Smash_ A Stepbrother MMA Romance(78)

“What, not happy to see me?”

The answer to that question was way too complex to even start thinking about. I stared into his pale grey eyes, twinkling with mirth at my surprise and discomfort. His face was chiseled and handsome, and his dirty blond hair was cropped short and as stylish as usual.

My stepbrother. The boy I couldn’t help but notice.

“No, I just . . . expected him.”

He laughed. “Relax, I know. He had to work a double at the mill so he sent me to get you.”

I nodded. That made sense. Even though Cora’s cancer was gone, there were still bills to be paid. My poor father was working himself to the bone.

Although he didn’t entirely need to. From what I understood, a lot of that money was coming from Reid. If I had to say one good thing about him, it was that he was very loyal to family. He would do anything to help his mother, and apparently every dime he won from climbing competitions and working as a guide went straight to her medical bills.

And if my father was telling the truth, that was significant money.

He got out of the car and walked toward me. “Let me get that,” he said, nodding at the bag.

I shrugged. “Chivalry isn’t dead.”

“It is. I just don’t want to listen to you complaining about getting your hair wet.” He smirked at me.

I frowned. “I haven’t been away that long. It’s not like I forgot about the rain.”

“Sorry, college girl. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

I rolled my eyes and climbed into the Jeep with a huff. He laughed as he loaded my suitcase into the back and then climbed back into the driver’s seat.

He glided back out into traffic, zooming toward the house I grew up in. I watched the lush, green forest press in all around as the Jeep moved north. There wasn’t a whole lot around, maybe one movie theater within thirty miles, one grocery store, and one tiny strip mall with a few clothing stores and barber shops packed in. There were some diners and restaurants, but otherwise it was mostly just forest, mountain, and rivers.

“How was school?” Reid asked.

“Fine. You know I graduated, right?”

He glanced at me. “Yeah, Becca, I figured that one out.”

I laughed nervously. “Right, of course. I start grad school in the fall.”

“Texas, right?”

“Yeah, in Austin.”

“I hear that’s a cool town.”

“I’m pretty excited about it.”

He was silent then, and I couldn’t help but reflect on the last time we saw each other.

The rain was coming down like crazy as I picked my way along the path. I could barely make him out up ahead, moving fast between the trees.

“Wait up!” I yelled, but he didn’t seem to hear me.

I had always been a good hiker but I wasn’t nearly in the kind of shape Reid was. His whole body seemed like it was built to move through the outdoors, almost like he never got tired. His callused hands were strong, much stronger than I realized, and could grip pretty much anything.

That was probably why he was the best climber in our region.

“Hold on!” I called again, and this time he heard me. He looked back over his shoulder, water dripping from his hair and into his eyes.

“Lost a step, sis?” he asked.

“No. Your legs are just longer than mine. And stop calling me that.”

He shrugged. “We’re almost there.”

We had left the path a mile ago, and I knew that if I lost him I would be completely screwed. I had a good sense of direction and could probably find my way back to town eventually, but I had no clue how long that would take.

We started walking again, and this time he stayed at my pace. We didn’t talk, and my heart flittered nervously. I had no clue where he was taking me or why. I was leaving the next day for school, and he had shown up at my bedroom door earlier that morning asking if I wanted to see something. Curious, I said yes.

I had stopped caring about the rain fifteen minutes ago. My parka was soaked through down to my underwear, and my hiking boots felt like I was treading water. The mud sucked at the soles of my feet but I kept moving, making sure I didn’t fall behind.

Ahead, there was a small clearing.

“Almost there,” he said softly.

“What are you showing me?”

“You’ll see.”

That was all he kept saying. I’ll see. He could be pretty mysterious when he wanted to be.

We crossed the clearing and stepped through some thick bushes. Once through, he stopped.

“There,” he said, pointing.

Up ahead, there was an old abandoned van like the kind hippies drove around in the ’60s. I laughed.

“You brought me here just to show me some junk?”

He shook his head. “Not junk. Come on.”