Stepbrother Untouchable Read Free Page A

hearing the hushed tones of conversation and the clinking of
wine glasses around me.
    Her eyes light up and she stands as she sees me approaching.
She looks even more gorgeous than usual. Her blonde hair, a little lighter than
mine, hangs in a long bob almost to her shoulders, and her perfect teeth show
brightly behind her deep red lipstick.
    “Brynn! I've missed you, honey,” she says, enveloping me in
a hug. “You look gorgeous. Isn't this dress a little big for you, though?” she
asks, pulling at the extra fabric.
    “You know I like this kind of fit,” I reply, allowing only
the slightest bit of impatience to enter my voice. This is a recurring
conversation with us. She always wants me to dress a little more feminine, a
little more “form-flattering” as she puts it.
    “Well, I'm so excited for you to meet Pierce. He's just in
the restroom—oh! Here he is.” I follow her gaze to an elegantly dressed man
with salt-and-pepper hair and blue eyes who's approaching us with a warm smile.
    “Holly, I'd think this was your sister if I didn't know any
better,” he says, and my mom giggles. “Brynn, I'm Pierce. Your mom has told me
such wonderful things about you,” he says as we shake hands.
    “Likewise,” I reply politely, though the truth is that she's
told me almost nothing.
    “Well, let's sit. I ordered us some champagne for the table.
It should be arriving soon.” We all obediently sit, me on one side of the cushy
leather booth, and my mom and Pierce on the other. “So, Brynn, you're in your
junior year?”
    “Yes, that's—” I break off as my mom reaches for her water
glass and I spot a ring on her left hand. Not an engagement ring, either. A
wedding ring. “What's that?” I ask sharply.
    “Oh,” my mom flutters.
    “Well, we were going to wait until my son arrived, but—”
    “We're married!” my mom announces suddenly.
    My jaw drops open. “ Married? ” I squeak. “I mean, I
thought maybe you’d be engaged but married? ”
    “You're upset?” my mom asks worriedly.
    “No, not upset…” I struggle to put my emotions into the
right words. I always feel the need to protect my mom from what I'm really
feeling. She's always been more fragile than me. “Just surprised, that's all. I
mean, how long have you known each other?”
    “Well, we met six months ago,” my mom says. “And then Pierce
took me on a surprise trip to the Turks and Caicos last week, and everything
was just so perfect…” She trails off, looking to him for support.
    “It really was, Brynn. And it felt so right. We wished you
guys could have been there, but we just felt that we had to seize the moment.
It was in this little gazebo on the cliff, with spectacular views of the water,
and the captain of a boat that was docked at the resort officiated…”
    “It was engagement, honeymoon, and wedding in one! We just
wished you and Nate could have been there. That would have made it even more
perfect.”
    I struggle to catch up with all the information they're
throwing at me. “Sorry, who's Nate?”
    “Oh, Nate's my son. He goes to school here, too. I tried to
get a hold of him so we could tell you together, but—wait! There he is!” Pierce
slides out of the booth to wave to his son.
    Nate. Not Nate…
    “What's Pierce's last name?” I whisper urgently to my mom.
    “Thornhill,” she whispers back distractedly, sliding over to
stand next to Pierce.
    Oh my god. Nate Thornhill is here. Nate Thornhill is
currently walking up behind me. Nate Thornhill is my new…stepbrother , I
realize in horror. Beads of sweat form at my hairline and I’ve suddenly lost my
appetite.

 
     
    CHAPTER FOUR

     
     
    As Nate walks into my periphery, I watch in slow motion as
he hugs his dad and shakes hands with my mom. I cannot believe this is
happening. Surely I'm in the middle of some strange nightmare and will wake up
soon. I hoped I'd never have to see him again after last night.
    “Brynn, honey, this is Nate, Pierce's son,” my