Package Deal Ch. 03

As I drove us to Willow's house, Kelsey said, "I guess I inherited my penchant for incest, if that's possible. I don't know whether to be happy or sad that you're not actually my uncle."

"I can still be your Daddy, whenever you want me to be. Or is that not the same, now?"

"I don't know. I mean, we started this when I wasn't thinking of you as my uncle, so I know the fantasy part doesn't depend on that. I do know I want you in my life and so does Mom, but roleplaying incest suddenly doesn't feel as fun."

I said, "It's still real, between you and your Mom. I think I've already established that I'm not bothered by that. Are you, because of today?"

"No," she replied. "I've come to love my mom as a woman, not just as my mom, nearly as much as I love you. I can't imagine not expressing that the way we have been doing. It's just the secrecy that's bothering me, I guess. The Parklands kept this a secret for 45 years? That's a lot of hiding."

"Even if you stopped, you would still want to keep you and your mom a secret. But, is that a reason to stop by itself?"

Kelsey had no answer for that.

~~~~~

When Willow got home and we brought her up to date, she was stunned. "You're not Dom's brother, after all?"

I shrugged. "Not biologically. What should I even call him now? Half-brother isn't right and I doubt zeroth-brother is a thing. Step-brother doesn't seem accurate, either, since he was born after my dad divorced Monica, so my dad was never legitimately his step-dad, despite posing as his biological one. Should I just call him my adopted brother, instead? I'm guessing that my mom didn't know the truth, either. If she did, she didn't tell me." I added, "You've said that I reminded you strongly of Dom, though. Was that something you imagined, because you believed I was his brother? Or is there something else we share anyway?"

She answered, "I'm not sure, Todd. Maybe I was expecting similarities and my mind filled them in. It's not like he was my boyfriend, we just knew each other from classes, from his dating my friend Jenny and we had sex only that one time, plus a decade had passed before you started college, so my memories of him were fuzzy. You also have to admit that your mom was very similar in appearance to Monica, whether by coincidence or more likely your dad's preference in women. So, that could help explain a similarity in appearance between you and Dom that people could mistake as familial resemblance. Or maybe it was your father's influence in raising you both while he was alive. I'm sure you both picked up similar speech patterns from him, for example."

"Maybe. It doesn't matter that much." Turning to Kelsey, I said, "And I guess this rules out any possibility that you were attracted to me because of Dom."

"You're right," she agreed. "I guess I fell in love with you on your own merits, silly. Before I even knew you had a brother. Were you concerned that it was just some kind of subconscious genetic attraction? Well, let me make it plain to you. When I learned Dom was my father, I didn't start wanting you to be more like him -- I hoped he was like you. You're still the man I want to be my Daddy. And the father to my children, now that we know we're not related, after all. I'm going to stop taking my birth control pills."

Willow countered with, "If you do, I will, too. We'll see who gets pregnant first. And maybe Todd proposes to the winner?"

I realized I wouldn't be able to choose between them any other way, so said, "It's a deal." An image of a pregnant Kelsey joined the one of her mother, from our first morning together.

~~~~~

News spread quickly about the Parkland DNA results and it exploded on social media. Most commentators were sympathetic toward Kelsey, since she didn't have a choice about being born, less so towards Derrick and Roger, and Monica was savaged for disowning her granddaughter, whatever her motive. Willow's name was occasionally mentioned, mine only by the local news, mentioning that Monica's claim that Kelsey was my niece had started the court case but had been proven false. The Parklands avoided reporters and kept focused on running their businesses. Even with the world-wide publicity, there were no sightings of Monica.

Shortly after that, another incest case out of Missouri burst onto the news, eclipsing discussion of the Parklands. Some man called JimBill was caught in a dive bar's bathroom stall, having sex with his sister. Apparently, that was her 21st birthday wish to have sex with him in a semi-public place, perhaps influenced by the more accepting comments about incest from the Parkland story discussions.

When an off-duty cop who was working as security at the bar attempted an arrest, JimBill resisted, resulting in him getting shot twice in the groin, amputating his penis and severely injuring his testicles. Surgeons were able to reattach the remainder of his penis, so he could eventually urinate, but it was expected he'd never get an erection again without an implant and the penis would be numb, anyway, since the doctors couldn't reattach the nerves. One testicle had to be removed and the other was reduced by half. He and his sister were both charged with public indecency and the incest charge.

The memes thrown his way on Twitter were fierce. Particularly the ones renaming him OneBall Nocock.

The more negative comments about incest from that story made us extra cautious about Kelsey and Willow's incest being discovered. But it didn't get us to stop being together. We discussed my moving into Willow's house, but didn't take any action in that direction. Nor did we move to have Kelsey move into mine.

~~~~~

Judge Harriman ordered the Parkland Trust to retroactively allocate a second 5% grandchild's share to Dom's estate, taking it from Monica and Derrick's shares rather than from the other four grandchildren. Combined with Dom's original share, which was clawed back from Monica, Kelsey was passed control of a $94 million inheritance, as well as being confirmed as sole heir to Monica's eventual estate and 1/3 heir to Derrick's, alongside Derrick's other two sons, Nathan and Amos. The other two grandchildren were Roger's daughters, my ex-girlfriend Tamara and her sister Heather. Tamara's daughter Cassie was the only other adult among ten great-grandkids and Kelsey was the only one so far to have received a voting share of the trust.

At the end of July, Kelsey, Willow and I had dinner with Roger and Derrick and their four kids in a private room at one of the restaurants that the Parklands run, so Kelsey could get to know them better. I met Kelsey and Willow there, after leaving the coffee shop in the hands of my assistant manager, Adrianna, who would become manager of my second location, once we got it going. Cassie attended, because she already knew Kelsey best, but the younger members of the families did not.

Tamara approached me and after a quick hug and exchanging some small talk, she said, "Umm, I have to apologize to you, Todd. I was the one who mentioned to Aunt Monica that you were dating Kelsey. I didn't realize she would react the way she did or why. Sorry, if that messed up your business in any way."

"Don't worry about it, Tam. It's already blown over among my customers, particularly once it was revealed that Kelsey isn't actually my niece. If anything, we're busier than ever. It's not like Kelsey and I were keeping it a secret. I figured Monica might have seen us together here the night before her blow-up, since this is where we had dinner the night before. In the grand scheme of things, I'm actually glad she did find out. We might not have learned the truth otherwise."

During dinner, Roger said to Kelsey, "I don't know if you realize it yet, Kelsey, but once you inherit from Monica and Derrick, you'll be the richest member of our family, with a 40% share of the trust, far more than my girls splitting 35% or your uncles splitting 25%."

Kelsey looked uncomfortable and said, "I guess. I haven't really thought that far into the future. Adjusting to a 10% share is hard enough, right now. You're telling me I'll be quadrupling that?"

Derrick answered, "Yes, dear. Mostly by being Monica's only heir instead of Roger and I, but also one of mine."

"Definitely a case of incest paying off," grumbled Amos. "I just wish it didn't have to come out of everyone else's pockets. Nathan and I will wind up with half of what we otherwise would have and Tamara and Heather will be reduced 30%, too."

Derrick bristled. "If you're going to be mad at anyone, let it be me, son. I'm the one who committed the incest. None of this is Kelsey's fault and she's as deserving of the inheritances she'll receive as you are. Three fourths of what she'll receive is Monica's share of the trust, anyway. Had Dom lived, he also would have been the richest of your generation, simply because he didn't have siblings to split his parent's share. Don't blame Kelsey because you expected Roger and I to be Monica's heirs, with that money eventually resulting in an even four-way split by your generation. Monica's estate going to Kelsey is the main reason your future worth is down so much as a percentage and is the only reason Tamara's and Heather's percentages will be reduced, at all. They're simply back to what Grampa Dominic intended them to have. You and Nathan are affected more because Dom's been revealed to also be my son, so my estate gets split three ways, not two. But, do you know how it sounds that you're griping about only inheriting 120 million dollars? Want it to be bigger? Work harder so the company expands and we all benefit."

"Sorry, Kelsey. Dad's right. This isn't your fault. I didn't mean to imply it was."

Kelsey said, "It's okay, Uncle Amos. I guess I'm not the only one who has to adjust to this change of the status quo."

I asked, "Speaking of Monica, why did she accuse me of being Kelsey's uncle, if she knew all along that I wasn't?"

Derrick answered, "I expect she became so emotionally invested over the years in the lie that Dom was Josh's son, that she reacted as if it were true and forgot for the moment that she had also been denying that Kelsey was Dom's daughter."

I asked, "So, she decides to object to a degree of incest that would be legal, even if it were true, and is less than she'd already done herself with the two of you? In the process, she pushes us toward DNA tests that she knew would prove that I'm not related to Kelsey and reveal your incest in the process? I don't quite buy that."

Willow suggested, "Maybe she was tired of the secrets and knew she was lighting a fuse that would blow them up? Then she ran off so she wouldn't have to deal with the immediate fallout?"

"To avoid being criminally charged, more likely," Roger said. "While we agreed to the DNA tests once our lawyers said the incest was too far back in time to be prosecuted, the DA says that denying Kelsey her inheritance, by keeping her paternity a secret, amounted to an ongoing fraud, keeping the statute of limitations from expiring. If she comes back, she'll be charged with several crimes relating to her mishandling of Dom's probate."

I asked, "Aren't you and Derrick on the hook for hiding the paternity, too?"

"Only for hiding Dom's paternity. Monica didn't tell us about Kelsey being Dom's daughter, we swear. She went to extreme effort to keep that quiet, including bribing a judge and Willow's lawyer to get Willow to be quiet. The bribery is also too long ago to be prosecuted, but it's still evidence of her intent in the probate case. The main issue for the DA is that Monica was the executor to Dom's estate. She had a fiduciary duty to his heirs, including determining whether Kelsey was one. Whether her motive in blocking a DNA test was to keep the incest a secret or was financial, she knowingly prevented the proper distribution of Dom's estate. The DA considers that an ongoing fraud that only ended once the court corrected that distribution, so the statute of limitation clock just started ticking, although I'm sure any defense lawyer would argue that it expired."

"What about Dom's inheritance from my dad?" I asked.

Derrick answered, "That was not fraudulent, since Dom was explicitly named in Josh's will and life insurance. Paternity didn't need to be proved. What's a bit strange is that Monica kept the money from Josh segregated from Parkland money and never let Dom spend a cent of it, investing it instead, as if she was going to let Dom decide what to do with it after telling him the truth about Josh. But I don't know if she ever did tell him before his death. I have found early drafts of a will for Dom that do name you, giving you back exactly that money and no more than that, which makes me think Monica wrote them, instead of Dom. Either way, they were never signed or witnessed and hold little legal weight, especially if we can't even prove that Dom wrote or even read them. Monica could have legally denied you anything at all, but it would have meant disclosing the incest, to prove that you aren't Dom's brother."

Trying to change the subject, Roger's daughter Heather asked, "So, Kelsey, now that you're rich, what are you planning to change in your life?"

"As I said, I'm still adjusting to it. Monica endowed a scholarship fund at the university in my dad's name, so I'm thinking about boosting that endowment or maybe establishing a second fund, for history majors instead of business ones. I also found out that part of what was transferred to me are three small buildings downtown, originally bought in my dad's name, then managed by the Parkland Corporation. It turns out that Todd has been looking to lease one of them to open a second Haven Coffee downtown. So, I'm thinking of going into partnership with him, getting a share of profits in lieu of rent. I'm thinking of maybe doing the same with the two other businesses in those buildings, becoming their silent partner rather than landlord, helping them become more profitable, so long as they agree to pay higher wages to their employees."

"That sounds vaguely socialistic, honey," Heather said.

Kelsey snorted, then said, "You couldn't tell from the Bernie Sanders bumper sticker on my Jeep? Heather, if money were that important to me, do you think I would have become a history major instead of going into business or IT? Look, I didn't ask for this wealth, but I do intend to do more with it than just make myself more money. To be frank, that is the reputation this family has developed over the years. Greedy. More interested in expanding its wealth, rather than helping people. What I... can't figure out is whether the incest is tied up in that, whether it resulted from already being isolated from the townspeople or if the family withdrew socially to hide it."

Stony silence greeted that comment until Derrick quietly said, "I'm not sure I've ever thought about it that way, dear. At the time, it felt like sex with Monica just... happened. I would guess it was more of the former, because our dad always saw us as better than the other families in town, so we didn't socialize with them much, went to boarding schools upstate. That meant none of us dated locally, if at all, so it became easy for Roger and I to fixate on Monica and we became intimate one weekend when our parents were gone. She then got married because it was expected, not because she really fell in love with Josh. She certainly wasn't interested in being faithful to him and continued having sex with Roger and me whenever she could. Their marriage fell apart when she got pregnant while Josh was away on business for a whole month and he knew he couldn't have fathered Dom. She had just started her period when he left, should have been in the middle of her next one when he got back, but was pregnant instead and he was obviously thousands of miles away when she ovulated. The three of us were having sex nearly every day during that trip and she missed a couple birth control doses. She says it was accidental, but I'm not sure she didn't do it on purpose. Anyway, Monica refused to name the father and Josh filed for divorce, only to agree to pose as Dom's father anyway. I don't know what might have happened if she had simply told him the truth, whether he would have gone to the police or maybe decide to join in."

Roger added, "That's when Derrick and I finally had to pull away from Monica and find ourselves wives, because we saw that we couldn't continue being with her. Not that our marriages lasted much longer. Long enough to have two kids apiece. Our divorces were for other reasons than having sex with Monica, is all. We're sorry, though, that your paternity wound up being another secret Monica decided to keep, to protect ours."

Tamara seemed to be hiding a smile as Roger was mentioning her parents' divorce. Was there more to the story than I'd heard from her while we dated?

Kelsey smiled. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not mad about your incest, because I wouldn't exist if the three of you had not committed incest and I might even have done the same in your place. And I wouldn't care if you revealed that it continued into the next generations, either. I don't happen to think it's immoral, so long as it's consensual between adults and care is taken to avoid children from such liaisons. I just wanted to understand if it had a role in how this family interacts with the town -- rather, why it doesn't. Counting myself as a Parkland now, I think we can be a bigger part of this community than its main commercial landlords and real estate agents. That will require opening up to its people. I can be the only one who does so, or we can act as a family and do it together. Make a new start with the town."

From the looks that shot around the room, I was fairly sure Kelsey had struck a nerve with that comment about incest still happening in the family, but nobody admitted to anything. Tamara and Heather seemed to react most of all. Maybe they were just being suspicious of each other, maybe not.

It occurred to me that I also owed my life to that incest, as I would not have been born if my father had remained married to Monica. Without dating me, would Kelsey have ever learned about her true paternity? If Dad had stayed married to Monica, would Dom's life have been different enough that he wouldn't have met Willow to conceive Kelsey? Ripples of cause and effect, still traveling through our lives. All because two horny 19-year-olds couldn't resist fucking their 21-year-old sister, 45 years ago. What else had that changed?

I didn't realize how soon I'd find out.