Hurricane Stepbrother by Stephanie Brother

Chapter One
     
    I’d only met Erik one time in my entire life.
    The day my mother agreed to marry Gerald was also the day that my soon-to-be stepfather finally told me that he had a son who was nearly a decade my senior. His name was Erik and while he would technically become my stepbrother, Gerald warned me that he and his son weren’t exactly on the best terms so I’d likely never get a chance to meet him.
    While at the age of thirteen I had been extremely curious about my mysterious, twenty-one year old stepbrother, I never bothered to nag Gerald about what his son was like. I had plenty of other things on my mind at that age so I ignored my curiosity about Erik and focused on helping my mother get ready for her special day.
    None of us were prepared for what happened on the day of their wedding.
    I was standing at my mother’s side, holding her bouquet as the maid of honor, when the loud sound of a motorcycle’s engine roared through the church. I frowned as the noise came to a stop and a moment later, the doors of the church blew open.
    I somehow knew it was him. I couldn’t explain how I knew, but I did.
    Erik .
    He blew into the church like a hurricane, his leather coat wafting behind him with every long stride he took towards the alter. Gerald’s jaw locked up with tension as his son approached and my mother looked between her almost-husband and the boy- strike that, man - who was strolling up the aisle like he owned the place.
    Whispers of confusion rang through the pews while every set of eyes in the church watched with tense interest as the stranger paused on the floor below where his father and my mother stood and took an exaggerated bow.
    “What the hell is this, Erik?” Gerald hissed through his clenched teeth.
    My mother gaped, smiling widely as she looked down at Gerald’s only son, someone she thought she’d never get a chance to meet. “Erik? Oh wow, this is-”
    “A surprise? You’re telling me,” he bit out, his voice thick with sarcasm. “Imagine how surprised I must’ve been when I walked into a gas station only to be asked why I wasn’t at my father’s wedding? What the fuck , Gerald?”
    My eyes doubled in size, both at his casual use of the swear word and the fact that he called his father by his first name. I knew they weren’t on good terms, but it was still so very odd to me. The whispers in the church got louder as the guests began to gossip.
    “I didn’t think you’d show up even if I told you,” Gerald spoke, his voice low and calm even though I could practically feel the anger in it. “If you want to be here, sit down and stop making a damn scene.”
    Erik laughed incredulously, raising both his hands in the air as he said, “Oh, I don’t think so. I’d hate to ruin your special day.”
    “You already have!” Gerald shouted, his voice booming through the church and silencing the whispers.
    Erik’s face turned to stone, his jaw clenching tightly with well-coiled rage. Even though I had been incredibly young at the time, I couldn’t help but to think how cute he was. He looked like he could have been a famous actor or something, with his strong jaw and bright blue eyes.
    When the eyes flickered to me for the briefest moment, I felt frozen with fear. His eyes widened slightly, as if the realization that the woman his father was marrying might have a family finally sunk in. That gaze stayed locked on me for a long moment and I could see the gears turning in his head, recognizing me as his almost-stepsister.
    Just as quickly as his eyes landed on me, they left, surprise once again replaced with anger as he looked back at his father. “Well, my sincerest congratulations to you. I hope you don’t fuck up this poor woman and her kid as badly as you did us.”
    A number of jaws dropped as he spun around on his heel and marched out with the same confident stride he used on the way in. He was like a deadly storm, sweeping in and causing irreparable damage before moving