Anti-Stepbrother (39 page)

“It’s your choice,” I said to Colton. “We can be your getaway car.” I gave him two thumbs up. “Two hot chicks. How about it?”

“Thanks, Summer, but I’ll stick around. If there’s going to be fireworks, I should be here for them.”

“Okay.” I waved my phone in the air. “I’ll be back.”

“But…” Avery watched me slip farther away, confusion evident on her face. “What’s going on?” She looked back at Colton, stepping closer as I moved out of earshot and eyesight, wading around a large group waiting to be seated.

Cue the nerves.

My hand shook as I dialed Caden’s number. He’d called that one night, but since then we hadn’t talked. My heart was trying to leap out of my chest.

“Summer?”

My shoulders sagged in relief. I clutched the phone even tighter. “Hey.”

“Hey. Are you okay?”

I cleared my throat. “Avery and I are at Carabera’s and Colton’s here. I thought you should know.”

“Colton?” His voice was suddenly alert. “What’s going on?”

“Your parents are here. He said they’re getting a divorce.”

“And they’re hashing it out at a restaurant?” He cursed. “I’m on my way. Thank you for calling.”

“You should know that I offered to be Colton’s getaway if he wanted to leave,” I said quickly before he hung up.

Caden was silent a moment. “Did he take you up on that?”

“No. He wants to be here to watch the fireworks.”

He grunted. “Damn straight there’s going to be fireworks. Thank you, Summer. Are you going to stick around? I mean, can you?” His voice dropped low. “I think I’m done waiting. I don’t think I can hold off any longer.”

I almost squeaked. My hand was so sweaty now. The phone almost slipped. “Uh…” My heart was pounding. “Yeah. I’ll be here.”

“Thank you.” His voice softened.

God. To hear that tenderness from him… I remembered the last time we were together. How he’d held me, touched me, gently kissed me. I gulped. I wanted that again, so much.

“I care about him too,” I whispered.

“I know.” Then he hung up, and I couldn’t move for a moment.

Caden was coming.

Here.

Where I was.

Where his family was.

And he’d asked me to stay too. He was done waiting.

“That’s Marcus’ brother?” Avery appeared next to me, pointing back toward Colton.

I nodded. I couldn’t talk at that moment.

“Holy crap. Marcus told me he was a twin, but I’ve never met him. You have?” I could hear the envy in her voice. “He looks just like Marcus, only thinner.”

I nodded. But he wasn’t just like Marcus. There were differences, ones she couldn’t see on the outside. I’d forgotten about that problem.

Avery didn’t know about Colton’s brain injury.

I had to do damage control. “Uh, maybe you should go.”

“What? Why?”

“Um…because Caden is coming, and I think this is a family thing now.”

“Caden’s coming?” Her eyebrows arched. She grasped my arm. “Do you want to leave before he gets here?”

“He asked me to stay.”

“Oh.” She let go and moved back a step. “So you’re just trying to get rid of me?”

Why hadn’t I thought of a great lie? I would suck being a spy.

“No, no. It’s not that. I’m not going to be a part of the family thing either. I’m just staying here because Caden asked me to.”

“I can stay with you then.” She looked me up and down. “You look like you’re going to pass out.”

I wavered on my feet, but no. I shook my head. “I’ll be fine.”

“You really don’t look good.”

I wanted to growl. How dare she point out the truth? “I’ll be fine. Caden asked me to stay.”

She had to understand how important that was, how I’d been waiting so long to hear words like that from him. He was done waiting.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I told her.

I’d take root on one of those benches if need be.

She sighed. “Okay. Are you sure I should leave?”

I nodded. “Caden will give me a ride home.”

She grinned. “You thought that through, huh?”

“I’m not a complete nincompoop.”

“Score one for using the word
nincompoop
in a conversation.”

“Thanks. It’s the largest word I’ve used in a while.”

She laughed, raking a hand through her hair. “Okay. I’ll leave you to it, but promise me you’ll tell Caden you’re not feeling the best. And maybe try to eat something. That’s why we came here, remember?”

“Oh fooey. I’ll be good.”

Her concerned eyes skimmed over me again. “Maybe I should mention it to Colton.”

“No.” I grabbed her before she could go. “He has enough to deal with. He doesn’t need to worry about me too.”

“Okay…”

It was obvious she didn’t mean it. I gently pushed her toward her car. “I’ll be fine. I promise. I really will get some food in me. They offer bread to the people waiting. I’ll just grab some of that.”

“Okay, okay. I’m going.” But she kept glancing back as she made her way to the car. I was sure Marcus would be calling in the next five minutes.

And when my phone lit up before I had even moved around two large groups, I congratulated myself on being psychic.

I sighed, answering as I made my way back to Colton. I rounded a third group. The waiting list seemed to have doubled in the last ten minutes. “Summer Stoltz’s Fan Club Line. How may we help you?”

“Cut the bullshit, you’re not funny.”

“
Au contraire
,
mis compadre
. I’m a walking laughing stick.”

He groaned. “I don’t have time for this. Av just called me and said Colton’s at some restaurant with you.”

“He is, and I already called Caden. You can get the deets from him.”

“He won’t answer my call. Is Colton okay?”

“Did you try calling your twin?”

I sat next to Colton as I asked that question, and he looked over, hearing it.

He checked his phone, and shook his head.

“Forget it. Call him if you want answers.” I hung up, hearing a roar from Marcus.

Two seconds later, Colton’s phone was blowing up. He pressed the ignore button, looking pleased with himself. “He’ll have to come here to find out what’s going on.”

“Did he and Caden have a talk with your mom about accepting your brain injury?”

He nodded, frowning. “Yeah. It didn’t go well.”

“So she’s still denying?”

“Yeah. So’s our dad.”

I scratched behind my ear. “I have to ask, why are they talking in a restaurant if they’re actually getting a divorce?”

“They booked a private room here, and they can only talk about stuff out in public. People just end up leaving the room at home or throwing and breaking things. Mom and Dad both have horrible tempers.”

“Gotcha.”

“Colton.”

Caden was here.

Holy mother of my ovaries. My mouth was already watering. He looked delectable in low-riding jeans, a white shirt, and his leather jacket over the top. He’d lost weight. I hadn’t been the only one. Marcus had told me, but seeing it was another thing. He had on a cap. It didn’t hide his features like a baseball cap did, but it gave him a serious no-nonsense vibe. I almost asked him if it was a serial killer stocking cap, if he could pull it down and do some damage, but I bit the words back. He didn’t look to be in the joking mood.

It was also my nervous rambling habit talking—or trying to.

A whole host of nerves blasted me as he stepped closer, his eyes lingering on me before moving to Colton.

“You should’ve called me,” he told his brother.

“Why? They’re going to get a divorce anyway.”

“You don’t need to be here for that.”

Colton stood and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Hate to break it to you, Caden, but you can’t protect me from everything. Mom and Dad might be pains in my ass sometimes, but they’re still my parents. They’re stupid when it comes to my disability, but they still love me.” He added, “In their way.”

“They’re in the private room here?”

Colton nodded.

Caden looked at me. “You’ll stay?”

I’d stay forever. “Yeah.”

“Okay.” He turned to Colton. “You want to come in for this or stay out here?”

“I’ll stay out here.” He gestured back to his seat beside me. “Marcus is coming, too. He won’t know what to do without a greeting chorus.”

One corner of Caden’s mouth lifted, but the half-grin didn’t reach his eyes. He looked serious, and a tingle went through me—he looked dangerous too. I pitied his parents.

“I’ll be back,” he said.

Once he was gone, I turned to Colton. “And down to two.”

He laughed, leaning back in his seat. “He’s really only going in there to yell at them for being selfish. That’s all he’s doing. He can’t stop the divorce. I don’t even think anyone wants to stop the divorce. It’s been coming since I got hit.”

I covered his hand with mine. There were no words.

He patted my fingers. “I’d turn my hand around, but I don’t think Caden would like that. Speaking of, what’s the issue with you guys? He said you needed time, but it doesn’t seem like you’re the one who wanted time away.”

I pulled my hand back and clasped my fingers together, pressing them down in my lap. “That was part of the problem. I wasn’t dealing with something.”

“Have you now?”

Had I? I thought about my mom every morning when I woke up. I could smell her perfume. I felt her fingers when she’d tucked my hair behind my ears. I could hear her whispering, “I love you, my little Summer.” I’d heard, felt, smelled, and thought about my mom nearly constantly over the last two months. Every time that hole hurt, but it was getting smaller and I didn’t always feel like I had to shove it down anymore.

“Yes.” I hadn’t realized it myself until then, but the answer was yes. I hadn’t lost my mom. She was still with me. She wasn’t ever going to leave me.

“Good. Not that I don’t love having him around, but he’s been at the house almost every night. You know it’s bad when he’s choosing to spend that much time with me and not staying at the fraternity, or with you, who he really wants to see.”

“You make it sound like he doesn’t want to hang out with his brother. I know that’s not true.”

He patted my hand again before pulling away. “I’m not throwing my brother under the bus, but no one wants to spend time with a brain-injured person. Trust me. You’ve seen me on some good days. For a while I can put up a good front. Wait one more hour and you’ll see the real Colton. I’m not a picnic anymore.”

My throat swelled. “Don’t talk like that.”

“It’s true.” He tried to smile. He failed. “We’re like walking zombies that don’t want to eat people. It wears on a normal person. Caden will never admit it, but I know it’s hard on him to see me like this.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I rested my head on his shoulder. It felt right, being there on that bench with him. We were both waiting for someone we loved to come.

“Summer?”

Kevin stood a few feet away, holding a girl’s hand. He frowned at me, and my gaze lifted over his shoulder. Caden was coming back. I could see him weaving through the crowd, his eyes on me. A group of waiting customers moved aside for him, and he was here. His eyes found mine. It was time. I started to stand, and then the patio and crowds of people started swimming around. Stars began blinking at me, and everything went dark.

I fainted.

I heard beeping when I woke, then saw the hospital gown. There were tubes going into my arm, and an ID bracelet around my wrist. The next things I noticed were in this order: the putrid smell of anxiety and sickness, that my body ached everywhere, and that there was a hand holding on to mine.

I looked up and could hear heaven’s doors opening, along with a choir singing alleluia. Caden sat next to me, his eyes closed, and his head resting on my bedrail.

I almost didn’t want to move. He looked too beautiful to wake. I just wanted to sit and enjoy, but holy fuck my throat was killing me.

“Agh!” I croaked out, suddenly feeling nauseous.

Caden lifted his head, his eyes opening. Oh yes. So dark and chocolatey and yummy. It helped with some of the nausea. Some. Not all. My stomach still rumbled, and I pressed a hand to it.

“What happened?” Wait. I remembered. “I passed out?”

“Yeah.” He stared at me intently, before leaning forward and brushing my hair from my forehead. His touch was so tender. “You haven’t been eating. You haven’t been drinking enough fluids. You haven’t been sleeping enough, and according to Kevin, you’re barely going to classes.” His lips formed a thin, disapproving line. “What were you thinking? I had no idea you were this bad. You’re not taking care of yourself.”

I beamed at him. More of my nausea was going away. “I’ve missed you too.”

He softened, sitting back and shaking his head. “I about lost it when you fainted at the restaurant. Colton caught you enough that you landed on the bench. Then you almost rolled and hit the floor.”

“But you caught me?”

“Your stepbrother caught you.” He laughed. “Never thought I’d be grateful to that ass, but I am. You almost hit your head.”

“I thought fainting was all graceful and feminine.”

“It’s not. It’s stupid and dangerous.” He leaned close again, gripping my hand tightly. “Especially when it could’ve been avoided.” He breathed out, the lines around his mouth relaxing. “Fuck, Summer. You could’ve been seriously hurt. Why haven’t you been taking care of yourself?”