Page 129 of Finding Hope

Nodding, I study the house in front of us.

“I see the resemblance, Jack.”

“Is she…” I swallow nervously. “Does she have any relatives named Steph? Somewhere. Somehow. I thought I knew everything there was to know about Steph – who her family is, where she comes from. I don’t know of any cousins, but fuck, Bambie, they look similar.”

“No.” Shaking her head, she studies our joined hands. “No relatives. There’s just her and her brother. Their folks died when they were little.”

“Who’s her brother?”

“Marcus.”

I frown. “Marcus from the band?”

“Uh-huh. That’s her big brother.”

Nodding, I remember the way he stood to protect her when I wouldn’t stop staring. “Makes sense. They look alike.”

“Yeah.”

“Hey!” Izzy stops on her porch. “What are you doing back here already?”

I turn back to Britt. “Don’t tell them what happened, okay?”

“Why not?”

Jimmy stops beside his wife, then Bean comes out to stand beside her mom with her hands on her hips and a cranky scowl.

Bunch of busybodies.

“Just trust me on this. The girls might get a little mad.”

“At X, or me?”

“Alex.”

“Okay.” Leaning forward, she presses a soft kiss to my lips, then climbs out her side of the car.

I take her hand at the back of the Mustang and walk toward Kit; who’s also a busybody and couldn’t stop herself from coming out at Iz’s shout.

Watching us approach, she scratches Annie’s ears. “Why are you home so early?”

“No reason–”

“Alex basically implied it’s Jack’s fault that Steph died.”

“HE WHAT?!”

“Jesus, Bambie!”

28

BRITT

A WAR ON MAPLE TREE HILL

My words evoke rage and emotion a million times stronger than anything I ever expected. Not that I expected sunflowers and rainbows, butholy shit.

The wrath I personally brought down upon my brother is like nothing this town has ever experienced before.

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