Page 119 of Stepbrother Dearest

“Like?”

“You said it hurt to know your dad abandoned you and chose to raise me. But he didn’t raise me. He was never a father figure to me.”

Graham folded his hands and stayed quiet. His expression was intense, but he didn’t look hostile.

“That shit didn’t stop because he got with my mom. He never put hands on me, or her, as far as I know, but you think he miraculously turned into superdad? Fuck no. He made sure I knew exactly how much he hated me and resented my very existence. He told me I was worthless, stupid, and ugly every single day. That no one would ever love me and I’d never be anything. He spent years trying to get my mother to find someone to take me in because according to him, he shouldn’t have to put up with another man’s mistake. And the day I graduated high school, he kicked me out. Didn’t even wait until commencement, just booted me and all my shit to the curb once I’d finished finals.

“And my mom let him. When he said all that shit to me. While he berated me and ripped apart everything I accomplished. My mom just stood there. And the kicker was he used you and your brother to make me feel like shit.”

“I don’t understand…”

“He might not have been present in your life, but you and your brother were the benchmarks of why I was a loser with no future. It didn’t matter what I did, I was never as good as you or Eli. I was a science nerd and a gamer in high school. Still am. But it didn’t matter if I won a science fair or got a partial scholarship. I wasn’t a genius who’d skipped two grades. I’m only a nurse. A male nurse, which to your father is about as much of a failure as liking dick.”

Graham winced.

“And if that wasn’t enough, I had to hear about how you were the perfect son. The champion swimmer who was attending some fancy private school on scholarship. The handsome playboy fucking his way through the female population of his town. You were living the life Russ wished he had, and he never let me forget that he made two perfect kids but had to put up with having a fuck-up like me in his house.”

His eyes were comically round.

“Then the few times I did meet you, you acted exactly like the entitled asshole your father made you out to be. I see now that you were just as uncomfortable as I was during those dinners, but teenage me hated how you didn’t even live with us but were still the golden child and I was a worthless waste of space.”

He snorted. “And here I thought you were the golden child. I mean, look at us. You’ve got an education, a good job. A nice place, friends. Hell, I bet you have investments and savings and a ten-year plan.”

I nodded.

“Then there’s me. Everything I own can fit in the back of my car. I’ve been homeless twice in the last six months. I live paycheck to paycheck and haven’t been able to find steady work in over two years. The only reason I’m not living under a bridge is because I take my clothes off for tips two nights a week.” He shifted in his seat, like he was forcing himself to stay sitting and keep talking.

“All that shit he told you about me was lies. I swam for one semester in high school before I was kicked out of that ‘fancy private school.’ And I wasn’t fucking my way through any populations, especially not the female one. I barely graduated high school, left home at seventeen, and have accomplished nothing in the last five years.” He paused and tilted his head, his dark eyes thoughtful. “I’m sorry your mom didn’t stand up for you. That she let him abuse you.”

“Yeah, me too.” I raked a hand through my hair. “I love my mom, but she has issues. She puts up with his crap because she’s convinced he loves her. She needs to be needed, if that makes sense.”

He nodded.

“It’s funny. You’ve been mad at me for having the family you should have had, but I spent years hating that you have the family I’ve always wanted.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have your brother, right? And your stepdad and younger siblings.”

“I do.”

“And extended family, I’m guessing?”

“Sort of.” He dropped his gaze, shrugged. “Glenn, my stepdad, has a huge family and our little siblings have tons of aunts and uncles and cousins. And grandparents. Eli and I don’t and we never have. Glenn is a good man. He’s always accepted us and treated us like his kids, but his family doesn’t. We’re the stepkids, not the kids. We’ve never been welcome at family celebrations or holidays or get-togethers.”

“That blows.”

He sucked in his cheek. “It is what it is. He’s tried to get his family to accept us, but they won’t because we’re not blood. It’s not his fault, and I know how much it bothers him and my mom.”

“I guess the grass isn’t always greener.” I leaned back in my chair. “I don’t have anyone other than my mom, and I barely speak to her. No siblings, no aunts or uncles or cousins. No one.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what that’s like.”

“It’s incredibly lonely and fucking terrifying.” I paused. “So you and Eli are both queer?”

“Yeah. He’s bi.”

“And your parents are cool with it?”

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