Page 78 of His Stepdad Wears Leather

Would she still love him, even if she learned the secret he was hiding? He swallowed thickly, deciding to test the waters. “I did something else since getting here. Something that could give dad and Abbie Lee ammunition if they ever found out.”

His mother frowned. “Do you mind telling me what this terrible thing was?”

Noah cringed. “I told you I got here a few days before I came to your house.”

“Yeah.”

“I met a guy… and I spent a few days with him.”

Her face tensed a little. “Okay…and?”

“You’re not upset I spent a few days with a man I barely knew?”

She tossed her head side to side some, as if weighing her words. “While I would worry if you were making safe choices and if you protected yourself, I wouldn’t be angry at you. You’re an adult now and free to make your own decisions. That was not aterriblething. But I would warn you not to go home with strangers. It’s dangerous.”

“What if I used a fake ID to get into a bar where I met him? And then lied about my age and my name, using what was on the ID?”

His mother hissed. “Now we’re treading into murkier waters. What you did was illegal and dangerous—but again, not enough to cause me to stop loving you. I would only hope you wouldn’t do something like that again. You’re risking your safety.”

“I really,reallylike the guy. A lot. I want to keep seeing him, but there’s a problem. A big problem.”

“What’s that?”

“He found out the truth and now he’s really upset. He’s a little older, and he assumed I was in my early twenties since I was in the bar.”

His mother eyed him. “Older? Likehowmuch older?”

“Closer to your age than mine.”

“Noah… that’s a bit extreme, isn’t it? I mean—you’re barely an adult. You should be spending time with people your own age.”

“But Iaman adult… capable of making my own decisions. Isn’t that what you just said?”

His mother sighed. “Yes, you are. Guys your own age would be better, though. Wouldn’t they? Not someone who’s already experienced so much.”

“I like older men.”

His mom eyed him, appearing as if she was ready to argue—but that vanished. “Okay. You like who you like. I won’t judge your choices.”

“Well, there are other problems, too.”

“I don’t like the sound of this, at all.” She shook her head. “What is it?”

Noah was about to spill all of the truth when Brody entered the apartment. His daddy’s stare first caught Noah’s and then drifted to his mom’s.

“Hey, Stace. I thought you were keeping some distance?” he said before closing the door behind him.

* * *

“Iwas able to get an appointment with an attorney this afternoon to get an action plan going—to find out what we can do to keep Noah safe.” Stacey smiled wanly before turning to Noah. “I guess you should go get that shower so we can head over.”

“Sure thing,” Noah murmured before rising. He eyed Brody a moment before he disappeared into the bedroom.

Brody’s stare followed Noah before he focused on Stacey. Her eyes rounded before tuning into a hard glare—and he had the sudden sense she might be aware of the truth.My god, he didn’t tell her, did he?He walked into the apartment and tossed his keys and wallet onto the side table, trying to ignore the knotting of his stomach. “An attorney, hmm? Good idea.”

Stacey looked away, not meeting his gaze. “Yeah. It was Geena’s idea, of course. She’s the smart one.”

Brody headed for the sink to wash his hands. The air was thick between them, and worry mounted. “Where is Geena?”

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