LOGINShare
52. The Heart Attack
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56[ K A R A ]
"Hey," Cole said as soon as he entered the room.
He looked disheveled, with bags hanging under his eyes. Slowly, he walked over to the bed and sat down next to me. Smiling a small smile, he leaned in and planted a short kiss on my cheek.
"Hey," I whispered back.
"I missed you," he said, leaning his head against mine. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I had been through a life-altering experience," I shrugged.
"I should have never let you go. I'm so sorry,"
"Why are you apologizing to me? It wasn't your fault, Cole,"
"I'm your boyfriend. I should have taken better care of you," he breathed, pausing for a beat before saying, "I should've noticed the cuts sooner. I should've never left that night. And I shouldn't have let you go,"
"Cole, it's not your fault. Honestly, it was a
Related chapters
Dear Stepbrother 53. The Memory Lane
[ K A R A ]Leaning against the doorframe, Ryder was wearing a loose fit t-shirt and ripped jeans, his head cocked to the side, and his hair was messy like always."You've been here all along? Why the text?" I said quickly before he noticed I had been gawking at him."I thought it'd make a dramatic entrance," he shrugged.I rolled my eyes, trying my hardest not to smile. "Where have you been?" I muttered."I had to run an errand," he said, pausing for a beat, "Why? Did you miss me?""Pfft. Yeah right,"He stalked closer and sat on the edge of the bed. His knee was touching my leg and I gulped.His hand then reached for my arm, slightly lifting my sleeves up a bit, revealing the cut marks all over. I should push him away, but under his touch, I had turned into a statue.His fingers
Dear Stepbrother 54. The Forever Young
[ R Y D E R ]My whole life was narrowed down to this one moment. Everything that we had been through, they finally brought us here. To this simple yes or no question."Will you marry me?"I looked up to search her eyes, but she was just staring blankly into space. Her mouth fell open but there was no sound.Breathe Ryder, breathe.I waited... and waited. These seconds felt like hours. Why wasn't she saying anything?"Kara? Say something... please,""Ry... I... I don't know what to say," she stammered and she pulled her hand away.That gave me a pang in my stomach."Just say yes then," I said.But she shook her head."Ryder... this... you are insane. We can't just do something like this…"
Dear Stepbrother 55. The Joshua Tree
[ K A R A ]Later that day, mom and Peter stopped by with some food by lunchtime. Ryder wasn't anywhere around the hospital though. I heard from Peter that he went out somewhere.I wanted to text him and ask him where he was, but then I knew he'd come and see me, and I still didn't know what to say to him. So I decided I shouldn't text him, even though I desperately wanted to.I looked around the hospital room, it was a full house today. Peter and Cole were chatting about boats and Elle was doing my mom's nails. It was a happy sight. But I still felt like something was missing. Or someone.Oh, fudgesicles.I guess what I was trying to say was... I miss you Ry, the room feels empty when you're not here.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dear Stepbrother 56. The Savage Love
[ R Y D E R ]I never ran so fast in my life.The night air was cold, but everything inside of me was burning like a fire. I shove past everyone in the street as I made my way back to the hospital. And when I finally got to her room at, I saw that Kara was alone, just sitting on her bed.This was it, the moment of truth."Hey," I breathed, still panting from all the running.She looked up at me and she smiled. There was something about that smile. Her smile held meaning."Hi," she said.I relaxed my breathing and leaned against the doorway, trying to look as confident as I could. I wondered if she could tell I was dying on the inside."So, is the comma sign gonna be our way of saying booty call now?" I teased and she rolled her eyes.I strode inside and closed the do
Dear Stepbrother 57. The Holy Hour
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *ONE MONTH LATERKAUAI, HAWAII* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *[ R Y D E R ]“Dad! There’s mail!” I shouted into the house and threw the big white envelope on the kitchen table.I just came home from my morning training at the beach, and I noticed this white envelope sitting on the front porch. It was addressed to my dad from some law company. I thought it might be important.Dad came out of his room seconds later. He picked up the envelope and muttered, “Oh, right…”“What is it?”Dad let out a sigh and opened the envelope. His eyes scanned the paper quickly before saying, “Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like signing your divorce pa
Dear Stepbrother 58. The Time Travel
[ K A R A ]“I can’t believe this,” I shook my head at the sight before me. “I’m sitting here drinking a milkshake with you,”Ryder and I were at the cliff where we almost had our first kiss. In our hands were our favorite vanilla milkshake, and we were sitting atop Ryder’s bike.“I can’t believe it either,” he said as he linked an arm around my waist. “My fiancée is actually here in the flesh with me,”My breath hitched as I heard the word. Being called Ryder’s fiancée was something incredible. It was kind of chilly outside, but I felt all warm on the inside.Ryder was gazing out into the night sea. The stars were twinkling above us and the moon was silver and bright. It was a glorious sight, but my eyes were glued to Ryder’s face, because compar
Dear Stepbrother 59. The Magic Carpet
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *SIX MONTHS LATERNEW YORK CITY* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *[ K A R A ]"I still can't believe you're getting married to Ryder next week," mom said as she stomped to the kitchen with our dirty plates."You've known him how long exactly? Three months?" she teased, referring to the time when I argued with her over her choices on marrying Peter."Ha-ha, very funny," I laughed sarcastically as I stalked to the living room to continue packing my things.There was so much stuff that I had to sort through, my room was a mess. I even had to use the living room because there wasn't enough space. And now the living room looked like the ballroom in Titanic as they were sinking.If you were
Dear Stepbrother 60. The Promised Land
[ K A R A ]The next thing I know, Ryder and I were driving down the highway in this convertible car. The summer wind was blowing through our hair and Ryder was holding my hand in his throughout the entire ride."We just passed the city limits,” I noted the sign. “Seriously, you're not gonna tell me where we're going?""And ruin the surprise? I think not,""Okay... just answer this then, is it somewhere where we could get a milkshake?" I said it naughtily."Damn, look at you go," he stifled a laugh."Six months of being away from you would do this to a girl,""Baby, I wish I could. But, actually, I want to wait," he said suddenly. "I wanna be that whatever unicorn-guy you've been dreaming of. I'll be that guy that waits for you and loves you no matter what,""What?"
Latest chapter
Dear Stepbrother Epilogue
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TWO YEARS LATER GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * [ R Y D E R ] The dawn was breaking outside the window. This bluish and orange light was creeping up the night sky, signaling the beginning of yet another day. 6:30 AM, the clock read. Kara was still sound asleep, maybe last night took a toll on her? Last night was... a lot of fun. I was getting hard all over again just thinking about it. Slowly I rolled over to my side, carefully wrapping her tiny body in my arms. My fingers ran to caress her soft cheeks. "Hey..." I murmured to her ears as she shuffled a little. "Mmhmm," she mumbled, still closing her eyes. "Merry Christmas, baby," It was Christmas day in Australia, you would not have guessed it from the weather outside. It was 85 degrees and nothing but sunshine on the horizon. Apparently, that was how Christmas was done over here in the land down under. Kara wasn’t saying anything. She refused to wake up
Dear Stepbrother 66. Letters To K
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *ONE YEAR LATERTAHITI, FRENCH POLYNESIA* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *[ K A R A ]“Ry…?”I woke up this morning shivering and cold. This usually wouldn’t happen. Especially that we were living in Tahiti now, it was 80 degrees outside. And normally, I would wake up with Ryder’s body wrapping around mine like a blanket. He always made me feel warm, so I didn’t even need a duvet. But today, I woke up with the bed empty and it felt cold.“Ry?” I said again, but I heard no answer.I stirred in bed and slowly propped myself up. Ryder wasn’t anywhere in the room. I glanced at the clock and it was still 5 o’clock in the
Dear Stepbrother 65. The Honey Moon
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *ONE MONTH LATERHUNTINGTON BEACH, CA* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *[ K A R A ]The first thing I noticed about California was the air. The air was salty, but breezy and cool. Ryder and I arrived in the golden state a few days ago. We were living in a cute little Airbnb right by the beach. It was the coolest thing ever.Every morning, Ryder would go out to train by the beach. The first contest on his world tour would be held here next week. Every morning, I would wake up with him, make coffee, and I’d do a little writing as I
Dear Stepbrother 64. Peter and Lacey
* This is a bonus chapter with Peter and Lacey's POV. Enjoy! *[ P E T E R ]“It’s a great wedding, huh?”My eyes were glancing around the room and I locked eyes with my ex-wife. We exchanged a smile and I thought it was polite to make small talk. What I didn't realize was how awkward it was, talking to my ex-wife at our children’s wedding.“Yeah, it is,” she replied.I was holding a glass of scotch and she was holding a glass of champagne. We were both standing by the sidelines, watching our two kids share the dance floor as bride and groom. It was quite an ironic sight. Life had a pretty crazy sense of humor. I remembered a few years ago when it was Lacey and me out on this dance floor, dancing as the bride and groom. We were so happy back then. We thought we were in it for the long haul. And yet here we were, only a
Dear Stepbrother 63. Colle and Elle
* This is a bonus chapter from Elle and Cole's POV. Enjoy! *[ E L L E ]It was a beautiful night in Hawaii and a wonderful wedding. My best friend, Kara, just got married to the love of her life and I couldn’t be more proud. Today was supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives, but it felt rather bittersweet.One person’s happiness is another person’s tragedy.I saw Cole standing silently by the sidelines and my heart sunk to my feet. Cole had been in love with Kara for years. That was actually how we met and became friends. He was introduced to me by a friend and he was telling me how he was in love with his best friend. I thought guys like him were so adorable. They were a rare breed. He was so thoughtful and kind. They don’t make guys like this anymore.I decided to help him win the heart of his best friend,
Dear Stepbrother 62. The Blue Moon
[ R Y D E R ]Kara was probably thinking that I was taking her up to our room, but no. I liked to keep things interesting.So instead, we got some milkshake from my favorite diner and made our way to our Secret Beach. The night was young and full of possibilities. We were giddy and excited, laughing at each other as walked down the beach, barefoot with our hands clasped together. I was reduced to a grinning and smirking mess. Thankfully, she was too."Kara, you're smiling like crazy," I commented."It's because I'm crazy about you, Ryder Jake Williams,""You're so perfect in every way. I'm the luckiest man alive," I stopped our tracks and stood right in front of her.I reached out to hold her hand, and I caught her by her wrist. She flinched when I touched the scar over her tattoo. It had healed, but the mark was still there.
Dear Stepbrother 61. The Pura Vida
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *ONE WEEK LATERKAUAI, HAWAII* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *[ K A R A ]"Oh my God!” mom gasped as soon as I walked into the room. “Ryder's gonna go crazy when he sees you,""Mom!" I hissed and looked away, totally embarrassed."Seriously though, if I swing that way, I would've married you right now," Elle added.It was our wedding day today and I was all dressed up in the bride’s attire. I had curled my hair and let them down, and I was wearing this lovely white lace gown that cascaded down my body so heavenly. When I looked into the mirror, I was in awe too, I couldn't believe myself when I saw my reflection.Ryder going crazy... a girl can only hope.
Dear Stepbrother 60. The Promised Land
[ K A R A ]The next thing I know, Ryder and I were driving down the highway in this convertible car. The summer wind was blowing through our hair and Ryder was holding my hand in his throughout the entire ride."We just passed the city limits,” I noted the sign. “Seriously, you're not gonna tell me where we're going?""And ruin the surprise? I think not,""Okay... just answer this then, is it somewhere where we could get a milkshake?" I said it naughtily."Damn, look at you go," he stifled a laugh."Six months of being away from you would do this to a girl,""Baby, I wish I could. But, actually, I want to wait," he said suddenly. "I wanna be that whatever unicorn-guy you've been dreaming of. I'll be that guy that waits for you and loves you no matter what,""What?"
Dear Stepbrother 59. The Magic Carpet
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *SIX MONTHS LATERNEW YORK CITY* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *[ K A R A ]"I still can't believe you're getting married to Ryder next week," mom said as she stomped to the kitchen with our dirty plates."You've known him how long exactly? Three months?" she teased, referring to the time when I argued with her over her choices on marrying Peter."Ha-ha, very funny," I laughed sarcastically as I stalked to the living room to continue packing my things.There was so much stuff that I had to sort through, my room was a mess. I even had to use the living room because there wasn't enough space. And now the living room looked like the ballroom in Titanic as they were sinking.If you were
