Chapter 8
JENNA
Aunt Bernie is tired from her trip when she gets home. She says hello, snuggles Monster for a few minutes, then goes straight to bed, thank goodness.
I toss and turn for a while before falling into a fitful sleep. Is it possible that I can keep my brand-new relationship under wraps from her? I really don’t want her to tell the rest of the family. Not yet.
I wake up early and get straight to work at the dining room table to distract myself, and am able to blast through a ton of photo processing by eleven in the morning.
Just as I’ve started foraging for lunch, Aunt Bernie comes barreling downstairs.
"What is this about you dating a Wolfe?!
" She's still in her fluffy green bathrobe, with wild hair and even wilder eyes.
Her phone is in her hand, and she is thumbing over the screen frantically.
Her friends must have messaged her the second she returned.
"I'm dating someone, yes. He's amazing, and—"
"Amazing? Understatement. My goodness, Carrie says that you're dating Kellan Wolfe!!!"
"Y-yes?" I look at her blankly. “So?"
Bernie’s hand flutters to her throat. "Jenna, he's one of those billionaire brothers. The tech company playboys. They take turns skipping off to Europe to promote their company and have the most incredible houses on the mountain."
"His house is pretty nice." I top up my coffee, then lean against the counter. "Anyway, I was going to make sandwiches with some leftover chicken, if you want—"
"Don't change the subject. This is a very big deal."
I sigh. "Does it have to be? We haven’t been dating long at all. And it feels really… It might have the potential for seriousness."
Aunt Bernie shakes her head. "You don’t understand. That family is huge. They own half the mountain. You don't realize how significant it is that you're with one of them."
"Significant to who? We're just…" Oh no. I set my coffee down as my hands begin to shake. "You did not tell Brad."
"Of course I did." She sets her phone down and runs her hands through her short, dark hair, which is still sticking up at odd angles. "He owns a tech company. He should know that you suddenly have an incredible connection."
"No. Absolutely not." I stagger to the kitchen table and slump down in a chair. "Look, Aunt Bernie, I know you mean well, but I cannot have Brad showing up here."
"He’s your father, for goodness’ sake."
"STEPFATHER!" I snap, surprising myself with the sharpness in my tone. "He's just some guy that married Mom. I don't know him. I don't like him. And I hate the way he thinks he can just stomp in and start bossing me around."
Aunt Bernie's face falls. "B-but… Your mother said that you two got along so well. She said Brad was trying to help you with your work and everything."
My eyes might get sprained if they rolled any further back in my head.
"He was digging around to see if I could earn more money to start paying them rent. He wants me to work for a company people have heard of, so he can brag to his friends. He doesn’t give a damn about me. He just likes to control women."
I try to bite back the words, yet they tumble out anyway.
"That's why Brad picked Mom. She's mousy and easily manipulated. For every drop of attention he pays her, she gives him ten times as many in return. He sold his house and moved in with her immediately not because he was crazy in love with her but because he needed the money. Now he’s trying to kick me out, and eventually Mom is going to let him.”
Bernie’s mouth drops open, then she slumps into the chair beside me. “Damn. That explains a lot.” She hesitates. “Carolyn is always quiet, but she’s never let on that it’s that bad.”
“I’ve told her how I feel, how I think she’s being a doormat for an asshole. She doesn’t want to listen. So now I’m done. I’m staying out of their business. Especially Brad’s.”
Aunt Bernie frowns sadly as she looks at the phone. “I’m so sorry. Your mom is all excited. She’s looked Kellan up online and told Brad everything already.”
Staring down at my hands, I take a slow breath. “Kellan warned me about people scrutinizing me because I was with him, but I didn’t think that my own family would be included. And I really didn’t think of Brad and Steven, because they aren’t my family. It’s just Mom and you.”
“Oh honey, I didn’t know.” Bernie shakes her head again. “How could I not see that?”
I shrug. “The same way people don’t notice potholes until their own car clanks into one. We don’t see inconvenience until it jumps up and bites us on the ass.”
Bernie nods. She glances at her phone, and her expression turns even more pained. “I told Carolyn I was home, and she was going to come visit, but now Brad is coming too.”
My shoulders stiffen. “Let me guess – he says he doesn’t want her driving on these mountain roads alone?”
“Yup.”
“Bullshit. It’s actually his excuse to come check on me and meet Kellan.”
I grab my phone.
Hey. Can I come hide out at your place?
Kellan: Hide out? LOL! You’re welcome any time, you know that. Want me to come pick you up?
No thanks. I’ll drive. Very slowly, to record some potholes enroute.
Kellan: Okay. Please be careful. Can’t wait to see you, baby!
Yes, it’s childish to run away from a stepfather I don’t want to see. But he makes me feel…prickly. Mainly I’m pissed that he’s taking advantage of Mom, and I haven’t been able to screw up the courage to tell him off.
That was part of the reason I came here. To get some space from the entire situation and hopefully figure out a way to tell Mom that I think she would be better off alone.
I look Aunt Bernie in the eye. “I’m going to take photos several hours away. I won’t be home tonight. You don’t know where I am. Okay?”
She nods and winks. “Gotcha.”
I take a final slug of coffee, then race upstairs to pack. I’m positive that Kellan will be fine with me staying over. He’s so easygoing, he’d be okay with anything.
A deep shudder runs through me when I realize what might happen tonight. Time for me to accept the inevitable and explore my gorgeous mountain man…all over.