My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 21

The bed was huge, but we all huddled together in the very center, making ourselves a small island of safety. My mother wrapped her arms around us, pulling us in tight. She held us like we were still toddlers, like we weren't twenty-one and ten years old. One of her hands stroked my hair, her fingers gently untangling the knots, while her other arm held Jules close.

"I’ve got you," she whispered, "I’ve got both of you. Nothing is going to happen to you. I will make sure of it, even if it's the last thing I do on this earth."

She wasn't just talking to me and Jules, she was talking to the walls of the mansion, to the men downstairs, and to the world that had been so mean to us for so long. She was telling the universe that we were hers, and she would burn everything down before she let anyone hurt us again.

I felt her heart beating against my ear, fast and hard. I knew she meant it. My mother would give up her very soul just to keep us safe.

I forced myself to relax against her. I wanted her to feel like I was on her side. I looked up at her face and tried to sound light. "So, what about the wedding?"

She let out a little laugh, suddenly looking shy, like she was a young girl again. It was a look I didn't recognize. "What about it? It’s going to be something small. Just us. Something simple."

"I can't believe you’ll be Mrs. Capone in just two days," I said.

"I can't believe it either," she whispered, her eyes looking far away, like she was seeing a dream come true.

"I can!" Jules piped up. She was beaming, her face full of excitement. "And I’m so happy about it. I love it here! It’s like a palace!"

I scoffed, "Of course you do, Jewel!" I snapped, putting as much venom as I could into her new nickname.

I looked at her, remembering how she had turned on me at breakfast. She had acted like she didn't even know me just to look cool in front of those men.

"You were embarrassing us while they were just being friendly," Jules shot back, sitting up and crossing her arms, "And I didn't lie. I like Jewel better. It sounds fancy."

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