Memories

You walk through the house and pause at a wooden shelf lined with framed family photographs, arranged in a neat chronological row.

The first photo captures your father’s wedding to Jessica nine years ago. She wears a white wedding gown, and he is dressed in a dark gray suit. Together, they cut a wedding cake beneath a banner that reads “Just Married.”

The next photo, taken eight years ago, shows Jessica heavily pregnant with her first child. Dean, your half-brother growing inside her belly. She wears a light floral dress, and your father stands behind her, his hands lovingly cradling her rounded belly. They must have been busy in the bedroom right after the wedding for her to conceive so soon. You can’t really blame him; Jessica has always been sexy, even back in high school, and putting a baby in her belly must have been incredibly satisfying for your dad.

The following photo, from six years ago, shows Jessica pregnant again, this time with Nancy, your half-sister. She wears a casual top and jeans, while your father kneels slightly, pressing his ear to her belly to listen to the heartbeat of his unborn daughter, the result of him planting his seed in Jessica’s young, fertile womb, the fruit of their raw, unprotected nights together. You can’t help but wonder how many times your father came inside Jessica over the last nine years of their marriage.

The next photo, from four years ago, depicts the four of them outdoors on green grass, a perfect family portrait. Jessica kisses your father, her hand resting on his midsection, while Dean and Nancy play with a ball nearby. A strange pang of jealousy stirs in your chest as you look at the idealistic married life your father has built with his much younger wife and their two children.

The final photo, taken two years ago, shows them at the beach as a family. Dean and Nancy sit in the sand, building a sandcastle, while your father stands shirtless in swim trunks, smiling at the camera. His arm wraps around Jessica, who is clad in a striped bikini. The age difference is especially noticeable here, your father is more than twice her age.

Your gaze lingers on Jessica’s cute, flat tummy and navel. Even after giving birth to two of your father’s babies, she still has a sexy figure. You can’t help but feel a guilty attraction to her, even though she is your father’s wife, the mother of your half-siblings, and your stepmother.