“Hey!” she said. “That was mine!”
“Too bad. I’m starving. How’d you get them to bring your food out already?”
She gave me a conspiratorial smile. “I have my ways.”
She speared another scallop with her fork and chewed on it, and I watched her with a smile. We’d been through so much together; enough to send most people running for the hills...and yet she was still here with me. With white wine sauce all over her mouth, I might add.
She noticed me grinning at her. “What?” she said.
I took a napkin and reached across to wipe her face. “Nothing, Little Miss Piggy.”
“Hey! Screw you….you eat way more than me!”
I chuckled. “I know. I’m kidding.”
She smiled. “Yeah, I know. By the way, I noticed that Myron Banks is here. Think he’ll want to whisk me away to the dancefloor? Or Paris, perhaps? I’ve always wanted to go there.”
“He better not,” I growled, feigning an angry expression. “I’m sick of competing with him for your affections.”
“There’s no competition. He’s way hotter than you,” she said, sticking her tongue out.
“He’s hotter than you, too,” I replied.
She giggled, and the rest of the family joined us at the table a while later. Glasses were clinking all over the tent as they approached us, and Dad leaned over and pecked Nina on the lips before taking a seat.
Lily giggled as she watched with fascination from her seat. “Mommy must have lots of things stuck in her teeth today,” she said.
Lina’s face blanched, and I tried to change the subject before Lily could say any more. “This champagne is pretty good, huh?”
Unfortunately, neither Dad nor Nina noticed me speaking, and Nina’s eyes crinkled around the corners with mirth as she replied to Lily. “Why’s that, sweetie?”
“When people put their lips on each other, it means they have things stuck in their mouth, and they need help getting it out. That’s what Lina told me when I saw her doing it to Chase in his room.”
Oh fuck, fuck, fuck. Please tell me this is a bad dream, and she didn’t just fucking say that, I silently prayed, not even daring to meet Lina’s eyes.
Unfortunately, it was all too real, and it was too late for Lily’s words to be taken back now. A chill descended over the table, and I could practically hear crickets chirping in the background. Everyone at the surrounding tables turned to stare in shock, and Nina and my father narrowed their eyes and glared at me and Lina.
“What?” Dad said sharply. “What the hell is she talking about?”
Shit.
We were screwed.
Chapter 26
Lina
I couldn’t breathe.
I tried to take in big gulps of air, but it seemed like no oxygen was getting into my lungs. Several people near our table had clearly heard what Lily had just said, and they were watching us closely while pretending to sip their drinks. Damn rubberneckers. A few of them even had their phones out, likely recording us.
That’s what really sucked about society these days. You could barely do anything without someone taking a photo, making a video or Tweeting, Facebooking, blogging and Instagramming about it.
“Lina?” my Mom asked me cautiously, her eyebrows raised high. I didn’t dare look at Chase, and I figured our telltale silence was proof enough that something was going on. Mom’s hand flew up to her mouth, and she gasped out loud.
“Chase Stryker, tell me what’s going on right this instant!” Peter said, his hands forming fists on the table as he glared at Chase. My gaze was still glued on my Mom, trying to discern just how much trouble I was going to be in in just a few moments.
“Er,” Chase started awkwardly. We could have cut the tension in the air with a knife. Even Lily went quiet, munching on her food and looking at all of us nervously. “Lina and I...”
An awkward silence followed.
“Lina and you what?” Peter said. By then, I was pretty sure we had the attention of the entire reception marquee, every guest included. I felt people’s curious, burning gazes on the back of my head, and I felt truly embarrassed. Hot, flushed and deeply ashamed of what I knew was about to happen.
Chase was quiet for a long moment, and for a second, I thought he would deny it all. I thought he would say there was nothing between us; that it was just a fling, maybe, but the words that came out of his mouth took us all by surprise.
“Lina and I are in love, Dad,” he said softly.
The gasp that overtook the room was audible, and I realized the people near us had heard him, even over the soft background music from the string quartet. Despite all the horrible, unwanted attention, I wanted to beam.
Chase had admitted that we were in love. There would be no more hiding, no more unanswered questions. If he had ever thought we were just a fling, he wouldn’t have said a word... but now the whole thing was out in the open, and we were facing a likely catastrophe.
“Lina, smile!”
Someone flashed a phone at me, taking my photo, and I looked around, feeling more startled than ever. More than a few people had their phones out, taking photos and video of the whole scene.
Our parents had asked them not to film the wedding so Peter could release his own press photos, but I guess a possible scandal was all it took for these three hundred ‘close friends’ to break that rule.
I felt the tension, the murmurs in the air. I saw phones flashing in my face, catching me like a deer in the headlights, but I wasn’t about to back down, not after Chase had admitted our relationship out loud like that.
It was now or never in that moment, and I took a deep breath before I looked Peter right in the eye.
“It’s true,” I said quietly. “We’re in love. This started before we knew you two were engaged, and we never meant to endanger your career or put you on the spot. We’re just being honest, and I’m sorry if we end up causing any trouble for you.”
Peter’s dark gaze was proof enough that there would be trouble indeed.
Chase’s hand found mine under the table, and I finally risked a look in his direction. He flashed me a small grin, and I found my body easing; the rigidness I’d felt before slowly dissipating.
I knew we were in trouble. Big trouble. But I wasn’t going to back out now. It was all bound to come out sooner or later, anyway. I would have rather had it come out when Chase and I made the decision to come clean after the election, but life didn’t always happen the way we wanted it to.
Without saying another word, Peter dropped his napkin on the table and got up, the screeching of his chair being pushed back the only sound beside the music. Everyone else was deathly quiet, waiting for the big man’s reaction.
Yet there was none. He just offered my Mom his hand with a rigid smile plastered on his face, and she got up along with Lily. The three of them walked out of the reception, leaving Chase and me in the wake of the horrible thing we’d done.
* * *
“That was freaking exhausting,” I said on the way home.
I was still shaky from the onslaught of everyone at the wedding. After our parents had left with Lily, we’d known we needed to patch everything up as soon as possible, so we’d left as soon as we could escape from the throngs of people gleefully asking us what was going on while pretending to be ‘concerned’. People always loved a scandal…
Peter must have been beyond upset, because I knew he never would’ve left when his election win was at stake, let alone left his own wedding reception.
“I know, I’m beat,” Chase groaned in reply. His hand found mine and I snuggled closer to him in the limo. His scent was heady, musky and dark like the cologne he always wore. It was comforting, and I needed him close, as selfish as it was.
“We’re horrible people,” I mumbled into his shoulder as Chase smoothed down my hair. I probably looked a mess after a whole day of wedding activities and being questioned by members of the press, who had been waiting for us to exit
the reception area.
“Shhh, Lina, you know that’s not true,” Chase comforted me. His voice was deep, but soft, threatening to lull me into a much-needed sleep. “We had to tell them sooner or later. I’ll admit the timing wasn’t stellar, but at least it’s out in the open now.”
“I guess,” I sighed, looking up at him with tired eyes.
A small, nagging part of me wasn’t sorry, though. It was happy that Chase had admitted we were together, and in love, no less. It meant we weren’t just a short-term fling; there was more...although deep down, I’d already known that for a long time.
It also meant there would be a world of trouble for Peter, who would have to justify our relationship to the media again and again…or cut us out entirely.
“I’m kinda glad we told them,” I said in a small voice. “I’m glad you...”
Chase shut me up with a kiss and I grinned against his lips as we came together. No more hiding. No more kissing in secret. We were out in the open now, and everyone would just have to deal with it, one way or another.
We still had to face the music at home, though, and as the car pulled up in front of our house, we guiltily broke apart. We may have admitted our relationship, but it still felt uncomfortable going into the house together, knowing our parents were angry as hell.
As we walked in, the door closed behind us with a soft click. The sound was loud in the empty hallway - loud enough for the cavalry to arrive.
My Mom and Peter stormed into the hallway, their eyes blazing with angry fire. Chase’s hand found mine again, and I was grateful for the comfort of his skin against mine; something I’d become reliant on in the past few weeks.
“Here we go,” he murmured.
Peter approached us, his face twisted in a mask of outrage. For a moment, I was sure he was going to punch Chase, but he seemed to be controlling himself as he glared at our linked hands.
“Living room. Now,” he said through gritted teeth, and all four of us filed into the room. It was late, and I figured Lily was already sound asleep with Goldie in her arms. Even though she was the one who’d very publicly outed us, I couldn’t bring myself to be angry at my little sister. She was so young and innocent, and she’d had no idea what consequences her actions would have. Chase and I had definitely known what consequences our actions could have, and we’d still gone ahead with our relationship anyway.
Chase and I sat down on armchairs, and our parents faced us on the sofa. I got ready for the barrage of questions which I knew was coming, and Peter didn’t disappoint.
“How did this happen?” he barked at us. “Start at the beginning.”
He pulled out a notepad and started scribbling down notes as Chase started to speak. My eyes were glued to my Mom, and seeing all the pain in her gaze made me ache all over.
I knew I’d disappointed her, not because I’d hooked up with Chase, but because I hadn’t gone to her and told her what had been going on. I hoped my eyes relayed to her just how sorry I was for keeping things from her, and I was relieved when her expression softened a little, and she gave me the smallest of smiles. It was something, at least.
Chase started at the beginning. He told his Dad all about how we’d met, even about the hotel room. He told him how I’d run out and left him there, and I was on the edge of my seat as he spoke, not knowing whether he would relay the information about Tripp, too.
Thankfully, Chase didn’t mention anything about that part of the story. There was enough drama already, and I was thankful he didn’t drag that story out in the open.
Peter silently took notes while Chase was talking, scribbling down and underlining things so heavily that I heard his pen tearing at the paper several times. Each time I heard the sound, I cringed inwardly, knowing he would probably kill us for doing this. Not only as a father, but because we’d endangered his entire campaign which was going to finish in a week’s time. We’d probably lost him the election.
Once Chase had finished, Peter set aside his notepad and pen and looked at the both of us. My heart was going crazy, beating so fast in my chest that I thought it would break my skin from the impact. I waited for Peter’s response, so on edge that I thought I’d explode from the tension.
“Thank you for being honest with me,” he said in a clipped tone. “It was about damn time someone told me the truth.”
Goose bumps peppered my skin at his words, and I knew he was angry. He had every right to be, of course, but it didn’t make things any easier. With those words, he rose from his chair and strode out of the room without saying another word.
Chase and I exchanged nervous glances, and we rose to our feet, my Mom included. I was beat, and I knew the others were probably knackered too. I was afraid to look at my Mom, knowing she had her own set of reasons to be angry at me. I’d stolen her thunder, on her wedding day no less, and I was dreading going online already, as I knew there would be a slew of dirty articles about me and Chase.
However, I faced my fears and walked up to her. Her eyes were heavy with emotion, and we stood awkwardly in front of one another. I knew there was one more thing I had to share with her as well—what had happened with Tripp. I mentally vowed to tell her as soon as the campaign was over. She deserved to know the truth.
Just as I decided that, she leapt towards me and enveloped me in a big hug. I froze on the spot, as I hadn’t expected it, but soon I melted into her embrace. Even though I was old enough to take care of myself, she’d always be my Mom, and she always had my back—through thick and thin.
I could feel Chase shuffling awkwardly behind us, and my Mom grinned at him. “Come over here, Chase,” she said softly.
He approached us hesitantly, but Mom didn’t give him a chance to back away. She hugged us both tightly, squeezing us so hard we could barely breathe. In that moment, I finally realized we really were a family—for better or for worse.
“It’ll be okay,” Mom told us. “We’ll sort this out.”
Despite her encouraging words, I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my belly.
* * *
My Mom, Chase and I gathered in the living room the next day. All of us were pale, with white-colored knuckles from squeezing each other’s hands so hard.
Peter was about to hold a televised press conference explaining what had happened during the wedding. It had been half a day since the reception debacle, and the pressure from the press was so intense that he had no other choice but to speak about what had happened.
I wasn’t sure any of us knew what he was about to say. I hoped he wouldn’t condemn us for our relationship, but as my eyes met Chase’s across the room and he gave me a ghost of a smile, I knew we were in it for the long haul…with or without anyone else’s approval.
A few people from Peter’s team joined us in front of the TV. We were all nervous, itching to get the moment over with. A member of his team had explained to me that coming back from a scandal like this would be nearly impossible, and I could understand why. He’d need a miracle to allow him to win the campaign after what we’d done to torpedo things.
The TV came on with a familiar sound, letting us know that the press conference was about to begin. Chase and Mom scooted towards me on the sofa, each taking one of my hands in theirs as we waited for Peter to walk onto the stage.
This was it—the moment that would decide our futures.
As Chase’s warm hand squeezed my own clammy one, I knew it would be all right either way. I just hoped we had our family’s support on the path we were about to take.
Peter appeared on stage and my heart lurched.
He cleared his throat, and then he began.
Chapter 27
Chase
I watched with bated breath as my father opened his mouth on the screen in front of me, and I knew we were totally and utterly fucked. For the last fifteen or so hours, I’d been trying to put on a happy face for Lina to try and make her feel like everything would be okay, but honestly, I could only see this going one way.
> We were totally going to get disowned.
At least I would. I’d wrecked everything. Not only had I almost ruined Dad’s campaign once already, by being outed as an underground fighter, I’d gone and done it again by entering into a relationship with the one girl I wasn’t supposed to even look at, let alone fall in love with.
I was a selfish little shit, just like Dad had called me the other week.
That didn’t mean I regretted being with Lina, though. Fuck no. I’d never regret being with her, no matter what happened. Sure, I’d be upset if Dad did decide to cut me out of the family because of this whole thing, but you’d still never be able to get me to say I regretted anything I’d done with Lina. She was the one for me, and it was just bad luck that she happened to be my stepsister.
Back when I’d still been fighting, I’d never lost for one main reason. I’d kept fighting. I’d fought and fought and fought until I won, and I’d never given up. I’d never give up on Lina, either. I’d always fight for her, no matter what.
“Thanks for coming, everyone,” Dad said onscreen, finally beginning his press announcement. “I won’t beat around the bush. We all know why I’m here. You want a comment on the recent allegations concerning my son’s relationship with my stepdaughter. Well, here it is.”
He paused to cough, raising his hand to his mouth, and then he squared his jaw and looked dead-on at the camera. I closed my eyes, waiting for the words of disavowal to come.
“It’s a damned shame that people’s personal lives are put through the wringer in campaigns such as this. We should be focusing on each candidate’s politics, and the ability he or she has to effect change in our great state, but instead, all that these gossip-mongers focus on is whatever draws in the highest TV ratings or the most blog viewers. That isn’t true politics, and it’s an absolute travesty, but because of this policy of gossip-mongering, I have been given no choice but to address this. So in regards to the recent story, I’d like to say that as long as my son and stepdaughter are happy, then I see no reason for anyone else to concern themselves with it. They are not related, and they have made it clear that they love each other very much. They were both consenting, legal adults when they met, which was before my wife and I even told them we were together, and there is nothing morally wrong with what they are doing, given that they were not raised together as children. I want my family to be happy, and as long as they are happy, I’m happy. Please respect their privacy. That is all I have to say on the matter of that particular relationship.”
Score - A Stepbrother Romance Page 18
