Page 68 of Hung Up
“I’m Stevie,” she says, pushing past me to approach Faith. “I’m the fun sister. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I swear, with how much he talks about you, it feels like I already know you.”
Faith turns to me with a raised brow and a smile playing on her lips, and my cheeks feel unnaturally hot. “Oh? What kind of things has he been saying?”
“Pretty sure he’d kill me if I told you everything.” I run a hand over my beard while Faith bites her lip to stop from laughing at my discomfort. At least she’s being nice about it. “What I can tell you, though, is he had me do a little bit of a deep dive on your ex-boyfriend.”
That has the smile on Faith’s face falling just a little, her eyes narrowing slightly as she turns to me. I hold my hands up. “In my defense, it was after you had me hide in the bathroom. It was before all that shit happened.”
“What shit?” Stevie asks, glancing between us. “Is there drama I wasn’t told? What the fuck, Jesse? You know I love being informed.”
To my surprise, Faith links her arm through my sister’s and begins to pull her toward the front door. “Don’t worry. I can tell you all about it.”
“I like her,” Stevie tells me as they walk past me, not casting me another glance.
“Don’t wait up, Pretty Boy. This might take a while.”
As they step out onto the porch and close the door behind them, I can’t help but feel conflicted. I’m thrilled to see Faith so at ease with one of my siblings, happy to see them getting along, but them being alone? Stevie is definitely going to throw me under the bus and embarrass the shit out of me. But you know what? I’m just glad she’s here.
25FAITH
ASPEN CREEK
a mother knows
“What an asshole,”Stevie states, shaking her head in disgust. “I can see why you left that piece of shit. And your dad saying that everyone cheats? What the actual fuck?”
“You’re telling me.” I tuck my feet underneath me on the front porch swing, turning my body to face her with one arm resting on the back.
On my drive up here, I made a promise to myself to be as open as possible. To try to be more friendly and receptive, and stop being so closed off. There’s no harm in opening up to people and making friends, even if I’ve made myself believe otherwise. I’m no longer afraid to admit my life has been pretty lonely up to this point, and I’m ready for that to change. So when Stevie wanted gossip, I figured gossip is what I’d give her. This was the perfect chance to try and be comfortable going into a situation with the mindset of ‘being open until given a reason’ rather than ‘being closed off ‘til given a reason’.
Besides, it’s not like I will ever see his family again, so what better opportunity than the present?
“Okay, so tell me about this Dean fella.” She pulls her phone out of her jean pocket. “Last name? I’d like to look him up.”
“Fontaine.” Nodding, she starts typing away frantically, which causes me to chuckle. “For the record, if I was into blondes, you’d have some competition.”
She glances up at me for a moment. “I’m just trying to see if he’s a good vet, Faith. Slow down, girl.”
“Whatever you say.”
As she does her sleuthing, I take the opportunity to take in my surroundings. Jesse’s house is tucked away on the south corner of their land, closest to the mountains. I’ve never been in a place quite as beautiful as this. The sun is just slowly beginning to descend below the peaks, the breeze light and ruffling the loose pieces of my hair. It’s easier to breathe out here, the fresh air settling in your lungs in a way I’ve never experienced before. With the birds flying in the distance and the soft sound of the stream, I feel an eerie sense of calm. I feel comfortable in a way I’ve never felt in the city, even in the comfort of my apartment.
It’s easy to see how someone could fall in love with a place like this.
And for a fleeting moment, I can see myself having my morning coffee on this very porch.
“Who doesn’t have social media these days?” Stevie grumbles, putting an end to my daydreaming before it gets too out of hand.Get it together, Faith. It’s just two days.“Oh. My. God. Is this him?”
Stevie turns her phone toward me, and if I hadn’t already seen Dean without his shirt on, I might’ve started drooling on the spot. On her screen is a photo of Dean in nothing but his boxers holding a puppy with the title ‘May’ sprawled acrossthe top. Taking a closer look, it appears our introverted Dean Fontaine did a sexy veterinarian calendar shoot for charity.
“That’s him.” Her eyes are wide, her mouth parted slightly. “What was that you were trying to tell me about just checking to see if he’s a good vet?”
“Shut up,” she huffs, giving me a light shove. “I don’t date the help.” I’m about to make a smart ass remark when she beats me to it. “So, what’s going on with you and my brother? And before you say nothing, he’s never brought a girl here before, so I won’t buy it.”
I hesitate for a moment, debating whether or not I should tell her. I mean, it is her brother, and I don’t know how much he’s shared with anyone in his family about the nature of our relationship. Obviously, they all knew I was coming, but do they think we’re just friends? That he’s just giving me a place to crash until we roll into Billings? But the way Stevie looks at me makes me think she knows more than the rest do, so I opt for honesty.
“Well, if you had to put a label on it, I guess I’d say we’re friends-with-benefits.”
“One trip down to the bunk house would prove to you that it’s more than that for him.” I raise a brow at that, ignoring that even she knows her brother has feelings for me—whether he told her or she’s just that astute, it doesn’t matter. “Trust me, those bunk boys have a way of making a man finally reveal his true feelings.”
