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

overstatement,” I tell him, glancing
back at the house, “You know that tonight is round two of family dinner,
right?”
    “I’ll bring the popcorn,” he says, standing to go, “You can
go back to listening to your shitty emo music now.”
    “Fuck off—Jenny Lewis is a goddess ,” I reply,
laughing.
    “And you’re insane,” he replies, making tracks for the lake
house, “Good talk, kid!”
    “It’s Annabel ,” I yell after him, but he waves my
protestation away and keeps on going.
    I settle back onto the dock, looking across the water with a
whole new perspective. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my heart.
It scares me a little, how big an effect Finn Hawthorne can have on my outlook.
Can he really keep his promise not to fuck with my head anymore? And what
happens if he honestly just wants to be my friend, my acquaintance, and nothing
more? Maybe it would be better if he turns out not to be attracted to me at
all. It’s not like anything can happen between us, with our parents
doing…whatever it is they’re doing.
    But still, I can’t deny that I want to be wanted by him. If
I’m asking Finn to be straight with me, I may as well be straight with myself
about that.
    “I wonder if the Brady Bunch had this much trouble?” I
mutter to myself, lying back on the dock as the sky careens overhead.
     
    ***
     
    To everyone’s surprise, dinner actually goes much better
that night. It’s amazing how easy it is to adjust to even the most bizarre
circumstances. Our weird mixed-family vacation has started to feel almost
normal. Or as close to normal as is possible. The six grown kids even linger in
the kitchen for a while afterward, sharing some beers and conversation. I’m
keenly aware of Finn’s presence the whole time, though he barely says a word. I
still find it so strange that he’s basically mute around other people, but so
bombastic with me and his bandmates. What’s the story there?
    I set an early alarm for myself when I finally make it up to
bed. Though we’ve been here for the better part of a week, I haven’t had a
chance to check out a sunrise over the lake yet. I decide that tomorrow will be
the morning and try to get some shut eye. I’ve been having trouble sleeping,
knowing that Finn Hawthorne is under the same roof as me. But tonight, he’s off
camping solo. I get the sense that he’s trying to spend as little time hanging
out at the lake house as possible, while still fulfilling his promise to come
in the first place. I can’t exactly fault him for that, now can I?
    The sky has only just begun to lighten when my alarm clock
chimes the next morning. Even with Finn off on an adventure, I barely slept a
wink. I lay wide awake, alert to every tiny sound the house and surrounding
woods offered up in the night, hoping that each one was signaling Finn’s
return. I imaged him nudging open my bedroom door, slipping into bed beside me.
The weight of his body, moving over mine. The feel of him, the taste of him…
    “Get a grip, Porter,” I whisper to myself, swinging my feet
over the side of the bed. “No one likes a sex fiend, you know.”
    I gather up my camera and lenses as quietly as possible,
slipping into a pair of sturdy hiking boots. It’ll be hours before anyone else
wakes up. I pad down the stairs and out onto the back patio, filling my lungs
with huge gulps of air. A cool breeze skims across the lake, making me glad for
the sweater I threw on over my tank and leggings before leaving. Exhilarated, I
take off across the dewy lawn, heading out into the woods.
    The lightening sky overhead is obscured by the towering
crowns of trees as I make my way along the forested path. Being out here all
alone, before the rest of the world even wakes up, makes me feel powerful.
Daring. In control of my life and ready to seize what I want with both hands. I
get why people are so enamored with this part of the country. Maybe it’s just
my East Coast side talking, but there is