Family Ties: Secrets I Shared with My Step-grandson
Reckless, thrilling, and absolutely forbidden
Simon’s seventy-fifth birthday is supposed to be a quiet celebration—family, speeches, and the comfortable distance of a life mostly already lived.
Then his step-grandson, Finn, walks into the house.
Fresh from air force training and still raw from a breakup, Finn is all restless energy. He escapes the noise of the party into the cool winter air. Simon finds him outside, tense and restless, and offers nothing more than a steady presence—and a hug meant to comfort. Instead, it lingers, and in that lingering, something dangerous and intoxicating sparks to life.
Shaken by the intensity, Simon retreats to his office. Finn follows. What happens there is reckless, thrilling, and absolutely forbidden.
They both know it can never be anything but secret. Yet as stolen moments and hidden glances begin to weave their way into everyday life, they discover that some connections, once ignited, are impossible to ignore—and even harder to keep buried.
I was prepared for a busy few hours. It wasn’t every day you turned seventy-five, and I certainly never expected to make it until this senior age. Honestly, I should’ve been wiped out in my early twenties, because like so many other young people, I believed I was invincible.
Especially young men. How had it gotten into our heads that taking risks would somehow prove our worth? It had certainly garnered me friendships. Those were gone now, though. Those buddies of mine had either drifted away, immersed in their own lives—or they were dead.
Time had marched on like sand in a funnel. It would slip away from beneath your feet and take you with it if you didn’t find something to grasp onto and save yourself.
That anchor was my ever-expanding family. I’d been blessed with three children during my first marriage and two with my second. My third wife had brought along two grown children of her own into our lives. My kids and those two stepchildren had been flourishing as well.
Seven children, fourteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. I wished my third wife was around to see it. I lost her to cervical cancer three years ago. The house was lonely without her.
If we could talk about soulmates for a moment, Barbara was it for me. It took me three tries to find someone who understood me and was willing to love me through all my faults.
I checked the fridge to make sure I’d filled every possible space with drinks for the thirsty crew that was about to descend on my tranquility. Going out for dinner to celebrate my birthday was out of the question. Far too many bodies to descend on a restaurant with.
My youngest daughter had volunteered my house for the party because it was large enough to accommodate everyone. She had promised to stay behind afterward and help clean up.
I collected my positivity when the doorbell rang, ready to be the jovial and welcoming dad slash grandad they’d come to anticipate. Those positive qualities had almost been drained out of me when Barbara died. Every day was better, and my rekindled joy was genuine.
My stepson, Carl, stood on my doorstep with his wife and their two grown children. I’d seen his youngest child, Rebecca, recently, but his son, Finn, had been away training with the Air Force for the past three years. He was stationed on the other side of the country, so I was surprised to see him. The military had brought out the man in him. He’d always been too beautiful for his own good. Now, he was stunning. I ignored the tightening in my chest and welcomed them in.
Finn patted my arm on the way past. “Happy birthday, Grandad.”
“Thanks, Finn.”
As he walked past me, my senses were infiltrated to capacity with an exhilarating scent coming off him. I wasn’t sure whether it was cologne, soap, or his natural aroma.
It was drawing me to follow him, but Carl came in for a birthday hug along with his wife, which would be the theme of the afternoon as more people arrived.
The next half hour saw the door open and close repeatedly, letting out the heat that was accumulating with so many bodies in the living room and kitchen. It was the middle of winter, but I’d opted to refrain from lighting a fire in the fireplace like I would most days.
My daughters and stepdaughters-in-law were buzzing back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room. They were setting up a buffet-style lunch, from cold cuts to desserts, with all the food everyone had brought. Potlucks were popular with a crew this big.
As I wandered through everyone, chatting and refreshing drinks, I noticed Finn wasn’t among the many bodies. I checked through the kitchen window at the deck and spotted him.
In hindsight, I should have stayed indoors, but instead, I gathered my coat and joined him as he leaned against the railing, looking out at the yard, a cigarette poised between his fingers. His hair was blond and wild, being ruffled by the wind like a scene with a Nordic sailor.
“You shouldn’t be smoking.”
Finn took a long draw, then tapped the ash cherry off the side of the deck. He had a cigarette package sitting on the railing and appeared to be working through its contents.
He exhaled, tainting the fresh air. “I know. Bad habit I picked up at basic.”
“Was it rough … basic?”
Finn shrugged. “For some of the recruits. I didn’t mind so much.” He looked over at me. “Two of the guys ended up in the psych ward. Started hallucinating after some of the ordeals.”
“Seriously?” I’d never heard firsthand what happened at basic training.
“Some of the recruits got hypothermia during our survival training. They didn’t listen to instructions. Slept in the clothes they’d been sweating in.”
I nodded my head, not sure what to add to that. I was proud of him for achieving that goal and for going on to be the top of his class during further training.
Finn kept leaning on the railing but turned his body to face me. “What about you?” The way he was supporting himself, you could see the strength in him with his broad shoulders.
My eyebrows peaked. “Me? Military training? No.”
Finn’s gaze scanned my face. “I bet you could have … back in the day.”
I laughed. “Back in the day, I wasn’t community-minded enough to join the forces. Life was one big party. What didn’t immediately fill my needs wasn’t on my mind.”
My step-grandson smirked. “You sound like you were a bit of a cad.”
“I was respectful.” Finn’s scent was identifiable now as I remained standing close to him. Under the odor of cigarettes, he smelled of soap and youth. I held my breath after speaking, my chest and abs clenched, unable to continue rising and falling. I couldn’t drag my attention away from his sultry blue eyes. They were taking me to places I had no right to go.
Finn pursed his lips, his gaze lingering on mine, then turned back to looking out over the yard and set his finished cigarette butt on the railing. His next question came out of left field.
“Are you dating?”
I chuckled and nudged him with my shoulder. “Who would want this old body?”
“Plenty, I’m sure. You’re in good shape.” Finn lit another cigarette, inhaled, then blew another cloud of thick smoke into the cold air.
“You going to smoke that whole pack?”
“I’m stressed. I smoke when I’m stressed. I wasn’t planning on coming home this weekend, but I needed somewhere to clear my head. It’s been a rough couple of weeks.”
“Your dad told me.” Finn had decided to leave his boyfriend after 1.5 years. They’d met at basic training and hit it off immediately, but it wasn’t long before the physical abuse started.
“Is he still bothering you?”
Finn nodded. “I finally had to block him.”
I put my arm around Finn’s shoulders to comfort him. He clung to me and brought me in for a hug … and the unspeakable happened. My cock responded to the feel of him in my arms.
He was tall, muscular, and sturdy, and I was sent reeling by what I was feeling for him. He was a young man with an emotional strength I admired. Sure, he was grieving after his breakup, but it hadn’t ruined him. I held him tighter and inhaled every molecule of his being.
When he stepped away, he seemed nervous, holding my eye contact, then flitting his gaze to my shoulders or the house behind me. Maybe he’d felt it, too—the shift.
“Well ….” I patted his shoulders. “I should head back inside. There’s enough food to feed two of your platoons. Don’t linger out here too long and miss out.”
“I’ll pack it in soon.” Then he smiled at me, and my stomach tumbled as my dick pulsed. Every memory of him as a young boy escaped my mind, leaving the man before me.
Fucking hell.
I turned and quite literally scurried back inside, attempting to dissolve whatever notion had come over me. My unexpected desire needed to be parceled away and burned.
“You okay, Simon?” Finn’s mom touched my elbow. “Party a bit much for you?”
“No, no … the party is fine.” I smiled at her to convince her I wasn’t having an existential crisis in my kitchen. My body was on fire for a young man I had no business craving.
I calculated his age. Twenty-three. And he was my step-grandson.
Step.
“Let’s get you a drink,” she said, walking to the fridge. “Smooth you out a little.”
“Just grab me a beer, if you don’t mind.”
After opening the bottle, she came back across the kitchen and handed it to me. “It’s your birthday. You can have anything you want?”
Anything?
If only she knew.
Not prepared to head back into the fray, I took my beer and went into my office. I closed my door, but it popped open again immediately, and Finn sneaked inside, then pressed it shut.
“You hiding out?” he asked.
“My mind is a bit mucky at the moment. Needed some space.”
Finn hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No …no.” I leaned my ass against the desk. “I’d like you to stay.” I took a long draw of my beer and watched with trepidation as Finn walked toward me.
There had been a shift between us.
Finn had felt it, too.
I kept the beer in my grip but rested it on the desk. Finn didn’t take his attention off my eyes as he wandered closer. I closed them when he wrapped his arms around my neck.
“I wasn’t sure,” he said and pressed his forehead to mine. “Now, I am.”
“We can’t.” I could barely hear myself; my heartbeat was so loud in my ears.
“Why not? It’s not like we’re blood related.”
“I’m still your grandad. I’ve known you since you were born.”
“Is that what you think of when you look at me?” Finn brushed his fingers through my hair. “Because if it is, I’ll stop. I won’t take this any further.”
I shook my head and opened my eyes. His were staring straight into mine. Pools of intense blue that could sweep away every one of my reservations like the tide.