IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER

CHAPTER 10

TESSIE'S POV

On Friday evening, I made my way downstairs to help my dad with dinner as always. It was probably the last day I was going to since he now had a partner for everything. Cooking, dates, golfing... I didn't even know he was such a sporty man until Diane showed up. They were inseparable and it was almost hard to watch.

Scratch that. It was hard to watch especially since I couldn't look at how happy they were and not feel like I was sabotaging that by having unfiltered feelings for her son. It had been days since Jace kissed me and even though I had managed to avoid him in every possible way, that kiss had stubbornly refused to budge. It was a part of me whether consciously or in my dreams at night. I felt him everywhere clinging to me like a bad plague. Except that I didn't hate it.

I stopped abruptly at the top of the stairs, my gaze caught in the scene in my living room lobby. There were stacks of boxes and men bringing in more, evidence of someone moving in. Was it time already? My dad hadn't mentioned anything like that and I hadn't thought they would move in that quickly. My heart stopped for a minute before I descended in twos and joined him, confusion and panic written all over my face.

"Dad, what's going on?" I asked as if oblivious to what I knew to be happening.

"Honey, could you help Jace with some of the boxes? We are running late and if we don't manage to finish this in the next half hour, we will have to reschedule our flight," he stated in a hurry.

I furrowed my brows, "What are you talking about? Flight? Where are you going?"

He stopped and met my questioning gaze then slapped his face with a low murmur.

"I'm an i***t," he stated. "I forgot to tell you that Diane and I will be gone for the weekend." I scoffed but before I could ask anything, he smiled and went on. "Don't worry, Jace will be here with you everything will be fine."

He started walking away leaving me in confusion struggling with my unanswered questions. Nothing was fine. Nothing would be fine. I felt like my life was turning upside down slowly. How could he have forgotten to tell me something like that? My dad had never forgotten to tell me anything in my life nor kept anything from me until Diane. I hated to feel like it but it was like she had torpedoed my life. Everything I knew was changing and I felt like I was living inside someone else's story, not mine. I followed him and almost fell over a stack of boxes.

"For f***s sake! Why is everything everywhere?" I shouted angrily and turned knocking a smaller box into the floor. I heard a shattering sound and turned in alarm to find glass flooring our living room. Diane walked over and started gathering the broken pieces as my heart flew into my mouth.

"Oh God!" I gulped as I ran over to her side. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."

It was a glass vase, by the looks of which was expensive and my clumsiness had just cost her. She had a sad look in her eyes as she looked up and it was then that I knew I had f****d up.

When our eyes met, however, she smiled and tossed the few shards in a bin nearby. The person who seemed to be angered by my actions was my father and everything I had wanted to tell him before vanished.

"Dad," I tried as his gaze hardened on me with disapproval.

"Tessaiah, you have said and done enough!"

"But I wasn't-"

"Go upstairs, now," he added lowly cutting me off.

"Jimmy, it's okay. Anyone could have knocked it over," Diane stated gently but my father kept looking at me as if daring me to disobey his command.

Just then, Jace appeared and stood at the door staring at each of us in turns. I couldn't keep standing there. I had been embarrassed before but not by my father and in that moment, I felt an empty feeling starting to grow inside me. Without another word, I turned and left heading back to my room where I planned on staying until the next day.

A knock sounded on my bedroom door a few minutes later. I looked up from my computer but didn't make a move. If it was my father, he would take a hint and leave me alone because I didn't wish to talk to him. However, a softer voice came through taking me by surprise.

"Tessie, it's Diane. Can I come in?"

I sat there thoughtfully for a while. I had no idea what she was coming to do or what I could tell her. It felt weird that she was the one who had followed me. Nevertheless, I got up and opened the door. She was smiling warmly as if I hadn't just offended her. Her eyes were beaming with a warmth I hadn't cared to notice before and in a way it reminded me of my mom. At least the little memories I had of her. I pushed away the thoughts and stepped aside to let her in.

"Your room looks great. I wonder what Jace's would be like if he were half as organized as you," she chuckled weakly.

I knew she was struggling with what to say to me just like I was because what was a stepmother and stepdaughter supposed to talk about if not stepping on each other's toes? Diane was smiling and being too nice even though I had done her wrong. I had apologized to her but I felt the need to do it again and since I couldn't think of anything else to say, I did that.

"I'm sorry again for breaking your vase. It must have been important to you."

She met my eyes, "Oh, that old thing?" She shook her head and sighed. "It was probably for the best. I got a chance to start over with your father and it is the best thing that has ever happened to me. It is time to let go of the past and that was part of it." I looked away unsure that was something I wanted to discuss with her. "Your father is trying too hard to ease us into your family and no matter how much I tell him that he should take it easy, that we can work this out slowly with time, he is too stubborn," she chuckled. "I'm sure you can attest to that."

I nodded and chuckled softly, "Yeah, he can be a mule at times."

The intense air around us lightened as we both seemed to find common ground. I met her eyes and observed her a little longer. Maybe she wasn't half as bad as I had thought. She was accommodating and lively. Maybe it was the long years I had spent without a mother figure in my life but sitting with her there, it felt nice.

"I know I am not your mother, Tessie," she stated. "I also know I'll never be which is okay. I just want you to know that I will always respect your life and your decisions. Most importantly, I'll never try to get in between you and your father."

Yeah, say that to him. I thought inwardly and averted my eyes towards the door. My dad seemed to be forgetting that I existed already and I wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel about that. Jace walked past heading to his new room down the hall. I looked away quickly before he could meet my eyes. Had his mother noticed that? She stood up.

"And Jace... he can be stubborn too and a handful. Boys, right?" I forced a chuckle pretending to know what she was talking about. "But I will keep him in line. You don't have to worry about him but if he gives you trouble during the weekend, tell me."

Her words and what she meant by all that were nothing close to what I was thinking. It hadn't even hit me until that moment and I was not ready for it. A whole weekend without our parents? My heart thumped harder as my thoughts transported me back to the janitor's closet. I felt my face flush and a warmth took over as I recalled the kiss. Was it going to happen again? Could I keep avoiding him just because I was afraid someone at school would catch us?

Now we would be alone without the fear of anyone walking in on us. I couldn't inhibit my thoughts anymore and how much I craved that feeling of his lips against mine. The thought of it made my body tingle in places I never thought of before and I couldn't help it.

"Tessie?"

"Huh?" I looked up quickly startled from my thoughts.

"Is he giving you trouble already?" she asked with concern evident in her eyes.

"No!" I stated in panic. She furrowed her brows. "I mean, boys." I chuckled. "You go on. I'm sure we will be fine. As fine as siblings can be," I added as an afterthought but the word sibling felt wrong on my tongue.