We Are One

Before I could hit him, the sheriff had him on the ground and in cuffs. I was impressed with the ease in which the sheriff handled him.

Kennedy came out and saw the commotion. As Steff was being loaded into the back of the cruiser, he shouted, "I didn't kill her! I didn't kill our baby, Kennedy. I didn't kill my mother."

The sheriff shut the door and asked, "What the hell was he yelling about there?"

"He's mentally unstable. His daughter and our mother died in a car accident four years ago when a truck didn't see them and side-swiped them off of an on ramp. He must have lost his mind when he lost his job and all of his money."

He nodded and used his radio to let them know he was bringing in a perp that needed a psyche hold.

"Sir, I'm all done inside," Kenz said as she walked up. "What happened?"

"Your husband attacked your friend. Thankfully, no one got hurt. He seems to be having a psychotic episode."

She looked at Steff, who was still shouting from inside the car. Tears covered his cheeks and dripped onto his shirt.

"Ma'am. If that's all, please go ahead and lock the door."

I thanked the sheriff and once he had his back to me, I flipped my brother off and walked away.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I helped her into the van.

"Yes. I just don't understand why he thinks I blame him for the accident. He knows that I was there, and I know it wasn't his fault."

I wasn't about to tell her my role in that, so I asked, "Maybe the lawyer called with info about the lawsuit?"

"What?" she shrieked. "How do you know about that?"

"Kenz, haven't you figured out by now that while I've been away, I've been kept in the loop. I'm not spying on you guys or anything like that, but I get information."

She looked at me with a sneer that said she didn't believe me.

"Kenz, I know the trucking company is fighting your wrongful death suit. Hell, I read that in the news over a year ago."

She nodded and said, "I'm sorry. You're being so kind to me, and I'm acting like an ungrateful bitch."

I took her hand and said, "You never have to apologize to me, Kenz. Jack brought you to me because he knew I would help you and Bella. Whether I wanted to or not, that lovely little girl is my flesh and blood and needs me."

A strange smirk crossed her face.

"What's that look for?" I asked and started the van.

"I'll tell you another time."

***

Less than a week later, my formerly empty house was turning into a comfortable home for my guests. I replaced the queen bed in the bedroom the ladies were using with a twin sized bed for little Bella to use. I even got the same rail that she had at my brother's house. The room was suitable for a little girl, and she was comfortable with teddy, and the picture of her sister, so sleeping alone wasn't a problem.

Kennedy moved into the bedroom next to it, and was happy with the ensuite bathroom, which gave her some much needed alone time in its large bathtub. Both rooms were updated with whatever changes they wanted to make them as comfortable as possible.

I was at my computer doing some research when Kennedy walked in.

"Got a sec?"

"Sure, Kenz."

"I want to start looking for a job, Blaine."

I looked up, "Why? Who's gonna watch Bella?"

"I was going to look at pre-schools for her. I have to start preparing myself for getting my own place and..."

"You can stay here as long as you want. I told you that." I was worried. I wondered if I had done something wrong.

She laughed, "You've gone above and beyond. I feel like we've taken over your house."

I smiled, "Well, the bras hanging in my shower were jarring, but I'm used to it now."

She slapped my arm, "Shut up! I'm serious."

I looked at her and asked, "What are you going to do? There's no way you can get a part-time job that can support you guys. She's still so little and any kind of daycare will be expensive. Please stay. I can watch her if you want to get a job, that's no problem."

She shook her head.

"How about this, Kenz? How about you enroll in college? You can take classes online or go to the local school that's only fifteen minutes away. At least with an education, you'll have a chance to get a decent job that can pay for all you need. You know that Steff is going to have trouble making child support payments and you can pretty much forget about alimony."

"Well, the house has equity, I was thinking of using that to set us up in an apartment. Maybe if the lawsuit finally settles, I can buy a house."

I shook my head. "Please consider using that money to go to school and save some as a cushion. Hell, if you want, I can put you through school and you can live here, so you can save it all."

She could tell I wasn't going to give up easily. She had no idea how badly I wanted her and Bella to stay. I knew I was still in love with her when Jack showed up on my doorstep, but it was growing stronger every day. If it wasn't for the fact that she was still married to my asshole brother, I'd have begged her to marry me.

She sighed, "I'll think about it, okay?"

"Fair enough."

Her cell rang and she said, "It's my lawyer. Excuse me."

She walked out and I hoped it was news that Steff finally signed the papers. He'd been dragging his ass and as far as we knew, he hadn't even found a lawyer. My theory was that he was going to drag it out until his trial for the domestic abuse and resisting arrest was done. He probably thought it would look better for him in the divorce if he was acquitted. Of course, there was no way that was going to happen. There was too much evidence, including the pictures of Kennedy's face and the police witnessing him chasing her out of the house as she clutched her child in fear. It was more likely that he would get a plea deal to keep him out of jail.

She walked back into the room and said, "He refuses to sign the papers. He countered asking for full custody and claimed I cheated on him with you."

I laughed. "That's insane. What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to drop the nuclear bomb, but you have to promise me that nothing will change, and we can stay here."

"Of course. Why would you think I would change my mind?"

She sat in the chair in the corner of my office and tried to hold back the tear falling down her cheek. She looked so sad, I wanted to hold her and make it all better.

"Bella isn't his daughter."

"Holy shit!"

She nodded. "He was always mean to me. I think he knew I never grew to love him, and I just needed him to keep a roof over my head. After the accident, it got worse. He was demanding and would force me to do things that were degrading. His kink was cumming on my body. My tits, my ass, my stomach, anywhere but my face. He tried that once, but I grabbed his balls and told them I'd rip them off if he did it again. Anyway, he had a friend from college visiting and forced me to have a threesome with them. While Steff pulled out, his friend didn't. The fucking bastard never even questioned it when I told him I was pregnant. He just assumed it was his child."

"Jesus. Kenz, I could have taken you away and protected you from all of that. What a wasted life."

"No, Blaine. It was never a waste. I got Ariel and Bella out of it. Even though I lost Ariel, she'll always be in my heart."

"Of course. Look, we'll get you set up in school and deal with the money later. You can argue about paying me back and I'll pretend that I'll let you, okay?"

She sighed deeply and said, "Let's talk about it later.

***

I walked up the steps to my brother's house a few days after Kennedy told me he was fighting the divorce. My plan was to browbeat him into submission and leave the house with his signature and promise to stop fighting. I was going to buy his agreement if needed.

I knocked on the new door and a smile crossed my lips. I never bothered to send him a check. Oh well.

The door swung open and his balding, out of shape body stood before me. I held up my hands, "Wait! I'm here to talk to you and come to an agreement about Kennedy."

"Fuck you, Blaine! I'm going to make that bitch's life miserable, and if I can heap some hell on yours too, well that'll be just fine."

I pushed past him and walked towards where I assumed the kitchen was. I opened the fridge and helped myself to one of his Miller Lite's.

"Shit, Steff. Are times so tough that you can't even buy good beer?"

"Get the fuck out of my house, asshole."

"Sit down and listen."

I sipped the beer and shook my head, "Here's what I want. I want you to sign the divorce papers and put the house on the market. She needs the money from the equity to start her new life away from you."

"Forget it," he said with a smirk. He stood in the doorway as if showing me that he was still the bigger man, looking down on me. Also, blocking my exit from his house.

"Steff, why fight? Your marriage was always a sham. You know she used you and never loved you. Let her go."

"Oh! I suppose she loves you, right? The high school sweethearts that never were. You were too dumb to get between her legs when you were in school and now you think you have a shot, huh?"

He laughed.

"Good luck. She'll be back riding my cock as soon as she realizes what she's gonna lose. I'm going to take custody of my kid and..."

"She's not your kid. Sign the fucking papers!"

The look on his face was priceless. It was as if he knew all along and never expected it to be said to him.

"Oh, yeah. I know all about the threesome with your college buddy and your kink of degrading her by cumming on her body. Where'd your buddy cum, huh? Deep in her pussy, I bet. He shot his seed into Kennedy's fertile body while you came on her tits. Can't make babies cumming on tits, dear brother."

"You're fucking nuts. Bella's my kid, now get the fuck out!"

He walked towards me with a look of hatred and anger. I wasn't worried about a fight; I was in considerably better shape than he.

"Don't pretend like you can kick my ass, Steff. Back the fuck up."

Surprisingly, he stopped.

"Steff, I've done some digging on you. I know that you're down to ten grand in the bank, and you have no prospects for a good paying job. I know that you applied at several companies but were turned down because you're over-qualified and they think you're just looking for a place holder. I'm going to make you an offer, and I'm only offering this once with no negotiation."

He looked at me with a what the fuck look on his face.

"I have in my pocket a cashier's check for half a million dollars payable to you. Sign the original divorce papers with her fair offer of a split down the middle, and I'll hand you the check."

I pulled an envelope from my jacket pocket and pulled out the check.

"Where the fuck did you get that kind of money?" He sputtered.

"Don't worry about it. Sign the divorce documents and hand them to me or I tear up the check."

He stared at the check in silence for several minutes. I began to get bored and threw my empty beer can in the trash and took another.

"What's it going to be?" I asked impatiently

"I want to know where you got the money. What the hell do you do for a living?"

I sighed. I didn't want to get into it, but I figured he'd be curious.

"I had a couple hundred thousand in bitcoin by the time I left home. If you and our parents ever gave a shit about me, I would have told you about that. I would've shared the news when it skyrocketed. It all started from a simple comment someone made on a gaming chat. I bought $200 of it when it was at five bucks, because it seemed interesting and before I knew it, it skyrocketed. After a couple of years, it took off again. I moved a lot out and into the market."

He paled and I continued, "Yeah, just think. If you hadn't treated me like shit, I could've opened an account with your firm for millions. What a shame."

"You're lying."

I shook my head. "I got sort of famous in the crypto world since I was so young and made millions. Sure, others made a lot more than I did, but I was worried about it crashing. I ended up investing in a startup that provides an easier and faster conversion to buy and sell bitcoin and other crypto. All I do all day is play with my money."

"I still don't believe you, I..."

"Steff, I don't care if you believe me or not. It doesn't matter. What matters is that you have a fresh start in front of you. Take it and turn it into millions."

I could see the wheels in his mind turning. He probably could turn that money into something substantial. I didn't care. I just wanted him out of Kennedy and Bella's lives.

He turned and walked out of the room. When he came back, he handed me the signed divorce papers. He snatched the check as if it were manna from Heaven while I looked over the documents.

I laughed and as I walked away, he said, "I want a DNA test."

"Of course, you do."

***

I didn't really struggle with giving my hated brother that much money. It was to make Kennedy's life easier and that meant everything to me. As I drove home, I wondered if she would ever consider a relationship with me. Could we go back in time to when we were eighteen and apparently in a love no one knew? I knew how I still felt about her. Did she feel the same?

I know she told me she loved me then, but six years is a long time, and she's been abused by my bastard brother for all that time. We were different people than when we were innocent kids. She was never the most self-confident person in the world, but she hadn't been as completely beaten down either the way she seemed to me when she came to my door.

How was she going to react to my buying my brother off? That was probably a big mistake, but I'd defend it as the only option. He would have fought with her just to fight. A secondary thought filled my mind. With that money, he could hire a lawyer and get off. I knew there was always a chance he could get off with no jail time anyway, but I hoped he'd at least get six months. That would at least make him pay somewhat.

I pulled into my garage and as was becoming the brightest moments in my life, Bella greeted me by the door shouting, "Hi, Uncle Bane!"

I pulled her up into a big hug and kissed her cheek. "How are you doing, cuddles?"

"Mama's taking a nap. I'm supposed to be quiet and watch cartoons."

I laughed and said, "You're doing a good job sweetie. Are you hungry for lunch?"

She shook her head no, wiggled down, and darted back to the living room to watch her cartoons.

"Where'd you run off to so early this morning?" Kennedy asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"I visited Steff." I answered without turning around.

"Why?" I could hear the anger in her voice.

"I picked up the signed divorce papers."

"What!" she shrieked and pulled me around to face her. "How did you get that?"

"I just told him that it was over, the kid wasn't his, and it was time to let it go. He agreed but wants a DNA test. I think that's a reasonable request to get him out of your life for good."

"I can't believe you did that. How did he react to the news about Bella?"

"It was as if he already knew and never wanted to admit it. I don't think he really wants to be a father, do you? It's not like he's been fighting to see her since you've been here with me."

"No, and with you being here for her, she's not really missing him."

I saw a twinkle in her eye. Maybe there was a chance for us yet?

***

Six weeks later, she was enrolled in school. She allowed me to front the money for her, but demanded I let her pay me back when she got the proceeds from the sale of her house. I pretended to concede, but knew I'd be giving her that money back at some point later.

The divorce was in its final stages and there was nothing more to do other than sell the house. She demanded to make sure the house was clean and ready for sale, and Steff allowed it. He wasn't too much of a slob, but some minor things needed to be done.

He agreed to a plea deal to avoid major jail time but was given a weird sentence where the jail time was deferred and if he kept his nose clean, he'd never have to serve it out. He did get community service and I'd have loved to drive by when he was cleaning the garbage off of the roadside.

The DNA test proved that Steff was not Bella's father. She removed the request for child support from the original divorce agreement and Steff gladly signed. I felt sad for Bella. She would probably never see who she thought was her daddy again. It sucks when kids get pulled into adult problems.

My house was looking more and more like a woman and child lived there. Dolls and other toys were lying about and needed to be put away every night and I started to see decorations appear out of nowhere. That was no problem for me, and I told Kennedy to do whatever she wanted to make it feel like more of a home for Bella.

There had been no movement in our personal relationship. I wasn't making any moves and Kennedy didn't either. I would occasionally see her sneaking glances, but she wasn't dressing sexier, and she wasn't flirting in any way. I knew she was still technically married, so I wasn't pushing anything.

That all changed when the season changed to Summer. I had a pool and Bella was dying to swim every day. The first time I saw Kennedy in a bikini, I almost lost my mind.

It wasn't a sexy suit, it covered everything well, but I couldn't believe how she looked. Her long brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. Her mid-sized breasts glistened from the suntan lotion she applied, and her legs gave me an instant hard-on. When we were teens, she always wore baggy clothes. I had no idea what her ass looked like then, but in that bikini, I realized it was perfection.

As she grew more comfortable in my home, she started acting as if it was truly her home as well, and she wasn't just a guest. One day she asked, "Blaine, I would like to invite some friends I made at school over to use the pool on Saturday."

I smiled and said, "No problem. Would you like me to pick up some steaks and have a barbecue?"

She smirked oddly, and said, "Yes, please. I'd like that if it's no trouble for you."

"None at all. It'll be nice to meet some of your friends."

"Good, thank you again."

***

There were three guys and two girls that came to Kennedy's pool party. They were nice enough, but one of the guys was spending a lot of time with Kennedy. I had to walk away to hide my anger when she asked him to put suntan lotion on her back. Why couldn't she ask me to do that for her?

I watched from inside the house when he leaned and whispered something into her ear. She laughed and I saw her look around. She said something to him and walked towards the house.

Bella came walking up and asked, "Uncle Bane, can you put my suit on? I wanna swim too."

"That's up to your mama, cuddles. I'm supposed to be watching you in the house while she has fun with her friends."

The sliding back door opened, and Bella ran to Kennedy. "Mama, I wanna swim too."

"Okay, only for a few minutes and then we're gonna have dinner."

Bella ran off, I assumed to find her bathing suit.

"Blaine," Kennedy started, "Is it okay if I use the blender? Mark brought some daquiri mix and would like to make some for us."

"Mark can use the blender that's behind the bar on the other side of the pool," I sneered.

She smirked, "Okay, thank you," and walked off to find Bella.

I walked out after seasoning the steaks and fired up the grill. I asked her friends how they wanted theirs cooked and all were polite except for Mark. He said, "Rare, man. I like my steak the same color as my pussy." He looked towards Kennedy coming out of the house with Bella and licked his lips.

"How the hell am I supposed to know what color your pussy is," I asked, making the others laugh. "Hell, I figured you were a man, but if you've got lady parts, that's okay. I don't judge."