I was already outside her apartment, waiting for the inevitable call for me to come over. My girl was feeling guilty all day, and I wanted to be able to get to her quickly if she needed me after what was sure to be a bad dinner.
So I ran upstairs, threw her work stuff into a bag, knowing she always likes to get ahead of her workload over the weekend, along with all her creature comforts and essentials, before speeding over here as quickly as I could.
Hannah stares at me for long moments, processing the fact that I’m standing in front of her and her two worlds are colliding.
We only met one time when our parents were married, so I’ve never been surprised she didn’t realize who I was when we started dating. Now that she’s seen Rowan and me together, though, it’s only a matter of time before the pieces fall into place.
“I don’t…” She trails off.
Rowan steps forward, abandoning the soup he’s heating for her on the stove. “Why don’t you take a seat, and we can chat?”
She opens her mouth but quickly snaps it shut again. Her eyes dart between us, but she doesn’t immediately move to run, which we have to count as a win.
Not that she would get very far. Rowan has this place locked up like Fort Knox. He’s always been strict on security, but especially now that he has the most precious thing in his world within these walls.
I imagine this transition is going to be rough for all of us, especially Hannah, but once we’re out the other side, we have the chance to have everything we’ve ever wanted.
Hannah steps forward slowly, as if she’s still weighing up her options, but eventually climbs onto one of the stools at the counter.
Maybe she knows there’s no escape tonight, or maybe she’s still too shocked to process what she has been able to piece together, but either way, I move toward her.
I round the counter and stop beside her, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “You okay, Han?”
She nods slowly, tugging at the sleeve of her shirt absentmindedly.
My eyes follow the movement, and before I realize what I’m doing, I have her arm cradled in my hand and I’m dragging the soft cotton up, uncovering a hand shaped bruise.
A growl tears from my throat. “He put his hands on you?”
“It’s fine,” Hannah whispers.
I look up to Rowan, who looks just as furious as I am. “I’m dealing with it,” he says.
“No, you are not,” she snaps, snatching her arm from my hold. “There’s nothing to deal with because I’m never going to see Trent again.”
She looks between us, her eyes lingering for long seconds on Rowan’s face before she drags her attention up to mine, her brow furrowed as the connection finally begins to click into place.
Rowan steps around the bench, coming to her other side until she’s trapped between us. “Sweetheart?—”
That single word is all it takes, a soft gasp slipping from her lips as her hand moves to cover her mouth. “Oh my god.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
HANNAH
What have I done?
Not only have I been fucking my stepbrother for the last three months without knowing it, but I also fucked my stepfather?
I’m going to be sick.
I try to stand, to flee from the fucked-up situation I’ve found myself at the center of, but the two huge bodies on either side of me stop me from moving anywhere.
“Little Doe,” Asher murmurs, brushing his fingers down my arm softly. “Don’t freak out.”
“Don’t freak out?” I shout. “Are you fucking serious right now?”
Panic bleeds into my chest, all the love and affection Asher has shown me in the last few months morphing into something else. Something dirty. Something wrong.
