Page 1 of Sweetest Hate

Prologue

Arsen

My dad had gotten married again.He was incapable of being an attentive father, so I wasn't sure what he thought he had to offer another family. I hadn't planned on coming to meet his new wife and stepson, but curiosity had gotten the better of me. He'd never been serious about anyone in all the years since my mom left. We hadn't had a real family Christmas since she'd bailed either.

The smell of baked cookies, glazed ham, baked rolls, and a variety of other dishes hung in the air, and I had to reluctantly admit that so far, the visit had gone well. I still wasn't convinced the marriage would last. Sitting at the table with my dad, his new wife, Ivy, and her son, Quinn, I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. I'd grown up with babysitters taking care of me on holidays, so a traditional Christmas get-together wasn't something I was used to.

My new stepbrother sat across from me, laughing along with Dad and Ivy. I studied the three of them, noting Quinn was at least a few years younger than me and seemed like an okay guy.

When I'd agreed to make the trip from college to the little blip on a map town of Holloway, I'd remained realistic that I would walk into a tense situation with the clear divide that had placed my father and I on opposing sides for years, but he was putting on an impressive show. A family man. I held back a scoff. To an outsider, he appeared perfectly suited to be a husband and stepfather. I knew better.

"Would anyone like dessert?" Ivy asked, flashing a comforting smile. She was pretty with short, curly auburn hair and green eyes that wrinkled at the corners every time she smiled.

I rubbed my stomach and slouched back in my chair around the oval table centered in a somewhat dated dining room. "I'm stuffed. Raincheck?"

"Of course." She glanced at my dad and Quinn. "Anyone else?"

"I agree with my son. This was perfect, sweetheart, but I can't manage another bite." My dad leaned over and popped a kiss on her cheek. I barely held my tongue to keep from letting out a derisive laugh.

"Thanks, Mom, but I'll take you up on the raincheck offer as well." Quinn scooted out of his chair. "Want me to start packing the leftovers away?"

Ivy beamed. "You're such a good son."

I didn't know him well enough to recognize if he was being sincere or putting on an act as well, but the praise she'd easily offered him stung a bit, considering those words had never been said to me in my life.

Quinn scooped up a few bowls, and I stood to help. Ivy offered me the same smile, and I paused, taken aback. "Thank you so much for making this trip, Arsen. I've been looking forward to this for a while."

I cleared my throat. "Thank you for the invitation. Dinner was perfect."

She waved me off. "Honey, you don't need an invitation. You're welcome here any time. This is your father's home as well, and now, it's yours too whenever you'd like."

Saying my dad had more than enough money to move them into a more upscale place was an understatement. It had surprised me when he'd sold our Atlanta loft and relocated just to make her happy. Since when did my dad consider what made anyone other than himself happy?

My nostrils flared at the kindness sparkling in her eyes, and when the ache in my throat became too much, I simply nodded. If I spoke, the words might come out choked. That was a weakness I would never show my father, so I grabbed a holiday-themed baking dish still half full of green bean casserole and took it to the kitchen.

Quinn stood at the counter, wrapping foil over the dishes, and I set the baking dish next to him on the countertop. He silently passed me the roll of foil to cover the top of the container. I hated to admit that jealousy tinged my thoughts about my stepbrother. He had a mother that hadn't run out on her family when he was just a kid. A kid who'd grown into a man with few memories of her.

"So, you'll be graduating this year?" he asked, glancing at me with curiosity brimming in his gaze.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "I have a job offer in North Carolina that starts later this year."

"Nice." He smiled, and I felt tension bleeding from my body. "You're here until the morning, right?"

"I'll be leaving pretty early," I confirmed, passing him the covered dish. "My internship starts in two days, and I have a lot to get settled first."

"Maybe we could hang out tonight," Quinn suggested, surprising me, as he opened the refrigerator and started stacking leftovers.

I paused, because he was showing what appeared to be genuine interest, and that was beginning to make me think I might really be welcome in the family. "Sure. What did you have in mind?"

The clacking sound of a ladder being moved from place to place drew my attention out the window to the house next door. I lost my train of thought at the sight of a blond guy, cheeks rosy from the cold and a lean frame wrapped in a fleece jacket, hanging Christmas lights along the roof's edge. Even though I could only see the side of his angular face, I could tell he was attractive, and although his hair was covered by a red beanie, there was just something about him that caught my attention. I kept staring as he restrung a strand of red bulbs, which must have come loose, back onto a hook.

"What are you looking at?" Quinn asked curiously as he stepped closer to me so he could see, and I glanced down at him.

Quinn appeared around the same age as the guy outside, and I wondered if he knew him. I tipped my chin toward the window. "Do you know him?"

He nodded. "Yeah. That's Kellan, my best friend."

"No shit?" I wondered if he'd mind introducing me, though that would probably be pointless with me leaving in the morning. Still, I glanced back at the guy as he continued working. "Would it be cool if we said hi?"

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