Page 35 of Stepbrother Dearest

“No you weren’t.” He grinned, his eyes half closed. “That’s just when you found out about them. You were five.”

“What?”

“Yep. Your mom is the reason Dad left. He was banging her while making our lives miserable. While she was pregnant with Eli. Oh, and FYI, she wasn’t the only one. She’s just the only one who stuck around while he was putting his dick in anyone who’d give him the time of day.”

“What? How do you know?”

Was Graham telling the truth, or was this the meds talking?

As far as I knew, my mom and Russ had started dating when I was ten and moved in together a month later. She’d told me they met a few weeks after he and Graham’s mom had amicably separated and they’d played house so fast because it was true love. The amicable part had always bothered me because Russ had done everything in his power to not be a part of his kids’ lives or give them any kind of financial support.

I knew the true-love part was bullshit. I didn’t like to think of my mother lying to me, but it wouldn’t be the first time she’d done so to protect Russ.

“Yep. He’d tell Mom all about his affairs when he was drunk. Liked to make her cry and yell about how she needed to shut up and it was her fault because she’d ruined his life and we were nothing and would never be anything. Didn’t care if we were in the room or could hear him when he was raging. Liked to slap her around, too. Knocked me across the room a few times when I tried to step in and stop him from hurting her or Eli.”

I gaped at him. Russ was a grade-A asshole and he treated my mother like shit, but he’d never hit her. As far as I knew. To think he was capable of abusing not only the mother of his children, but also his own kids, made me hate him more.

Graham issued a strange-sounding giggle. “Eli doesn’t think I remember that shit, but I do. I remember it all. He never forgets anything. He’s smart, like evil-genius smart. I still don’t know how someone so sweet and kind and smart came from our dad.” He picked up his spoon and held it up to the light. “I wish he’d been right and Eli had a different dad. He deserves so much more than the shit he’s had to deal with.”

It didn’t escape me that Graham hadn’t said anything about wishing he’d had a different father or that he deserved better.

Now his temper and his defensiveness made sense. He was still an asshole, but at least I understood where it stemmed from.

“But he’s going to make something of himself.” He put the spoon down and leaned back in his chair. “He’s moving to California and he’s gonna be a doctor. Not the kind you work with. The kind that discovers stuff.” He huffed out a laugh. “And he’s doing it all with my worst enemy.”

I tried to follow the shifts in conversation, my mind reeling as I processed everything he’d just dropped on me.

“He keeps trying to weasel back into Eli’s life because he knows he’s going places and thinks he deserves a piece of whatever my brother accomplishes. But Eli’s stronger than me. He keeps telling him to fuck off. I try, but I’m weak. I hate him, but he knows exactly what to say to get me to think this time will be different. But it’ll never be different.” He pointed at me, a lopsided grin on his stupidly handsome face. “He abandoned his own kids but chose to be your dad. I mean, it’s good because he’s a douche canoe and we’re better off without him, but you got the family we should have had.”

I bit my tongue to stop myself from answering out of reflex. Russ might have married my mom, but he’d never been a father to me. He’d spent the last sixteen years—or was it twenty-one years?—treating my mother like dirt and making it known he thought I was nothing more than a nuisance and a disappointment.

Arguing with Graham when he was hopped up on pain meds would be pointless. He most likely wouldn’t remember any of this when they wore off. So, I changed the subject. I couldn’t handle any more truth bombs right now.

“Do you want anything else?” I asked, still reeling from the conversation.

“A new life.”

“How about some ice cream?”

He perked up like I’d offered him a million dollars. “Ice cream?”

“Yeah. I know you don’t eat a lot of sugar, but—”

“I loooooove ice cream.” He flopped back in his chair. “Especially when it’s all melty and it’s like ice-cream gapazcho… Is that the word? Whatever. Ice-cream soup is the best.”

“Do you like chocolate chip?”

“Yuppers.”

Graham sat quietly as I scooped out two portions.

“Here.” I held the mug out to him.

“I thought you said ice cream, not coffee?” He eyed it suspiciously.

“It’s ice cream. The handle stops your hand from getting cold.”

“You’re smart.”

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