Page 15 of Claimed by my Stepbrother

“Excuse me? What is this?” a female voice calls out from behind us. Gabby opens her eyes and her face pales. I can’t quite make sense of her wide-eyed expression as she pushes away from me and swims to the ladder.

“Son?” my father’s voice calls to me and suddenly it all makes sense. We’ve unwittingly announced our relationship to our parents.Dio mio.

Gabby wraps herself in a towel and walks to her mother as I exit the pool and shake the water out of my hair. My father stands with his arms crossed beside his new wife and simply shakes his head in my direction. I walk to them and see Gabby’s mother take her by the arm and usher her inside the house. I set out after them and my father calls to me, “Let them go, son. They need to talk.”

I spin on my heels and bow out my chest, “That’s my fucking house. Are you telling me I’m not allowed to go inside?”

My father holds up his hands and says, “Whoa. Hold on, son. You can’t go in there all hot-headed and out of control. That’s my wife and her daughter in there.”

“And you’re going to stop me?” I grunt.

“No, I’m going to ask you as your father to please stay out here and let them talk.”

His words pierce my anger, and I remember who I’m talking to.

“I’m sorry, Papà. I didn’t mean to yell at you,” I tell him, rubbing a hand across my face.

“Is that the only thing you’re sorry for?” he asks and I feel the angst creep back up on me.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You barge into my home unannounced and unexpectedly and see something that you know nothing about and that gives you the right to make judgments? I’m sorry, Papà, but that girl and I are both adults. You can have any opinion that you want, but you don’t have the right to voice it as though you have some authority here.”

“How about you try to see this from our point of view? I convinced her mother to let her come here because I assured her that you would protect her from things like this. Now, we show up and find you doing exactly what you were supposed to prevent from other men.”

“What? What am I doing? Do you even know? Does she need protection from a man that cares for her and treats her like a princess?”

“Son, she’s your stepsister,” he tells me.

“No, she’s your wife’s daughter. We didn’t grow up in the same house and bathe together. You didn’t take us on family outings as siblings. I didn’t know her until about a week ago. She’s not my stepsister. You just happened to marry her mother. What if the roles were reversed? What if she and I had met, fallen in love, and gotten married? Would I have the right to tell you that you couldn’t be with her mother because that would make us stepsiblings?”

“I don’t know about that, son, but that isn’t the situation here.”

“No, it isn’t. In this situation, you met and married a woman without asking for my approval, as you should. I’m free to do the same.”

“Clearly, we aren’t going to agree but you have to understand that I don’t condone this thing,” he tells me.

“You don’t have to because it’s none of your concern. Now, I’m going inside my house and you’re welcome to join me. Or, you can stay out here cowering until your wife has finished having her tantrum. That’s up to you.”

“Be careful, son. No matter what that girl feels for you, that will change if you disrespect her mother,” he calls out to me.

I stop and look at him, incapable of hiding the disgust and disappointment in my eyes. “Is that what you think you’ve raised? Is that who I am? In my house, no one disrespects a woman.” I turn away from him then turn back and add, “Not even when it might be justified.”

I open the door and hear the sound of raised voices coming from the living room. Gabby is desperately pleading with her mother who is threatening to ship her back to America this instant. That’s when I decide to step into the room. Gabby doesn’t seem capable of standing up for herself so I need to help her.

“Oh, you.” Her mother looks at me and tosses her hands in the air. “Great. Why don’t you come in here and explain yourself? You were supposed to be looking after her, not helping yourself to her.”

“If we can all take a breath and calm down, we can have an adult conversation. Until then, I don’t believe the two of you should continue talking. This is getting out of hand. I’m sure you’re tired from the trip. Let me pour you a drink while we get a room ready for you.”

“I won’t allow my daughter to spend another night under this roof with you,” she shouts.

“With all due respect, your daughter is a woman now. She isn’t a child who needs to obey your orders. Gabby, do you want to go back home? If you do, I’ll put you on the next available plane.”

Gabby looks at me, takes a deep breath, and says, “No, I want to stay with you.”

“Okay, then that’s settled. Now, would you like that drink?”

“Oh, you’re a smooth one, aren’t you? No wonder you seduced my daughter. It won’t work with me. She’s coming home with me. Gabby, get your things. We’ll go to a hotel until we get the travel arrangements made.”

“She wants to stay here so she stays here. You’re free to go to a hotel if you’d like, but I’m offering you my hospitality. What I won’t do is allow you to come into my home and cause friction, so, it would be best if you table this discussion until you’ve had some time to cool down,” I tell her.

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