Series: Peach State Stepbros Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78418 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78418 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
She’s right, I would be, but that’s not a reason for us not to be together, is it? But then I think of Dad and Lauren too. If Ash and I broke up, would it cause problems for them? What if it has a domino effect, and things between us pull Dad and Lauren apart too? I would never forgive myself for that.
Family holidays, get-togethers, the bond I have with Ash, the way we never lie to each other… What if this messes up everything?
When neither of us reply, Mom says, “I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything, but I know how exciting a new relationship can be. We have all those good feelings, and you’re filled with hope for the future, and I just think it’s really important that you consider the consequences.”
The air in the room is thick. I’m still not sure Ash is even breathing beside me. I let go of his hand, wrap an arm around him, and pull him close. I say a silent prayer that he comes easily. “We’re going to be fine. Ash and I are different.”
“And I hope so, but just think about it, okay? Both of you.”
We nod, but neither of us replies. The mood is heavy, my chest tight. I was so excited to share this with her, to tell everyone that Ash is mine, and now I don’t know what to think.
What if Dad and Lauren feel the same? What if this changes everything but not in a good way?
What if I lose my best friend?
My stepbrother?
My Ash?
I don’t know if I could be like Mom and Dad, don’t know if I could handle seeing Ash move on with someone else, not after finally having him.
“I think we’ll go,” I tell Mom. Maybe I should play this a different way, pretend none of it happened, but I can’t talk to her right now.
“I’m so sorry, boys. I feel awful. Maybe I should have kept my opinion to myself.”
“It’s fine. Me and Ash are fine. I love you.”
“Goodbye, Lacey,” Ash says to her, a smile on his face that I know isn’t real.
“I’ll talk to you both soon, okay?”
“Bye, Mom.” I end the session before she can say anything else.
Neither of us speaks for a moment. We don’t look at each other. It’s Ash who finally says, “I didn’t expect that.”
“Me neither.” I grab his hand and tug him to the bed with me. “Come’ere.”
Falling onto my back, Ash comes down on top of me, holding me close. “She’s right, Col. This could end badly. If somehow we had a bad breakup, what if our parents felt obligated to choose sides?”
“We won’t,” I reply, forcing the words from my tongue.
“I’m sure neither of our parents thought that either.”
Everything Ash is saying is true, even if I don’t want to believe it.
“I can’t lose what we have, Col…what we had before this.”
“We won’t,” I say, trying to make myself believe it.
“We can’t guarantee that.”
“We won’t,” I say again.
And now here I am, committing a huge Step Don’t…because I’m scared. I’m worried that what my mom said is true, and I don’t tell Ash.
25
Ash
I wake, expecting Colin’s arms to be around me, but he’s not in bed with me.
He steps out of his bathroom, and when he looks to see if I’m awake, he grins, but I can tell it’s forced.
“Morning, my little perv.” He approaches and offers a kiss.
But like his words, something’s off. It doesn’t hit the way it did before our chat with Lacey.
Not that I can put this all on him; I’m off too. Our conversation with her really rattled us. She’s not wrong, and we both know it.
Maybe that’s one of the reasons we let it go on secretly for as long as we did. Kept each other to ourselves so that we wouldn’t have to consider the real world and consequences. We could enjoy a Wonderland of emotion and passion, excitement beyond anything I thought I’d ever experience.
I’m smarter than this—we both are.
We’ve seen firsthand how that bright spark that bursts into an inferno can be extinguished. And now that we’ve been forced to face that truth, we’re both shaken.
Colin’s kiss lingers, as it normally does, and when he pulls away, he still doesn’t take his eyes off me. It’s all so familiar, but I can feel the difference, and surely he must too.
“Good morning,” I say. “You heading out for class? Seems early.”
“Was gonna head to the library to study a bit before.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I can feed Frat Cat before I go.”
“I got it.”
“You sure?”
“Of course.”
Why is this normal thing weird today?
It’s not the only thing. And I figure there will be more.
“I was gonna meet up with Troy for dinner.” Colin hesitates before asking, “You wanna come?”
Now he’s hesitating to ask me if I want to hang with him and his friends? Who the fuck are we?