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BENNETT
Asense of deja vu hit me as I drove Carly’s car to Dwight’s house, nerves fluttering in my gut all the way. It hadn’t been that long ago since I’d been anxiously riding in an Uber on the way home from the airport, but this time, I was excited to see my foster father.
I’d interviewed this morning for a job at the local hospital in the pediatrics ward, and they’d already offered me the position, which I’d happily accepted. Finally, I was taking steps to put down roots, to build a stable life for myself and for Carly and Ella. It was a milestone I couldn't wait to share with Dwight. He’d always been so supportive of my career goals, and I knew he’d give me one of his signature Dad smiles that ruffled his mustache and warmed me inside and out. I’d come to rely on those smiles to help me through hard times over the years, and despite all the positives lately, these times certainly weren’t easy.
I parked in the driveway beside the new ride Dad had bought for Jodie, noticing with intrigue a couple of other familiar vehicles on the street. I knocked on the door, since I’d brought Carly’s keys with me instead of my own ring that included a key to Dwight’s front door. When the door swung open, I was greeted by Dwight's warm smile, but there was something in his eyes. A flicker of antsy energy that sent at least one alarm bell ringing in my mind.
"Bennett, my boy! So glad to see you!" Dwight exclaimed, his voice slightly too loud, as if he were trying to cover up something.
"I've got some exciting news, Dwight," I replied, trying to push away my growing sense of unease. “Can we talk inside?”
"Of course, of course!" Dwight stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter the house. To my surprise, I saw Logan and Nate both sitting in the living room, their expressions equally as confused as I was as they glanced up at me.
"Hey, Ben," Logan greeted me, his tone polite but distant.
"Hey, guys," I replied. It was rare for any of us to spend much time at our dad’s house these days, with our busy lives and his new wife and all, but to have all three of us here on a regular day that wasn’t a major holiday was almost unheard of. And why did Dwight seem so… antsy?
Before I could voice my questions, Dwight cleared his throat, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness. "Sit down, Bennett. We need to talk."
“This had better be good, Pop, because I’ve got a five-year-old’s school bake sale to get to,” Nate said in a huff.
“And I have actual work to do,” Logan agreed.
“That’ll be me here soon,” I hurried to cut in. “I, uh, got that job in the pediatrics ward. I start Monday.”
“Congratulations,” Logan said with cool sincerity.
“Right on, little bro,” Nate exclaimed, standing to his full towering height and coming over to clap me on the back. “How’s it feel to not be a freeloader in Carly’s house anymore?”
“That’s exactly what I needed to talk to you all about,” Dwight suddenly cut in, his tone harsher than he typically ever got. We all looked at him, noticing the attempted stern expression he wore on his usually-cheerful face. “I wanted to talk to all three of you about this nonsense with Jodie’s daughter.”
Well, that wasn’t what I expected. I blinked at Dwight, shocked into silence. My brothers exchanged a look among themselves. Panic gripped me. How had he found out about us?
“Whatever do you mean, Pop?” Nate asked innocently, never one to be anxious about anything.
“Don’t give me that tone, Nathaniel Garrett Young,” Dwight snapped at my middle brother. Logan let out a low whistle at the employment of the full name. “I wanted you all to come over so we could talk like men about this situation. It’s not okay for you three to fight over this woman like children. You’re brothers, and family is the most important thing. Plus she’s your family now, too, and—well, I just have to put my foot down!” He let all of this nonsense out in a rush of emotion, his face turning red from the effort. I wanted to laugh, but I was still frozen.
A long pause settled over the room. Dwight looked so proud of himself for taking this stand. Too bad his bubble was about to burst.
“That’s… not exactly the situation, Dad,” Logan explained carefully.
“Oh? Then the three of you are not interested in your new stepsister?”
“It’s just… not as simple as you’re making it out to be,” Logan said again, not denying or confirming a thing. Always diplomatic. Dwight huffed in frustration.
“Yeah, Pop. Don’t worry about us, alright? We’re big boys, and Carly’s a big girl, too. And I can tell you one thing,” he started slowly, some inkling of his own lust for Carly seeping into his tone, “there’s no fighting happening at all. It’s all good. Trust us.” He bounced his eyebrows suggestively in a way that made me want to crawl into a hole and never emerge.
“What do you…?” Dwight started to ask, and then I had to watch as my foster father realized we were all willingly and knowingly fucking the same woman. “Oh. Oh. Well, that certainly… that, uh, changes things.”
“It’s new,” I croaked out.
“But it’s going well,” Logan asserted, and Nate and I nodded in agreement. Our dad looked between the three of us and finally let out a brief laugh.
“Well, alright. Sounds like a bit of a kooky situation to me, but you boys are grown, and Carly is certainly a wonderful young woman.” He shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “What do I know about modern relationships, eh? We’ve never had a conventional family around here. I just… hope you’re all being careful, and that you’re happy. Plus, hey, that little girl could use a father.”
Nate and I exchanged a glance. Clearly, he knew the truth about Ella’s parentage. I hurriedly glanced away, not wanting to be too obvious. Carly wanted to tell the rest of our family in her own time. Part of me was even a little worried that Dwight’s image of me would change, knowing I had a one-night-stand baby when I was in college. He’d always seen me as sensible, responsible, but softer than his gruff oldest son. This didn’t exactly align with that.
“We… we’re trying it out, Dad,” I told Dwight carefully. But then I remembered the small fact of his new wife, and I hurried to say, “Please, please don’t tell Jodie.”
