Step Brother

Chapter 22

It's almost midnight and my mother and I sit at the kitchen table talking. We eat chocolate chip cookies and drink milk. She questions me about Caleb and I answer them all. "Are you pregnant?" she asks after a while.

I groan. "I already told you and Jason I'm not."

"I know," she sighs. "It's just weird. You never mentioned a boyfriend, then you show up and announce you're engaged. I'm just curious."

I gaze down at the cookies. "We haven't even had sex."

She gasps. "Didn't you say you've been together for over three years?"

"Yeah.," I nod. "But he made a vow not to have sex until he was married and refuses to do anything sexual."

"That's odd," she mumbles.

"I know. I've tried to get him to... let's just say the furthest we've ever gotten is making out. And he hasn't even said 'I love you'."

She shakes her head. "Something's wrong with that boy."

I shrug. "I don't know. He said if I really wanted to do it then we could fly to Vegas but I don't want to do that. It just feels like we're friends who make out. There's no intimacy between us because he won't take the next step in our relationship. I don't think he's really in love with me. I love him but I'm questioning if I'm in love with him."

We talk about this for a while longer before she says she's tired. I hug and kiss her goodnight before going upstairs. When I get to my door, I notice Maddox's bedroom light is on. I knock on the door and he yells for me to come in. "Hey," I say quietly.

He's sitting on his bed, only wearing boxers with his back pressed up against the headboard. "Hey," he replies.

Walking over to his bed, I sit on the edge. "How have things been with you?" I ask.

He sighs, looking away. "You don't have to pretend like you care."

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't spoke to me in four years. There's no need to start now."

My hand sets on top of his. "Maddox, I care about you. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you but I thought it'd be easier that way. You needed to move on. I needed to move on."

Moving his hand, he laces his fingers with mine. "I didn't," he whispers. "I don't think I ever will."

Fuck. This is definitely not how I envisioned this conversation. I figured he'd tell me he was happy without me. That I was the biggest mistake he's ever made. But no. He had to tell me that instead. "Maddox, I'm engaged," I say quietly.

"Do you love him?" he asks but I don't answer. "Do you?"

"I guess," I sigh. "It's really none of your business."

He shakes his head, looking away. "It is when I love you."

I try pulling my hand away but he doesn't allow me to. "You don't," I insist. "You really don't."

"I fucking love you so much, Hadley. Seeing you with that spoiled rich prick kills me. He doesn't deserve you."

"And you do?" I snap.

"Baby, I haven't been with anyone since you left. You have my heart and there's no way I can be with anyone else. I love you. I do."

"No," I shake my head in disbelief. "You can't."

"I do and I think I always have," he says, gazing into my eyes. "Ever since I met you, I've had this weird attachment to you. Like, it'd literally pain me to be apart from you. I have waited four years to see you again and here you are - with another man."