A bonus dad insists on taking stepdaughters temperature

When Emma´s mother decided to move in with her boyfriend David, 18-year old Emma wasn´t at all surprised. She had known David for a couple of years, he was a nice guy and it was obvious to everyone that her mother was very much in love.

They had bought a house together, with enough space for Emma, David´s two teenage boys, and any children they might have in the future. Emma´s mother, Louise, had made an effort to decorate Emma´s room to make it feel cozy, hoping it would help Emma feel more comfortable with the situation and make the transition a little easier for her.

Louise had made it clear that she wanted them to come together as a family. She often talked about how they were all going to be one big, happy family now, referring to herself as “Mom” and David as “Dad,” while reminding the children that they were all siblings now. She seemed genuinely excited about their new life together, even if Emma wasn’t quite as ready to embrace the idea.

As for David, Emma had never really known what to make of him. When her mother was around, he was kind, polite, and often surprisingly funny. He seemed to genuinely like Emma and always made an effort to include her in conversations. But whenever they were alone, something about him changed. He wasn’t necessarily unkind, but he became more authoritative, as if he expected Emma to listen to him simply because he was the adult. It wasn’t that he disliked her. If anything, it sometimes felt like he wanted to have more control over her than Emma was comfortable with.