My Step Father's Son

Chapter 6 - You Have Me

Ava Summer

"So, what really happened back then? What were you and Edward fighting about?" I take the liberty to ask Rhys what happened that night four years ago.

We are still at Elliot Bay, eating hot dogs on the deck.

I don't really know what happened back then. My mother didn't tell me what actually happened either.

Rhys's taking a bite of his hot dog while staring at me.

I'm not sure if he wants to open up, but I wait patiently. It must be something fundamental for him to leave behind everything he had.

"When my father and your mother married, I always thought that your mother was the reason for my parents divorce," he finally says.

I already heard about this; that's why he always ignored me and my mother in the beginning.

"But it wasn't," he admits, looking straight at me. "Later on, I found out that my mom was the one who cheated on my dad."

"But my mom is my mother; I love her no matter how or what she did." He continues pouring his heart out, and I listen attentively.

I know how he loves his mother. He visited his mother every week when he still lived with us.

"When they divorced, she lost every right at the companies, except one."

"She ran the company but went bankrupt after 3 years. Her life was a mess; she drank every night and became an alcoholic." Rhys says it with brimming eyes.

I know he's sad, so I hold his hand, wanting to give him support.

"That night, I went to see Dad, asking him to give my mother another company they built together. I wanted him to give her another chance to get her life back, but he refused," he says, taking a deep breath. "I told him that I'd help her handle the company. I know I can do it."

Rhys stares at me and says, "Ava, she needed me, and I wanted to help. But Dad kept with his decision, and it made me mad. Why can he trust me?" His emotions rise, so I move closer and squish his hand understandingly.

"I didn't know what else I could do. We were arguing badly, and finally I decided to leave the house. I was very disappointed with him." Rhys tries to smile, but his tears drop nonetheless.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," I respond as I hug him.

Rhys hugs me back, holding me close, and I let him. I let him let go of the heavy burden in his heart.

"I'm okay, Ava." He says this and breaks the hug after being engulfed by emotion for a few moments.

"Feeling better?" I caress his back gently.

"Yes, thank you." He nods and smiles calmly.

"How is your mom doing?" I ask.

"She's still having treatment, but she's getting better." He answers after a deep breath. He looks much better after expressing his feelings.

"Good to hear that." I say, feeling relief. "If you need to talk, you have me, okay?"

"I know. Thank you," he smiles heartily. "And you have me too," he adds, and I nod in response.

"Anyway, I'm sorry for what I did to you and your mother, for ignoring and hurting your feelings all this time," he says wholeheartedly.

"It's okay, Rhys. I understand." I reply compassionately, giving him a smile. I've forgiven him a long time ago.

Now I'm relieved that our relationship is getting better.

Suddenly, Joe's ringtone plays on my phone, and I pick it up right away.

"Hi Joe." I greet him first.

"Hi sweetheart, What are you up to? Are you still at Emily's?" Joe asks.

"No, I'm not with her. I'm in Elliott Bay right now." I answer, letting him know where I am.

"Elliott Bay? What are you doing there?" He's surprised because I told him this morning that I'm going to Emily's

"I'm with Rhys; there's something we need to talk about." I stand up and then take a few steps away from Rhys.

"Your stepbrother?" Joe asks me. He sounds surprised.

"Yes. Where are you?" I want to know if he's already home or still working.

"Office. Do you want me to pick you up? I want to give you the file for your job details tomorrow," he said.

"No, it's okay. I'm going home with Rhys. Meet me at my house, and why don't you have dinner with us?" I have a better idea. That way, he doesn't have to go further to pick me up.

"Diner with your family?"

"Yes. Mom, Edward, and Rhys, they'll love to see you." It's not the first time I invited him to dine with us.

"Okay. I'll see you soon, sweety. Love you." He agrees.

"I love you too, Joe. Bye." I say good-bye, then hang up.

"How long have you been with him?" Rhys suddenly asks me.

"Three months." I answered him honestly. "But I have known him for almost a year now."

"So you date your boss," he says, taking a glance at me and giving me a playful smile. He teases me.

"Well, he is a good person. He's mature and kind. Why not?" I reply, telling him Joe's distinction as I sit back besides him.

"Mature and kind." Rhys lets out a small chuckle. Why do I feel he's being skeptical?

"What's wrong with that?" I question him.

"Nothing wrong," he answers with a smirk. "How old is this mature guy anyway?" he asks with an amused tone.

"He is mature, okay?!" Joe is not too old. He's only 32.

"I bet he is 10 years older than you." Rhys guesses, and he guesses it right.

"So what? I like older men." I reply as I turn to face him and give him a challenging look.

He chuckles and then moves forward, so our faces are facing each other closely. "Have you been with someone in their prime?" he asks with a smirk on his face.

"Their prime?" I ask him, raising one of my brows, before I stand up and walk.

Rhys catches up and walks besides me. "Yeah, like me. I am in my prime." He's pointing himself and giving a playfully wink.

I roll my eyes at his narcissism, and he laughs at my reaction. He really likes to tease me.

"Let's go home." I speed up my pace, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

"You should really try with someone in their prime, baby girl." He says, catching my steps.

"Oh yeah, I bet you've been with a lot of girls in your prime." I reply, teasing him back.

Well, with that look on his face, he must have a lot of girls who want to be with him. I wonder how many girls he has been with.

"What was that? I hear jealousy." He responded with a big grin on his face.

"Oooh, get real, Rhys!" I deny it as I step into his car.

I'm his sister. How can he think I'm jealous?

"Ava, baby, I like it when you are jealous." He keeps teasing me as he turns on the engine and drives.

I roll my eyes again, but without replying. He will keep teasing me if I keep answering him.

We're finally home after a half-hour drive. Edward and Mom are surprised to see us coming home together but pleased that four of us can have dinner together. I also tell them that Joe will join us.

I went to my room to get myself clean. And then I wear a sleeveless top and white shorts and let my hair down.

I go downstairs and meet everyone in the dining room.

"Where is Joe, Ava?" Mom asked me when she saw me. Everything is ready on the dining table, but Joe isn't here yet.

"He'll be here soon, mom," I answer her as I send Joe a text message.

'Where are you?' I texted him.

'I'm here, sweety, on the way,' he replies as soon as he reads the message.

I stand up from my seat and walk to the front door to look for him. After taking a peek from the window, I open the door and see Joe's getting out of the car, bringing a bottle of wine in his hand.

Joe smiled and fastened his steps towards me. "I'm sorry, I'm late." He says this before giving me a quick kiss on the lips.

"It's okay, we haven't started yet; come on," I take his hand and take a glance at the wine bottle. "You don't have to bring anything."

"I want to, sweetheart." He says this as he puts one of his hands behind my back and walks inside the house. I nod and smile at his good intentions.

"Joe is here," I says to everyone in the dining room.

"Joe, come join us." Edward welcomed him warmly.

"I'm sorry, I'm late, Mr. River." Joe apologizes and shakes Edward's hand.

"It's okay; you are on time. We are about to start." Edward replies, gesturing for him to take a seat.

"Mrs. River." Joe greets Mom and shakes her hand politely.

"Thank you for the wine," Mom says, giving him warm smile.

And last, Joe greets and shakes Rhys's hand. "Rhys."

"Hi Joe, please have a seat," Rhys responds, shaking Joe's hand.

Joe takes a seat besides me, while on my other side is Rhys.

The diner is great. Everyone enjoyed the meals and moments. Edward looks so happy that we all gathered to have dinner tonight.

He is smiling all the time. And Rhys also smiles while watching his father. He must have missed all these moments.

I turn to look at him, and right in time, he looks at me. I smile, feeling happy for him.

This reminds me of our talk this afternoon. Should I help him handle the company? I know both of them want me to try.

After dinner, Mom, Edward, and Rhys are talking in the living room, while Joe and I are taking our leisure time by the side of the swimming pool.

"What were you and Rhys talking about this afternoon?" Joe suddenly asks me while he holds me in his arms. We are sitting on the pool lounger, relaxing.

"Edward wants Rhys to take over the company. And Rhys, he wants me to help him." I told Joe about our conversation; perhaps I could ask his opinion about this.

"And?" He asks as he stares down on me.

I look up and answer, "I told him I don't know how to run a company." I change my position a little bit, and he tightens his embrace. "He said he'd help me and teach me how."

"He wants me to check on Edward's companies with him next week." I add.

"I see," Joe responds. I can feel his chest move as he takes a deep breath.

"What do you think I should do, Joe?" I ask.

He takes another deep breath. "As your boss, I want you to stay with what you do right now. But as your boyfriend, I want you to do what you think is right for you." He says this as he stares at me. "And I think it's okay if you want to try. I believe you can do it if you want to." He emphasizes the word "want to". He doesn't want me to feel burdened when doing it.

Joe also knows that if I agree to this, I won't have time to work at his agency, and we might not see each other every day like these days. But I know he wants me to choose the right thing.

"So is that okay if I quit for awhile next week?" I asked his opinion again.

"Sure, sweety, take as much time as you need," he answers. "But you still have to see me at the end of the day." He adds and winks playfully.

I chuckle and turn my face towards him. "Of course I'll see you. We could meet up after work hours or for lunch. Right?"

"I miss you already," he says as he tightens his embrace, and soon he kisses my lips.

We're kissing for a few minutes, locking our lips.

We spend another hour to talk about work and our relationship, until it's time for him to go home and walk him to the front door.

After he left, I turn around find Rhys standing not far away, crossing his arms in front of his chest, looking directly at me with a cold expression.

"Don't you think he's too old for you?" He suddenly asked with a slightly shaky voice. Why do I feel like he's tensing up? What's upset him?

I don't know what's gotten into him, but I don't like the way he talks. What did I do wrong?

"I told you, I like older men. Experienced." I reply with an indifferent tone as I walk past him.

Suddenly, Rhys grabs my hand and turns me around swiftly.

"Who told you that? Ava, Even a younger man can have more experience." He said it with a smirk on his face. I can't describe his eye expression. Is he angry or what?

I don't have a chance to respond before he lets go of me and walks upstairs, leaving me dumbfounded, not sure what he was up to.