Stepbrother Broken (The Hawthorne Brothers Book 2) (31 page)

BOOK: Stepbrother Broken (The Hawthorne Brothers Book 2)

10.96Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

ads

“
I would have thought so too,
”
he replies, shaking his head,
“
Growing up, I was so in awe of my Dad. But as I
’
ve become a man, I can see him for what he really is.
Scared. Alone.
Human
. That stunt he pulled at the lake house was the
last straw. He doesn
’
t have any power over me anymore,
Sophie. And he certainly doesn
’
t have any say in my future.
”

“
Then
…
What
’
s your next stop?
”
I ask softly.

“
I guess that depends on you,
”
he replies, swinging his gaze toward me.
“
And whether or not you
’
d
mind if we stopped next in the same place.
”

“
I wouldn
’
t mind that at all,
”
I
tell him, a smile breaking across my face,
“
In
fact, nothing would make me happier.
”

“
I
’
m
still not interested in being back at Sheridan,
”
he
says,
“
No more dwelling in the past. But I
could be close by.
”

“
Actually
…”
I tell him,
“
There
’
s
a chance that I may not be at Sheridan for too much longer either. There
’
s a guest artist named Karen Krause who
’
s got her eye on me for an acting apprenticeship. In
New York.
”

“
New York?
”
Luke echoes, tasting the words ponderously.

“
Yeah,
”
I
tell him,
“
That could very well be my next
stop.
”

“
Well
…
I
’
d never think of it myself, but now that you mention
it, New York seems like as good a next stop as any,
”
Luke says, reaching for my hand.

“
Really?
”
I ask softly, turning to face him,
“
You
’
d come across the country
…
Just to be with me?
”

“
If that
’
s what you want,
”
he replies, lacing his
fingers through mine.

“
It is,
”
I tell him firmly. And the second I say it, I know
that it
’
s absolutely true.

“
Guess I
’
d better start memorizing the subway map, huh?
”
Luke smiles,
“
And forming bizarrely intense
opinions about bagels. But first, I think a shower is in order. Want to join?
”

“
In a second,
”
I tell him, sinking back in my chair,
“
I have to remember how to walk, first.
”

Luke
laughs, kissing me lightly on the forehead.

“
This is going to be a great thing
for us,
”
he says decisively,
“
I can feel it.
”

I
can feel it too, in every inch of my body. And all we had to do was let go of
our stupid hang-ups about propriety, and what kind of love is
“
allowed
”
. Luke and I are so much more than
just a bundle of taboos. We
’
re two people who care about each
other. That
’
s it.

Sighing
happily, I carry my mug back into the kitchen for a refill. I can hear the
running shower in the other room as I pour myself a second cup of smooth, black
coffee. A chirp rings out from my purse, sitting on the kitchen counter.
Sipping my fresh coffee, I pull out my cell. I perch on the counter, legs
swinging lazily beneath me, to see who
’
s just texted.

My
stomach turns unpleasantly as I see that my mother has sent a group message to
me, Maddie, and Anna. I
’
ve barely had more than a cursory
word from her in three weeks. Once she was assured I was back at Sheridan, she
carried on her own merry way. Maybe she
’
s reaching out now to apologize to
me and my sisters about the way she spoke to us that night at the lake? Maybe
she
’
s finally broken things off with
John and come to her senses? That would be a lovely surprise.

Might
as well get this over with
,
I think, pulling up the text. It
’
s a picture message. No words, just
a single photo. I cock my head at it, trying to discern its meaning. It looks
like she forgot her phone was on and accidentally took an off-center selfie.
The picture is framed around her frantically waving hand. The image is so
blurry that I almost overlook the new, shining stone that rests on her ring
finger.

My
coffee mug shatters into a hundred pieces as I stare down at my phone, the
blood draining from my slack-jawed face. I hear footsteps across the suite,
muffled by the thundering sound of my own beating heart. Luke appears in the
bedroom doorway, a white towel tied hastily around his waist. A look of concern
twists his gorgeous features.

“
What
’
s
the matter?
”
he asks urgently,
“
I heard a crash, and
…
Jesus,
babe
—
you
’
re
white as a fucking ghost.
”

I
try and make my mouth form the words he needs to hear, but no sound comes out.
I
’
m gripping the edge of the counter,
my knuckles going white. My breaths come high and shallow as my body refuses to
process what
’
s happened.

“
Sophie, you
’
re scaring me,
”
Luke says, walking slowly
toward me across the suite.
“
Talk to me. What
’
s going on?
”

I
drag my eyes up to his, focusing with all my might on putting one word in front
of another. I can scarcely believe the phrase I
’
m
about to utter. It
’
s surely too devastating to be
true.

“
They
’
re
engaged,
”
I say, my voice barely audible.
“
Our parents are engaged.
”

Luke
’
s body goes stock still as my words hit him hard from
across the room. I watch his eyes flash with confusion, disbelief, and rage
before they harden into stone once more. I know this look of his, by now. It
’
s Luke, preparing himself for a battle.

Good
thing,
I think to
myself in the deafening silence that unfolds all around us,
because I have
the feeling we
’
re in for the fight of our lives.

***

The End

To Be Continued in Hawthorne
Brothers, Book Three
…

THANK YOU
FOR READING

Please
leave your honest review
J

Join thousands of our readers
on the
exclusive Hearts
mailing list
to receive FREE copies of our new books!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN NOW

We will never spam you – Feel free to unsubscribe anytime!

Connect with Colleen Masters and other Hearts Collective
authors online at:

http://www.Hearts-Collective.com
,
Facebook
,
Twitter
.

To keep in touch and for information on new releases!

Also From Colleen Masters: