Anti-Stepbrother - Tijan Page 0,101
were upset?”
“Marcus is my real brother, and he isn’t a scumbag trying to get in my pants.”
Touché. “You know what I mean.”
He tilted his head and lifted a shoulder. “Guess it depends on who was asking me, and how pissed he seemed. Marcus wouldn’t want me to check on him. We don’t have that kind of relationship.”
“Colton?”
“Colton’s different. Colton doesn’t ask for anything, so I’d go in a second with him.”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t check on him?”
“I’m saying…” He sat on the bed right next to me. I rested my head back, gazing up at him, and his eyes softened as he looked down at me. His hand brushed my hair from my forehead. “It’s your family. You can do whatever you’d like, but I don’t trust the asshole.”
I grinned up at him. “You think he’d make a move?”
“In a heartbeat.”
My grin fell away. “Are you serious?”
“He broke up with Maggie to be with you.”
“No, he didn’t. He’s trying to change. He’s trying not to be like that any more.”
I sat up and turned around to face him. I tucked the sheet more firmly under my arms to cover me. The rest pooled in my lap, the sides falling to the floor to cover my legs.
“He wants you.” Caden watched me steadily. “Trust me. Guys know.” He leveled me with a hard look. “Are you sure you don’t still have feelings for him?”
That stopped me. “I thought you didn’t think I had feelings for him? You said that before.”
“Yeah, but that was before I fell in love with you.” He stood up, grabbing his shirt. Then he walked out, pulling it on.
I sat there, my mouth on the floor. It wasn’t until the door closed that words came out. “Wait. What?!”
Caden loved me, and I had to go check on my stupid stepbrother. Those two thoughts repeated through my mind. I could only sit there, my mouth on the floor.
Oh my God. Caden actually loved me. I never thought… How could…
“There’s nothing plain about you. Don’t let some dickhead like your stepbrother make you think that.”
The idea that Caden could love me had never entered my realm of possibilities. I wasn’t just floored, I was actually still on the floor. But I had to find him. Kevin could wait.
I went outside, but I couldn’t find him. Anywhere. He wasn’t in the backyard, in the house. He wasn’t on the lawn, and I couldn’t see his Land Rover either. He left.
I couldn’t believe it. I stood there in the doorway of his shed, deciding what to do, then my phone buzzed a text.
Let me know after you talk to him. Thank you again, Summer! XOXO
I sighed. It was from Sheila.
I needed to deal with this. The irony wasn’t lost on me as I went down the steps to the basement. Unlike the first time I went to this basement, I wanted to find a girl with him.
“Come in,” he called.
Kevin was alone and at his desk when I entered. No such luck.
“Oh, hey. What are you doing here?” He got up and cleared a spot on his bed for me. It was covered with his clothes. “It’s my night to do laundry. Don’t worry. Those are all clean.”
I perched on the end and folded my hands on my lap. Caden’s words were still in my head. I felt them inside of me, and I couldn’t focus for a moment.
“So, huh.” Kevin cleared his throat, sitting back down at his desk. He faced me, an arm resting on the desk and his legs out. “What’s up?”
“Your mom called me.”
“Oh.” His eyebrows furrowed, and he turned slightly away, tucking one leg under the desk. “You’re supposed to check on me?”
“Pretty much.”
He laughed, quietly. “Sorry. This is probably the last place you want to be.”
I glanced down at the floor, but lifted my head again. “What do you mean?”
“I know about you and Caden.”
My heart stopped. He did? He couldn’t know what Caden just said to me…could he? There had to be more to that. My head inclined forward. “Yeah?”
“So…” His head moved forward, matching my movement. “I get it. I’ll tell my mom you checked on me, and everything is great. Don’t worry about it. I doubt Caden would want you in here.”
“He doesn’t.”
His eyes widened again. “You told him?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“You guys are more serious than I thought.”
Now my eyebrows pinched together. “How is that your business?”
“It’s a big step when you have to run everything by the other person.” He