Anti-Stepbrother - Tijan Page 0,65

table and walk away.” It was a softly spoken command from Sheila, and it sent shivers down my back.

I didn’t say a word. My dad still hadn’t. We waited to see what Kevin would do, because this had become an exchange between mother and son.

Kevin waited five more seconds, holding his mother’s gaze, before pulling his cloth napkin from his lap. He laid it on his plate. Shoving back his chair, Kevin didn’t say another word or look at us as he stood and left.

I’d been holding my breath since Sheila’s command. I slowly released it now, blinking back a few surprising tears.

She let out a shaky laugh. “That’s been brewing for a while, and I apologize wholehearted—”

“Stop, Sheila.” My father cleared his throat, folding his hands on the table. “He’s right.”

“Excuse me? Did you just say—”

He interrupted again. “They’re both right, and what were we thinking? We just got married, Sheila. We didn’t give them warning, or time to get accustomed to the new setup. They met a week before we moved in, and he’s right about that first year. They barely talked. Everyone barely talked. The only two who did were you and me.”

He turned to me. “I should’ve known. You were quiet that year, but you’ve always been quiet. I thought you were just missing your mother. I didn’t think— No, I didn’t want to think. I just decided you got along, so I didn’t think about unresolved issues. I’m sorry, honey.”

I blinked back more tears. That hole was ripping open inside me. My mom… A wave of longing crashed over me. I could hear her voice. I was right there, holding her hand in the hospital. I felt her fingers brush back my hair as she said softly, “You won’t just have a great life, Summer. You’ll soar. I know you’ll be better than your father or I ever were.”

My heart started going, too fast.

I couldn’t—it was pressing into my throat. I felt like I was being choked from the inside.

“Are you okay, honey?” Sheila’s hand came down on mine, warming me.

I nodded, brushing the tears away. “I’m fine. I, uh—” I looked at my dad. “I miss Mom, that’s all.”

Sheila grew quiet.

Tears welled in my dad’s eyes, and my throat closed up at the sight. I turned away.

I didn’t want to cry. I felt my mom every day, but I couldn’t let myself think about her. If I did? Niagara Falls. Clearing my throat, I dried my eyes and shook my head. That hole—it needed to close.

“Before we hold a candlelight vigil right here and now, can we deal with the Kevin thing?”

“That’s what I am? A thing to deal with?”

Kevin had returned. He paused before pulling his chair out.

I waved to his face. “Oh good. Your scowl came back too.”

“Summer!”

This time the reprimand came from my dad. “What is with you?”

“Okay.” Sheila spread her hands in the air. “This is enough. It’s obvious our family has some concerns to air, and I think we should have our first official family meeting tonight. We have a suite. We can talk about this at the hotel, but can we enjoy the meal first?”

Kevin still hadn’t sat back down.

She pointed to his chair. “Can you sit? Can you be civil for the next hour?”

Picking up his cloth napkin, he tucked it back on his lap and looked at me, a frosty chill in his eyes.

That would’ve scared the crap out of me three months ago. But now, I just smiled at him and pulled my napkin from my lap. I held it in the air between our chairs before I dropped it, letting it fall to the floor, and I lifted my chin, my smile reinforced.

If he wanted to fight, game on. I had no problems sparring with him, though my stomach did all sorts of gymnastics.

He snorted. “Really?”

“What? It slipped.”

He shook his head, leaning back in his seat. “Is this what you’d imagined for family dinner, Mom?”

Sheila frowned at us. “Not exactly.” She picked up her menu and gave both of us a meaningful look. “How about we order? Okay?”

We did exactly that. After ordering, all of us made a point to be polite as we talked and ate for the next hour.

My dad’s job was going well. He was getting promoted to the level below the company’s CEO. Sheila’s last shift had been hard. They lost the patient. Kevin talked a little bit about Maggie, relaying that her father ran the hotel where Sheila and