Dirty Stepbrother - A Firefighter Romance (The Maxwell Family) Read online

  DIRTY STEPBROTHER

  By Alycia Taylor

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.

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  Chapter One

  Xavier

  I hopped onto Norman and patted the bike a few times before finally taking off. My motorcycle often felt more like a human than a chunk of metal, and I tried not to let others know that I had even given it a name. I’d said it a few times in public and quickly changed the subject before anyone realized what I had said. I’d named it Norman the day I’d ridden it for the first time. A rather tame name for something that gave me so much thrill, but I’d named it after a kid I knew at school. He was the craziest kid I had ever met in my life. He moved to another country a year after I’d met him and I never found out what happened to him. I remember how the teachers used to hate him while I used to think he was the coolest person I had ever met. It felt only right to name my bike after him.

  Nothing gave me more pleasure than going for a spin on Norman. The red motorcycle sometimes felt like it was made just for me, and I felt a sense of peace and happiness whenever I rode it. Unfortunately, due to a stupid incident I wished I could take back, I’d been issued a DWI a few years ago and now had to keep myself under control. Even when I was stone cold sober, I still had to keep within a certain speed limit. If I didn’t obey, there would be a big chance that my license would be revoked. As frustrating as it was, I’d rather ride my bike slower than usual than have it taken away from me completely. It literally gave me shivers to think of never being able to ride again.

  Motorcycles have always been a big part of my family. It was my uncle that all got us into it. He not only owned a motorcycle repair shop but was also part of a very big motorcycle club. Most of the guys in the family were a part of that club at one stage in our lives, and even though not everyone had remained, I do believe that bikes are a part of who we are. Even those that don’t ride anymore would probably feel the same surge of happiness should they ever decide to get on a bike again.

  The ride today was nice. I missed the thrill of riding fast, but nevertheless, Norman still remained my number one choice for transportation. I made my way to the restaurant and found Silas sitting in the corner waiting for me. Silas, my younger brother, was holding a beer glass and staring out into the distance like he had a lot on his mind. He practically jumped when I suddenly sat down in front of him.

  “Dude, you scared me,” he said.

  I laughed. “What were you dreaming about there? Life as a big star? Also, since when do you call me dude? You’ve never called me that before.”

  “What can I say? I’m just younger than you. Dude is the way us youngsters speak, you know. It’s all part of our slang. Oh, of course, you wouldn’t know that.”

  “Are you calling me old?”

  “You’ll always be older than me. I’ll be able to say that even until the day we die.”

  I chuckled. “You’re not that much younger than me, but yes you have a valid point. Anyway, you might be younger, but I’m far more attractive. And I think I’d rather be more attractive than have youth on my side. I’m clearly winning this one.”

  “You’re also more into yourself than I am. You obviously got the egotistical side, while I got the wonderful and young gene. Nobody likes a guy that’s full of himself. So, let’s face it, I’m winning this one.”

  I snorted. We almost always started our conversations mocking each other. It was just how things had always been between the two of us. I ordered myself a beer and then turned back to him. “So, seriously, what were you dreaming about? You looked so lost in thought when I walked in.”

  “I was thinking about tonight.”

  “Tonight? What’s happening tonight?”

  “I’m singing at the Backstage Club. Sorry, I thought you knew. Obviously, you wouldn’t as I only found out about it yesterday. I’ve been so nervous that it’s been hard to think about anything else.”

  “You’re playing at a club? That’s fantastic. Yeah, I had no idea that you had a show on tonight. That must mean things are going well.” I was glad to hear this. Silas had been trying to break into the country music scene for a while now. We always teased him about it, but he was actually very talented. Where he got the talent for singing, none of us knew, but when he sang, it was obvious that it came from his heart. When I tried to sing everyone put their hands over their ears, but Silas was excellent. But every now and again I could see that he wanted to give up. It was not the easiest career to get into, no matter how much he wanted it. He was a hard worker, and willing to put in the extra effort, but the gigs didn’t come to him as easily as he thought they would.

  “Yeah. I mean, it’s not exactly a big deal or anything. I’m not the main act, or anything close to it. But hopefully there will be a good crowd, and I guess you never know when an agent is lurking. Worth a shot, that’s for sure.”

  “Absolutely. I think it’s great.” I wasn’t sure that agents lurked around clubs anymore, but I wouldn’t say anything to burst his bubble. It was a tough business for him to crack and I just hoped that fate would one day be on his side. He was far too talented for it to go to waste. He deserved a lucky break more than anyone I knew.

  “So, want to come with? You don’t have to, of course, but if you have nothing on you should come. I hear the other bands are awesome. And it would be great to have you there. You could scream for me and pretend like you are a diehard fan instead of my brother. Nobody needs to know the truth.”

  I laughed. “Who cares about the other bands? You’re the only one that’s going to be good tonight. I wouldn’t be screaming because you’re my brother; I’d be screaming because you’ve got talent.”

  “Wow, since when have you been so supportive?” he asked. He seemed genuinely surprised.

  “What? Are you serious? I have always been supportive.”

  “You guys are always mocking me! I’ve never heard you say something nice to me. I thought you hated my voice.”

  “Well, I mean, you could’ve at least become a rock singer, you know,” I teased.

  “Ah, that’s more like it. That sounds like the Xavier I know.”

  “Nah, seriously man, I’m just kidding. I’m happy for you. I probably don’t say it enough, but I’m super impressed with your singing. Country music isn’t exactly my thing, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate talent when I see it. Anyway, you might end up changing my mind one of these days if I listen to it enough. Also, when you make it big, I’m not exactly going to tell people that music is not my style. I’ll be telling everyone that it’s the best music ever.”

  He chuckled. “Thanks, bro.”

  “But I’m not going to be able to make it, unfortunately. I promised Rick that I’d go and help him with his kitchen pipes. He’s having some issues, and I don’t really want to let him down so soon. If I hadn’t committed to that, I definitely would’ve come over, though.”

  Silas groan
ed. “Seriously? You’re going to see Rick?”

  “Why do you seem so surprised by that?” I asked. “You know I still see him. In fact, I see him pretty often.”

  Silas shrugged. “Why do you still have a relationship with that dude? I just don’t understand.”

  The waiter arrived with my beer, and I took a grateful sip.

  “There you go with that dude talk again. Why can’t I be friends with Rick?” I said even though we’d had this conversation many times before. Rick was our stepfather, but ever since our parents had died in a car crash, Silas had wanted nothing to do with him. “I mean, surely I can be friends with whoever I want? I don’t see why I should just stop talking to the guy. Especially someone as nice as him. Also, he’s lonely.”

  “Mom isn’t here anymore. So, Rick is technically not even our stepfather anymore. He’s not a part of the family anymore, and you have no obligations to see him. You don’t need to see someone just because they’re lonely. That’s his problem, not yours.”

  I sighed. I could never understand why they had all be so hard on Rick when he had done so much for us growing up. Of course, I never wanted my parents to split up, and everything became obscured when they died in a car crash together. They barely saw each other after the divorce but had remained friends. It was a wet winter afternoon when they happen to find themselves in the same car together, going to see an old family member who lived a fair distance away. It was the first time they had been together in a long time, and I remembered thinking how nice it was that they were still amicable with one another. Obviously, nobody expected that their first time together in so long was also going to be their last.

  “Of course he is. He was good to us, Silas, and he’s a nice guy. Whether he’s our father or not, doesn’t mean you have to be an asshole about it.” Silas was such a nice guy too, and yet he turned nasty when it came to Rick. I hated that side to him, and I was tired of this conversation.

  “He’s not our father, and he never has been. I mean, he was constantly judging us growing up. I used to hate that about him. I mean, what would he think about us now sitting here and drinking beer? He’d hate that. He’d think we are being heathens or something. You know what he was like. Everything was God this and God that. Just because I don’t go to church doesn’t make me a bad person.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Just because he’s a pastor doesn’t mean he doesn’t drink beer. And I really don’t think he cares whether or not we are drinking beer. I think it’s pretty cool that he’s a pastor. I like that he’s constantly out there trying to fight the good fight. It’s a lot better than what some other people do with their life. You don’t have to have the same faith in him, but you can at least admire him for what he does.”

  “You’ve always had a soft spot for him.”

  “No reason to just suddenly ignore him now that Mom is gone. She wouldn’t like that.”

  “Hmm, I don’t know. She should never have left Dad. It doesn't matter, anyway. This conversation is pointless.”

  “I agree.”

  “So, how’s work going?”

  After that, the conversation turned to more ordinary things. We ordered burgers and then decided to call it a night as Silas still had to get to his gig later that evening. I felt bad that I wasn’t going to be there to support him, but I couldn’t let down Rick either. I had made a promise to Rick way before Silas had told me about the gig.

  “Next time give me some more warning, and I’ll make sure I’m there,” I said and waved him goodbye. I climbed back onto Norman and headed out to Rick’s house.

  “Ah, thanks so much for coming over. I really appreciate it, Xavier. You’re a good man to come over at the drop of a hat like that,” Rick said.

  “No sweat at all. I just hope I can help.”

  “You’ll be better at this than me, that’s for sure. You’re much better with your hands than I am. I’d like to blame it on my age, but it’s something I’ve never been particularly good at. God blessed me with many things in life, but being good with my hands was clearly something he thought would be better used by someone else.”

  I chuckled. Looking at the two of us, it was obvious that he was not my real father. He was tall, skinny, and very studious looking, while I had always been a bit rougher around the edges. We looked absolutely nothing alike. “Well, I’ll try my best. That’s all I can do. Show me what the problem is.”

  “Follow me. It’s just a little leak. I’m just worried that it’s going to turn into something bigger if I leave it. I had a look at it myself, but like I said, I’m pretty hopeless when it comes to things like this. I was scared of doing something that would only mess it up more. You know what I’m like. I’ll probably turn some tiny problem into something huge.”

  I set to work on the pipes while Rick hovered around pretending to be of help. In the end, he just settled on making us both a cup of tea. I managed to sort out the problem and went to sit with him in the living room. I didn’t really feel like tea, especially since Rick always made it with a bit too much milk and sugar, but I didn’t want to say no either. I had a feeling that Rick was sometimes lonelier than he cared to admit. And Silas was wrong about me just being there for him because he was lonely. I also really liked the guy. He did talk about religion a lot, but it didn’t bother me. It was his job. It was who he was as a person. He’d never once tried to push me into something I wasn’t comfortable with.

  “Oh, guess who is thinking of moving back home?”

  “Who?”

  “Holly!” he said and beamed at me. “Can you believe it? It’s not a definite, but I’m hoping she comes.”

  I smiled at the name. It was going to be great to see her again. For some reason, the first image that popped to mind was her at school, with her big glasses and nervous walk. I always thought she was adorable but not everyone could see what I saw. She also had a wicked sense of humor that only seemed to strengthen with each passing year. “Seriously? That’s so cool. I’d love to see her again.”

  “You were always so good to your stepsister,” Rick said as he dunked a cookie into his tea.

  “Well, she’s not technically my stepsister,” I said and realized that I was sounding more like Silas. I wished I could take back the words but it was too late.

  “Nonsense. She’s your sister. She always looked up to you. To me, the two of you will always be brother and sister. You have a special bond. I’m surprised the two of you didn’t stay in touch, actually.”

  “Yeah, me too now that I think about it. I guess we both just got caught up with our lives. I was away on training when she left. So I didn’t even see her for a full year before she left. By the time I got back, she had already gone. I can’t believe we just lost touch like that. Wow, it’s going to be great to see her again.”

  Little Holly. She was always such a sweetheart. I was glad that Rick would have someone around the house with him too. That was just the sort of boost he needed.

  Chapter Two

  Holly

  I’ve always been fascinated with architecture. I knew that I would never actually build or design buildings myself, but I knew from a young age that I wanted to at least be involved in the process. I had learned about civil engineering when I was just about to finish school through a friend of mine who had a father in the business. He explained to me how a civil engineer dealt with the construction, design, and maintenance of not only physical structures, but also natural ones. I’d been fascinated that this included things like dams and canals. All these things needed to work together seamlessly in order for humans to live in a cohesive environment, and I wanted to be part of a team that made that happen. However, just because I loved what I did, didn’t mean that I was happy with the place that I worked.

  I’d moved to another city to pursue this career, and when I had gotten the job, I’d felt an immense feeling of pride. I had done it all on my own, without anyone helping me or pushing me to do it. It was all mine, and mine alone. To this day it remain
ed something that I was incredibly proud of, and it was probably this very reason why I had stayed so long at a place that I hated. I had just never gelled with anyone at the office, and it was obvious that they didn’t like me either. Nobody seemed to take the job as seriously as me, and for some reason that had made me a target. Even the boss treated me differently from everyone else. He had seen what a hard worker I was, and instead of rewarding that, he’d simply added to the abuse by setting more demands on me than anyone else. They all figured that I worked so hard because I didn’t have a life and they seemed to find that hilarious and pitiful. I tried not to let them know that I really didn’t have a life. They didn’t need to know that about me. The last thing I needed was even more ridicule.

  I’d told myself that it didn’t matter. I loved the work that I did, and I knew that everything I did was towards a greater purpose for the community. Sure, I was just one out of many doing this job, but that didn’t make me any less important. I tried to concentrate on the work rather than on my environment, but it wasn’t always easy. I had never known what it was like to be a part of a team. There was something about me that made people want to exclude me rather than include me, and even though I should be used to it after all these years, I wasn’t.

  “Yo, Holly, I have some files for you,” Terry said from across the room. I wasn’t sure why Terry always had to yell at me. I was sure that he always wanted everyone to know that he was bossing me about. He seemed to take great pleasure in being the leader out of the ‘popular’ group. I was the leader of the unpopular group, but that was only because I was the only one in it. It was me against the world. It had always been like that for me, so I was used to it. But just because I was used to it didn’t mean I liked it or that it got any easier.

  I waited until he got to my desk before responding to him.