My Not So Wicked Stepbrother (My Not So Wicked Series Book 1)

by Jennifer Peel

  She turned my way. “I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no.” Her head lowered. “For many years we were only friendly neighbors. Sawyer used to mow my dad’s yard when he was in high school and when he came home for the summers during college. He was a sweet kid. He would never let me pay him. I didn’t know Josephine well; she spent a lot of time away from home. And Warren and I . . . well . . . he was helpful with doing minor repairs around the house. He knew Dad didn’t have a lot of money and what I earned mostly went toward my dad’s medical bills. We never meant for any of this to happen, though we know we are to blame.” She rubbed her lips together. “We were both lonely and dealing with loss. My father was dying, and his marriage was. We let our emotional connection go too far. For that, I’m ashamed. As far as how long we’ve been together, that’s a hard question.”

  I tilted my head. How hard could it be? The math had to be simple.

  She looked up and tucked some hair behind her ear. “We only had one, uh . . . physical encounter while he was married.”

  That was a nice way of putting it.

  “The guilt was too much for us to take,” she continued. “He confessed to Josephine right away. As you can imagine, it spelled the end for them. This sounds awful, but it was a relief for Warren to be out of his marriage. But it devastated him to lose his relationship with Sawyer. Those two were very close. Ashton has been more forgiving, but Sawyer wanted nothing to do with his father. That ate at both of us, so we decided it was best not to see each other. We both hated that our relationship caused so much damage and I think we both wondered with his marriage gone and my father passed away if what we had was even real.”

  “Did Sawyer know you broke things off?”

  “Warren told him he would do whatever it took to make things right between them, even if that meant not seeing me, but the damage had been done. That was a few years ago.” She gave me a small smile. “You must wonder why we are together now.”

  I nodded. Did it make me bad that I was so curious?

  “I moved out of my dad’s house after he passed away, but last year, Warren and I literally ran into each other on the ski slopes. I lost my footing and ran smack into him on a black diamond run.”

  They must be good skiers to navigate black diamond slopes. I preferred the intermediate blue slopes. “Sounds like something that would happen to me.”

  She grinned and nodded. “If you’re not willing to be embarrassed, you’re not really living, right?”

  I tilted my head. “That sounds like something my mom would have said.”

  Bridget patted my knee. “It’s funny how we still hear them after they’re gone, isn’t it?”

  “I hear my mom talking to me so much, sometimes I think I’m crazy,” I admitted.

  “I don’t think so. I think the connection between a parent and child is strong, it supersedes death and it feels like death when it’s severed in life.”

  Bridget spoke to my heart. I felt that way about both my mother and my father respectively. I glanced at Sawyer and his dad. They must be feeling that same pain. “It must be hard for you and Warren to be together.”

  “More than you know. We discovered that day on the slopes and the days after that what we had was real. The best relationship either one of us has ever had, but there were consequences for our wrong choices early on in our relationship. Our happiness will never be complete until we have Sawyer’s blessing.”

  My brows raised. “I think that’s a tall order.”

  “Maybe impossible.”

  “I don’t know. Give it some time. Sawyer has a good heart.”

  She squinted, studying me. Then her eyes lit up in an ah-ha moment. “Warren and I would love it if you two would come have dinner with us.”

  “Do you live together?” My hand flew to my mouth. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business.”

  She wasn’t upset at all, in fact, she smiled. “Don’t apologize. You’re protective of Sawyer. I respect that.” She leaned toward me. “But the answer is no, we don’t.” She blew out a deep breath. “We have no intention of marrying until we can make things right with Sawyer.”

  “What if that never happens?”

  Her entire body deflated at the thought. “If I have to, I’ll leave Warren for the sake of Sawyer.” Tears welled up in her eyes.

  I took her hand, though I barely knew her. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  She patted my hand. “This may sound weird, but I feel like we’re supposed to know each other.”

  You know what was weirder? I felt the same way. Not sure how I was going to explain that to Sawyer.

  Chapter Nine

  “You’re doing what?” Jenna yelled into the phone.

  “I’m not happy about it, but there’s no way Sawyer’s old truck is making it over Freedom Pass.” And Sawyer and I had already been planning on driving up together.

  “Tell him if he can’t drive Shelby, she can’t come. Doesn’t she have a car?”

  “I assume she does, but even Colorado natives have a tough time going over that Pass. I can’t have her blood on my hands.” None of us had wanted to attempt it last night in the dark after we got off work, which was why we were leaving this morning.

  “I don’t mind getting bloody. I’ll take the blame without an ounce of guilt.”

  “Aww. Now I know who to call when I need to bury a body.”

  She laughed. “I’ll be the first one there with a shovel. It wouldn’t take long to dig a hole for miss little thing.”

  “You know, sometimes you scare me, and to think you’re going to be a mommy soon.”

  “No one better ever mess with my boy.”

  I had no doubt Jenna would be a scary mama bear. “For the safety of those around you, I hope that’s true. And by the way, try and be nice to Shelby this weekend.”

  “Ugh,” she spat. “I make no promises. I don’t understand why you’re being so nice to her. She’s putting the moves on your man.”

  “He’s not my man.”

  “Oh, really? Who were you out with last night?”

  “Friends go bowling together. Besides, we weren’t alone. His dad and his dad’s girlfriend crashed the party.”

  “Oh, yeah. You’re going to need to fill me in on that.”

  “I will. I need to go or I’m going to be late picking up Sawyer and his friend. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  I could hear Jenna sigh in disgust before she hung up. I wasn’t thrilled about the arrangement either, especially given that Sawyer and I parted last night in disagreement. I guessed you could call it our second fight. Two fights in one night. When he dropped me off, he barely muttered a goodbye.

  He didn’t think we should accept Bridget’s dinner invitation and I think he felt betrayed that I didn’t loathe her. It’s not like I didn’t try for a few seconds. I had fully intended on hating the woman who’d stolen Warren away from Josephine, but she seemed really nice and it was apparent she loved Warren. And I wasn’t so sure she had stolen Warren away. I had a feeling the divorce had been inevitable. The question was, why? Like, why was Josephine never at home? Why was Warren relieved to finally be divorced? I mean, what kind of woman was my father married to?

  I felt like there were two sides to the story, and Sawyer needed to learn the other half. Maybe if Sawyer could see the whole picture, it might help him forgive his dad. Again, I wasn’t condoning infidelity. It was obvious Bridget and Warren weren’t making excuses and that they felt remorse over it. Sawyer needed to see that too.

  I looked up into the clear blue Colorado sky. It was the perfect July morning. Not a cloud could be seen. The birds were digging it too, by how loud they were chirping. It was going to be hot in the valley today, but where we were going, it would be warm in the day and cold at night. I threw the last of my gear into the trailer I’d hitched to my Jeep. I was excited to try out my new tent—it came with a porch.

  Aspen was going to be my roommate for the night once she joined u
s after work. The bank was open for half the day. My stomach wriggled thinking about who Shelby was probably going to stay with. I had a feeling that Band-Aid was going to come flying off this weekend and my fungal heart infection would clear right up when it broke in two. If they were getting that cozy, going to dinner at his dad’s with me would be a moot point. He’d want to take his girlfriend, or not go at all and hang out with Shelby instead. I should be happy for the distance it would create between us, but even though I knew it was probably the best thing for me, it filled me with profound sadness and loss.

  I checked that I had everything. I even looked down my T-shirt to make sure I had a bra on. The girls were secure. My shorts were zipped. I had on both hiking boots. I reached up and felt my sunglasses on the top of my head. My cell phone was in my pocket. Not that there was service where we were going. The primitive camp site was at the base of Freedom Pass near the river. It was pristine and untouched. It was Mom’s favorite camping site because it was so remote. She loved taking us there growing up because she felt like she had us all to herself. Dad couldn’t do any business and we weren’t calling our friends or watching TV. It was a place free of distractions, until now. I was going to try not to be distracted by Shelby and Sawyer, but I wasn’t sure that would be possible.

  All the way over to Sawyer’s I worried about what I would say to him. I’d never really felt that way around him. Maybe we weren’t the great communicators he thought we were. By the time I arrived, I’d decided not to mention last night unless he did. I still felt like he should go, but it wasn’t my place to push him.

  Every time I pulled into Sawyer’s apartment complex with the peeling green painted buildings, I couldn’t believe he lived in such a dive. But not as much as his mother, who was constantly telling him he needed to live in a place worthy of his profession, so she could come visit him. I wondered if his neighbors knew he was a doctor.

  I had to drive extra slow through the parking lot, as it dealt with more crack than a drug lord. At least his beat-up truck fit in. There he was, looking fantastic and ready for an adventure in his khaki shorts, tight T-shirt that showed how toned he was, and of course he had sunglasses on. He was always reminding me how important it was to protect my eyes from the sun’s rays.

  Sawyer was surrounded by coolers, his tent, and a large duffle bag. He had said he wanted to handle all the food for the trip. When I parked behind his truck, he looked up from his phone and flashed me a tentative smile. Was he still upset with me?

  I put my Jeep in park and hopped out to see what the verdict was. I met him around the trailer. He was already hefting his duffle bag into it.

  “I would have met you at your place to help you hitch the trailer.”

  “I know, but . . .”

  I wanted to say I did it by myself because I was too afraid to become dependent on anyone of the male variety. They never stuck around all that long unless they married one of my friends. I wasn’t even sure Brad could hitch a trailer, come to think of it.

  Sawyer turned and met my gaze. “But what?”

  I shook my head, clearing out my thoughts. “Nothing. It was easy enough for me to do.” So I had sworn a few times and bruised my thumb.

  Sawyer met me by the coolers with a look of contrition. He rubbed his neck. “I feel bad about how we left things last night.” So we were going to talk about it.

  I leaned against his truck, knowing I was current on my tetanus shot. “I get it.”

  He gave me a half smile. “I know you were only trying to help.”

  I stared down at my hiking boots. “Not sure how helpful I was.”

  “Em,” he took his shades off, and rested them on his head, “I acted like a jerk last night.”

  My head popped up and met his sincere eyes.

  “My dad and Bridget,” he could hardly get out her name, “showing up came out of left field for me.”

  “I wouldn’t say jerk. Maybe whiny and immature.”

  He raised his brows. “Whiny and immature? For that, this cooler,” he nudged one with his foot, “isn’t coming.”

  I knelt down. “What’s in the cooler?” I tried to lift the lid, but Sawyer bent over and slapped his hand on it. “I think you owe me an apology first.” A playful smile danced on his face, which was now inches from my own.

  “I stand by my assessment.” I dared him, with my own smile, to contradict me.

  He took a deep breath and let it out. “Perhaps I was a tad irritable.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you have that.”

  “For your concession, I will let you have this.” He threw open the cooler lid.

  I could have kissed him. Like really, really kissed him. Lots of tongue. Instead, I did something more embarrassing in the glow of an entire cooler full of Dr. Pepper made with real sugar. The kind you have to special order in the green cans. The king of all drinks.

  “I love you!” Yes, that’s what I said. Biggest freaking Freudian slip of all time. We are talking I fell on my butt I was so taken aback by what I’d said. With my butt on the pavement, I began to stutter, “I mean, you know what I mean, like a friend, a sis . . .” No, not like a sister. There were laws against the way I felt for him if we were truly related.

  Sawyer reached over the cooler and took my hands, trying to hoist me up. “Are you okay?”

  Uh, that was a negative. I just told the man I love that I loved him. My stepbrother.

  In one big pull, Sawyer had me on my feet, all while laughing at me. “Wow. I should have bought you ‘real’ Dr. Pepper a long time ago.” He gave my hands a good squeeze before letting them go.

  I couldn’t make eye contact. “It was very sweet of you.”

  “Anything for you. Should we load this up and go pick up Shelby?”

  Oh, Shelby, you lovely, awful reminder of what would never be. P.S. I think I might hate you.

  ~*~

  I know I told Jenna to be nice to her, but on the drive up all I could think about was ways to torture Shelby. Maybe a push in the rushing river, a snipe hunt, a burned marshmallow rubbed in her perfect blonde hair. Where were these violent thoughts coming from, you may ask? It wasn’t just that she was there, but when we picked her up, I didn’t see a tent. Not only that, but she brought designer luggage. We are talking Louis Vuitton monogrammed luggage. She better have a dang tent stuffed in there. Oh, and she was wearing wedges with tiny denim shorts that proved she was a freak of nature—she had not one ounce, not even a ripple of cellulite. I was born with more fat than she had on her entire body.

  If that wasn’t enough, I began to question her story of only being an office manager for an eye clinic. Really? What was that salary? Around forty thousand, maybe fifty if she was lucky. I was thinking she was very lucky, or a liar. She lived in an upscale townhome at the new Bridge Park development that was like a mini town in and of itself. The community boasted a country club, expensive restaurants, boutiques, and its own fitness center. The starting price was half a million. The mortgage payment alone would take her entire salary before taxes.

  The worst of it, though, was Miss Sunshine was about ready to wet her pants when we drove over Freedom Pass. She was sitting in the backseat of my Jeep. Sawyer was riding shotgun. I would give her credit that it was a tad frightening. Guardrails were few and far between, the windy roads were narrow, and you could see a car or two that had gone off the road and landed in the pine trees below. The views were breathtaking, though. The only sights for miles were mountain vistas, pine and aspen trees, and a bald eagle or two. With the top down on my Jeep, we were able to soak in the clean mountain air that settled in your soul and made you feel more alive than you imagined possible. The abundant sunshine added to the energy of it all.

  All Shelby could focus on was the sheer height we were at . . . and Sawyer. She had him in a stranglehold for miles while squealing. If she was that worried, she should have stayed in her seatbelt instead of reaching up and hugging Sawyer from behind. Sawyer kept patting her toned arms, tell
ing her it would be okay and that with me at the wheel, she was in good hands. He shouldn’t have been too sure. I wanted to rip those perfectly tanned arms off her and start whacking her with them. And with her out of her seatbelt, devious thoughts had run through my mind. No need to say them in case of self-incrimination.

  By the time we arrived at the campsite, I needed a vacation from my mini vacation. I had a feeling that cooler of Dr. Pepper wasn’t going to last long. And if that chick thought I was sharing my Dr. Pepper with her, she had another thing coming. Sawyer I had no say over, but that real Dr. Pepper was all mine.

  I pulled over on the tiny rutted dirt road near a clearing where my family had camped before, about fifty yards from the river. The pine trees made an almost perfect circle around the clearing, as if they had been planted with campers in mind.

  I couldn’t get out of my Jeep fast enough. I wished some of our other friends were already there. Without a word, I hopped out and headed straight for the river. The sound of water calmed my soul. At least it used to. Before I could get too far, I heard Shelby ask, “Where’s the cabin?”

  What?

  “Cabin?” Sawyer laughed.

  I turned around to see her bite her lip all sexy and cute. “Well, yes, when my family goes camping, we rent this really beautiful cabin in Blue Ridge. It has any amenity you’d ever want.”

  “That’s not camping.” Sawyer grinned.

  “Oh,” her lip started to quiver, “I didn’t realize that this is what you meant when you said camping. I didn’t even bring any bedding.”

  Was she serious?

  Sawyer hugged her and began patting her back; she settled right into him. That’s when I headed back for the cooler. It was going to be a six-pack day.

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure between all of us we can take care of you.” Sawyer gave me a pointed look. “I know Em has plenty of room in her tent.”

  Make that a twelve-pack kind of day.

  Chapter Ten

  One thing Shelby didn’t forget was her white bikini. We all stood at the bank of the river mesmerized by the blonde goddess ready for some tubing, minus mommy-to-be Jenna, who would be reading a book about natural childbirth. I kept tilting my head wondering how her boobs stayed in that tiny top and what kind of torture you had to endure to get those perfect lines and curves. I guaranteed it meant not drinking Dr. Pepper. Totally not worth it, I kept telling myself as I yanked down my swim shorts to cover my cellulite thighs and sucked in my gut under my slimming-paneled black tankini top. Newsflash, it wasn’t all that slimming.