Read Online Stepbrother Backstage (The Hawthorne Brothers Book 3) by Colleen Masters - Free Book Online Page A

knew
Luke!” Mom exclaims.
    “Well, I didn ’ t exactly know we were
family friends,” she blurts out, “Or that I ’ d be seeing
him—them—here, did I? Besides, I don't know him. We just go to the same school.
With thousands of other people. It ’ s not the same thing.”
    The lady doth protest too much , I think to myself,
studying my blushing big sister.
    “I guess Sheridan is a much bigger school than the one me
and John met in,” Mom sighs. “Little Flathead County High was not exactly a
hopping place. What did we have, a hundred kids per class?”
    “We still had our fun though, didn ’ t we? ” John smiles warmly at my mom.
    “We sure did,” Mom grins suggestively.
    Oh god. They’re making eyes at each other like a couple of
young lovers. Time to cut the bullshit and make them own up to the truth. I,
for one, am not buying this “we’re old friends” act for another second. I don’t
care how awkward this makes things, I have to make them put their cards on the
table and be honest with us, here. They owe us that much after dragging us all
out into the woods for these shenanigans.
    “So, what, you two dated in high school or something?” I
ask, cutting to the chase.
    I feel the air go out of the room as my sisters and the
Hawthorne boys brace themselves for our parents’ response.
    “Or something…” John murmurs slyly, stealing a
conspiratorial look at my mom.
    “Actually,” Mom says, laying her hands on the table, “John
and I were engaged.”
    My eyes go wide as I struggle to take in this piece of
information. That’s not what I was expecting to hear at all. My mom has always
been pretty open with me about her romantic and sexual history, but I had no
idea about this. I can’t tell if I’m more hurt by her omission or freaked out
about its implications. But my level of discomfort with this revelation is
nothing compared to my sisters’.
    “Well, that ’ s a conversation we haven ’ t had,” Maddie fumes.
    “You were engaged?” Sophie chokes, “What…When?!”
    “All through senior year of high school,” Mom sighs,
reminiscing.
    “But I couldn ’ t keep this one pinned
down in Podunk, Montana,” John grumbles.
    “My scholarship to art school came through, and I couldn ’ t pass it up,” Mom amends, “Besides, we were so young…”
    “Isn ’ t art school where you met Dad?” I
cut in, derailing their stroll down memory lane.
    The light dims in Robin’s eyes. It was a low blow, bringing
Dad into the conversation. Cruel, even. But I can’t help myself. I can’t watch
her sit there and pretend like everything is A-OK when she’s been obscuring a
huge part of her life from me this whole time. I cut her a lot of slack, as a
mother. A little bit of honesty isn’t too much to ask for. Fuck keeping the
peace—what I want is the truth.
    “It is,” Mom finally says, lifting her eyes to mine.
Embedded in her gaze is a warning to me. Don’t say another word about it ,
she silently commands.
    But my defiant streak won’t be tamed. I level my eyes at Mom
and barrel right ahead.
    “So if that scholarship hadn ’ t come
through, you would have stayed here and married John…” I go on, bringing the
moment to a crisis.
    “That was the plan,” John nods.
    “So if you think about it,” I say nonchalantly, leaning back
in my chair, “John is sort of, like, our almost-dad.”
    Maddie and Sophie look as though they’re about to be sick,
and the older Hawthorne brothers go stock still at this observation. Out of the
corner of my eye, I see the corner of Finn’s mouth lift up into a smile at our
families’ expense. Thank god someone at this table shares my somewhat
depraved sense of humor. I’m more delighted by his tiny smile than is
reasonable. It almost feels like we’re on the same team.
    “ Almost-dad, ” Mom laughs a little too exuberantly,
staring daggers at me all the while, “What a thing to say, Anna! You ’ ve always been the inventive one.”
    “She