My Ex-Stepfather

Chapter 8

"You need to get back ASAP." Jerica texts me.

"Do you want me to walk back with you?" My dad offers and I shake my head.

"No but thank you, not just for this. For always being there dad." I whisper as I hug him tightly.

"I wish I didn't have to go away so soon." He says sighing before kissing my hair.

"I'll be ok, I'll find a way."

"You always do my little Angel." He replies softly before wrapping his strong arms around me. "I love you."

"I love you too."

**

The walk home was quick, the closer I got to the house the more concerned I grew. Where the fuck is my car?

"Jerica? Ariel?" I call out after coming through the door, they both jump and turn around from watching a movie on the couch. "What's going on?" I ask and Jerica's eyes go wide, she looks at Ari and I realize she's trying to keep something from him.

"I need to talk to your sister for a minute babe." She says to Ari before leading me into my room, I see the contents of my car strewn all over my bed. 

"Jerica what the fuck is going on? Where is my car?" I ask trying not to freak out.

"It was repo-ed Angel, I tried to stop them but they said your mother authorized them to take it back instead of paying it off. They let me get everything out of it at least." Jerica explains and I pace the floor in disbelief, my mom had gotten me my car when I graduated with my bachelors degree in fine arts.

It was the only thing she had given me.

"When I asked how much was owed they said all she owed was two grand, I offered to pay them off but they said they couldn't take it since she was the signed owner and authorized the repo." She adds, this is why she's my best friend. This is how family is supposed to be.

I had no clue my mother had financed the car or I would of kept my old car, she wanted to show off by buying her daughter a new shiny BMW though. It was always about her, never about me. Not even when I worked my ass off in school, here I thought she had actually been rewarding me but it was just a ploy.

"I got Ariel's carseat too thankfully, we'll just have to share a car for a while." She says like it's nothing but it's too much.

"Thank you so much Jerica, you have no clue how much this all means to me but I can't allow you to put yourself out anymore." I assure her after giving her a long hug.

"What are you going to do then?" She asks with her brows furrowed and I sigh.

"I need to find Harry." I reply before grabbing my laptop, setting it on the bed then laying down on my stomach. Jerica lays next to me as I try to remember where Harry worked. "Last I knew he was CFOO of Payne entertainment industries." I mumble and type away on my computer. "They oversee a bunch of clubs and events in downtown Miami." I explain, my brows furrow when I read the first search result.

"Payne Entertainment Industries aka PEI has changed it's name to Styles International Entertainment ."

"Holy shit, he owns the company now?" I mumble as I click the article, his boss and good friend Liam Payne handed the company over when he retired to start a family with his wife. He's still a chairmen on the board but the company is solely Harry's now.

"If I remember right Styles International just bought that club I worked on last month." Jerica points out, she does entertainment design for bars and clubs. "See if there is a listing for him publicly." She says and I nod before punching his name into the search engine. 

Everything was private so I paid for one of those services to find his address since his number was impossible to find, I didn't want to contact him through his work and put him in an uncomfortable position. He's only ten minutes away, has he been this close the entire time?

"It's Sunday, his offices are closed so maybe he's home." She says softly.

"Should I go now? Should I take Ariel?" I ask frantically. 

"Calm down sweetie, I'm off today so I'll stay here with him. You don't know what he's like now-"

"I never knew what he was like Jer, I'm basically going up to a stranger's home who happens to of fathered my brother." I point out and she sighs. 

"I'm just saying that I think you should get a feel for him before you bring Ari into this, I don't want to see him her anymore." She says rubbing my arm and I nod.

"You're right." I sigh as I get up and walk to my closet, I grab a slouchy black shirt to pull over my bra along with some dark jeans and wedges. "Does this look ok?" I ask her and she smirks.

"It's not a date babe, you look fine. Just take out that ratty braid." She giggles and I pull my hair free of the break allowing the lose waves to flow down my back. 

"I don't know about the Jer, he could just turn me away." I mumble, she gets up and straightens out my bangs. 

"I have a feeling he won't, now go get him." She says as she grabs my purse and shoves me towards the door.

"I'm just going to call an uber in case there's an emergency." I say before ordering one on my phone. "Ari, I need to run out and talk to someone is that ok?" I ask the green eyed, curly haired boy.

"You'll be back soon though?" He asks softly and I nod.

"Of course buddy." I assure him and kiss his forehead just as my phone buzzes alerting me that the uber was here. I bid farewell and walked outside before climbing in the back of the car, the driver confirmed the address with me and then we were off. 

We made some small talk as he drove, I live on the outskirts of town since I like it a bit more quiet. It seams that Harry is the opposite as we drive through town towards the beach, condos line the beach in the small gated community as the driver stops the car. "Do you have a code miss?" He asks and I furrow my brows. "For the gate." He adds and I sigh.

"No, I'll just walk from here." I assure him, he nods as I tap on my phone to leave a tip. "Thank you!" I chirp before getting out of the car and walking towards the pedestrian entrance. The condos aren't new but they aren't old either, a good in between but with the money Harry should be making it seems like he settled a little lower.

It's just about one in the afternoon as I walk up to the doorstep of a gray condo, 1967 this is it. I take a deep breath and gather myself before ringing the doorbell. 

A deep voice I don't recognize bellows that he'll be right there and I rock back on my heels nervously. "Hello?" The voice sounds as the door opens and reveals the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. He's tall as hell with broad shoulders and piercing eyes. "Hi." He says softly and flashes a smile that makes me weak in the knees.

I blush and look down in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I must have the wrong house." I mumble awkwardly before turning to walk away, a large hand with ring clad fingers reaches out and grabs my wrist gently. The metal on skin contact causes goosebumps to erupt down my arm. 

"Wait." He says breathlessly and I turn back towards him, I lose my own breath when I look up his 6'2 frame and into his piercing green eyes.

"Angel?"