Abigail
Up until now, I’ve only seen them in photographs.
Jared and Jamie.
All it takes is the thought of their names for a flush to rise up my neck and color my cheeks.
I know I need to stop this but I can’t help it. You know that feeling you get sometimes when you see a guy. That primal feeling that tells you that you’re supposed to mate with him and make babies, regardless of the fact that you’ve never even uttered a word in his direction. That’s how I feel about Jared and Jamie. It’s as though there is something in my physical make up that knows them and craves them, despite the fact that they are, for all intents and purposes, strangers.
Strangers who are going to be my stepbrothers in a few months.
I’m too young to be thinking about making babies. Sweet sixteen and never been kissed, but I guess all that means is that I’m pumped full of hormones and urges that have never had an outlet.
Dad and I are on our way to the barbecue restaurant across town so that the formal introductions can be made. I’ve met Dad’s girlfriend, Natalie, before but they’ve kept us kids apart up until now. Dad’s finally proposed so I guess that means everything is going to become permanent and it’s worth getting the families together.
I wonder how Jared and Jamie are feeling about getting a new stepsister. I wonder what they thought of the photograph they’ve seen of me. Probably nothing like the things I’ve been thinking about them. With their perfect smiles and gorgeous eyes, they could get any girl they wanted. My thicker than ideal thighs don’t seem to be having that effect on the boys at school.
I wring my hands, fussing with a sharp bit of nail that I wish I had a file to deal with. I gaze out of the window, not really taking anything in but hoping for a distraction. I shouldn’t be this nervous but I can’t help it.
“They’re really nice boys,” Dad says as though he can read my mind or feel my angst.
“I’m sure they are.”
“You’re gonna get on like a house on fire,” Dad adds cheerfully. “You always used to say that you wanted a big brother to take care of you.”
“That was when Jonas was picking on me and I wanted a big brother to beat the crap out of him.”
Dad chuckles and pats my knee. “That boy liked you…he was just trying to get your attention.”
“That boy should have been taught that liking someone doesn’t excuse abusing them.”
My dad is quiet for a while and I regret letting so much sharpness into my tone. “I wished you had a big brother then too,” he says softly and shrugs. “Now you’re gonna have two.”
“I’m sure they’re not gonna be interested in protecting me from the douchebags in this world. They don’t even know me.”
“It’s not going to take long for us all to get better acquainted. And they are good boys. I know they’ll be stepping into the big brother role in no time.”
I know Dad’s just trying to be nice and reassuring but his continuous mentions of Jared and Jamie becoming my brothers is make me feel a little queasy. I’ve imaged then in just their boxers with their muscular chests and washboard abs. I’ve imagined them kissing me one after another until my mind has melted into a puddle of goo and my legs can no longer hold me. I’ve imagined naughtier things that I would never admit to another human being. Things that are definitely not sisterly, that’s for sure. Things that fill my mind as we pull into the parking lot.
Natalie’s car is already there and dad pulls in next to it. He’s all smiles as we follow the waitress to the back of the restaurant. My stepmom-to-be sees us first and she’s up and out of her seat as though we are arriving dignitaries rather than a middle-aged insurance salesman and a slightly disheveled teenager who has no idea how to make the best of herself. Even from behind, the sight of Jared and Jamie is overwhelming. When they turn I’m almost knocked off my feet with lust.
Damn.
I know I’m going to humiliate myself. I know I’m not going to be able to act normally. They’re probably going to go home and laugh about the pathetic girl they are going to be stuck living with.
Except that isn’t what happens at all.
They might be gorgeous but they are good boys too. That first night in their company, I come to realize something. My new stepbrothers might just be the most perfect men in the world, but now they’re completely off limits because we’re going to be related.
The thought makes me almost lose my mind.