Gemma
I’m already out of my bikini and wrapped in a bathrobe by the time the inevitable happens. I knew they’d follow me. I might as well be tied to the two of them. So long as we’re living under the same roof, I’ll never have a minute to myself.
I should’ve left when I had the chance.
“What?” I challenge when Denver walks into my room unannounced, followed by Odis. “Disappointed you couldn’t get here before I put my robe on? Sorry I was too fast for you.”
He scowls at me. “What is it with you? One minute, everything’s fine. We’re getting along. We’re having fun.” He glances toward the bed, and there’s no need to guess what he’s thinking.
“Don’t pretend you don’t have fun with us,” Odis chimes in. “If you’d chill out and stop telling yourself you have something to feel guilty for, you might enjoy it even more.”
“Please, stop telling me how I’m supposed to feel, okay? You don’t know what I’m going through.” I close my robe a little tighter.
“So tell us.” Denver tries to touch my hair, but I duck away before he can get close enough.
“We care about you. Can’t you get it through your head?” Odis shakes his head with a disgusted look on his face. “You think we spent two hours getting pruny because we want to fuck you? Or because this is some big, extended prank on you?”
“We were assholes to you, but that’s in the past.” This time, Denver corners me, so I can’t get past him. He reaches out and tucks a strand behind my ear before running his hand over my neck and shoulder. I hate the way my body responds to his touch, even something as simple and innocent as what he’s doing now. “We’ve been practically doing backflips to get you to believe us.”
I duck my head since it’s hard to talk when I look into his eyes. It’s hard to think. “That’s not the problem. Not anymore. I didn’t know it until we were out in the pool, and they came home.”
“What is it, then?” Odis stands next to Denver, and I can hardly breathe. My heart’s pounding, my hands are shaking, and the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. This is the effect they have on me—and the worst part about it is how I don’t hate it nearly as much as I used to. Maybe not at all.
“How am I supposed to be with both of you at once? Or even either of you? You’ll be my stepbrothers. I don’t know what we were thinking.” I raise my eyes and find them both staring at me like I lapsed into Greek. “This sort of thing doesn’t fly in the real world, you know? It’s complicated. People won’t—”
“Who gives a fuck what people think?” Odis growls.
“Our parents might. Ever think about that? And their friends. I’m sure it’s hard enough for my mom to fit in as it is. She doesn’t need rumors about her daughter screwing both of her new stepsons to make things any worse.”
“You’ve gotta stop worrying so much about what people think.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one who had to hear what people thought every single day for years. I sort of got good at predicting what would happen next. I had to.”
“But now you’re an adult,” Denver reminds me. “You can do what you want, and the rest of the world can deal with it. You can choose not to care.”
Again, easy for him to say. “That’s not the only issue. What happens when I go back to Florida?” They’re both blank-faced. “I don’t want to spend the whole summer getting closer to you two, then have to go away. I’m glad you think this is all so easy, but it isn’t for me. It never has been.”
I sit on the bed, and neither of them tries to stop me or block me. They don’t even try to touch me. Have I surprised them that much? They probably never thought about what happens once summer’s over. They’ve never had to do much thinking about the future or the consequences of their actions. Now they’re starting to see.
“Gem?” Mom knocks on the door a second before opening it, giving the guys just enough time to back off before she looks around. “Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re not interrupting anything.” I look at the guys. “I need to get dressed so we can go shopping.” They take the hint and leave, closing the door behind them. My hands are shaking so hard, it takes a few tries to button my shorts.
Why did they have to make everything so complicated? Why can’t they see the big picture? I need to push it out of my mind if I don’t want Mom asking uncomfortable questions the whole way to the mall.
She gives me a funny look when I meet her downstairs—the sort of look that makes my blood run cold. Did she hear anything when she was outside my bedroom?
When we’re in the car, I decide to start the conversation, moving in another direction. “So, how was your night? Where did you two go to dinner?”
“It was nice.” She glances my way as she drives. “It was a really lovely evening. Richard treats me like a queen. You know how long I’ve waited to find somebody like that?”
“I do.” I love my dad. He is a great dad but even I knew he was a shitty husband. I think the only reason my mom stayed with him for as long as she did was because of me. “I’m really happy for you.”
“You’re sure about that?” She gives me another glance, this time paired with a smirk. “You didn’t seem so happy at first.”
“That was at first. I’ve gotten over it. All that matters is you’re happy, and he treats you well.” Even feeling as mixed up as I do, I mean that with all my heart. She deserves this life, and it obviously makes her happy.
“I’d feel the same about you if the situation was reversed, you know.”