Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
But that will happen later.
Right now, nothing spoils this moment. This is our moment. Mine and Caleb’s.
But just as I’m drifting off to sleep, I hear the sound of a car pulling up outside. And then a car door opening.
“Caleb!” I hiss. “Our parents are home!”
9
CALEB
I swear I’m high as I leap off Eliza as our parents’ voices outside reach my ears. We both gasp as we unlink, my whole body pulsing head to toe. Somehow, I manage to get my pants on as my heart nearly explodes from my chest.
Eliza lies naked and gorgeous beneath me, eyes wide with panic. I wanted to fall asleep on top of her, but now there’s no time. Reaching down, I snatch her by the waist with one arm and lift her onto my shoulders. Then I quickly grab up our clothes and race upstairs.
Getting caught like this would be a catastrophe. What are they even doing home? They were supposed to be gone for two days.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” she whimpers as I carry her down the hall. The front door opens, and I hear Daniel’s voice.
“Look at me,” I tell her, resting a calming palm against her cheek. She’s already shaking. “Breathe.”
“What happened to the lock?”
“Shit,” I hiss, moving into Eliza’s room. I set her down on the bed and give her a quick kiss on her swollen lips.
“Put this on,” I whisper, tossing her robe to her. “Everything will be okay.”
I turn to go, but her fingers wrap around my arm, holding me back. “I love you,” she tells me. The sweet sincerity in her voice touches my heart. God, she couldn’t be more perfect. Her beauty is a gravitational pull, fighting to keep me from leaving the room.
“I love you, angel.” I kiss her deeply and step out into the hall. I’m just about to slide into my shirt when I hear a gasp and look up to see Daniel at the top of the stairs.
We both freeze, staring at each other down.
“What is this?” he asks, but he knows what it is. He’s just caught me coming out of his daughter’s room half-naked. What else could it be?
“You son of a bitch!” He explodes, racing toward me. “Under my roof? You used her!”
He swings at me, but I duck and put distance between us. “I didn’t use her, Daniel.”
“She’s your sister—"
“Step-sister,” I growl, my protective instincts flaring. He glares furiously back at me and raises his fist like he’s going to hit me.
But I’m not backing down. If that’s how it’s gonna be, then that’s how it’s gonna be. I hold eye contact, making the message clear—I’m not going anywhere.
“She’s barely out of high school,” he says, his voice low.
“She’s not a child.”
My words detonate like a bomb. His whole body goes tense, and he advances on me. But I hold my ground.
“She’s naïve,” he whispers through clenched teeth. “You manipulated her.”
I shake my head, raising a finger to him. “No. I stayed away. She didn’t. You don’t get to re-write what happened.”
I feel Eliza’s presence behind me and look over my shoulder to see her standing in the doorway, a pained expression on her face. “Dad, it’s my fault—”
“Quiet, Eliza,” he snaps.
“It’s not her fault,” I reply. “It’s mine. I take full responsibility.”
“You’re goddamn right you do,” he replies.
Still keeping my eyes on his, I speak the words that will change everything. “She’s not broken or confused.” I lower my voice, give him a warning look, and say with a calm breath, “She’s mine.”
For a brief second, I’m sure Daniels is going to swing at me. But then I catch a flash of motion behind him and see my mom, her eyes wide. She must have heard most of the conversation as she was coming up the stairs.
She looks at Daniel, then at Eliza, before finally settling her gaze on me. “Tell me this isn’t real.”
Before I can respond, Eliza speaks. “I love him, Sara.”
She gasps, and like that, Daniel loses it. Roaring, he raises his fist at me, but Mom leaps forward and grabs his arm, pulling him back. “Daniel, no! He’s your son!”
“Is he!? What kind of a son would do something like this?” The tension in the air is palpable. I see our family breaking apart before my very eyes. Daniel looks at me, and all I see is rage. “If you care about your mother at all—about this family—you’ll get out. Now.”
Get out…
Eliza doesn’t even have to speak for me to know what those words mean to her. My leaving hurt her. And the last thing in the world I want to do is cause her pain. My angel. My love.
“I’m not going anywhere, Daniel.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I’ll call the police.”
“It’s not illegal. We’re not blood-related.”
He steps forward, my mom still clinging to his side. I can see the beads of sweat on his face and the anger in his eyes. “Then I’ll divorce Sara.” My mom gasps. “I’ll lock her in her room if I have to. You’ll never see her.”