“Of course.”
“Were you always like this? So…confident?”
I think about it, about the years of shyness, the broken marriage from long-ago, my recent broken marriage. I think about the times I failed, and then rebuilt myself piece by piece until there was nothing left but steel.
“No,” I say. “I used to be a fucking disaster. Didn’t know what I wanted. Let everyone else decide for me. But eventually, you get tired of pretending. You become what you are, or you die trying.”
She considers, then nods. “I think I want to be like that.”
I look at her, really look. “You already are. You just don’t know it yet.”
She smiles, slow and secret.
We sit in the kitchen, finishing lunch, as the light shifts and the world outside thaws. The air between us is easy now, like we’re two soldiers in a foxhole, sharing a cigarette. I could stay here forever.
But nothing lasts forever.
My beautiful stepdaughter finishes her juice, sets the glass down, and stands. The dress rides up, exposing just a tantalizing glimpse of her ass cheeks. I can’t help but stare. She sees me looking, and instead of being embarrassed, she grins.
“I’ll see you later?” she asks in a sweet voice.
“Absolutely,” I growl.
Then, she pads out of the room, hips swaying. I listen to her footfalls on the stairs, the creak of the hallway, and wonder if she’s already thinking about tonight.
I hope she is.
I rinse the plates, wipe down the counter, and set the kitchen back to perfection. But the feel of Mary Kate remains in the air, in the scent of her natural perfume, and the sheen of her lip print on the mug.
I think about what it would be like to take her to Italy, to show her Rome, Florence, Venice. I think about her in a sundress, walking beside the Tiber, laughing at the clueless tourists, ordering an espresso and soaking in the art and culture.
I think about what it would be like to have her, really have her, in every city and every season.
And I decide, right then, that I’ll do whatever it takes to make her mine.
But nothing’s ever that easy because Mary Kate catches me just when I’m about to leave for the hospital. I already have my suit on, briefcase in hand, when I hear her footsteps in the foyer.
“Hey, Kent?” she asks melodiously.
I pause, hand on the doorknob.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
Mary Kate’s now dressed in pink leggings and a matching sports bra that highlights her big bust, skin a smooth ivory, hair in a ponytail. She looks like the consummate Alo girl going out for a hot girl walk, and I love it. Damn, the golden girl fills out thoseleggings well, not to mention her huge tits practically spilling out of her bra.
She smiles at me, innocent.
“Is it okay if I go out tonight?” Her tone is casual, but she doesn’t meet my eye. She bites her lip. “A friend invited me to a thing at the Sigma house. I’ll be back late, but I’ll be fine.”
I pause for a moment. “Sigma, huh. You mean a frat party?”
She shrugs, like it’s not even worth a yes. “Yeah. Nothing crazy. I just want to see people. It’s been forever.”
I wait a beat. “Who’s the friend?”
She glances up, reading my face. “Oh, it’s just someone I know from Italian Club. I don’t really even know him, but he’s this person who’s been around. You’d hate him. Total jock.”
I pause again, trying to keep calm even though the blood’s heating in my veins.
