Stepbrother With Benefits 12 (Second Season) Read online

  "And what's that, honey?" my mom asks him.

  "The dating dilemma?" my stepdad says.

  "It's not really a dilemma, though, is it?" she asks.

  "I feel like I'm out of the loop here," he says. "I don't know who knows what or what's going on, so maybe we should start there?"

  It makes sense. You start from the beginning, right? Except I'm not sure where the beginning started and by the looks of it, neither does anyone else. We sit around the campfire nibbling our toast and staring at each other.

  "Alright!" my mom says, standing up, excited. "I've got an idea, everyone."

  She hurries over to Ethan and has him stand, too. Then she moves his chair closer to mine.

  "Sit, sit," she says, pushing him back to his seat. "And get really close to Ashley. Show us you're a couple. Make us believe it."

  Ethan lifts one eyebrow and gives my mom a strange look, but he sits and cuddles close to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I move into his touch, liking the fact that we can sit in front of our parents like this without worrying anymore.

  I hope we don't have to worry, at least.

  My mom goes back to her chair and scoots it closer to Ethan's dad. Then she sits and cuddles close to him, too.

  "We're going to pretend we've just met and we don't know each other," my mom says. "All of us."

  Um...

  I glance at Ethan, and he looks at me. "Who are you?" I ask him.

  "The man of your dreams, Princess," Ethan says.

  "Ethan, you're supposed to pretend you don't know me. That's what my mom just said!"

  "Listen, I'd say that to you if I didn't know you. I'd put my arm around you like this, too. You're the one screwing this up right here. How'd you know my name was Ethan, huh?"

  "Shut up, you," I tell him, but everything he just said might be true. Ugh. Ugh!

  "Um... alright, I meant that you two are still a couple and you know each other," my mom says. "I know Ethan's father, too. We're a couple. But we, meaning us parents over here, don't know you two over there. Pretend you aren't our children and we've just met you out and about while we're camping, and we invited you over for breakfast. That's what I meant."

  "Oh," I say.

  "Got it," Ethan says.

  "What's the point of this?" my stepdad asks.

  My mom ignores him and smiles at us. "Oh, you two look so cute! How long have you been together?"

  "A little over a week," I say, smiling. "What about you two?"

  "What is it, almost four years now?" my mom asks Ethan's dad.

  "Just about," he says. "Our anniversary is soon."

  "It is!"

  "So... you said a little over a week? You two look awfully close for that short a time period," Ethan's dad says, staring pointedly at us. He smiles, too, but it's obvious what he's asking.

  I decide to defer to Ethan with this one.

  "Yeah, I guess so," Ethan says, shrugging.

  I don't know why I deferred to Ethan with that one. He has failed me.

  "I don't mean to pry," his dad says. "You hear a lot about summer love and relationships, falling hard and fast but it doesn't last for long, and I guess I should admit I'm a little curious."

  "Honey..." my mom says to him, sighing.

  "Nah, I get it," Ethan says. "Yeah, and you're totally right, too. I've seen that happen a lot before. I've known Ashley since the second grade. I guess we were seven or eight back then. I don't even remember anymore, but yeah, we've known each other for a long time. It might seem like it's a short amount of time for us to be dating, but we've got over ten years of history, so I think that counts for a lot."

  I nod fast. "We used to play on the swings together at recess," I add. "Ethan was kind of a trouble maker, though."

  "Awww, isn't that sweet?" my mom asks no one in particular. "I think it's sweet. It's very cute, you two!"

  "Is that true?" my stepdad asks, giving us a curious look. "I knew you two knew each other before, but I didn't know you'd known each other that long. I didn't know about the recess thing."

  "You must be thinking of someone else!" my mom interrupts. "We've just met Ethan and Ashley, remember?"

  "Ohhh, right," my stepdad says, grinning. "Whoops. You look so much like my son, who is also named Ethan. Come to think of it, Ashley looks like my stepdaughter, too."

  "It's a strange coincidence, I assure you!" my mom says, trying to pull us back on track.

  "What are they like?" I ask. "Your son and stepdaughter, I mean."

  "Hm..." Ethan's dad pauses to consider it. "Ashley's nice. She always gets good grades and she's polite and kind. Ethan... I'm not sure. I don't think he's a bad person, but I think we've had some struggles. I think I could have done a little better raising him as he was growing up, but I think he's going to be alright."

  "Yeah, well, I've had some issues with my dad, too," Ethan says. "I know how it is, and maybe your son still wants you to be there for him. I wouldn't say that just because he's grown up now that he doesn't need you or anything."

  "You think so?"

  Ethan shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe you should have that conversation with him and ask him."

  Ethan's dad smiles, considerate. "Maybe I will."

  "Maybe Ashley could help, too?" I offer. "If she's polite and kind and gets good grades and Ethan is a little rough around the edges and struggling, and they're together now because, um... you're both married and they probably see each other a lot, er..."

  "You know, I never really thought about that before. What do you think, honey?" my mom asks my stepdad.

  "I don't know. They fight a lot," Ethan's dad says. "You think it'll work?"

  "Alright, let's just get right to it," Ethan says. "Your son, your stepdaughter, what would you do if they started dating? Like, some serious shit, alright? Not just little stuff like hanging out, but intense like he gets an erection just thinking about her. Kind of fucked up, right? They probably have bedrooms right down the hall from each other. You want them sneaking around like that, because they're going to do it whether you want them to or not, or would you accept it and understand?"

  Ethan's dad starts to choke and splutter. I stare at Ethan, mouth open, eyes wide, my entire face turning white. Really, Ethan? Did you seriously just say that?

  My mom just starts to laugh maniacally, though. She seems really amused by all of this, and I think the rest of us are mortified, except for Ethan who is just kind of hanging out and laughing at my mom laughing.

  Ugh.

  I don't even know anymore.

  After a couple of minutes everything calms down a little, and I guess we're, um... we're going to figure this out? I'm not sure.

  "My son has a propensity towards seducing girls," Ethan's dad says. "I guess I hadn't thought about it before, but he very well might seduce his stepsister without me knowing it."

  "I think they'd be cute together," my mom adds. "I don't think it would be seduction, per se, but I just think they'd be cute together. I think it'd work."

  "I think it might work," my stepdad says. "I just have a problem believing it would."

  "What the fuck, why?" Ethan asks, aggressive.

  "Now, hold on! Let me explain this first."

  Ethan grumbles and settles back into his chair. I reach for his hand and squeeze it tight, smiling at him.

  "If he's going to sneak around, then I feel like it's something he's not proud of. It feels like it'd be something he's hiding, right?" his dad says. "If that's the case, then I don't know if I could accept that. I love my son, but Ashley's a part of the family now, too, and I love her and her mother, also."

  "So you're saying that if he was open about it and talked to you about it, you'd be alright with it?" I ask.

  "I think I could come to terms with it," my stepdad says. "It's difficult, because I've never thought of the two of them ever being in that situation. I'd prefer if they were considerate and didn't openly flaunt the fact that they were having sex together, even though I kno
w they would be. I was a young man at one point, and even now me and my wife here like to have our share of sexy fun."

  "Ewwww..."

  "It's true, dear," my mom says to me. "We do like to have sexy fun. While you and Ethan were away at college... woo boy..."

  "Mom! Seriously?"

  "What! I wasn't the one having sex in a tent this morning."

  Oh my God, they heard us? "...I don't know what you're talking about," I say, murmuring.

  "Oh, right, sure you don't. If you think I believe that, you're quite mistaken, missy!"

  "You're weird," I tell her. "You're just weird."

  "It's genetic," she says, sticking her tongue out at me. "You're weird, too."

  Ethan clears his throat, loud, and then stands up. He looks at me, then my mom, and finally to his dad.

  "Look, I... I don't want to hide shit from you, alright? It wasn't about that. It wasn't that I was ashamed or thought I was doing anything wrong, but I didn't think you'd understand and I wanted to be with Ashley. I want to keep being with her, and whenever I thought about telling you and then thought about you getting pissed off about it, uh... well, yeah, that's it. How am I supposed to date her if you're just pissed as fuck about us dating? That's why I didn't tell you, but I told her mom. I asked her if I could date Ashley, so I wasn't trying to hide it from anyone."

  "He did ask me," my mom says. "He called me when we were on our trip. It was very polite and nice. I was so proud of him for doing that."

  "You really did that?" his dad asks, smiling.

  "Yeah," Ethan says.

  He sits back down with me and I wrap my arms around him and hug him. He hugs me back and kisses me quick. Um... just quick, because our parents are right there, but I kind of want it to not be quick.

  This is a bad thing to say, but to be honest I'm still kind of horny, and Ethan being so responsible and adamant about dating me is sexy and arousing in a way I didn't think was possible. I don't know if this is because of the teasing before or what. I think it's sexy either way.

  Ugh, I'm a sex freak, aren't I? This is bad.

  "I don't know why you didn't tell me earlier," his dad says. "When we came back from our trip and saw you and Ashley in the pool room, why didn't you just say something then? You two were cleaning and you acted like it was the same old same old. I guess I don't understand."

  Oh... um... I start to blush. Also I remember what we were doing then. That was a really nice vibrator. Thinking about vibrators right now is probably the worst thing I can do.

  Ethan's blushing, too, which isn't good. We're both quiet.

  "Since no one's going to explain it, I will," my mom says. "They were having sex. On the pool table, too! With sex toys. I told them to do that in the privacy of their own room. It's not like we have sex on the pool table, so they shouldn't, either."

  Surprisingly, um... Ethan's dad says, "We did a few times while they were away, didn't we?"

  My mom stares at him, her mouth open. "You can't tell them that! Not after I yelled at them for doing it!"

  "It's my pool table. I paid for it. I think I can use it however I want."

  "Ewww," I say. "Really? Eww!"

  "That's just fucking gross," Ethan says, shaking his head. "Good job, though, Dad. High five."

  And they do. Ethan and his dad give each other a high five.

  "Ethan, you can't high five your dad for having sex with my mom. That's super weird!"

  "What? They're married. Obviously they're having sex."

  "On the pool table!"

  Ethan shrugs. His dad shrugs, too. I glare at the both of them.

  "We cleaned it off after, Ashley," my mom says. "You don't have to worry about that. There's no cross-contamination or anything."

  "Mom," I say, staring at her, unblinking.

  "I'm just saying, honey," she says.

  "I thought we were all pretending we didn't know each other? What ever happened to that?"

  "Yeah, that was kind of fun," my stepdad says, then to my mom he adds, "It was interesting. I'm glad you thought of that, hun."

  "Yeah, it was cool," Ethan says. "But, uh... seriously, though. Real talk here for a second. I know that Ashley is your stepdaughter and so I guess that makes her like a daughter to you, so I'm just going to ask you, too, like I asked her mom. Uh..."

  All eyes are on Ethan. I watch him carefully. This is new and different, and...

  "Sir..." Ethan says, struggling with the word. "I'd like to date your daughter."

  "No way," my stepdad says immediately. "Not happening."

  "What! You can't say that," my mom says. "That was so nice and sweet, Ethan. Don't listen to your father. I'll let you date Ashley as long as you want, but only if as long as you want is forever."

  "Mom, really?" I say. "You're going to scare him. You're scaring me, even. That's just creepy sounding."

  "It's not creepy, it's the truth."

  Ethan's dad stands up and goes over to Ethan. Ethan stands, too, but looks a little confused. His dad holds out his hand and Ethan takes it. They shake hands for a second, but then my stepdad puts his other hand around his son and pulls him in for a hug.

  "I was just kidding," Ethan's dad says. "I've always wanted to say that, though. It's one of those things. If you have a daughter some day, you'll understand."

  "Wow," Ethan says, grunting. "Really, Dad? Wow."

  "I'm fine with you and Ashley dating. Just be careful with each other, alright? You both mean a lot to me and it would kill me if either one of you got hurt."

  "Yeah, I know," Ethan says.

  I look up at them and smile. Ethan's dad smiles down at me, too.

  "The opposite is true, too, though," he says. "It would make me extremely happy to see the both of you happy, and if you're happy together, then so be it."

  "Awww," my mom says, gushing. "Ashley, isn't that sweet?"

  I smile, because it is. It's nice. I feel like we've accomplished a lot today, and the day just started, so it's like we've accomplished even more.

  "I don't want to find out about you having sex on the pool table again, though," my stepdad says.

  He points right at me, too. Oh no.

  "You better not corrupt my son, young lady," Ethan's dad says to me.

  "What! Me?"

  "You don't even know the half of it," Ethan says. "Seriously, this girl's a freak."

  "Ashley, really?" my mom asks. "Are you a freak?"

  "Mom! I am not."

  "If you want to talk about it later, I'm here for you, honey," she says. "If you have any questions at all, I'll try to answer them as best I can."

  "Mom... please stop?"

  Really. Really really. This is weird.

  It's kind of nice, too. Nice in an embarrassing way, but still nice. I'm glad we can all still be, um... I guess it's a family? A weird family, maybe. Ethan's not really my family. He's my stepbrother, yes, but he's my boyfriend now and I don't know if he can be both.

  Stepbrother boyfriend with benefits?

  He winks at me and comes back to sit down next to me while his dad goes back over to my mom, too. My mom and his dad start figuring out the rest of our breakfast, apparently starting with eggs.

  Ethan leans over and whispers into my ear. "Hope you're ready, Princess. Now that that's all settled, once we're done with breakfast I'm going to drag you to the showers. No more teasing, this time is for real..."

  Oh no... I'm in trouble, aren't I?

  Very very good trouble...

  *** Ethan

  Breakfast is nice. If I'm being completely fucking honest, breakfast is always nice, though. Who doesn't like breakfast? For real, that's just weird as fuck. I get not having time for breakfast, or maybe not feeling hungry in the morning sometimes, but other than that, breakfast is amazing.

  Everything else is pretty great so far, too. My dad and I talk over food and Ashley and her mom talk, too. We all just talk together, one big happy family or whatever the fuck you want to call it. I guess it's kind o
f weird if you think about it as me and my dad and my stepmom and stepsister, but it doesn't have to be like that.

  I mean, really, how is this any different from just hanging out with my girlfriend and her mom, and then my dad is there, too? It's like in-laws or something. One in-law.

  Fuck, what happens if that happens? What do I call Ashley's mom then? Mom, I guess. Actually, yeah, that works, but how do I refer to her to others? Do I say she's my stepmom or my mother-in-law or what?

  Fuck.

  I think I have some time before I have to worry about that, though. Calm the fuck down, Ethan! It's only been about a week. That's way too soon for marriage and babies and all of that. Holy fuck, where'd babies come from?

  So, hey, how about that breakfast? Good, right? Yeah...

  We finish up eating and I help my dad put the fire out and clear everything away. Ashley and her mom are cleaning up what they can. We're going to have to bring these pans up front to clean them off later, but we've got time.

  There's no real rush or anything. That's one of the things I like about camping, especially without phones or whatever the fuck else. You just kind of live in the moment and you don't worry about everything else. Do you know how liberating it is to not even know what time it is and to have no real reason to care? Yeah, we can just turn the car on and check the radio to figure it out, but right now it doesn't matter and it might not even matter for a week or two.

  We can just have fun. My dad knows about my relationship with Ashley, and he's cool with it. Ashley's mom knows. Even Caleb knows, which I guess is good? Fuck if I know. It's good because now he won't try to put the moves on Ashley and if he does I have an excuse to kick his ass. Don't even make me do it, campground boy.

  "Hey," I say, because, yeah, I'm just going to live in the moment right now. "I'm going to go take a shower."

  "Alright," my dad says. "Sounds nice. I'll probably head over there in a few, too. Just want to take care of some things here."

  "If you find a hair dryer, let me know!" my stepmom says.

  Ashley just kind of fidgets around, nervous. I sneak over and give her a quick kiss before heading to our tent to grab my stuff. As soon as I come out, something happens, though. It's kind of crazy, actually.