I glance around as I enter Decanter. Its architecture is modern and elegant, a mix of cream fabrics and dark wood. I've never been here before—way out of my price range. I'm about to approach the hostess when I recognize my mom in a prime booth in the corner. I walk toward her between a row of tables, hearing the hushed tones of conversation and the clinking of wine glasses around me.
Her eyes light up and she stands as she sees me approaching. She looks even more gorgeous than usual. Her blonde hair, a little lighter than mine, hangs in a long bob almost to her shoulders, and her perfect teeth show brightly behind her deep red lipstick.
“Brynn! I've missed you, honey,” she says, enveloping me in a hug. “You look gorgeous. Isn't this dress a little big for you, though?” she asks, pulling at the extra fabric.
“You know I like this kind of fit,” I reply, allowing only the slightest bit of impatience to enter my voice. This is a recurring conversation with us. She always wants me to dress a little more feminine, a little more “form-flattering” as she puts it.
“Well, I'm so excited for you to meet Pierce. He's just in the restroom—oh! Here he is.” I follow her gaze to an elegantly dressed man with salt-and-pepper hair and blue eyes who's approaching us with a warm smile.
“Holly, I'd think this was your sister if I didn't know any better,” he says, and my mom giggles. “Brynn, I'm Pierce. Your mom has told me such wonderful things about you,” he says as we shake hands.
“Likewise,” I reply politely, though the truth is that she's told me almost nothing.
“Well, let's sit. I ordered us some champagne for the table. It should be arriving soon.” We all obediently sit, me on one side of the cushy leather booth, and my mom and Pierce on the other. “So, Brynn, you're in your junior year?”
“Yes, that's—” I break off as my mom reaches for her water glass and I spot a ring on her left hand. Not an engagement ring, either. A wedding ring. “What's that?” I ask sharply.
“Oh,” my mom flutters.
“Well, we were going to wait until my son arrived, but—”
“We're married!” my mom announces suddenly.
My jaw drops open. “Married?” I squeak. “I mean, I thought maybe you’d be engaged but married?”
“You're upset?” my mom asks worriedly.
“No, not upset…” I struggle to put my emotions into the right words. I always feel the need to protect my mom from what I'm really feeling. She's always been more fragile than me. “Just surprised, that's all. I mean, how long have you known each other?”
“Well, we met six months ago,” my mom says. “And then Pierce took me on a surprise trip to the Turks and Caicos last week, and everything was just so perfect…” She trails off, looking to him for support.
“It really was, Brynn. And it felt so right. We wished you guys could have been there, but we just felt that we had to seize the moment. It was in this little gazebo on the cliff, with spectacular views of the water, and the captain of a boat that was docked at the resort officiated…”
“It was engagement, honeymoon, and wedding in one! We just wished you and Nate could have been there. That would have made it even more perfect.”
I struggle to catch up with all the information they're throwing at me. “Sorry, who's Nate?”
“Oh, Nate's my son. He goes to school here, too. I tried to get a hold of him so we could tell you together, but—wait! There he is!” Pierce slides out of the booth to wave to his son.
Nate. Not Nate…
“What's Pierce's last name?” I whisper urgently to my mom.
“Thornhill,” she whispers back distractedly, sliding over to stand next to Pierce.
Oh my god. Nate Thornhill is here. Nate Thornhill is currently walking up behind me. Nate Thornhill is my new…stepbrother, I realize in horror. Beads of sweat form at my hairline and I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.
CHAPTER FOUR
As Nate walks into my periphery, I watch in slow motion as he hugs his dad and shakes hands with my mom. I cannot believe this is happening. Surely I'm in the middle of some strange nightmare and will wake up soon. I hoped I'd never have to see him again after last night.
“Brynn, honey, this is Nate, Pierce's son,” my mom says, cutting through the fog of emotion in my brain.
“H-Hi. Nate. Brynn. I'm Brynn,” I stammer as he glances over at me.
“Brynn, pleasure to meet you,” he replies formally. Wait, does he not even remember meeting me last night?
“Well, scooch over Brynn, so Nate can sit,” Mom says, waving me over with her hands.