My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 20

"I'm sorry about breakfast," she said, and I realized she was talking about something totally different, "I know this is a huge change, Gianna. It’s just been us for so long. And the Capones... they’re a lot. But we have to follow the rules of this house now. It’s just basic decency. We need them, honey. We need this roof over our heads."

I pulled back from her touch, "Mom, you can't be serious. You can't trust them. You can't trust any man, especially not men like this, not even Salvatore. He’s being nice now, but how long does that last? Men like him always have a price."

She dragged me over to the bed and sat me down, holding my hand tight, "Gianna, stop. You don't understand."

"I understand plenty," I snapped, "I see the way they look at us. You’re trading our freedom for a fancy house. It’s a bad deal, Mom. It's only a matter of time before he turns on you."

"Salvatore is different," she said, and her voice was so confident it scared me. She looked me right in the eyes. "No one has ever loved me the way he does. And I know it’s real because it’s not about... it’s not physical for him. He hasn't even tried to touch me like that, never have and never will and he is fine with that. He just wants me here. He wants to take care of us."

"That makes it even weirder!" I said, shaking my head. "If he doesn't want that, then what does he want? People don't just give away millions of dollars and giant houses for nothing. He wants control. He wants to own us like we’re part of the furniture. You’re putting our whole lives in the hands of a man who kills people for a living."

"And what was our life before?" she asked, "Working odd jobs? Watching you struggle to pay for school? Watching Jules grow up in a tiny apartment where the heat didn't work? Salvatore gave us safety. He gave us a future. Is it so wrong to want to be protected? Is it so wrong to let someone carry the weight for a while?"

I stared at her, my chest feeling like it was about to burst. I can give her all those things too. Why can't she see that? I wanted to scream it. I was the one staying up until 4:00 AM staring at code until my eyes bled. I was the one fighting my own broken brain every single day just to get a degree that would pay us a real salary. I was building a future with my own two hands, line by line, number by number.

The tension left her shoulders all at once. She let out a long breath and opened her arms. I didn't hesitate. I leaned into her, burying my face in her neck. She smelled like the lavender soap we used to buy at the dollar store, a scent that felt like home no matter where we were.

"My sweet, brave girl," she murmured into my hair.

She pulled back and patted the mattress. "Come here, both of you. Lie down."

I crawled back onto the giant bed, and Jules scrambled up on the other side. My mother lay in the middle, spreading her arms wide. I tucked myself against her left side, resting my head on her shoulder, while Jules curled into her right.