Chapter 3: Reconciliation of the Sis
The next morning Sarah noticed the huge bruise forming on my ass from my spill to the floor, a casualty of war. When Pepper eventually noticed it, I was going to tell her I slammed into a wall in a klutzy moment. I couldn't tell her I got it at practice because she was there watching me most days!
During school that day my mind was going over everything and I found it difficult to concentrate on classes. All of the secrets and deception kept going through my mind.
It was going to be difficult to juggle everything without worrying about what my parents would think about Pepper and me. So after school that day I decided to have a talk with my dad.
"Hey pops, workin' hard?"
He looked up from his table and blinked twice. "Bryce, yeah. Deadline for this project is approaching. What's up?"
"Am I bothering you?"
He turned to me. "No, son. I could use a break."
"Well it's nothing much, but I wanted to ask you something," I said.
"Go ahead."
"Well you know that Pepper and I have been dating for some time, and..."
"We already went through the birds and the bees!" he said laughing.
"No, it's not that. Well it's kind of that..."
"Oh, I see," he said thoughtfully and giving a pause. "Did we go over protection from mistakes?"
I smiled at him, realizing he never went over emergency contraceptives. "Yes. We're covered there. I was wondering if you're ok knowing, well now knowing, that Pepper and I are... um, you know... here?"
He took in a deep, slow breath and just as slowly exhaled. "It's nothing a parent wants to hear: that his child is having sex. But eventually you might want to find a girl and settle down and maybe make me a Grandpa. That's going to happen whether I'm comfortable or not. So..." he said taking another breath. "As long as you're careful I'll learn to be ok with it."
I smiled at him. "Your grandkids are gonna be happy to have you."
The look on Dad's face told me I'd made a mistake before he even spoke. "You don't..."
I shook my hands in the air. "No, no! Your future, off in the distance, someday grandkids!"
He relaxed quite visibly. "Don't scare me like that! You've got a lot of future to think about first."
"I know, I know."
"You've got to be discrete about it, though."
"I will. We'll keep it to my room and not make a show of it." Dad nodded. "But would it be ok if I could put a lock on my door?"
Dad shook his head. "We need to be able to get down there for the furnace or fuse box or whatever. So we'd still have to have the key. How about we just knock before coming down? Or I could put in a door at the bottom of the stairs on your side?"
I thought about it for a moment. As good as the door sounded for some reason I didn't like it... "Knocking sounds good, so long as everyone's gonna do it."
"I'll talk to Letta and we'll talk to Sarah tonight. Count on it, son," he said clapping my shoulder. "And confidentially son, nice going! She's a really nice girl!"
"Da-a-ad!" I said laughing and rolling my eyes. "Thanks."
Pepper had something to do after school that day, so she was coming over around 7. Sarah came home an hour before that, just in time for dinner. When Pepper showed I hemmed and hawed but Dad saved the embarrassment.
"Just go, kids. Don't have
too much
fun!" he said with a wink.
"Thanks, Dad!" I said turning toward my door and pulling Pepper behind me. She closed it behind us as we ran down the stairs.
"What was that about?" Pepper asked just before I covered her mouth with mine.
"I told Dad about us," I said covering her mouth again.
She pushed me away. "You told him about
us
, as in about us having
sex
?"
I pulled off my shirt. "I told him I fuck your brains out and make you scream!" I said ripping down my pants and socks, standing naked in front of her. The look of shock on her face was comical. I caressed the side of her face. "I told him that we're having safe sex and he doesn't mind. We're 18, after all. They're gonna knock if they need to come down."
The look of shock didn't go away. "Y-you, you told... your dad?"
I didn't comprehend her misunderstanding. "Yeah."
"And he didn't blow a gasket?"
"He said that no parent likes to think of their kid having sex, but it had to happen eventually," I said leaving out the
grandkids
part for obvious reasons. "So as long as he knows we're doing it safely, and I'm sure quietly, he's fine with it," I finished kissing her neck.
Pepper just stood there processing the information.
"Didn't you say your mom got you on the pill? Doesn't she know that you got it for a reason?"
"I'm not worried about her. It's my dad I'm freaked about." I looked away and knowingly nodded. "But yes she already knows about you and me."
"Maybe your mom can soften the blow?"
Pepper shook her head, nodded it, and then moved it off to the side altogether. "I don't know, maybe. Maybe in a parallel world she already has, but I don't think here..."
I took her into my arms. "If he knew maybe he'd let you sleep the night once in a while. Think about waking up next to me..."
Pepper melted a bit in my arms and sighed. "I'd love to do that!" she said, but reality was too heavy. "Dad'd never go for that, even if he was ok with me having sex."
"Then maybe you'll have to sneak back here some night and..."
"Let's not go there. I'd have a hard time getting out of the house without them knowing," she said with a sigh.
I lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "Then let's make the most of the time we have."
We did until I heard Dad at the top of the stairs behind the door calling out good night. That was her cue to get home before curfew.
I walked her to the door in my boxers since everyone was in bed.
"You're so lucky to have parents like yours," Pepper said in my arms.
"Talk to your mom. Maybe she can help. But your dad's probably gonna be more protective because you're a girl."
Pepper hit my chest. "Sexist!"
"Maybe, but true. I can get you pregnant but you're the one who'd have to carry it. He's just looking out for you."
"How do you know that?"
"I watch TV sometimes," I laughed.