Page 87 of After All This Time

"I'm sticking with champagne tonight," I respond, reaching for a glass. "Otherwise, I'll do something that'll embarrass my mom, and you know how Kayla gets."

Tobias lets out a low snicker, muffled by his drink, and my eyes flick to him. He's laughing into his glass, suggesting he knows exactly how I'd embarrass her—and he'd probably encourage it.

Clearing my throat, I turn back to Bryce. "You've never met my stepbrother, have you?"

Bryce blinks, finally noticing Tobias, and I can practically see the moment he registers him. His posture stiffens slightly, but he recovers quickly, stepping forward and holding out his hand. "No, I haven't had the pleasure. It's nice to meet you."

Tobias takes his time, setting down his drink before gripping Bryce's hand in a firm shake. "Likewise."

"I live with Tobias back in Chicago. I'm sure my mom filled you in."

"She did," Bryce says with a chuckle.

"Shocker," I reply, rolling my eyes. "That woman has to tell everyone my business."

"So how do you two know each other?" Tobias asks, his tone calm, casual even, but I know better. He's standing now, his broad frame towering slightly over Bryce.

"We were friends in high school, but she broke my heart," Bryce says with a teasing grin, but the words land like a grenade in the space between us.

"Okay, stop. Now I do feel bad." I force out a laugh.

"I'll leave you to it. Have a good night," Tobias replies, his voice smooth and controlled, but the underlying edge is impossible to miss.

I don't even get a chance to process what's happening before Tobias turns on his heel and strides away. I watch as he steps through the open patio doors, running a hand through his hair before pulling a cigarette from his back pocket, the flick of his lighter briefly illuminating his face before he's swallowed by the night.

"Well," Bryce says, breaking the silence with a low laugh, "he's kind of intense, huh?"

"Honestly, he's not usually like that. I have no idea what that was."

"That was someone who didn't appreciate being called your stepbrother." He laughs, and I stare at him, hoping he's fucking with me and didn't pick up on Tobias's energy. "Hey, I could be wrong, but that's the impression I got."

I brush it off. I have to. If my mom and David knew that Tobias and I were walking a dangerously thin line, they'd move heaven and earth to put as much distance between us as possible. And honestly, I can't even blame them. What we're toying with is wrong on so many levels, but it doesn't make it any less real.

"Trust me," I say with a dry laugh, masking my thoughts. "You'll see Tobias with an older woman by the end of the night. He likes to give them a little taste of their youth again."

It's not a lie. I've seen it before—Tobias leaning against some bar, murmuring something in a woman's ear that makes her throw her head back and laugh like she's twenty-five again.

But now, the idea of it doesn't just sting—it makes my stomach churn.

And if I see him with another woman tonight, I know I'll break.

Chapter 34

Tobias

Ifeel out of control.

I'm losing my grip when it comes to Amelia, and the line between right and wrong isn't just blurred anymore—it's fucking gone.

It's becoming an obsession.

She doesn't belong to me—she can talk to whoever the hell she wants. But logic doesn't mean shit when she's standing there laughing with a guy she has history with, letting him close while I'm stuck in my own head, unraveling.

I don’t even know what I'm doing anymore.

All I know is that I want her.

I need her.

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