Stepbrother Forever: A Stepbrother Romance (36 page)

“Not too late, it’s Sunday. I
should be home early enough to call.”

“Call me anyway. Try to enjoy
your day,” Jayson says.

“Thanks. I will. Talk to you
later,” I say and end the call.

I rush around my apartment
getting ready and putting on my uniform. I’m glad I took a shower instead of
going for a walk. I can’t believe I was so absentminded that I forgot about
work.

I put my hair in a ponytail and
collect my purse and keys. I put my phone in my pocket, step into the hallway,
and lock my door. I push the elevator call button impatiently and wait for it
to get up to my floor. When I reach the lobby, I wave goodbye to the doorman
and speed walk to the restaurant. I get there with seconds to spare.

I throw my things in the
office, tie on my apron, and get right to work. The Sunday afternoon crowd is
loud is big and there are lots of kids. It gets a little hectic, but with all
the tension and rushing this morning, I fit right in.

I bustle through brunch and
lunch working faster than usual and the afternoon goes by in a flash. I follow
my usual break routine and take my lunch and drink outside to sit in peace
before the dinner folks start shuffling in.

I pull my phone from my pocket
and shoot a text to Rachel:

The
deed is done. Shit has hit the fan.
I don’t think she
teaches on Sundays, so I expect her to get back to me and she does almost
immediately.

Shit.
Guess it didn’t go so well,
She types in response.

Not
really. Having a “family meeting” this week,
I
write back.

Haha.
Sounds like a blast. Maybe Chris and I will come in later,
Rachel
sends back. I take a bite of my salad and sip of my drink before typing again.

Sounds
good. Maybe c u later.
She sends me a thumbs up in
response.

I send a text to Jayson while I
have my phone out.

Miss
u a lot today,
I write and send. I haven’t really opened
up to him like that before. Only as a response to his own statements. He writes
right back.

Miss
you too. Everything will be ok. Let’s hang tonight.
I smile
as I read that. I would love to see Jayson tonight. I’m not sure if Rachel and
Chris are definitely coming by the restaurant later, but I’ll figure it out.

Sure.
I’ll call when I’m done,
I reply and put my phone away.

I only have a couple of minutes
left and want to finish my lunch. I eat what’s left of my food and finish my
iced tea in the same rushed manner I’ve been doing everything else in today. I
clear the table and bring everything into the kitchen, then go to the ladies
room to clean up. If this evening continues like the rest of the day, this
shift will be over in no time.

Luckily we are very busy and
the night is flying by. As it begins to wind down, I work on cleaning and
resetting my section. I’m looking forward to getting out of here and want to be
ready to go when the time comes. I notice Rachel walk in and give me a little
wave. I don’t see Chris, so maybe they had a change in plans. She sees I’m busy
and makes her way to the bar where Brooke greets her. I know Rachel would
prefer to see Sam, but I won’t be long anyway.

I am at the coffee station
making some cappuccinos for one of my last tables when I catch a glimpse of
Jayson making his way to the bar. I wasn’t expecting him to come in, but I’m
happy to see him. I don’t know if he and Rachel will remember each other, but
it should be amusing if they do.

I deliver the coffee and
cappuccino to my customers and ask the other table I have if they would like
anything else. They order some dessert and coffee—figures.

I keep an eye on the bar to try
and see what’s happening, if anything, between Jayson and Rachel. I’m surprised
to see them sitting next to each other talking and smiling and it makes me very
happy. It’s important that my best friend and my boyfriend like each other.
Jayson definitely did not make a good impression the first time we met, so I’m
glad he has a chance to redeem himself.

I catch Brooke looking at them,
also. She is sneering, probably wondering if he’s more of a player than a
faithful boyfriend and planning to make her own move on him. She knows Rachel
is my friend, though, so maybe that’s in my head.

I deliver desserts to my last
table and pick up the check from the other. I finish cleaning and doing my side
work so once the last table pays their bill I’ll be done. I go to the ladies’
room to fix myself up a bit while I wait. I don’t want to hover over them,
anyway.

I forgot that I ran out of the
house this morning without doing my hair or putting on makeup, and at this
point, I look like a hot mess. I do the best I can to pretty myself up and go
back out to the dining room.

I wave at Rachel as I pass the
bar. Jayson has his back to me and she gives me a thumbs-up in return. I am
relieved things are going well, even more so when the last table asks for their
bill and promptly pays it. I clear their table after they leave and I’m ready
to hit the bar.

I walk over to where Rachel and
Jayson are sitting and take a seat next to Rachel. I smile at Brooke hoping she
will come over and offer me a drink. She is not as friendly as Sam is, so I’m
sure it will be a few minutes.

“Hey, guys. Looks like you
remembered each other.”

“Actually, Jayson didn’t
remember me at all,” Rachel responds.

“Sorry. I only had eyes for one
girl that night,” Jayson says, and I roll my eyes remembering the blonde I saw
him with that same night.

“It’s fine. I actually had a
little fun with him when I got here. It was my payback,” Rachel says, smiling
slyly.

Jason rolls his eyes. “Yes. It
was a lot of fun.”

“What am I missing here?” I ask
as Brooke finally makes her way over and asks what I would like. She takes a
little longer than necessary to set the wine glass down and pour, probably so
she can hear what’s going on.

“I thought it would be fun to
use some cheesy pick-up lines on Jayson,” Rachel says “Kudos to him, though. He
told me he wasn’t interested because he has a serious girlfriend. If I was
giving him the ‘are you faithful’ best friend test, he totally would have
passed.”

“Glad you found it so amusing,”
Jayson says with a smile.

“I did. And I don’t think
you’re a douchebag anymore, so it kind of all has a happy ending,” Rachel tells
him, looking at the both of us. “Seriously, though, it’s been nice getting to
know you a bit for myself, not just through what Ashley tells me.”

“Yes, it has. Although I’m sure
she only tells you good things,” Jayson replies.

“She tells me
all
the good things,” Rachel says with a
wink.

“Well, I’m glad you guys got
that all ironed out. I think. What happened to Chris?” I ask Rachel.

“He has to work early and
didn’t feel like going anywhere. I thought I would come solo, anyway. I wanted
to get the scoop on your mother, but maybe this isn’t the best time.”

“It’s fine. Jayson is aware of
everything that’s going on, obviously.” I take a long sip from my glass before
I retell the story from this morning to them.

“Oh, shit,” Rachel replies.
“Your mom can be so harsh sometimes. Sorry, Ash.”

“Whatever. It’s pretty much the
reaction I expected. Luckily, Jayson suggested we all meet and settle
everything together,” I tell her with a note of sarcasm.

“Oh! Can I come?” Rachel jokes.

“Sure! You can take my place.”

“Come on Ashley, it won’t be so
bad.” Jayson interrupts. “I’ll help Cynthia understand everything and we will
be one big, happy family.” Rachel laughs and I roll my eyes again.

“We’ll see what happens. For
now, what should we do tonight?” I ask.

“I think I’m going to head
home. You have company now and Chris is probably all lonely without me,” Rachel
says with a wink.

“Okay. We can walk you, if
you’d like,” I offer.

“I’ll be fine. It’s just up the
block. Thanks, though.”

We all get up from our stools
and take the last couple of sips of our drinks. I say goodnight to the few
people from work who are still there and the three of us walk out the doors.

“It was nice to meet you,
Rachel—for real, this time,” Jayson says.

“Nice to meet you, too. I’m
glad we bumped into each other,” Rachel replies. She gives each of us a quick
hug and walks in the direction of her apartment.

“Where would you like to go now?”
Jayson asks.

I shrug. “I don’t know. What do
you feel like doing?”

“You,” he responds with a sly
smile.

“Come on, I’m serious,” I say.

“Me too. Where do you want to
go?”

“Let’s go to my apartment. I
rushed out today and would like to change out of these clothes and chill on my
couch. Is that okay?”

“Sure. I just want to be with
you tonight. Doesn’t matter where.” He really knows how to make me feel
special.

“All right, then, let’s go,” I
say. We reach our hands out simultaneously, which makes me smile, and walk back
to my building hand in hand.

It’s a Sunday night, so there
aren’t many people out on the streets. We walk slowly and talk about this
morning without getting angry or upset. Jayson has a way of making me feel
good, like everything will just be okay, always. He lifts my worries and fears
and replaces them with love and hope.

By the time we reach my
building, I’m not dreading our first official “family meeting” anymore. I’m not
looking forward to it, either, but I know we will get through it.

I say hello to the doorman as
Jayson and I pass. We are still holding hands as we wait for the elevator. We
ride up to the twenty-first floor and walk into my apartment. I pour us both a
glass of water and open a bottle of wine I’ve had sitting on my counter for
several weeks now. We clink glasses and each take a sip.

“Why don’t you hang out here? I
want to shower and change, if you don’t mind,” I suggest.

“Sure. Unless you want some
help,” Jayson offers.

“I think I have it under
control,” I reply.

I toss the television remote at
him and take a couple more sips of my wine before I walk into the bedroom. I
don’t want to leave him out there for long, so I hurriedly turn the water on
and undress. I shower quickly, soaping up my body and just rinsing my hair
before getting out. I wrap myself in a towel and give my hair a fast comb
through, then head back into the bedroom to get dressed.

After a couple of steps, I stop
in my tracks. Jayson is sitting on the edge of my bed. He pats the spot next to
him indicating I should sit down there. I raise my eyebrows as I look at him.

“Don’t be scared, Ashley,”
Jayson teases me, patting the bed again.

“You don’t scare me,” I say
with a smirk as I walk over and stand next to the bed. “What’re you doing in here?”

“Nothing. Just thought I would
make myself comfortable while I waited. Are you going to sit down?” Jayson
asks.

“Sure,” I answer and boldly sit
on his lap.

“What are you doing?” he asks,
though he doesn’t object.

“Just making myself
comfortable. Don’t be scared,” I say, mimicking him and smiling.

“As a matter of fact, you’re a
little intimidating right now,” he answers.

“Let me help you relax, then.”

I unbutton his shirt and pull
it back off of his shoulders and over his arms. I gently push him back onto the
bed so he is lying down with his feet on the floor. I move off his lap and
unbutton his jeans, then pull the zipper down. I grab a hold of the waistline
of Jayson’s pants and begin to remove them. He arches himself up so there is no
resistance and I pull them all the way down.