AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Lilly,” Bishop starts, but I shake my head.
“Just...don’t.” I open the car door, about to step out when he grabs my arm, pulling me back.
I look over at him. There’s pain in his eyes that I don’t really understand. He opens his mouth to say something but thinks better of it and shakes his head, letting out a heavy sigh. He pulls me closer and kisses the top of my head, his lips lingering longer than they should. “I’m here for you, il mio cuore.”
He’s been calling me that for as long as I can remember, but I have no idea what it means. I really should look that up someday.
“Thanks,” I murmur and pull out of his hold. “Night.”
Getting out of his car, I head inside. The place is quiet, all my brothers are in bed by now, and God only knows what my parents are doing. They think I’m safe with Toby because they know he would never let anything happen to me. That’s how protective he is. He would do anything to keep me safe.
I guess my heart isn’t included in that, huh?
Chapter 2
Lillianna
September
“I don’t see why you boys can’t just live here,” my mom says as she looks at Toby with tears in her eyes. “You know Bishop is welcome to stay here too.”
“I know, Mom.” Toby laughs. “But we want the full college experience. Plus, with our hockey schedule, it would just be easier to live on campus.”
“Fine,” she sighs. “But you have to come home every Sunday for supper. I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Full college experience? Since when? Toby has never shown interest in anything other than hockey, Bishop, and me. Now, all of a sudden, he’s into parties? The idea of girls throwing themselves at him or Bishop makes my stomach sour.
They are my best friends, my people, and knowing that I won't see them every day makes it hard to hold back my tears.
My eyes are fixed on Toby as he talks to his dad. Well, I guess our dad? Theo is technically my stepdad.
My feelings for him still go beyond what you feel for a sibling. I love Toby more than words can describe.
Some people think our closeness is odd, but I’ve never cared. My whole family is different from what’s deemed the social norm. Toby came into my life when I was three and he was six. We're not blood, we just grew up together.
I know he loves me. Even after what happened this summer. He tells me all the time. But I don’t understand why he won’t admit that it’s something more, that he’s in love with me. He can’t act the way he does with me and not feel that. I just wish he would admit it and save me the heartbreak I’ve been feeling for weeks.
“Isaiah, Raiden!” Theo shouts to get my twin brothers’ attention. “Come say goodbye to your brother.”
Like I said, my family is different. My mom is in love with more than one person. Five, to be exact, and each of my dads passed on their DNA to one of us children. My dad, Jax, is Isaiah’s bio-father, while Theo is Raiden’s. They are five. Then there’s Bennett, who's eleven and is fathered by our dad, Brody. And me? Our dad, Chase, helped make me.
But DNA doesn’t matter in this family. They all love each and every one of us the same. The only reason why they found out whose DNA I have is so that my mom could give each of them a biological child.
I love my family, and even though people talk and stare, I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
“You're gonna miss him, aren’t you?” my other mom, Rain, says, coming to stand next to me. I look up at her, her green eyes shining down at me with understanding. I nod my head and look back at Toby, who’s laughing with my little brothers as Bennett joins them.
Rain is my mom’s partner. She’s also the one in the family that I’m the closest to. I’m close with my mom too, but there's some things I feel more comfortable telling Rain.
Like this summer, when she found me crying my eyes out in my room after I saw Toby with that girl.
She ended up hanging around him and Bishop a lot during the past month, trying to find any chance she could to get Toby to leave his ‘little sister’ at home.
Even after that night, I couldn’t bring myself to put distance between us. I know, it's pathetic. But I can’t just throw years of my life away like that. He still doesn’t know I saw him and Tiffany that first night, and I hope he never finds out.
Because while I wish we were more, losing him altogether would hurt way worse. I don’t want things to be awkward between us.
But watching her dig her heels in, trying to get Toby’s attention, was my own personal hell.
