Page 18 of Stepbrother's Obsession
Mom’s eyes go wide, and her face drains of color. She glances at Colt, then back at me, like she’s waiting for one of us to tell her the punchline. But it doesn’t come. “You what?”
“I love him,” I repeat, stronger this time. “And he loves me. And not in the family kind of way.”
Mom’s jaw drops, and at just that instant, Jim decides to walk in. He reads the room instantly and asks, “What’s going on?”
Mom’s voice cracks. “Your son and my daughter are—”
Jim’s a smart guy, but he doesn’t get it. His eyes move from Colt to me then over to my mom. “Are what?”
Panic seems to take over my mom as she shrugs and flails her arms wildly about, pointing at the two of us like we’re a couple of criminals. “Together!”
Jim scoffs. “No. Come on, what?” His denial is obvious and immediate, but then he sees Colt’s washer dangling from my neck. He glances over at Colt and sees the truth written all across his face. “No. No way. Absolutely not.”
“Dad—” Colt starts.
“You were supposed to look after her! Protect her!” Jim shouts, slamming his palm on the counter. “Not—Jesus, she’s eighteen, and you’re her stepbrother!”
“You think you know what’s best for me!?” I protest, my voice shaking as I step forward. “We’re not related. We didn’t grow up together. You two aren’t even married yet—”
“Oh, be quiet, Lily!” my mom snaps. “Are you nuts?”
“Mom, he’s…” My voice trails off as I stare across the room at Colt, remembering how safe I feel in his arms, how wanted.
“He’s what?”
Somehow, I manage to smile at him—the man of my dreams. “He’s everything.”
Colt starts to smile but then remembers the situation and steps forward, positioning himself between me and our parents. “It’s my fault, Dad. You’re right. I’m the older one. I should have—”
“You’re goddamn right you should have.” Jim’s voice is ice. “You should have stayed away from her!”
“I tried…”
“Yeah? Well, not hard enough.”
“You’re right.” Colt’s agreement hurts worse than any of our parents’ accusations. He turns to me, his eyes raked with sorrow. “I’ll go. Tonight.”
“No!” I grab his arm in desperation. “Colt,don’t do this!Don’t let them—”
He reaches a hand up and gently cups my face. I should be embarrassed, him doing this in front of our parents, but right now I couldn’t care less. All I am worried about is him. “Maybe they’re right,” he whispers. “You deserve better than a life of sneaking around. Better than—”
“Better than you?” I pull away from him, a painful pressure crushing down on my chest. “There’s no one better than you!”
“You’re too young to understand, Lily,” my mom says. Tears pool in my eyes as I whirl at her.
“I understand perfectly!” I face them both, ready to take on the world. “I understand that love doesn’t follow the rules, or care about timing or convenience or what is or is notappropriate.”
“This isn’t love, Lily,” Jim says, shaking his head. “It’s just—”
“What? Lust? Silly teen infatuation?” I laugh, but it’s bitter. My blood burns like poison. “Why? Because you can’t believe that I’m old enough to understand my own emotions? I’m just some young, stupid girl?”
Jim doesn’t answer, but his expression says it all. Hedoesthink all those things; he just won’t say it.
“How long has this been going on?” Mom asks, cutting through everything.
“Who cares?” I ask. “Does it matter?”
“How long?”she repeats. Her tone is almost terrifying. I’ve never heard her this intense in my life.
