All Chapters of IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER : Chapter 71 - Chapter 79

TESSIE'S POV The morning after the wedding may not have been the fairy tale perfect and restful because my limbs were aching all over and my head buzzed from the alcohol but, it was perfect in it's own way. The feeling of contentment settled in my chest as I sat in my car with Jace outside the hotel. He was behind the wheel thankfully. I wasn't sure I could drive the three hours back home. The windows were rolled down halfway letting in the cool spring air and his fingers played with mine like he was trying to memorize every inch. We didn't have to say anything. The contact was enough communication as we waited for Ava to show up. Count on that girl to wake up early on a Sunday and you just might have to cancel all your plans. I had my gaze trained on the hotel entrance, a tiny smile playing on my lips. Thoughts about the previous day crashed into each other, from the stolen glances to the adrenaline rush as we snuck around, the passion doubled just from the thought that we could

JASON'S POVMy stomach dropped straight to my feet as I followed Jimmy across the parking lot. This is it, I thought, panic clawing up my throat. He knows. Someone saw us. Evan finally cracked. Or maybe Ava slipped up. Every secret moment with Tessie replayed in my head like a nightmare highlight reel. The hallway at home, the wedding, the nights we thought we were so careful... My hands felt clammy. I wiped them on my graduation gown before I caught up to him.Tessie and Mom were already standing there, next to a sleek black truck wrapped with a giant red bow. Jimmy stopped, turned to me with a serious expression that slowly cracked into a smile. "Jason," he said, his voice thick. "We are all really proud of you. The scholarship, the way you have stepped up for this family... We wanted to get you something that shows we believe in your future."He held out the keys. I stared at the truck, then back at them, completely frozen. "Wait... this is for me?" Mom laughed and pulled me

TESSIE'S POVThe days after Jace and Diane left blurred into a gray, suffocating fog. Three days, to be exact. Seventy two hours of silence so thick that it felt like the house itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to break. I barely left my room. The bed still smelled faintly like him from the times we had snuck moments together, his cologne mixed with the laundry detergent Mom-- I mean, Diane, used. I buried my face in the pillow every night, willing myself to feel him there, but it only made the emptiness worse.Dad still tried talking to me multiple times. He would knock softly, like he was approaching a wounded animal, and say things like, "Tessie, honey, you need to eat something" or "This is temporary. You will see it was for the best." It was the same things over and over. I hadn't said a word to him because if I did, the only words that would come out were the ones constantly in my head. I hated him, but I knew if I said that, I couldn't take it back. So, I

JASON'S POVThe cheap motel room smelled like stale cigarettes and old carpet, even though Mom sprayed that lavender shit every morning. I had lost count of how many weeks we had been bouncing between places like this. Two months? Summer was bleeding away fast, the days getting shorter, and I still couldn't bring myself to care.I lay on the lumpy bed, staring at my phone screen again. The same messages I had sent Tessie a hundred times, "I'm still here. I love you. Tell me where you are" were still undelivered. Her number was disconnected or blocked or something. I had tried calling from Mom's phone too. Nothing. I even drove by the house twice last week, my heart hammering the whole way, but her dad's car was always in the driveway and the curtains stayed closed. No sign of her. Ava hadn't seen or heard from her either and her attempts to find out where she was from her dad bore no fruit. He just said that Tessie was in summer camp, but the abruptness of it all had all of us questi

TESSIE'S POV~~ five years later...The bell above the bookstore door jingled as the last customer left. I glanced at the clock on the wall-- 6:47 pm. My shift had technically ended twenty minutes ago, but Mrs. Langford always appreciated when I stayed to straighten the new releases shelf. I wiped my hands on my jeans and shelved the final copy of the romance novel I had been eyeing for weeks. The cover showed two people kissing under a sunset. My chest tightened the way it always did with reminders like that. "Heading out, Tess?" Mrs Langford called from behind the counter as I grabbed my jacket. "Yeah. I've got my cap and gown fitting tomorrow morning, then other... stuff," I tried to sound casual, but my voice wavered just a little. "Big day coming up," She smiled warmly. "Your dad must be so proud you are graduating from college." I forced a smile and nodded. Dad and I were... better. Not close, but better. He had shown up to a few ceremonies over the years and got me thro