“You’re late,” my stepfather says as I pull the door open.
I clench my teeth. The urge to tell him to fuck off is on the tip of my tongue, but like always, I bite it back. “Sorry. I overslept,” I reply, my head in the fridge, my cheeks blazing as I retrieve the eggs.
“Well it’s not good enough.”
I sigh because I learnt early on not to argue with this man
“You’re right, I’m sorry,” I reply, turning back to face him at the table.
“Just hurry up and make my breakfast.”
“Enough.”
My eyes widen as Hunter stands abruptly and pushes his chair back. “Don’t talk to her like that.”
My lips part in shock. He just spoke up for me. Not only that, but he’s now walking towards me, a smirk on his lips.
“Excuse me,” his father says, his voice rising in anger.
I’m rooted to the spot even when Hunter is directly in front of me, lowering his mouth to mine. I’m powerless to stop it as he kisses me tenderly.
“What do you think you’re doing?” my stepfather demands.
“Kissing our girl,” he retorts, not missing a beat and moving to my side, wrapping an arm around my waist protectively.
“You’ll do no such thing.”
Harrison stands next, slamming his palms down on the table with a loud thud, drawing his father’s attention to him as he stares down at him.
“Actually, we will, and there’s fuck all you can do about it,” Harrison says as he approaches me and kisses me just as sweetly, and I melt into him.
“Not under my roof you won’t.” The scrape of my stepfather’s chair against the tiled floor makes me cringe just as Harrison moves to my other side.
“We will. You seem to be forgetting something. This is, in fact, our roof, not yours, and it’s about time you left.”
He looks between his sons, his face blotchy and red, his anger palpable.
“You can’t be serious? After everything I’ve done for you. And what, all because she opened her legs?”
My mum gasps in shock at the same time Harrison launches himself at his father and drags him out of the chair, shoving him up against the wall by the throat.
“You need to watch your mouth, old man.”
I glance at Hunter and whisper, “You need to stop him.”
He shakes his head. “No, he needs to learn his place,” he replies, leaning down and kissing me chastely.
“Marion, he has twenty-four hours to move out. You, however, are welcome to stay.”
Their father says something in protest under Harrison’s hold.
“No, she is welcome to stay,” Hunter says loud enough for his father to hear, but lowers his voice for me, “And if she wants help getting sober, we’ll support that too.”
I’m stunned speechless.
Harrison releases his father, who is positively livid as he straightens his shirt.
“Marion, come,” he says, pushing off the wall and reaching for her.
