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

’ s got a point though,” John
allows, “There ’ s no way of knowing what might have been,
if only…”
    “No real need to wonder about what might have been though,
is there?” Maddie says with sudden vehemence, “Seeing as
we had a dad, and all. A great dad.”
    “Maddie,” Sophie mutters, trying to calm our sister.
    “ Had a dad? ” Finn asks, glancing
my way.
    “ Yeah. Had. He died, ” Maddie says, her eyes brimming with tears as she stares accusingly at our
mother. “But I guess someone forgot to relay that information, too.”
    Regret twists my core as I watch my oldest sister try to
keep it together. That’s what I get for trying to put my mother in her place.
Every time I try to cut through the bullshit and the half-truths that plague
this family, someone ends up getting hurt.
    “Excuse me,” Maddie says tearfully,
pushing out her chair, “ I just … I don’ t
seem to have much of an appetite.”
    She rushes out of the room, barely keeping it together.
Sophie sets down her wineglass with a heavy hand and heads off in the opposite
direction without a word. Mom glares at me across the table, as if this whole
blow-up is all my fault. And in her eyes, it probably is.
    “Great. Just great,” she mutters, bustling off into the
house as Cash and Luke excuse themselves hurriedly from the table.
    “Robin, hold on…” John says, following my mom, “Just hold on
a minute, there…”
    And just like that, Finn and I find ourselves sitting at the
table alone together. We wait quietly for a moment, taken aback by our family’s
sudden flight. I glance over at the youngest Hawthorne brother and catch his
gleaming gaze. The second we lock eyes, a baffled burst of laughter rises in my
throat. As one, Finn and I start cracking up, barely able to contain ourselves.
    “Holy fuck,” he laughs, thumping his fist on the table,
“This is such a shit show!”
    “Did we wander onto the Jerry Springer set without realizing
it?” I ask, shoving a hand through my blonde hair.
    “Just another day at the Hawthorne house,” Finn grins wryly,
“I’m sure you’ll get used to it soon enough, seeing as we’re almost-siblings and all.”
    “Ugh. Don’t be gross,” I laugh, giving Finn a shove.
    “You’re the one who brought it up,” he shoots back, slinging
an arm over the back of my chair. “How much of a perv does that make you for
trying to seduce me earlier?”
    “Shut up!” I whisper, looking around for any eavesdroppers.
“And I was not trying to seduce you, idiot.”
    “Sure,” Finn grins, leaning toward me ever so casually.
    My body lights up at the closeness of him. Is he actually
flirting with me right now, or is he just trying to make me look like a dumbass
again? Every time I think I’m starting to figure this guy out, he proves me
wrong the very next second.
    “What’re you staring at?” he demands, snapping me out of my
reverie.
    “I’m just…trying to get a read on you,” I tell him honestly.
    “What does that mean?” he laughs.
    “You’ve been about five different people since I met you
yesterday,” I tell him, “The strong and silent son, the mountain man, the rock
star, the—”
    “You know about my music?” he asks, leaning back in genuine
surprise.
    “I…Uh…May have heard a song or two,” I tell him vaguely, “My
friends back in Vermont are really into music, so—”
    “But not you?” he shoot back, raising an eyebrow.
    “No, I am,” I say quickly, “I mean, it’s not my main
interest or anything, but—”
    “But you just happened to know about my indie rock
band on the other side of the country?” he asks, zeroing in. “If I didn’t know
better, I’d say someone’s been doing a little digging on me.”
    My mouth falls open in embarrassed surprise. I’m totally
transparent in front of this guy. It’s like I couldn’t keep a secret from him
if I tried.
    “Don’t sweat it,” he shrugs, pushing back his chair, “I
don’t blame you for being