Every Which Way (Sloan Brothers)

by Calia Read

  “He was never around. I get money on holidays, birthdays, and when he feels like it. I saw him after my grandma’s funeral.” Severine shifted awkwardly in her seat and set her gaze out the window. “We don’t see each other a lot, and when we do, it’s awkward.”

  “What’s in Europe?”

  “He says work, but I think he likes to think he’s more European than American.” The subject of her dad was never talked about with anyone—save Lily—but opening up a part of her life to Thayer surprisingly felt okay.

  Instead of probing more into her past like she thought he would, Thayer asked the one question she didn’t expect him to ask. “And that’s why you have a foreign name?”

  “My mom wanted Elizabeth...something classic and pretty. My dad wanted Severine. He was on a French kick back then.”

  Thayer glanced at her once and whistled. “That wasn’t what I was expecting to hear. Interesting little background to you, Severine.”

  “Touché.”

  Severine’s legs stopped shaking as she stared at Thayer’s self-assured smile. Maybe all the rules didn’t have any relevance when it came to Thayer. Because sitting next to him and talking to him could become a dangerous habit; a habit that had a high possibility of distorting her strength and making her greedy desires known. At this point, her heart didn’t care.

  “Are you going to get all quiet on me?”

  “No.” She glanced at his profile and smiled, stating, “I’m enjoying the scenery.”

  “Severine, you haven’t looked out the window once,” Thayer pointed out.

  Severine notched her head in his direction and lowered her Ray-Bans. “Really? You can see through my sunglasses?”

  Thayer changed his focus from the road to her. “I can see through a lot when it comes to you.”

  Around him, around them, they would always provoke each other.

  “Focus on the road!”

  Thayer only glanced up once and directly stared at her again. “You seem tense.”

  “I don’t want to die,” Severine shot back urgently.

  “Relax, Severine, I know this road like the back of my hand.”

  Severine grasped the dashboard, like she could control the movements of the truck, and looked out the window. “It’s snowing.”

  “And you’re incredible, even when agitated. Are we done with observations?”

  Thayer could never say his words gently. It was either at full force or nothing at all. It never failed for Severine—she felt every word.

  He relented, as Severine remained quiet, and slowed the truck toward an off ramp. “You’re still alive, Blake.”

  “Barely,” Severine murmured.

  * * * * *

  “This is going to be awkward,” Severine blurted out.

  She watched as a wood cabin came into sight. It stood on a slight hill, making the house stand out, but behind it, the view of the mountains and tall trees made it all connect together and create something beautiful.

  Seeing something else other than tall trees and green was a relief. It seemed like they had been driving through the forest and on the winding road for hours.

  Thayer put the truck in park and laughed quietly. “If you make it awkward. Macsen isn’t here. And the rest of my family is fairly normal.”

  “Fairly?”

  Thayer opened his door and looked back at her. “We’re here. I’m not taking you back.”

  “Maybe they don’t want a guest.”

  Thayer shrugged, uninterested in Severine’s protest. He walked to her door and opened it. “Don’t be spineless.”

  Severine’s eyes flashed and realized by his slow smile that he was goading her. “I’m anything but that.”

  “You’re right,” Thayer agreed, “but right now, you’re acting like it.” He took his sunglasses off and leaned over to put them in the glove compartment. His shoulder brushed against Severine’s knee and when he glanced at her, his smile was wicked. “You need me to carry you?”

  Severine clutched the belt buckle across her lap with both hands tightly. “I’m good.”

  “I can. If you need me to, I will.”

  “But I don’t.”

  He said nothing in response. Severine watched him get out of his side and walk toward her door. When he opened the door, he ducked his head past the doorframe and pressed his face close to hers. “Why are you here, Severine?”

  Her hands blindly reached to unbuckle her seat. The whole time she kept her gaze on Thayer. “To have fun?”

  The way he stared at her lips as she talked made Severine shut up immediately. His lips kicked up in a confident grin. “And that’s the exact reason why I asked you here.”

  “No.” She was free from her seat belt, but Thayer blocked her from moving—from avoiding the situation. “You asked me here for things to change,”

  “Everything. I want everything to change. Remember, this is why you said yes.”

  One, two, three...

  Seconds could pass so fast when you’re fighting your heart’s urges. Thayer stared at her, daring her to move closer. Severine wasn’t made to conform. She wouldn’t shift her position. Thayer’s eyes narrowed as he saw her resolution.

  Four, five, six...

  “Thayer!” A female voice yelled out happily.

  The two of them turned, and Severine wanted to take a deep breath of relief as she watched a woman wave excitedly from the deck.

  Two men walked out the front door. Thayer was true to his word. Macsen was nowhere to be seen. She jumped out of the truck and watched his family watch her.

  Thayer’s hand splayed against her back. It felt like he was close to swallowing her completely.

  “You’re here!” A tall, older man walked down the wooden steps and inspected Thayer and Severine.

  “I am.”

  He stopped in front of Severine and Thayer. “With a girl.”

  “This is Severine.” The way Thayer spoke her name made her seem much more than ‘just a girl.’ Severine wasn’t the only one to notice. His dad merely raised his eyebrows and held his hand out. If he knew anything about her previously, it didn’t show. “Owen Sloan.”

  Severine kept her smile in place, as she returned the handshake. Inside, she was a huge fucking mess. In front of her was an older replica of Macsen. This whole entire situation felt like a disaster.

  Thayer’s fingers pressed into the flesh of her back, encouraging her to lean into him. He knew what Severine saw. She repositioned herself closer to him as the rest of his family walked closer to her.

  “Severine, this is my brother, Mathias.”

  She shook hands with his older brother. He stayed silent, reminding her of Thayer in his demeanor. Both stood tall in height and had the same dirty blonde hair. One thing was different—Mathias’s pain rolled off him in waves. He was a damaged soul.

  “And I’m Jayni, their mother.”

  Thayer’s stepmom stepped forward with an all-embracing smile on her face. She didn’t say stepmom; she owned the word mother. It’s possible she was all Thayer and Mathias knew.

  A face could show you so much about a person. Severine could tell from Jayni’s wrinkles that flowed away from her eyes and curved around her cheeks that she was complacent in life. Her blonde hair was cut to her chin, and her fine hair was styled with waves to give it more body. A pair of black-framed glasses perched on her nose. But the one thing that held Severine’s attention the most was her brilliant smile. Instantly, she felt soothed. Severine could let her armor down around Jayni.

  “It’s nice to meet everybody.”

  Mathias smirked at Severine’s discomfort, while Jayni oozed happiness. Owen was the only one that seemed to focus solely on Thayer. “Are you guys hungry?”

  “Yes,” Severine blurted out. Macsen had ruined her McDonald’s run. Her stomach had rumbled the entire trip.

  “Come with me. We were just getting ready to eat lunch.” Jayni was a few inches shorter than Severine, but she directed Severine towa
rd the house like a mother in charge. “We’re having something light. Owen and I are going to a New Year’s party, and-”

  Severine kept up with the conversation, nodding her head when she needed to. Before they reached the steps, she turned back around and found all three males staring at her.

  What did they know that she didn’t?

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Severine took in the guest bedroom. The decor was shabby chic and nothing she would’ve expected for a cabin in the woods. Like the rest of the house, it was dominated by a woman’s taste. And while Severine enjoyed the light colors and pale blue of the walls, it was doubtful Thayer or any other male would.

  Her legs paced the wooden floor. Severine was ready to give up, until her aunt answered the phone. “Hello?” Her voice was out of breath, but happy.

  “Hey. You guys busy?”

  “For you we aren’t.”

  Severine glanced out the window and tapped her forehead against the cold glass. “I wanna tell you something.”

  Rachel paused. “Do I need to get your mom? Did you just find out you’re pregnant, and you don’t know the baby daddy?”

  “No! And you really need to lay off Sixteen and Pregnant.”

  “It’s a train wreck. You wanna look away, but you just can’t,” Rachel said in defense of her reality show obsession.

  “Moving on,” Severine drew out. “I just want to talk to you.”

  “Why?” Rachel asked suspiciously.

  “I’m with Thayer.”

  “Ohh...”

  “I’m at a cabin in Tennessee...with his family.”

  “Is this an early April Fools’ joke?”

  “Does it sound like I’m laughing?” Severine asked dryly.

  “Is the other brother there?”

  Severine released a deep breath. “No.”

  “Good. Now, on to my next question, what the in the eff are you doing there? Were you kidnapped?”

  Severine groaned and pushed away from the window. “I’m here on my own free will. Believe me. I ran into Macsen at McDonald’s, and it wasn’t the best feeling,” Severine explained.

  “And then you randomly decided to go on a trip with Thayer. What do you even know about this guy?”

  So much more than I ever knew about Macsen.

  “It was on a whim. I’m going against everything I think is right.”

  “Yes. So what are you still doing there?”

  “What do I know about right?”

  “Severine-”

  “I mean it,” Severine rushed out. “How do I know what is really right for me?”

  “And right this second, are you regretting your decision?”

  Her answer was absolute. “No. This is the opposite of wrong.”

  “Then it’s exactly right.” Rachel cleared her throat. “I’m gonna get off here, but be mindful of everything that’s happened before this.”

  “I will,” Severine promised.

  Their call ended, and Severine stared down at her phone in thought. She could suffer through doubts of how wrong this was. But after lunch and watching Thayer with his family, she wanted to stay. Severine wanted more.

  A rap on the door made Severine toss her phone onto the bed like it was poison. Thayer opened the door and peeked his head inside.

  “I’m not naked. Clearly, you can come in.”

  “I knocked too quickly then,” Thayer shot back. He stood in front of her dressed in jeans, kept in place with a belt and a simple, solid white crewneck long sleeved shirt.

  He said nothing and walked around the room taking in the decorations. When he moved past her, Severine could smell his cologne. She sat down on the edge of the bed and watched him turn around to look at her. His hair was cut short but left longer on the top. He dragged his fingers through his hair, making it messy.

  He didn’t even have to try. The outer shell of Thayer was lickable. It was what he hid from the elements that had Severine curious and searching for more.

  “Get dressed,” Thayer insisted. It was one decibel away from demanding.

  Severine scrunched her lips to one side and patted her arms and stomach. “Dammit. I could’ve sworn I put clothes on this morning.”

  “Put...” Thayer paused for the right word, and finally shrugged, “whatever on. Hell, wear that. We’re going out.”

  “Where to?”

  “I have a couple of friends here that I grew up with. They’re here for a few days to celebrate New Year’s. I told them we would meet them in an hour.”

  Severine heard his explanation, but she could only focus on the one thing that stood out to her. “You grew up here?”

  He didn’t tense up or walk away. Thayer nodded his head. “From first grade to sixth.”

  “Hmm,” Severine responded back. Macsen at least told the truth on one thing.

  “You have forty-five minutes to get ready.”

  Severine moved toward her suitcase and searched frantically for a dress. “You could’ve told me earlier!”

  Thayer stood to her right and watched as she moved her clothes. His scent, his arm pressing close to the side of her ribs, made her close to being completely enveloped by him. “Don’t you always look like that?”

  “All the time,” Severine said dryly. “Every day I wake up with my hair done and lipstick in place.”

  “I really wanna see if that’s true.”

  His innuendo was transparent. Blindly, Severine grasped the edges of her suitcase. The material briefly warped. “Let me get ready.”

  He nodded and walked out the door. Severine waited until she heard his footsteps retreat from the door and ran to her bed.

  Lily answered on the second ring, “Yes?”

  “Quick. I need you to help me find a dress,” Severine asked hurriedly.

  “Really!” Lily suddenly became interested. “Where are you going tonight?”

  Severine avoided the question. “Just help me.”

  “Fine. Umm...what about that cute sweetheart dress you have?”

  Severine didn’t bring that with her. She shifted her eyes between the two dresses in front of her. “I’m giving you two choices. My cowl neck dress in plum or a tight sweater dress in silver.”

  “The sweater dress with a deep v in the back?”

  “Yep.”

  “One last question.”

  “Shoot.”

  “What the hell is a cowl neck?”

  Severine groaned as she put the phone on speaker and took her shirt off. “Look alive, Lily! It’s a neckline that’s draped around the shoulders.”

  “Ahh! Gotcha. Next time just say that. I don’t speak Vogue. Since I can’t envision that dress, I’m gonna go with the sweater dress.”

  “Good,” Severine said. “I’m putting it on as we speak.”

  “What shoes are you wearing?”

  “I only brought a simple pair of black pumps.”

  “Brought? Where are you?”

  Severine paused long enough to adjust the hemline of her dress. “I’m with Thayer...in Tennessee.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Can’t.”

  “Hold on. I need privacy to hear this,” Lily muttered. A door closed, and Severine heard Lily moving things around. “Okay. You need to spill everything. Right now.”

  Severine plugged in her curling iron and cranked up the heat. “He asked me to go with him. And so I did.”

  “By yourself?”

  “No, his family is here. Don’t have an ulcer.”

  “Macsen’s there?” Lily sputtered.

  “Do you think I’d come if he was here?”

  “Good point. So where are you going?”

  “It’s New Year’s. We’re meeting his friends.”

  Lily sputtered before she finally said a coherent sentence. “I can’t wrap my brain around this...are you with him?”

  Severine stared at herself in the mirror and wrapped a strand of hair around the hot metal. “We’re nothing.”

  Lily rea
d in between Severine’s pauses. “But you want to be.”

  “I have no clue,” Severine confessed honestly. “This is spontaneous, something I didn’t expect. I want to enjoy it.”

  “Have fun! Just call me tomorrow.”

  “Gotcha. Oh, how’s Benji’s family?”

  Lily sighed and spoke quieter, “It’s going good now. But it was kinda awkward at first. Now I think they’re coming around more to me.”

  “Does he have any siblings?”

  “Yeah. Three sisters. They picked me apart during the first hour.”

  “And what’s the final verdict for you? Are you enjoying them?”

  A contented sound of relief escaped from Lily’s mouth. “They’re all great. But I need to go before they think I’m taking a massive shadoobie in here.”

  “Uck. Go. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Adios.”

  Severine turned back to the full-length mirror, and double-checked her make up. Her nerves raced ahead of her as she gathered her coat and purse. She was ready to be released from her indecisive thoughts.

  Her feet were sure in their steps as she walked down the stairs. Thayer walked through the front door at the same time. He briskly rubbed his hands together to create warmth and paused as he took in Severine’s outfit.

  “I’m ready.”

  His brows rose, and a smirk tilted his lips upward. “I can tell.”

  Severine buttoned up her coat, as Thayer stared at her. She could feel his regard all over. If she looked away from her jacket, what would he read in her eyes?

  In her mind, she had to reaffirm over and over that this was the breakthrough she was determined to have. Severine had no idea what path she was on. No guide was available to point her in the right direction—she was lost in a whole new continent. It gave her a course of energy and made her step forward toward the one person that was just as astray as her.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  “Do you really need your purse?”

  “Let’s just say I’ve seen one too many Lifetime movies.”

  She shut her door before walking in step with Thayer. Severine could hear the pounding of the music nearby.

  “What do these Lifetime movies teach you?”

  “That the stalker shows up out of nowhere and is always friendly and nice at first. It quickly turns vicious after that.”