Homecoming: A Secret Baby Romance

* * *

“
M
ax is coming home
,” my mother said to me as we drove back home from a lunch date.

Max. My heart jumped in my chest. Max was my stepbrother. Tall, dark blonde hair, blue eyes and built like Adonis, I’d always held a secret crush on him.

“When?” I asked. I was so relieved he was coming home. I hadn’t even seen him since he went off for boot camp, and to be honest, I’d been worried about him ever since he got accepted into the Marine Corp. He'd came home a time or two, but I never got to see him because of being away at school. Much to my sadness, I'd only got to talk to him on the phone.

“Next week. We’re going to throw a coming home party for him.” My mother looked over at me as we came to a stop at a stoplight. “Can I expect you to help out?”

I returned her look like she was crazy. “Of course I’ll help out! Why wouldn’t I?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. You've seemed so busy lately — I didn’t know if you’d have time.”

My mom was right, I’d been studying heavily for finals, but I just finished my last a couple days ago. Besides, for Max, I’d make time.

“Well you don’t have to worry, mom,” I assured her. “I was only so busy because I was finishing up the semester.”

* * *

T
he day
of the homecoming party was fast approaching and I was becoming overwhelmed with anxiety. My mind was on Max, and the day of his return couldn't come fast enough.

As a Marine, Max was trained to be hard and rugged. But at the same time, I think it was good for him. The last time he was home, I could tell that he was more disciplined and mild-mannered than he'd always been before.

Still, I didn’t want Max to be in danger, experiencing whatever horrors that were out there. While accidents involving Marines were becoming less and less, I still feared the worst. I was probably being a little selfish, but I wanted him back home.

Thankfully, now that day was coming. Hopefully for good this time.

“
H
ave
you got the punch bowl ready?” my mom asked.

I looked around the kitchen, which had food piled up and down the counter, and located the sprite mixed with cherry fruit punch I’d made. Everything seemed to be in order — we’d spent hours getting everything set up. There was a big sign that said “Welcome Home Max”, hanging in the living room where all our family members waited and a bunch of colorful balloons. “Yes,” I replied. “It's good.”

“Good. Remember how it was Max’s favorite?”

I nodded, feeling proud. “Yeah, he always did love the punch I made.”

“He should be here any minute.” My mom, who was dressed in a yellow and white floral dress, looked around the kitchen for anything else that we may have forgotten.

“That’s enough, mom,” I told her. “I can handle everything else.” In truth, I was very nervous and my mom’s fidgeting was only heightening the emotion. I wanted her out of the way so I could get myself under control before Max showed up.

She looked at me critically. “You sure?”

I held back a roll of my eyes. “Yes. Now go. Please.”

“Okay, okay.” My mom scurried off into the living room with everyone else.

I breathed a sigh of relief when she was gone and nervously smoothed out the front of my outfit. I’d spurned a regular pair of jeans and shirt for the party. Instead, I wore a red dress that hugged my body like saran wrap. My breasts were out, front and center, my makeup flawless with a rosy red blush that matched my dress. My hair, which was a dark blonde with a slight wavy texture to it, was pulled back into a long ponytail that descended below my bra strap.

I wanted to look my best for when Max came home. Before, I would never dress sexy, almost like a tomboy. But my time at College had changed me, and now I felt more confident in myself.

I went about making sure all the food was in order before moving into the living room with everyone else. Everyone was waiting, and as I sat down on the couch, there was a knock at the door. My heart pounded in my chest.

He’s here.

Making sure my hair was in place, I got up from the couch and smoothed my dress out. I went over to the door, my pulse increasing by the second. I stopped before I and took a deep breath, my hand frozen on the doorknob.

I shouldn't be so nervous, it's only Max, I thought to myself.

Drawing up my courage, I swung open the door and my heart fluttered in my chest.

"Max?"

There was my stepbrother, standing before me, carrying a large duffel bag over his shoulders, in green, army camouflage pants and a black, short-sleeved shirt that showed off his rippling biceps. He was pretty fit before, but now he was a sight to behold.

At twenty-three, he'd really filled out since I last seen him. His body looked more full, more man-like. His hair, which always had been a dark blonde, was now almost platinum.

It must be due to him being out in the sun all the time, I thought.

And those eyes. His frosted blue eyes were still as gorgeous as ever, and they even had a sparkle in them as he regarded me.

As I stared at him, all the feelings I thought were buried came flooding back over me. They were so powerful that I almost swooned right in front of him.

I was surprised when his eyes widened when he seemed to recognize me, and he looked me up and down. "Wow!" he exclaimed with amazement. "What happened, Nikki? Damn! You've become a total knockout!"

I blushed furiously in embarrassment because I knew our family was within earshot and could probably hear him, but at the same time, a surge of satisfaction ran through me. Dressing sexy had paid off, Max had finally noticed me. And by the way he was looking at me, I could tell he really liked what he saw. And as far as I could remember, he’d never directly complimented me on my looks before.

Mission accomplishment! I exulted.

"I've grown up," I said to him proudly, placing my hands on my hips.

Shaking his head while biting his lower lip, Max ran his eyes over my curves, making my confidence soar. "I can see that."

I wanted to think he was really checking me out, but I wasn't sure if it was wishful thinking. “Come on in," I said a second later when an awkward silence grew between us. "Mom and Dad have been waiting to see you."

As soon we stepped inside, the family pet Mini Schnauzers, Teddy and Roxy, came joyfully running up, jumping all over him. Max always loved those dogs, and while he'd been gone a good while, they still seemed to remember their buddy.

Max dropped his traveling bag on the floor and fell to his knees as the dogs jumped up and licked at his face happily. “Hey guys,” he laughed. “I’m so happy to see you.” I looked on with an adoring smile, happy that he was finally home.

When Max was done greeting the dogs, he got up, Roxy and Teddy continuing to nip at his feet.

"Where is everybody?" He looked around the room, and for the first time, noticed the Welcome Home Max sign. "Wait a minute what's that there for-"

That's when everyone jumped out and yelled, "Surprise!"

Shock showed on his face and I had to laugh that even a hardened marine could be so surprised.

“My handsome boy,” my mother said, enfolding him in her arms for a tight embrace. "I've missed you so much."

She rushed him in excitement, and Max pulled her into a bear hug. “Laura,” he said in greeting, “I missed you.” My mom always had a fondness for Max, and treated him like her own.

"Hey son," said my stepdad, Jerry. Like Max, he was tall, strapping and blonde with a few gray hairs mixed in.

“Hey, Dad.”

Max pulled away from my mom, and the two men clasped arms and then embraced each other, pounding each other on the back.

"Glad to have you home, son." Jerry had tears in his eyes.

Max's eyes fell on me, and I felt a thrill go through my body. "Glad to be back," he replied.

The party commenced, drink flowed, and food was everywhere. It seemed that everyone and their grandma wanted to talk to Max and hear his stories. Max seemed to enjoy all the attention, relishing in reliving his moments of glory.

From being shot at, nearly stabbed, and going out on dangerous rescue missions, it sounded like Max had quite the story to tell. I wondered if he was telling the truth, or exaggerating the details for dramatic effect. Either way, I was just glad he was safe.

This is why he shouldn’t go back out, I thought, my hand pressed against my chest as Max finished telling us how a bullet had missed his head by half an inch. Because he might never come back.

I found it hard to listen to the rest of his stories, overcome with anxiety. When I finally had my chance alone with him, I let him know how upset I was.

“It sounds really dangerous out there,” I said, fingering my wine glass.

Max's eyes dropped to my breast for a moment and then rose back up to my face. I loved it every time he did that. “That’s because it is.”

“I worry about you,” I blurted out.

Max grinned at me. “What kind of little stepsister would you be if you didn't?"

"I'm serious, Max," I said. "I wish you would have never enlisted. I hate worrying we're going to get a call in the middle of the night."

Max frowned at me. "But I did, what kind of man would I be if I didn't follow through with my commitments? I can understand your worry Nikki, but I believe in fighting for my country."

A smart one, I thought. I couldn't understand why Max had enlisted to begin with. It wasn't like he didn't have other job opportunities. I mean, with his looks, he could have been a model for a major modeling magazine, making good money standing around in his underwear.

"I just want you to be safe, Max," I replied. "Tell me, how was it really out there?"

Max paused. He seemed to understand that I wanted to know how things really were and not the version that he'd given our family. After a moment, he let out a chuckle. "Oh it's not that bad, I was just giving them what they wanted to hear," he said in a low voice, so as to keep anyone else from hearing.

Quickly, his expression changed to a more serious one. "But it doesn't matter now, I'm home."

On a whim, I set my glass aside and pulled him into an embrace. His body felt hard against me. "I'm so glad you're home, Max," I whispered in his ear. "I've missed you so much."

He gave me a squeeze that made me tingle with excitement. "I've missed you too." He pulled back from me and gave me a look. "But can I tell you something?"

"What?"

He sniffed my arm and grinned at me. "You smell amazing."

I blushed. "Thank you." I wasn't sure how much of that was a compliment. After all, Max was surrounded by stinky sweaty guys all the time, so, of course, I was going to smell like heaven in comparison.

He glanced at all the party goers. "You know what? Why don’t we get out of here? I'll go tell everyone that I need a breath of fresh air, and we can go have some fun. It's weird being around all these people. I know they're family, but I'm just not in the mood."

"But Max, this is your party, everyone is here to see you," I protested.

"They'll get over it, I'll catch up later. You still have that Jeep?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's go."

I bit my lower lip. "I don't know."

“Come on Nikki, live a little. Whose it going to hurt? Besides, Dad has already started telling his stories about when he and I used to go camping and hunting, he'll be at it for hours. " He grinned at me, making my heart flutter. "So what do you say?"

I couldn't resist him. I never could.

Finally, I smiled. "Let's go."