Should I do an epilogue or end the book here?
ADRIAN I jumped to my left to dodge the flying piece of strawberry shortcake with cream cheese frosting. Fortunately, it missed my ear by an inch, landing on an empty chair. Phew... That was close. Whose idea was it to put a one year old in charge of a whole cake? Meghan Parker, that's who. "Am I allowed to take it away from her yet? I shot her an intense glare for the fourth time. Maggie giggled. "No, just a few more pictures." "Pictures of what?" "Our daughter!" "That's not our daughter. That's a cake slugging demon child. Look at her. She doesn't even have a face anymore. It just looks like a giant blob of frosting," I point at Olivia, who had smashed her whole face on the cake a few times while giggling like a maniac. I guess that's why they call it a 'smash cake.' I'm glad she is enjoying her party, though. "ADRIAN!" Maggie scolded me. "I'm kidding! Gosh. I love Olivia. She is my favorite daughter," I winced. "Your only daughter," Natasha remarked, then walked over to
Summer of 2020Adrian Reed stared at Meghan parker as she dipped her toes in the water. A tiny smile graced her lips as the cold hit her skin, and Adrian's heart squeezed with the desire to go and talk to her. But his emotions were forbidden. Falling for his stepsister was a route he couldn't take, and he was trying to fight the flutters in his heart. He tried to focus on his friends as they chattered among themselves, but his gaze kept sliding to her, following her as she enjoyed the summer day. He fought against everything inside of him, but there was no escape. His second brain had the same feelings. So for the last half hour, he had fought his hard-on by imagining his grandmother naked. It was disgusting, but it needed to be done, not to fuck his stepsister on the spot. "Did you hear what I just said?" his friend Tiffany asked. She said something else, but he stopped listening again. "Adrian!""Huh, what?" he answered immediately this time."Why are you staring at that girl? W
MEGHAN One year later... "I'm serious. your mother and I are very excited to have you back." I looked at my stepfather Steve and smiled. It was the end of my first year in college, and things were going well for me as far as my social life and school goes. I fell into a routine, and it was fine with me. "Thank you for saying that. I was nervous about coming back to live with you guys. Are you sure I won't be a burden to you?" I asked him. I couldn't get over my insecurity so easily. Steve wasn't my real father so it was hard to imagine him being so okay with me living there. "You are not a burden, sweetheart. It has been lonely since you left. Adrian hardly stays home anymore. Always out and about, wildin' out with his friends," Steve chuckled. I thought I could stay with my father for the rest of my college year, but everything changed when he suddenly decided to remarry too. I could not stand my new stepmother, and frankly, my stepmother felt the same way about me. All we did
ADRIANWhen she moved back to Boston, I thought it was for good. I didn't think she'd ever show her face again after what she did and all the things she said to me.I still remember her harsh words. And the way she looked at me. Her eyes were cold and hard. I will never forget it, and I will never forgive her.I hate her. I really hate her.If only this was my true feelings. Even after spending an entire year without her, I still couldn't forget about the night we spent together. Her sweet scent, her smile, everything about her was so beautiful to me at the time. I couldn't sleep at night because thoughts of her haunted me. And to make things even worse, Meghan decided to show up and be part of the family again.Fucking bitch....The next day, I woke up and rushed out of the house without saying a word to anyone. Dad expected me to drop her off at the college, but there was no way in hell I would do that. She could hitchhike for all I care.Most of my friends decided to stay in Miami
MEGHANI don't know why I accepted Tiffany's invitation. Our first meeting wasn't exactly pleasant. Sure, she acted all sweet and friendly afterward, but her initial greeting of me was cold, especially when she saw me sitting near Adrian.I suppose that's understandable, considering she was his girlfriend. I hadn't thought to ask if he had a girlfriend."A party sounds great. It'll give you a chance to make some new friends," mom said.I nodded in agreement."Besides, Adrian will be there, so you won't be alone," she added.I wasn't so sure about that. It seems that Adrian hated me, so he would be less than thrilled to have me around. He did not like it when I talked to his friends."I don't think he likes me anymore," I laughed and tried to make it out to be a joke but deep inside, I knew it was the truth."Don't be silly. Why wouldn't he like you? You guys were so close before you moved out! I told you, he is going through something, so he was just in a bad mood. It'll pass, and the
ADRIANParties weren't really my thing, but fuck if I was going to stay home if Meghan was going to Tiffany's to hang with my friends. Where did she get off insisting to go anyway? Tiffany was my girlfriend. Or at least, a fake one. Luke was my friend. Hell, everyone who was going to be there was part of my crowd, not hers. She should step off. As far as I was concerned, Meghan had picked her side when she'd used me then left me for Boston. She didn't get to show back up in my house with my family to go to my college with my friends and demand to hang at parties meant for me. She needed to get her own friends and stop trying to poach mine. Tiffany surprised me when I got to the party. It was like she could tell I was upset. She brought me a Captain and Coke then got me another when I drained it dry with a few swallows. I liked how she didn't seem to care if I drank enough to get a good buzz going. Tiff was turning out to be a cool chick to fake-date. I just wished she understood
MEGHANI was so stunned by his words that I couldn't speak the entire time.I just stood there, frozen while he said those nasty words to me. I couldn't even shed a tear.I watched him slam the door on his way out and then burst into tears. My body shook as I attempted to choke back my sobs, but I couldn't stop. I have never felt so humiliated, so small.So I made one mistake a year ago? Don't I deserve a chance to explain myself? And what was that about him 'almost not making it?' What did he even mean by that? I was so confused.I didn't know how I would go back to the party and have a good time after he made me feel like shit, so I decided to look for Luke. He promised to drive me home after all.I went to the living room and looked around, my eyes frantically searching for Luke. Maybe I should call the rideshare company again."There you are, Maggie. I was looking for you."I released a sigh of relief. Luke found me again. "Did you find Adrian?""Yes," I said meekly. I had wiped m
ADRIANTiffany had been waiting right at the foot of the stairs with a drink in hand for me when I got through the door. The smile on her face promised me more than a good buzz; I wanted to kiss her until I forgot all about Meghan. She was willing to oblige, too. We made out at the foot of the stairs until she had a leg hooked over my hip, grinding her groin against mine as she panted cherry-scented breaths against my lips. "Come up to my room? Please? I swear I'm not a tease. I'll let you do anything you want. Just come with me?" What made Tiff so hot for me? If I had been less drunk, I might have spent more time thinking about it, but all I could care about was how she made my dick hard enough to drive nails. We were in her house, at her party, and talking about going to her room so I could get my hands on her body---as far as I was concerned, Tiffany was the only one whose interests mattered under the circumstances. Meghan could find her own fun. Who really cared if she got w
ADRIAN I jumped to my left to dodge the flying piece of strawberry shortcake with cream cheese frosting. Fortunately, it missed my ear by an inch, landing on an empty chair. Phew... That was close. Whose idea was it to put a one year old in charge of a whole cake? Meghan Parker, that's who. "Am I allowed to take it away from her yet? I shot her an intense glare for the fourth time. Maggie giggled. "No, just a few more pictures." "Pictures of what?" "Our daughter!" "That's not our daughter. That's a cake slugging demon child. Look at her. She doesn't even have a face anymore. It just looks like a giant blob of frosting," I point at Olivia, who had smashed her whole face on the cake a few times while giggling like a maniac. I guess that's why they call it a 'smash cake.' I'm glad she is enjoying her party, though. "ADRIAN!" Maggie scolded me. "I'm kidding! Gosh. I love Olivia. She is my favorite daughter," I winced. "Your only daughter," Natasha remarked, then walked over to
MEGHAN It's Christmas day today, and Adrian was home again to spend it with us. After we found out I was pregnant two months ago, Adrian went back to training. I asked him not to tell our parents anything, and he agreed, begrudgingly so. I promised him I'd take care of myself and the baby in his absence. I had to keep wearing baggy clothes because I was starting to show way more. It was getting harder to hide my pregnancy from my mom and Steve. "Stop being so nervous," Adrian scolded me when I acted restless. Our parents threw a Christmas party with our friends and family, and he already threatened to reveal everything to them. "I can't help it. You said you are going to announce it to everyone. How are you going to do it? Because I don't want to do it," I said. "You will see. It's a surprise I created." Adrian grinned mischievously. I don't trust him. "Leave everything to me," he said again. "Why do you have to do this now and ruin Christmas?" I winced. "It's a great time to
ADRIANI waited outside the bathroom patiently as Maggie took her test. This was nerve-wracking, but I tried to remain calm.Everything is going to be fine.I was about to get a good job and will buy a nice house in Alaska. So, if Maggie is pregnant, we could raise our kid there.Our parents weren’t home yet, so it was just Maggie and me, thankfully.“How much longer?” I yelled.“Two more minutes.”Shit, only one minute has passed? Why did it feel like an eternity?I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard Maggie scream.“NO!”“Maggie? What’s wrong?” I asked. Maybe the test came out negative, and Maggie is disappointed?The door burst open, and Maggie came out with a frantic expression on her face. “This…this can’t be right.” She shoved the stick toward me, waving it. “This is all your fault!”I took it off her hand and smiled. Two lines…that could mean one thing.“Maggie! You are pregnant. Congratulations to us!”“What? Don’t congratulate us! This is a disaster,” she said, tears dr
MEGHAN "Adrian! Oh my god, I missed you so much!" Tiffany screamed and tried to jump into Adrian's arms, but he grabbed her shoulders, slightly pushing her away from him. "Hey, Tiff. I missed you guys too," he said casually, then winked at me as if to tell me not to get jealous. She was just a friend like Luke as far as he was concerned. "Oh, hey, Meghan. Nice dress. Seems a little tight on you, isn't it?" she said slightly. Is she trying to make a fat joke? I was annoyed already, and I'd only been here for five minutes. "Hey, guys! You made it!" Luke yelled from across the room and then made his way to us. He wrapped one arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. "Looking hot, Maggie." "Hey, keep your hands to yourself, Lucas," Adrian barked. Tiffany giggled. "Why should he? She is his girlfriend." "Not anymore," Adrian said. Whoa, are we announcing our break up already? "What do you mean, not anymore? Did Luke break up with Maggie already?" Tiffany looked at me curiously.
ADRIANI stared at Maggie, who looked utterly dumbfounded by my announcement. She looked almost terrified. Was the idea of moving with me that terrible? I knew she would hesitate since her mom lives here, but I thought we would get away from them. They didn't want us to be together anyway."Maggie, are you okay?" I asked after she didn't say anything for a while."I…I don't understand what you mean," she said meekly."You don't understand? What part confuses you?" I raised my eyebrow."What do you mean move in with you? Move in where?" she asked.I guess it was taking her a while to fathom what was going on."After all the training and seeing my performance, they offered me a permanent position in the fire department. So, I was thinking I should take the job and move to Alaska permanently," I explained.Maggie still looked confused. Was she not understanding what I was trying to tell her? "Move to Alaska? Permanently? Then what will happen to me?"I chuckled. This girl was really maki
MEGHAN On Saturday, I woke up feeling hungrier than ever. It was the weekend Adrian was supposed to come home, but he hadn't even called me. Loneliness wrapped around me.Our parents were working this weekend, but Adrian was only coming home for my sake, so he didn't care. But the question was why he hadn't shown up yet.I stretched under the covers, blinking when my nose caught the smell of bacon. Music blasted from the kitchen, and I slowly sat up with a smile spreading over my lips. He was home. Hurriedly, I found my pajamas and stalked out of the bedroom. The music was getting louder, and Adrian was whistling along. It made my heart pound faster and faster until he came into view.There, recently showered and only wearing a pair of boxer briefs, Adrian shook his round ass while making breakfast. "OH YEAH, YEAH!" Adrian was listening to an old Bruno Mars song. He broke a few eggs, danced, and moved along with the music, but all I could focus on was his broad back roped with m
ADRIANI punched the bag again and groaned in frustration."Take it easy, Adrian. You will hurt your knuckles," my trainer Kevin hissed at me. "What the hell is wrong with you anyway? You've been distracted and grumpy lately.""I have not been grumpy. I don't know what the hell you are talking about," I grumbled."Yeah, whatever. Just keep your head in the game, okay? You have three more months here, and then you get to go home, so no need to act out," Kevin said."I am not acting out. What the hell? Haven't I been showing how good I am at this? Haven't I been proving myself?""Yes, Adrian. You've been doing well. I'm not complaining about your effort out here. I'm just saying these past few days, you've been moody and distracted and I need you to keep your focus back on your job. So you don't mess it up.""I just don't know how to tell my girlfriend about my plans here," I decided to confide in Kevin. Since I moved here, we've become good friends, so I figured I could trust him."You
MEGHANThree months later, it looked like Adrian would finally have some free time to come and visit me. It was about time.He had been hard to reach the entire day, though, so I was grumpy while we talked on the phone. "So you will be coming home?" I asked but tried not to sound too excited about the news. Adrian hadn't earned that for ignoring my messages all day."Yes, I'm coming home to you this weekend!" I could hear the beam he wore in his voice. "Aren't you excited?"I hummed, still pretending to be hard to catch. "I don't know...""You don't know? Maggie! It feels like three long years since I last saw your face! Facetiming doesn't count! I want to touch and see you in person. Take you out on a date. Surely you must miss me?"My chest constricted. I felt terrible lying to Adrian, but I couldn't help the mood swings I had been having lately. I went from sad to happy so fast these days that I was starting to believe I needed medication. It wasn't the only change I had gone t
MEGHANOne month later,I promised myself I wouldn't cry and try to understand where he was coming from, but it still hurt to see him go."I will visit every chance I get, Maggie," he had said, kissing my forehead."But you said you'd be in intense training and won't be able to visit," I sobbed.He said nothing because what I said was true. So why was he making empty promises? It would only make things harder on me.And then he was gone, and I was all alone again.This past month felt like it went in slow motion. Adrian called me every night, and we tried to do video chats, but it wasn't the same.I missed his touch, I craved it.Mom told Adrian and me not to say anything to Steve because it might make things worse, so we kept our relationship a secret from him. Finally, Adrian promised her that we'd break up before he left for Alaska, and mom didn't question him any more. Maybe when he comes back, we'll find a different way to be together."Maggie! Luke is here!" my mom called from t