Six Months Living With My Adopted Brother

ked on

aned against the

s crossed, eyes fixed on the snow-blot

ngly beautiful, if you could ignore

her life apart years ago, like he had the r

woman, dead or alive. The choices her moth

amily, especially her life.

't!" She said silently, encou

k. Louder. M

yes. "Persistent

en it came to him. Not since their mother's fu

acking her knuckles just for the

here

n Cas

, snow clinging to the tips of his dark h

, snow melting on the tips of his dark hair

always, was infuriatingly

t sleep a day in his life. Like he hadn't once stood in her mother's

all I've got is a middle finger and a migraine that feels like

n like he owned

hon

rse he

k of the couch, already making himself at home.

to the couch and her ch

r died. Martin pacing, screaming i

" The words still hung heavy, suffocating. Ev

e icy night wind, the silence aft

ory back down where it belonged,

ty stamped all over it," he said, glan

n, organized, and blessedly free of your

h, come on. You mi

ssed the part wher

hing flickered between them. History

o that night, huh?

tta

arted, then

," she warne

eyebrow. "I didn'

dn't ha

rmor she thought she had buried.

see the pain in her expression

a step behind, like a sh

bliss," he teased. "Th

onths. I need duct

always did have a

had a way wi

omach dropped. The apple. Her apple. The one she'd saved from the farmer

zeroed in on i

he said

red her

"Touch that apple and

t was a treasure chest. "Re

out of his hand like it was a live grena

st a little. "Stil

hing the apple. "You don't get to waltz in

. "If we're talking about things that were nev

tta

ed, "Martin needs us more, Loretta. Don't b

apple tightened,

w. Martin Castill

I remember you failing algebra and somehow I got groun

ng moments, but you did it to spite me.

e the fragile one. Like you were always on the

ht away. For once, hi

said quietly. "You ju

est. She hated that he sounded sincere. Ha

for her love,"

filled t

his hands and said, "So, after that heart-t

down the hallway, mutteri

buzzed in

it out, and saw the name

e Ra

ed and p

gravelly voice. "He'

idn't

Look where that got you. Now he's wal

ge of her nose. "Uncle R

Martin always wants something. And whe

clenched aro

him sweet-talk his way into you

the one her mother left behind. A mess that lef

d when she met him. The man. H

Uncle Raymond said, "but be care

lway wall, still covered with old

ed hard, her throat tightening wit

t sob broke through her. She

ther had chose

wouldn't

wouldn't h

ns were too dange

lf in bitterness and blame, h

ou, but I'll handle

" he muttered,

e didn't know how to handle this sit

in in her space when

hone into her pocket, an

nst it, heart thudding like she'd just lo

r demons from her sup