Wanting My Stepbrother (Forbidden Attractions #1)

5. Shelby

Five

Shelby

I get to the address Mom sent me. It’s a really nice house in a pretty upscale neighborhood. Apparently, John must have some money. I take a deep breath and head toward the front door, unsure what to expect. As soon as I knock, Mom is there, squeezing the life out of me with her hug.

“I missed you so much!” she says, smiling. Okay. I’m really annoyed that she got married without telling me first, but since she looks so happy for the first time in longer than I can remember, I decide I can’t be too upset with her. “John, this is my daughter, Shelby.”

A handsome older man comes out and gives me a hug. There’s something vaguely familiar about him, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. “It’s so good to meet you. Please forgive us for eloping. I wanted your mother tied to me as quickly as possible. I didn’t want to give her time to come to her senses. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her,” he looks at her so besottedly, I forgive him immediately. She looks at him the same way. I kind of feel like a voyeur right now. It’s like I’m in the middle of something intimate between them.

“There’s nothing to forgive, John. Just be good to my mom.”

“Don’t worry. I will.” he smiles and kisses her. It starts off as a peck, then he’s kissing her hungrily. I stand there for a moment, feeling shell-shocked. I know they are married, but I don’t remember Mom ever kissing Dad in front of me; like ever . I mean, these two are really kissing, like bordering on making out. Jeez. Get a room! I finally start giggling uncomfortably. It’s enough to tear them apart for now.

“Sorry. Newlyweds, you know?” John says, smiling as he ushers us inside. He shows me around while keeping Mom glued to his side. The whole place is very nice, but doesn’t look very lived-in. I’m sure Mom will have a field day redecorating it.

“So, how did you two meet?”

John launches into a story about Mom going to work for him as his assistant. He was immediately obsessed with her. From the looks and giggles they keep giving each other, I surmise I’m getting the clean version of events. I’m happy for that. They seem like a really great couple, but I don’t want to know the dirty details of what they do behind closed doors. Ew. Just ew.

“Do you have any children?”

He smiles and nods. “I have one son. He’s thirty-five, so quite a bit older than you. I invited him here today. I’m afraid he doesn’t know about me and Melissa yet. I’ve never done a lot of dating, so he will probably be pretty shocked. His mom and I divorced when he was young, and he lived with her, but we’ve always been close. I hope he takes the news well.”

We hear a vehicle pulling into the driveway. “Oh. Here he is now.” He gives Mom a quick kiss and goes outside to speak to his son. I look at my mother. I can tell she’s nervous that John’s son will be upset with her.

“It will be okay, Mom. I was upset at first, but I’m already over it. I’m sure John’s son will be cool with it, too.” She smiles appreciatively.

After several minutes, the door opens. We walk inside the kitchen to greet them. “Come on in. Melissa, Shelby, I’d like you to meet my son.”

I look up and am absolutely stunned. No fucking way . “Roman?”