Back when we were younger, the shed used to be one of Stefan’s favorite places, and he would take delight in building stuff with his dad. But much to Terry’s disappointment, it was a pastime Stefan soon abandoned when he came of age and got into sports.
Up until that point, Stefan had assured Terry that he would go into the construction business when he got older, but he changed his mind not long after.
“There’s no glory in it,” Stefan would say back then, infuriating my stepfather. “I’m going to be something much greater.”
Stefan, it seemed, had a huge ego even then.
“You'll be fine,” I said, leaning against a metal shelf filled with equipment, tools, and screws. “At least, for now.”
Stefan set the box of tools down on a table in the middle of the room and glanced at me. Dressed in a tank top, his powerful biceps were on display. I had to admit, he looked right at home amongst all the manly tools. “Are you just saying that because you want to side with Dad? Because I remember how you used to side with him back in the day when he complained about me not following in his footsteps.”
“I’m saying that because you would probably excel at anything Terry tasks you with.”
Stefan opened the toolbox and grinned at me. “You have a honey tongue, you know that?”
I laughed lightly. “When it comes to you, yeah, I do.”
“That’s why I love you.”
A feeling of warmth spread through my chest at his words.
“I always feel so good when you say that,” I said softly.
Stefan pulled a large hammer out of the box and examined it.
“Do you, now? Well, you’d better get used to it—you're going to be hearing it for a long time.”
Even though his words sounded kind of corny, they filled me with hope for our future. Stefan’s attitude, at least so far, had been one of protective assurance, and it made me feel safe that I could trust him not to abandon me when things got rough.
Setting down the hammer, Stefan walked over to one of the shelves filled with dented metal shavings and brought a large sheet back to the table. “But you know what? After thinking about it, maybe this is what I need for right now. It will get my mind off all the problems that are going on with us and provide me with an outlet to relieve some stress.” Stefan gripped the hammer tightly and brought it down on the metal, filling the shed with a loud clang.
I jumped at the sound. “I think it will be good too. But it can’t last for long.”
Stefan studied the dent he had made in the metal and then looked over at me. “I’m aware of that. We have, what? Two, maybe three months before you start showing enough for it to be a problem?”
I almost burst out laughing. With the way I’d been eating, I wouldn’t be surprised if I started showing as early as next week. “Maybe a little less than that.” By now, my pants were already starting to feel a little too snug around my hips, ass, and thighs. It would only be a matter of time before I had to go up a size. Having always been a size two my whole life, the thought horrified me.
Stefan’s expression grew thoughtful. “I’ll just have to think of something before then. In the meantime, we’ll keep an eye out on how you’re growing. If it starts looking like it'll be a problem, we’ll just have to try to conceal it with bigger clothing. You know those baby doll dresses that flare out that you used to like to wear?”
“And when that stops working, then what?” I asked.
“Then we leave.” Twisting his face into a grimace, Stefan brought the hammer down against the metal again, harder than before.
I stood there quietly for the next few minutes, watching him pound away at the metal like a smith at his forge, admiring his powerful arms at work.
“Why’d you nudge me when Mom said she’s taking me to see Dr. Kern? I don’t really want to go to that stupid psychiatrist,” I said when Stefan had taken a break from the pounding. The sheet of metal now looked banged up, and I really didn’t know what Stefan planned with it. Maybe he was just taking out his frustrations.
Stefan looked over at me, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I wouldn’t worry about that. You see how Evelyn is acting. It’s better that you just go along with it. It can’t be that bad. Just answer the man’s questions and call it a day. I’m going to be one taking you to your appointment, so we'll come up with some crap to say.”
“You are?” I asked with some surprise. “Not Mom?”
Stefan nodded. “Yeah. I already cleared it with Dad. He says there’s not much work to be done on Friday, so he's fine with me taking you to your appointment. I had to do a little convincing with Evelyn though. She wanted to be the one to take you.”