Steal Me From My Stepbrother

My dad was seriously ill. He knew I'd had a thing for my stepbrother, Dean, for as long as I could remember. So, right there in his hospital room, he looked at Dean and asked if he'd ever consider marrying me.

Dean met my dad's pleading gaze and just said flatly, "Yeah. I will."

Our wedding night was a complete disaster. His ex, Tiffany, showed up sobbing hysterically. "I'm pregnant, and you just betrayed me!" she wailed. Then, she tried to kill herself right in front of us.

I was totally freaking out, but Dean? He was ice cold. He handled everything, even taking a moment to try and calm me down.

Later that night, he was rough with me. I could barely walk for two days afterward. But I was so stupidly happy. I actually thought he was falling for me.

Then, a month later, I found out I was pregnant. He locked me in a room, his eyes like glaciers. "You think I wanted to marry you? Your dad guilt-tripped me into this!" he snarled. "I've been waiting for this. She suffered, and now it's your turn."

He started stabbing me with a knife, over and over. There was blood everywhere.

Turns out, Dean never loved me. He just wanted revenge.

I blinked, and suddenly, I was back. Back in the hospital room with Dad and Dean.

Dad was just opening his mouth to ask Dean about marrying me. Before Dean could even answer, I blurted out, "Dad, I'm already seeing someone…"

I stumbled back, a jolt of pain shooting through me. Dean grabbed my arm. "Whoa, you okay? You're soaked in sweat."

My vision cleared. I was in the hospital, Dean standing right beside me, a look of genuine concern on his face.

"Dean, son," Dad began, his voice weak from the hospital bed, "I'm getting old. I just wanna make sure you and Ashley are taken care of. You wouldn't…"

He was looking up at Dean, pleading with his eyes. I knew exactly what he wanted to ask. He wanted Dean's promise to look after me when he was gone.

If I were still the naive girl from before, my heart would have leaped at the chance. But now, just the thought of being with Dean filled me with pure dread. The memory of Tiffany killing herself on our wedding night and Dean blaming me for it was a nightmare I never wanted to relive.

I lurched forward, grabbing Dad's hand. "Dad! What are you even talking about? I have a boyfriend already."

Dad's face lit up. "Really? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell your old man?"

"I'll bring him by tomorrow. You can meet him then," I said, nodding hard. "Dad, you just focus on getting better. I want you to be the one to walk me down the aisle."

Dean, standing behind me, looked completely thrown. "Ashley? You're dating someone?" he asked, his tone laced with disbelief.

I turned to him, keeping my expression blank. "Dean, you're not getting any younger either. Why don't you just tell Sarah how you feel?"

Dad perked up at that. "Dean's got a girl, too? Good! I just want you two to be happy."

Dean didn't say anything, but I could feel his eyes burning into the back of my head.

Leaving the hospital, Dean followed me out and grabbed my arm. "Ashley, I've never heard you mention a boyfriend," he said, his voice accusatory, his eyes trying to read my mind.

"Dean, I'm a grown-up. I don't need to run everything by you, do I?" I replied coolly.

He froze, pulling his hand back as his face shifted into that familiar, cold mask.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief once I was safely in my car. I pulled out my phone and texted Sarah, who lived a few states away.

"Sarah, you've always been crazy about Dean, and he likes you, too. He's just too scared to say it. If you came here, he'd be so happy."