“Yes, I’m serious,” I groan. “Then the asshole had the nerve to call me Sissy.”

She bites her lower lip, contemplating something. “He’s playing with you.”

“No shit,” I mutter.

“He’s good, I’ll give him that much. He knows you want him, and he’s tormenting you because he knows you can’t have him.”

“He’s a dirt bag,” I huff.

“A dirt bag who clearly knows how to use his junk.”

I glare at her and she giggles again.

“Okay, so what are you going to do?” she asks.

I flop onto my back and stare out the window. “I don’t know.”

“I have an idea . . .”

I turn my head to stare back at her. “And that would be . . .?”

“You might not like it.”

“Melanie!”

“Okay.” She throws her hands up. “I think you should play it cool, for a start.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to just go on out there and throw myself at him.”

She frowns. “No, but he’s getting to you. You can’t let him.”

“We’re staying in the same house.”

She nods, rubbing her chin. Then her eyes widen and she cries, “Ignorance!”

I blink.

“Ignorance is bliss, right?”

“Right . . .” I say wearily.

“You need to play on that. Ignore him; when he teases you pretend you can’t even hear him, go and hang with Bryce, give him something to be pissed about.”

Not a bad plan.

“You saw how he pulled me away last night, though,” I say.

“Yes, but next time he tries that you won’t let him. Don’t give him the satisfaction of getting to you.”

“I think you’re right,” I mumble. “I’m going to have to ignore him. Give him no reaction.”

“That’s my girl. Now, let’s go and get some breakfast because I’m starved.”

“Me too.”

We head out to the kitchen. Everyone is already up and standing around the counter as Mom fries eggs and bacon. When we enter the room, Blade turns and stares at me. There’s something in his eyes as he drags them down my body. He’s openly checking me out. My cheeks grow pink at memory of the night before, and I turn my eyes away. Don’t give him what he wants.

“Morning, Sissy,” he taunts.

“What’s up, Bro?” I flash him a smile and slide around the counter to kiss Mom on the cheek. “Morning, Momma.”

“Morning honey.”

“That boyfriend of yours has an awesome speedboat,” Ripley says, slinking over to me and throwing his arm around my shoulder. “Tell him I want to go for a ride.”

Blade is staring at me, his eyes burning holes into the side of my head. “I’ll do just that. I’m going to see if he’s keen to go out today.”

“Sweet!”

“Be careful out there,” Jack says, sipping his coffee. “Those things can be dangerous.”

I smile at him. “Yes, Dad.”

I say it before I realize what it is that I’m actually saying. Jack flinches and Mom looks up from the bacon, staring at me in shock. Instant guilt burns in my chest and I give Jack a devastated stare. He stands and walks over, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, then he leans down and says gently, “I know what you meant, honey, don’t stress.”

I force a smile. “I think I’m going to go and call Bryce, see about that speedboat.”

I rush outside before anyone can answer. I breathe in the air, filling my lungs and then exhaling loudly. When I’m feeling a little calmer, I pull out my cell and text the number Bryce gave me two nights before.

Aria – Hey Bryce. How did you pull up this morning? My step-brother wants to know if you’re cool to do the speedboat today?

I shove the phone in my pocket once I’ve hit send and stare out at the glistening lake. It’s gorgeous out here this morning. The sound of the screen door opening alerts me that someone has come out, but I don’t turn. An arm wraps around my shoulder and I see Mom in my peripheral vision. I spin and smile at her. “Hey.”

“You okay?”

I nod. “Yeah . . . what I said just shocked me is all.”

“It’s okay, you know?”

I stare guiltily straight ahead.

“It’s okay to let them go and let a new person in. Jack . . .” She sighs. “Jack would be a good step-father.”

“I know that, I do,” I say gently. “It’s just . . . I don’t know if I’m ready to let them go.”

She squeezes me. “I think about them everyday; that’s never going to change. I miss your sister’s sweet voice and your daddy’s hugs. I miss them so much it still hurts, but I know they would want this for us. I know they wouldn’t want us to spend the rest of our days unhappy. Jack makes me happy, Ari. Happier than I’ve been in eleven years.”

I wrap my arm around her, squeezing tight. “I know he does. I like Jack.”

“And he likes you. Let him in, honey. You won’t be disappointed. He wouldn’t mind if you called him dad.”

He wouldn’t mind, but I would . . . because calling him dad made things too real.

“What do you think of the boys?” I question.

“They’re great kids.”

I nod. “Yeah, they are.”