While I’m stuck trying to get used to my surroundings, she’s sweeping into this new life like a breath of fresh air. It’s amazing to see her so giddy over the finer things. She deserves more than our trailer and long nights spent behind a bar. Watching her glow is all I care about right now.
“Pizza is almost here,” Mr. Wilder says as I step down the stairs. He and Mom are seated together on one of the sofas, glasses of something deep red in their hands, as a show plays on the flat screen. It’s more background noise, but seeing the way my mother is relaxed and comfortable with Mr. Wilder’s arm around her shoulders makes a smile grace my face.
“I’m starving,” I say as I pad closer to them.
“All of that unpacking was a good workout,” Mom tips her glass in my direction before taking a sip. “Where’s Kaden?”
I blink. “Umm, isn’t he at the creek?”
The doorbell rings, and Mr. Wilder stands. “That’s the delivery boy. Kaden went upstairs not long ago. Can you get him, Melody?”
“Sure…” I retrace my steps, walking back up to the third floor.
I never heard his doorclose…
My fist hovers over the caution tape, and I take a deep breath before lightly rapping on the wood. “Kaden—”
It opens a crack, the boy staring down at me with a scowl. “What?”
My hand falls before I pick at the hem of my dress. “Dinner is ready…”
“You sound scared of me.”
My head whips up, my words stumbling. “Uh, I-I’m not…scared.”
His chin tilts, the gears of his mind moving. “You should be.”
I swallow back my apprehension, stepping closer to him before I hesitantly take his hand in mine. He doesn’t pull away like I expect him to. Instead, he watches me with a sharp eye, observing our interaction as if it were an experiment.
“I’m not scared,” I say with a cool tone. “Come on.”
He doesn’t respond as I drag him down the stairs. The fear of Kaden not liking me melts away as I smile coyly with his hand wrapped in mine. He’s not as scary as I thought he would be, and it makes me want to get closer to him. He’s not going to make this easy, but I want to have a connection with him.
If he’s going to be my brother, then I have to try.
Chapter four
Kaden
Softgoldencurlsthatreflect the light like pure sunshine, a small button nose, and pale lips that seem to tug upwards every time Melody looks at me. She’sstrange.
Most people are uncomfortable around me. It’s my natural charm, but not this girl. Even with the flicker of fear I saw in her, she still grabbed my hand and pulled me into the dining room.
And I let her.
As we take our seats at the oak table, she slides in across from me, a beaming ray of joy. She doesn’t have a speck of apprehension in her eyes anymore, and she keeps looking at me.
I don’t know what her end goal is, but I’m not the person she should cling to. My dad is the normal one. With the woman at his side and Melody next to them, they look like the picture-perfect families in brochures. I’m just an onlooker—an outcast.
“So, Kaden,” Ms. Love begins easily, her soft features bleeding a warmth and sincerity that I’ll never be able to possess. “What do you like to do?”
Dad lifts the lid of the pizza box, dishing out a few servings and sliding a plate in front of me. The overhead lights are too bright and bother me, making me squint. It’s hard to overwhelm me, but with the lack of sleep, I’m more irritable than I usually am.
“Enjoy a silent dinner,” I mutter under my breath.
“Kaden Theodore,” Dad warns in a hiss.
The use of my middle name makes my mouth twist in displeasure. I hate when he calls me that.
