I am Edwin

I am Edwin. I am the Secret Keeper.

My family and friends have always trusted me to keep things secret. Nothing changed when dad married Nora. And it doesn't stop at secrets. I must have a great big sign on me saying 'Tell me all your problems' or something.

Marti tells me her silly little kid secrets regularly. Stepsister Lizzie confides titbits and gossip to me. Dad tells me secrets I don't really want to know and could easily live without. Even Derek and Casey enlisted my help in keeping their romance secret.

Oh yes. Derek hooked up with Casey before dad married Nora. Their relationship is special and I don't know how they could hide it so well. Fighting is all a scam, dating hundreds of girls is Derek's way of keeping everyone off the scent. Casey knows he loves her more than anything in the world, so she doesn't mind his dates. At the beginning she would sneak off after Derek and his dates and spy on them, just to make sure he wasn't getting too into the girls. Then he had a good talk with her and after that she trusted him.

I didn't mind it, when I first found out, nor do I now. I saw the looks exchanged between them even at the dinner table. I'm very surprised the rest of the family didn't see them. Actually they probably did, but they must have thought it was just some prank or payback. I was supposed to subtly let them know by a discreet nudge or kick whenever they got too obvious. Because it's secret and because they're so very much in love, it was hard for them to keep it hidden.

That's why they told me. So I could help them and be lookout. Every fortnight we meet up and come up with new excuses and things to 'fight' about so no one get's suspicious. Even their best friends don't know. And only I see how much Casey hates lying to Emily and Lizzie. Derek doesn't much like lying to Sam either.

And what, you may ask, is the point of revealing all this now? The keeping of this particular secret may be harder to hide now. This is for two very good reasons.

One; Derek, at eighteen, has recently proposed to Casey, and she has accepted. They know they have to keep that hidden as well…at least until they both reach twenty. Then they'll get married.

And two; Casey's pregnancy will start showing soon…so we'll either have to find a way to hide that with clever maternity clothes or find a way to tell people about it.

Pregnancy I think they could handle…just. But early engagement? That might be a bit harder for them to swallow.

Mind you…I'm not sure how they'll handle the whole step-cest issue.