Stepbrother Untouchable Page 17

“Oh, Brynn! Brynn, I was just going to call you!” she says as she picks up.

  “Let me guess, is it about my tuition?” I ask, hearing excitement in her voice.

  “Yes! How did you know?”

  “Well, I showed up for my shift at the dining hall, and was told that my tuition's been taken care of. What's going on?”

  “I was literally just picking up the phone to tell you…it all happened so quickly this afternoon. Pierce's lawyer offered me a settlement in the divorce! And it specifically included payment of your tuition.”

  “Pierce paid my tuition?” I ask, my mind reeling.

  “Yes! As soon as I signed, the money was wired over.”

  “But…but mom, was it a good settlement? I mean, did you have a lawyer look it over?”

  “Yeah, it was the same lawyer who told me I'd get nothing because of the pre-nup I signed. He was completely floored, and told me I'd better sign before Pierce changes his mind.”

  “But…why? I mean, it seems so out of character for him.”

  “I know! I can hardly believe it either. It's crazy! I'll be able to pay off the mortgage on the house and have a little left over. I mean, we're not rich or anything, but we have a bit of leeway now.”

  “Was it, you know, 'hush money,' do you think?”

  “I doubt it. The lawyer said that there's no less reliable witness than a woman trying to defame her ex-husband, so I don't really think Pierce would be worried about me going to the press with stories or anything—not that I'd want to do that anyway. But honey, it's done now. It's really over. We don't have to worry about him anymore.”

  “Well, I'm glad that you're happy with it. If you're happy I'm happy. Man, this is the first good news we've gotten in a while, huh?” I touch my lips with my fingertips, wondering when the last time I smiled was.

  “Have you seen him yet?” my mom asks quietly. She doesn't need to specify that she's referring to Nate.

  “Not yet,” I reply. “Though I've convinced myself that every brown-haired guy I've seen from the back is him.”

  “That's normal,” my mom assures me. “You'll see him everywhere for a while. But it will pass soon, my darling. I promise.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Realizing I now have the evening off, I take a deep breath and call Allison. I'm still in a daze, but I want to share my good fortune with her and Miriam. Allison and I haven't talked since our argument over the summer, so I'm relieved when she accepts my invitation on behalf of both of them. I pick a rather fancy restaurant, and assure her that it's my treat.

  Half an hour later, I'm walking out of my room in a light summer dress—the weather here in Virginia is still sweltering, even though it's September. I walk slowly across the quad to the off-campus restaurant, trying not to work up a sweat. I watch a group of freshmen girls giggling as they head out for a group dinner. New hall mates, no doubt. I remember how nervous I was my first year here, worrying that I wouldn't make any more friends than I did in high school.

  My insides contract as I pass the spot where I first saw Nate crossing the grass, just a couple weeks into my freshman year. I shake my head at myself. I have to forget him.

  When I reach the restaurant, an upscale Mexican place known for its flavored margaritas, I'm relieved to feel the AC hit me. The hostess smiles at me just as I see Allison sitting in a booth by herself. She stands with a nervous smile and I walk over.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” she murmurs as we hug awkwardly. “I sort of lied to Miriam and told her you pushed back dinner by fifteen minutes so we'd have a chance to talk.”

  A short bark of laughter escapes my mouth. “I don't know if I've ever heard you lie before.” To my surprise, she blushes as we sit down across from each other.

  “Well, I've been thinking about what you said…about my being judgmental…and maybe I am a bit of, you know, a goody two-shoes. Maybe I need to loosen up a little. What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry for what I said.”

  I reach over and place my hand over hers. “Thanks. It means a lot to hear you say that. I've hated not talking to you.”

  “Me too,” she replies. I see her glance over my shoulder.

  “And here I thought I was early!” I hear Miriam say. I stand up to give her a hug. “I see you two have synced your watches, being in the same city together all summer! Ugh, I was so jealous!” She sits down with a dramatic sigh in the booth next to Allison, her bright red hair falling onto her shoulder. “So. Catch me up on everything that's been happening.”

  To my horror, I begin to tear up. “Oh, god, sorry,” I murmur, reaching for a napkin.

  “What's wrong?” Allison gasps. The waiter walks over and is about to ask for our drink orders but they wave him away.

  “It's…it's…” I grab a napkin to hide my face and try to take deep breaths.

  “Is it a boy?” Miriam guesses.

  I nod. “Nate.”

  “Wait, wait…not your stepbrother?” she asks incredulously. Allison glances at me and I nod at her. She turns to Miriam.

  “They started, you know, seeing each other over the summer…but I guess something happened,” she fills Miriam in.

  “Long story short,” I say, catching my breath. “Pierce is a jerk, our parents got divorced, and we broke up.”

  “Wow,” Miriam breathes, her eyes wide. “You had quite the summer.”

  “Tell me about it,” I say with a wry smile. “I could really use a drink.” Allison flags down the waiter, and by the time our first round has arrived, my tears have stopped.

  “So, can I tell you guys my own secret?” Miriam asks, leaning over the table conspiratorially. Allison and I nod. “I had sex!”

  “Oh, god, now I'm the only virgin,” Allison moans. “How was it?”

  “Honestly…not that great the first time. But the third time, I think I had an orgasm,” Miriam whispers.

  “You think?” Allison asks, cocking her head in confusion.

  “Yeah, I think. What about you, Brynn?”

  “What?”

  “Did you and Nate…” she trails off suggestively.

  “Um, yes.”

  “And?” Allison leans forward.

  My heartbeat quickens at the memory of his touch before sadness washes over me. I shake my head. “I'd rather not think about it.”

  I finish the rest of the dinner trying to engage in the conversation, but knowing that I'm often forcing the smile on my face. Allison and Miriam do their best to raise my spirits, and I try to act excited about classes starting on Monday, but my mind, and my heart, aren't quite in it.

  After I pay the bill, Allison and Miriam volunteer to walk me back to my room, but I demur, feeling like a walk by myself before bed. After I hug them goodbye, I stroll along the edge of campus, watching all the action unfold as everyone enjoys the last weekend free of homework.

  It's not long before I realize my feet are leading me past the crew house. Just a quick look, I tell myself. I begin to walk more slowly as I see it up the street. The lights are on inside the house, and I can see some people hanging out on the front porch. The late summer night has just darkened, and I stand under a street light peering up at the house. I can see several of the crew guys up there, and a petite blonde leaning on the railing with her back toward me.

  The front door swings open and I press my lips together as I see Nate walk out with two bottles of beer in his hand. He's so close…just across the street and up the hill, and yet I can't be with him, this person with whom I've shared such intimate moments.

  My heart stops as he smiles at the blonde. It can't be…he can't have moved on already. But there he is, offering her one of the beers, and sitting down next to her on the railing and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. A chill comes over me despite the warm air. I really am a fool.

  I jump as a bottle crashes on a campus path just behind me. I glance up to see the denizens of the porch also looking at the source of the sound, and freeze for a moment as Nate stares right at me. Fuck.


  I turn around, cursing myself for walking this way. I walk quickly down the street, turning right onto a path to take me into campus.

  “Brynn?” I hear him call out behind me, and the sound of footsteps coming down the steps. I pick up my pace, hoping to lose him in the darkness. I can't let our first meeting after breaking up be him finding me spying on his house.

  “Brynn!” I hear a woman's voice yell behind me, and almost trip over my own feet in surprise. “Brynn!” she calls again, and I turn around.

  “Eileen,” I say in surprise as she emerges out of the darkness, slightly out of breath. “Was…was that you up there? With Nate?” She nods, a wide smile covering her face. My eyes dart over his shoulder as I see Nate stop by the entrance to the path.

  “I'm down here visiting him for the weekend,” she says happily.

  “Oh, oh,” I murmur, covering my face in embarrassment. “I'm sorry I ran…I thought…I mean, from the back, I thought you and he were…”

  “Oh!” she exclaims. “Well, I suppose I'm flattered…I mean, I do put my time in at the gym.” She steps forward and takes my hands. “I'm so glad to see you Brynn. If you hadn't gotten involved, I wouldn't be here with Nate today.” I try to blink back tears, but they roll down my cheeks anyway. “I'm so sorry for everything you've been through—Nate told me—”

  “Mom?” Nate says, stepping forward. “Mind if I talk to Brynn alone for a minute?”

  “Of course!” she calls over her shoulder, then turns to me. “It's so nice to hear him call me 'Mom,'“ she says, then leans forward and whispers in my ear, “Don't give up hope.” I blink at her in surprise as she pulls away and walks back toward Nate. They share a smile and a few murmured words before she continues back toward the crew house and Nate approaches me.

  “Hi,” he murmurs as he walks up to me.

  “Hello,” I reply, a bit more stiffly.

  “I found her number where you left it,” he explains. “We met several times while I was still up in Maryland, but it hardly seemed like enough time, so she drove me back down here and is staying for a few days.” He takes a deep breath. “When you told me you loved me—”

  I raise my hand to stop him. “You don't have to explain. You told me from the beginning that you didn't do relationships…that you didn't lead girls on. So I should have known. I shouldn't have expected—”

  “Brynn, please. Just give me two minutes, OK?”

  I nod, shifting from foot to foot as I wish I could just run away, all the way back to my room and pull the covers over my head. Anything so that I don't have to hear all the reasons why he doesn't love me.

  “When you told me you loved me,” he resumes, “I felt empty.” Tears spring to my eyes—oof, that was worse than I thought. “No, not like that!” he says, seeing my reaction. “I mean, I felt…inadequate. Like I had nothing inside me to give back to you. Here you were, so strong, and smart, and intelligent, and I felt like such a failure.” I'm shocked to hear his voice break. He clears his throat before he continues. “I had failed you. I felt… I mean, everything my dad had ever told me was a lie!” he exclaims, his voice rising. “In that moment, I don't think I knew if I was capable of love. What my father had shown me for years wasn't love, I don't think, it was control. I felt so undeserving to be loved by you, and for me to even tell you that I loved you, it wouldn't mean anything, because it would be from someone who was empty.”

  “You're not empty,” I murmur, unable to hear him talk about himself like this even though he broke my heart.

  “I'm starting to realize that. It's been good, seeing my mom, talking to her, hearing the truth about my past. All the things that you were trying to help me with. You were right all along.”

  “I wasn't trying to be right.”

  “I know, that's not—sorry, this is coming out all wrong. I've been thinking about you every day, imagining us meeting up back on campus, and it's just happened a lot quicker than I thought it would. I wanted to call you every day, but I needed to make sure I was ready. That I had done some work on myself before I tried to reach out to you. I know the kind of relationship I want to have with you, and I want to make sure I'm ready for it.”

  I blink at him, feeling confused. “So, what are you saying?”

  “I'm saying that you're not my stepsister anymore, first of all,” he says with a small grin. “They filed today.”

  “You talked to your dad?”

  “Just once. I couch-surfed with friends after you left. I didn't want to stay in the same house with him.”

  I stare at him as a realization begins to trickle through my brain. “It was you, wasn't it? You got him to give my mom a settlement.”

  He runs a hand through his hair. “Well, after talking with my mom, and hearing what happened to her in their divorce, I was worried he wouldn't be fair in dealing with your mom either. So, I, um, told him that if he ever wanted to see me again, he'd have to give your mom some money in the divorce. And your tuition, well, I figured after what he put you through, that you deserved it.”

  “I can't believe you did that.”

  “Actually, I wasn't sure it would work. I mean, I wasn't sure if he wanted to see me again anyway.”

  “I think, in his own twisted way, he does love you.”

  “His very twisted way.” He steps forward and reaches for my hand, which is still entwined in my hair. He pulls it down and laces his fingers through mine. “I can't promise you that I'll know how to be in a normal relationship right away, but please, give me another chance. I know how badly I fucked up, but I want to do better. Please. I want to learn with you.”

  I pause, uncertain. Can I really put myself out there with him? Risk my heart being broken again? I feel him begin to pull my hand gently behind his back so that I'm forced to take a step in. He leans forward, tucking my arm against the small of his back.

  “No fair,” I whisper, as the heat of his body envelopes me. He wraps his other arm around me.

  “I know,” he says with a sly grin. “But can you blame me? I'd do anything for another chance with you.”

  Everything about him is so intoxicating. I'm dizzy with desire for him after not being near him for close to a month. I turn my face up to his.

  “OK, OK,” I relent. “One more chance.”

  The words have barely left my lips when he covers my mouth with his. My legs almost give out as we touch—a mix of pleasure and relief overwhelming my body.

  “God, I've missed you,” he murmurs, breaking away for a moment. I pull his head back down to mine and sink my tongue into his mouth.

  “Get a room!”

  We break away as a group of guys, probably freshmen, walk past us, hooting and hollering. Nate glares at them for a moment, then rolls his eyes.

  “Come on, there's something I've wanted to do for a long time anyway.” He leads me by the hand back out of campus and across the street to the crew house. I'm wondering if he means something sexual, and worries he forgot his mom is visiting him. We walk up the steps and I see her and the crew guys turn to us as we step onto the porch. “Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Brynn,” he announces proudly.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Eileen's face breaks into a huge grin as I blush. His teammates slap him on the back and needle him about his lack of previous relationships, then begin to introduce themselves to me. I'm quickly offered a beer and pulled into multiple conversations, but Nate is there every few minutes with a hand on my back, making sure I'm OK.

  As the night goes on, the porch fills up with more people, and, particularly, more women. I'm happily overwhelmed by all these new faces, but also glad to just lean on the railing for a minute to sip my beer.

  “Brynn?” I hear a woman's voice call. I turn to see Cara walking up onto the porch.

  “Hey!” I say, and stand up to give her a hug.

  “How was your summer?”

  “Um…” I murmur, unable to find the words to describe the last few months. I look over her shoulde
r and watch a girl I don't know place her hand on Nate's chest. Before I can even frown, though, he steps back and smiles politely, then makes his way over to me. “It was pretty crazy,” is all I can come up with before Nate's arm snakes his way around my waist.

  “I just saw my mom yawning, so I think she's about to go back to her hotel,” he says. “Oh, hey Cara.”

  “Nate…are you two…?” Cara asks, her eyes darting back and forth between us.

  “We are,” I confirm, as Nate grins down at me. It does feel good to say it out loud.

  “And you've already met his parents? Wow!”

  “Yeah, we've met,” I reply a bit evasively, as Nate bites his lip to keep from laughing. I elbow him in the ribs. “We better go say goodbye to his mom.”

  Sure enough, Eileen is shouldering her purse and looking around as we walk over.

  “I hope I didn't take up too much of your time with Nate tonight,” I say as we walk up.

  “Not at all. I wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for you,” she says, wrapping me up in a big hug. “Will you join us for brunch tomorrow before I head back home?” I glance at Nate, who's looking at me encouragingly.

  “I'd love to.”

  “Great, I'll see you tomorrow then!” she says, giving Nate a hug before walking down the steps.

  “Is it weird that I want to be friends with your mom?” I ask him as we watch her get into her car.

  “Not weirder than sleeping with your stepbrother,” he murmurs wickedly in my ear. “You think you've had enough of this party?”

  I shiver at the implication of his words. “I think so.” He nods over his shoulder toward the front door of the house and I follow him inside. The living room has several people in it now, but he continues up the steps and to his bedroom down the hall. “There isn't going to be another girl under your covers, is there?” I ask him teasingly as he opens the door.

  He turns to me with a grin. “Only you now, Brynn.” He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me across the threshold, shutting the door behind me and then pressing me up against it. My body lights up with desire as his mouth covers mine and he pulls my arms over my head, keeping them pinned to the door with one hand over my wrists. I feel his other hand pulling up the hem of my summer dress as his legs push between mine. “Alright if this one's a little quick?” he asks, nibbling on my ear.