AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She pouts, “This house is amazing. I want to live in it forever.”
This house is indeed amazing. There’s a freaking swimming pool. I’ll be making use of that while I’m here. Lacey found a wooded trail that she wants us to run tomorrow, we try and get out whenever we can, most of the time we don’t. We’re too lazy, but I have a feeling that tomorrow morning Lacey will be making me.
“What about college?” I ask and get flipped off in the process. She despises college, I’m the only reason she’s able to make it through. “Lace, you’re majoring in engineering, you’re like a rocket scientist.”
She rolls her eyes at me, “Engineering is nothing like rocket science. It’s better. You really should go downstairs before your mom calls a search party to find you.”
Placing the book down onto the sofa, I stand, “Um, not just me. Mom will be expecting the both of us.”
She sways from side to side, “No, Mia, I’ll stay in my room while you get to know your stepdad.”
I groan, “No, that’s not happening. You’re here as a buffer.” I tell her as I open the bedroom door, “Besides, you’re a part of this family, you should get to know him too.”
“I hate you.” She grumbles, she’s dreading this as much as I am, her for different reasons though. She thinks I’m going to make things awkward because I’m mad at them for how they’ve gone about things.
“You love me really. I keep you fed.” I stick my tongue out at her as we begin walking down the stairs.
“Ah, there you two are, I was about to send out a search party,” Mom says as we reach the bottom step. “Girls, Harrison’s dying to meet you both.”
“Mrs. Brady, I can’t wait to meet him too,” Lacey tells her with an easy smile.
“Lacey, how many times have I told you to call me Tina?” Mom tells her with a shake of her head. It doesn’t matter how many times Mom says it, Lacey’s always going to call her Mrs. Brady. “I hope you’re both hungry, I went a bit overboard.”
I laugh, “How much did you order in?”
She smiles as we walk into the dining room, “Too much.” Mom can’t cook. She never has and never will; it’s one of the many attributes I take from her.
“Nonsense Tina, we’ll eat it all.” A tall, handsome man tells her as he pulls her into his arms. He turns to me as he lets go of her, “You must be Mia.” He holds his hand out for me to shake, I take it, grateful he’s not pulling me in for a hug.
“Hi, it’s nice to finally meet you,” I tell him as I shake his hand. Looking up at him. I suck in a deep breath as I’m confronted by deep brown eyes that are so familiar to me, they remind me so much of my mystery man’s. The man I had a one night stand with almost two years ago, the man I’ve constantly thought about since that night. Hell, I never even got his name, I’ll never know who he is.
“Your mom has told me so much about you, the both of you.” He looks to Lacey and shakes her hand too. “How’s college going for you both?”
“How about we sit down and begin eating. I don’t want the food getting cold. We can talk while we eat.” Mom tells us and pulls me in for a hug.
“Lacey, how is your engineering course going?” Harrison asks, a warm smile on his face as we sit down, Mom really did go all out, there’s plates filled with different foods. There’s steak, chicken, and fish. There’s also pasta, fries, potatoes, and a salad. Anything we could want, it’s here, but there’s way too much for the four of us.
I watch as Lacey’s face lights up, he’s treating her as though she’s part of this family. I’m starting to really like him, he makes my mom happy, and he doesn’t seem like an asshole. “I like it, it’s hard, but it will be worth it when I graduate.”
“What about you, Mia? How’s your course going?” He doesn’t sound as interested in mine as he did Lacey’s, but it’s what I’m used to, no one thinks majoring in English is anything spectacular.
“It’s good. I love the creative aspect of it. Writing is a way of expressing ourselves, just as art is for others.” I don’t know why I feel so defensive about it.
His eyebrow raises in surprise, but that smile is still firmly on his face, it’s not forced. “What do you plan on doing once you graduate?”
“I’m torn between becoming an English teacher or becoming an editor.”
He looks impressed, “Your mom tells me that you love reading. What’s your favorite book?”
I glance at Mom, her face turning pink while Lacey looks down at her plate and starts eating. “I like E.L. James, Carly Phillips, Harper Sloan, and Nora Roberts. I’d happily curl up with any one of their books.”
He frowns, “I’ve heard of Nora Roberts, but haven’t read any of her books, the others I can’t say I’ve ever heard of them.”
“Oh you’d have heard of E.L. James, she wrote Fifty Shades Of Grey.” Lacey pipes up, and I watch in amusement as Harrison’s face falls as he realizes exactly what Fifty is all about. “What about you, Mr. Brady, do you read?”
"I haven't read in a while. I like thrillers. Lee Child, James Patterson, Stephen King." He tells us as he reaches and takes a piece of steak.
"Have you read Harlan Coben? He writes some amazing thrillers like Drop Shot, One False Move, and Tell No One." I'm in my element now. This is safe ground, I love talking about books. I love almost every genre out there. I'll give anything a go once. Indie authors are my favorite as their work is so unique, it's like a diamond in the rough.
