geena with a grin. “A girl, alone in his room? Heisthirteen now, you know?”

“He and Riley have been friends since they were six. I don’t think he sees her like that,” Stacey said.

“Either way, I gave him the talk,” Geena said, finally done fidgeting with her end of the streamers. She came down her stepstool. “No worries.”

“Igave him the talk,” Brody corrected.

“Oh yeah? And what did you two talk about?” Geena asked.

Brody winced, suddenly as uncomfortable as he had the day of the conversation. “He said he understood how babies were made and freaked out when I brought it up. I still went through and ensured he had his facts straight. I also said I’d love him no matter who he loved, be it a man or a woman. That he should follow his heart and mind. I told him to use protection—no matter the partner.” He shrugged. “I guess that was the extent of it.”

Geena came over and patted his cheek. “You big, beautiful oaf. It wasn’t as terrible as I expected—but you missed the biggest thing.”

“Which is?”

“I bought him a big box of condoms—which I soon realized he had no real idea how to use. I gave him a banana tutorial and forced him practice—and then told him to come to me if he ever needed more and was too scared or too broke to buy more.” Geena eyed him with a grin.

“He’s a baby!” Stacey cried, appearing stunned.

“He’s a teenager! And kids his age are having sex,” Geena replied. “I’ve seen girls as young as eleven come into the hospital, no idea they were pregnant.” She turned to Brody. “So yeah.Igave him the talk.Somebodyhad to.”

Brody scoffed. Geena was an RN. She’d nursed him back to health after his surgery and was damned good at her job. “You’ve probably given that talk a thousand times before.”

Geena nodded. “Not exactly.But Iampretty comfortable talking about the human body and how it works, in all its magical ways. Which is why I made absolutely sure he knew what he was doing. I can’t allow our son out in the world clueless about protection. I’ll remind him every year or so after, too.” She pushed past him and turned to scrutinize the streamers again. “Fuck. That left side is still too low.”

Brody chuckled. “Well, I’m glad. I had no idea what I was doing when I was about his age.”

“You were having sex at thirteen?” Stacey asked, appalled.

“I lost my virginity at fourteen, so I wasn’t too far off. It was with a girl, too,” Brody replied. “Though, that first time only convinced me that I was absolutely,positivelygay, so myrealfirst time was a couple of years later.”

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