Haunted (8 page)

BRIAN

The Governor ended up resigning when his connection to the Landstroud people, and the uranium scheme was uncovered.

The State Attorney’s office convened a Grand Jury and ended up indicting Barry, Abigail and Mr. Calloway and they were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud, misuse of State funds, bribery, and as accessories to murder, in the death of Mr. Mitchum.

“Haunted” ended up not being renewed for another season. “The Wild Thing” caught a wave, and rose fast on the YouTube rankings.

Then, Kim decided to shut the channel down.

At first I was a bit upset, but only just for a little while.

We spent the next few months getting to know one another even more closely. I can honestly say it was some of the best times in my life.

Of course, with the show being cancelled, Candice was miffed, because now she was faced with two hard truths – my relationship with Kim, and the fact that the show was truly over.

When we had returned, I was ready to let her know our own relationship had run its course, and I was in love with Kim.

But, as soon as she saw us, she ran over and gave me a big hug and kiss.

She told me “You’re a very lucky man, Brian Cox. Don’t lose her!”

And then, she went to Kim and told her that they should do lunch sometime soon.

They both looked over at me, and I swear I had never felt more exposed in my entire life!

Candice turned out to have been ready to move on, and had soon ‘re-united’ with an old flame named Robert.

Last I heard, they had rented a bungalow in Cabo for the summer.

*****

“Haunted” coming off the air wasn’t really the devastating blow I had thought it would be. I realized that I had already done everything I wanted with the show.

To be honest, it felt great to go out at the top of my game.

My days of exploring ‘reality show mysteries’ had finally come to an end.

But with Kim, on the other hand…let’s just say there’s still a lot of exploring to do there.

Starting with the idea of us having some of our own “Junior Investigators”.

*****

Every day I wake and thank my lucky stars that we’ve been able to finally be together.

It’s been a pretty long road to get here, where I can finally feel at ease with my life.

I struggled for many years with the truth about my old man.

When we were kids, Kim and I were pals, but always had to keep looking over our shoulders because of him. He could turn violent at the drop of a hat, but he’d done some pretty damn fine things, every once in a while. I guess Kim’s mom had seen something of that in him, which is why they got married.

I can’t imagine she’d knowingly put her daughter through that shit.

But, my father ended up being the one who finally screwed it up enough to make it unfixable.

I have no idea where he is now; but I remember the last time I had seen him.

It was the day after I had left the house, and the police had brought me into the station to testify against him.

My stepmom had called them, at Kim’s insistence, after I had walked away.

They came and picked him up, and he took a swing at one of the cops. He missed, but that was enough to stick him in the hoosegow, and get him before a judge.

When I came into the room, my black eye and bruised body spoke volumes about what my father had done to me. Everyone in the room looked at me, and then shook their heads in disgust at the old man.

He sat there, head down, not saying anything. It was almost as if the rest of us didn’t even exist.

One of the cops took me aside and told me my father was going to jail for a long time, and my testimony would cement the deal.

Although I wanted him to be punished for what he’d done to me and Kim, and my stepmom, I felt sick.

I didn’t want to tell them anything. I was embarrassed and hurt, and felt like it was somehow my fault. That I had done something to make him snap.

The old man looked at me, and I felt this odd mix of emotions.

I didn’t exactly hate him, but I didn’t want him to hurt Kim or her mom, either.

I asked them to let me speak with him for a few minutes, alone.

The cops shrugged, and told me to just wave at the one-way glass if I needed them.

We sat there, not speaking for about three minutes. I was almost ready to just leave, when he looked at me with this really sad look.

“I just want you to know, this isn’t your fault, Brian,” he said.

Well, no shit, I thought to myself.

“You probably think I am just a mean, wicked drunk, who uses his fists to solve his problems,” he said.

I nodded.

“I just want you to know, that I am sorry that I hurt you, and your mom and stepsister. I am not making any excuses for the messes I’ve made. But, I want you to know that none of you are to blame,” he said.

He stared at the wall, and then sighed.

“It’s the war, son. I was in combat, and I saw things that I can’t forget. I have nightmares, unless I drink, and even then I still wake up in a cold sweat, nine times out of ten,” he said.

“I don’t expect you to understand all this. I’m sorry about the way I treated you and them,” he said.

“Why don’t you go to a doctor about it?” I asked.

“Hell, kid. Most people want to forget there even was a war, and the one’s that remember call us baby killers and spit on us. And, if I’m honest, we did some terrible things. I can’t feel right about any of it. It’s a shit excuse to give you, but there it is. I don’t blame you for hating me. If I were you, I’d …”

He drifted off. He looked around again, and then put his head in his hands and wept quietly.

“I don’t want to see you ever again, and if you come near Mom and Kim, I’ll kill you,” I said.

He nodded, and kept his face buried in his hands.

I got up and walked out of the room.

And then, to my great surprise, I lied to the police.

I told them I had fallen down off my bicycle and cracked my ribs on a curb.

I told them I had a black eye from not paying attention and hitting my head on a door.

I lied and felt ashamed and sad and angry, but I lied just the same.

And in the end, the old man walked. He just walked away from all of it. Since he didn’t actually hit the officer, they really couldn’t hold him for that either. In fact, the man swore that my father had just tripped and accidentally swung at him. I guess they just didn’t feel like doing any more paperwork.

What was the point? I was their leverage, and I had just chickened out, in their minds.

Some of the cops started swearing at me, and threatened to arrest me for obstruction of justice.

I just sat there, and waited it out.

Eventually, they got tired of the game, and threw the two of us out into the street.

“Kid,” said the one cop who had taken me aside, “I don’t know if you’re stupid or have more guts than anyone I’ve ever seen. You stay out of trouble, and make sure to give that fucker a wide berth.”

“It’s okay, sir,” I said. “He won’t be hurting anyone anymore.”

The cop looked at me and slowly nodded.

He saw my father slowly walking away, towards the corner bar.

“You take care, Mr. Cox,” he said.

I had never been called “Mister” before.

It made me feel like an adult for the first time in my life.

*****

Over the next few weeks, I stayed with a few friends, couch surfing.

I didn’t dare go back to see Kim, because I was afraid I would tell her I couldn’t testify against my own father. I felt responsible for what had happened, then. I didn’t think she would understand what I did. I am not sure I understood it myself, at the time.

*****

One day I had driven past my home, and Kim and Mom were gone.

I stood there, looking at the house where I had grown up.

I felt lonely and afraid.

But also, I knew my life was really my own.

My friend’s parents made a few calls, and found out that Kim and her mother had moved to another state. I wondered why my stepmom didn’t put a lot of effort into trying to find me for a while. But, I guess she was through with my dad, and didn’t want me hanging about to remind her of what a mistake she had made.

I can’t say I blame her.

But, I always missed Kim, from that day on.

I decided I needed to find my own way, and that’s what I did.

BRIAN

Today, I can say that it all turned out for the best. I made my mark, as weird and ephemeral as reality television is. I made a difference, however small, in the way the People were treated. Their burial grounds remain untouched.

And, I finally found the love of my life.

Kim and I are happy now.

I remember the times when we were kids, and the way things were.

I remember the terrible things my father did to us.

Now I have some understanding of how hard he battled his own inner demons. I found the strength to forgive him, even though I know he’s probably long gone.

Now, all of that is behind us.

I love Kim, and we are getting ready for our next big adventure together. It’s no real mystery at all.

Kim is strong, but sometimes I catch her a bit misty-eyed.

She made me promise that, when the boy is born, we are naming him Randall Brian Cox.

I agreed totally.

It’s great being in love.

*****

KIM

I’m sitting on the beach, making meaningless designs in the sand of Playa El Médano, in Cabo San Lucas.

Brian’s assistant, Candice, wasn’t able to join us.

Turns out she her new boyfriend and she decided they had enough of Cabo, and wanted to travel to Europe for a romantic weekend. In Paris…

… where they ended up texting Brian that they had gotten married.

Brian’s not too surprised, and he wished her well.

She did say something pointed about Cabo, but maybe she was just commenting on how lucky we were. Or something…

I’m not showing yet, and the sun on my bare belly feels wonderful. I can’t believe we’re having a baby! And it’s a boy!

The unsweetened iced tea I’m sipping feels lovely since the bright, hot sun is just now getting to the point where the rest of the day will slide into a delicious, romantic evening.

Brian and I are making love every day. Sometimes, I can’t believe how in love we are.

I am so lucky!

I found my soul-mate, after almost losing him forever.

It’s really great being in love!

THE END

He's back, and he's brought all the old feelings I buried with him.
I thought I was over him.
I thought I'd gotten past my stupid teenage crush for my stepbrother.
But now Reid's back to take care of his sick mother and I've been slapped with a rude reminder:
I still love him.
I still want him.
Even if I know it's wrong.
I have to forget him.
There's too much at stake.
But the way he looks at me...
The way he touches me...
I'm not sure I'll ever come back from this.
I'm back, but the moment I see her again it's like I never left.
She's off-limits. Not only because she's my stepsister.
But she's with someone else.
I need to stand back.
I need to get the hell away from her.
I've got more important things to deal with than figure out what I feel for her.
But it's a lot harder than I thought.
Because the way she feels in my arms...
The sweet sounds she makes when my hands are all over her...
It's all proof she was meant to be
mine
.
Gripped is a grittier, slow burn stepbrother romance based in the beautiful Seattle, WA area.

No cliffhangers.

HEA guaranteed.

----------------------------------------------------
“Well, congratulations,” I said as I turned back to my suitcase. I spread out the mountain of clothing so it lay flat in a haphazard mess. “I’m glad I didn’t have to ruin my hands punching this one in the face too.”
“You still can.” She chuckled. “Wait, why are you packing?”
“I’m going to a hotel.” I zipped up the suitcase, lifting it to sit on its wheels.
She advanced into the room, her features a mixture of anger and disbelief.
“You’re leaving? Reid, Dad invited you to stay here. How do you think he’d feel if you left just like that?”
“How do you think he’d feel if he found out what we did?”
A long and heavy silence followed that statement. My words and the memories they inspired hung there between us, taking up too much space, overwhelming us. This complicated mess was way too much for either of us to handle. At least too much for me to handle.
“It’s just so typical of you.” She spoke softly, her voice laced with disappointment. It set me on edge, fuelling my own anger too. “As soon as things don’t go the way you want it to, you bail. You always bail.” Her face pink, she moved closer, her brown eyes glittering with the anger that refused to relent. “You never stick around. Not to talk or work things out. You run. You run like a fucking coward.”
The air felt alive somehow. My skin was too hot despite the light sweater I had on. My heart beat faster than normal. A coward? She thought I was a coward? For years I’d fought against what I felt for her until all I could do was disappear. How the fuck did you ‘talk’ or ‘work’ out a situation where you had fallen in love with your stepsister?
“And what about you, Mac?” I stepped toward her, crowding her space. When she backed up, I followed. “Wanna know what you do when the going gets tough? You ignore it. You stick your damn head in the sand and act like if you pretend it isn’t happening it’ll go away.”
She pressed against the dresser and stared up at me with wide eyes. Her lips parted, she breathed fast and deep like if I was blocking her oxygen. I intended to do just that. I was going to kiss her so hard, she’d hit me to let her go. No amount of rationalization was going to stop me either. I was a coward? Far from it. She was about to learn that much.
“Newsflash, Mac, either you run, you fight, or you give in.”
She licked her lips. “Reid, I—”
“And you know what?” I fisted my hand in her hair, pulling her head back so every bit of her attention was focused on me. Her features were conflicted, growing desire warring with deepening anger. My cock was as hard as stone and I decided that maybe kissing her was not the only thing I needed to do to her today.
I bent my head so she could feel my lips move against her jaw as I spoke.
“I’m fed up of running, I’m fed up fighting, so I think I might as well give in.”

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