Free Stepbrother Forever: A Stepbrother Romance by Jessica Marx

leave and run some errands. I’m so glad I
don’t have to work today, because I don’t have it in me. I know I’ll be
crashing pretty early tonight.

 
    I don’t
remember the last time I went food shopping, so I get some of the staples we
need. I stop at a couple of shops and pick up some fun things, too. I haven’t
bought too many things for myself since moving here, and I’ve been trying to
stay within my budget. I waste a large part of the morning and early afternoon
getting things done, and Ryan is home when I get back.

 
    “How’d
it go?” I ask as soon as I open the door and see him there.

 
    “I
don’t know,” he replies. I’m sure he’s been wondering the same thing all day.
“I think it went well. Sarah seemed happy.”

 
    “When
will you find out?”

 
    “Very
soon. They plan to start filming before the new year. I’m not really sure what
happened with the last guy, but it sounds like they’re in a scramble. Sarah is
sending the audition to them now, and I should hear back… I don’t know, soon.”
He sounds anxious.

 
    “Try
not to sweat it,” I advise, knowing that is not going to happen.

 
    “I
know, I’m trying,” he answers glumly.

 
    “Wanna
get some dinner?” I ask. “I could go for some Chinese.”

 
    At
this, Ryan brightens just a little. “Sure. I wouldn’t mind some take-out.”

 
    I call
and place an order and then put the groceries away. I picked up a bottle of
champagne while I was out, just in case we need to celebrate. I hide it in the
back of the fridge in case we don’t need it. It’s not long before delivery
arrives.

 
    We sit
on the couch while we eat and watch some reality television. We don’t actually
like any of these shows, but we do enjoy making fun of the “actors.” We talk a
lot about what it will be like if Ryan does get the part. He’s very excited and
nervous, and has a lot of mixed emotions about it. I assure him that once he
knows for sure that he is going, he’ll feel much better about it all.

 
    “I just
don’t want to change,” Ryan confides in me. “I’ve seen and read about so many
people who forget who they are and where they came from.”

 
    “You’re
the most honest person I know, and you have the biggest heart,” I tell him.
“Nothing can take that away.”

 
    “Thanks,
Eve. I guess first I should worry about getting the part, and then I can worry
about what will happen after.”

 
    We
finish dinner and clean up. The greasy take-out is exactly what I needed after
last night. We curl up on separate sides of the couch and put on a movie. I
fall asleep shortly after it starts. When I wake up in the middle of the night,
Ryan is gone and I have a blanket over me. He takes such good care of me. How
am I going to live without him again if he leaves?

 
    I get
up off the couch and go to my bedroom. I get in my bed and fall back asleep.

 

Chapter 13

 
 
 
    When I wake up and leave
my room, I notice Ryan isn't there. I assume he’s out for a run. I make some
breakfast, do a quick workout, shower, and get dressed. I’m working the early
shift at the bar today and have to leave soon. I get ready to walk out the door
and decide to jot Ryan a note: “Please let me know if you hear back from
casting—good luck!” I place it on the table where I know he’ll see it and leave
for work.

 
    Lunch
is busy and lasts late enough to roll right into the early part of Happy Hour.
I see Ken come in and pour his beer before he even sits down.

 
    “That’s
what I’m talking about,” Ken says as he settles onto the bar stool, “a woman
who knows what I like without even asking.”

 
    “You
never change, Ken. You make it pretty easy,” I reply with a smile. He lets me
know what he wants for dinner tonight and I go put his order in.

 
    I help
the other customers that are coming in and everyone seems pleasant enough. It’s
just busy enough that I can serve them and exchange some