Chapter 7

Then, despite every lecture she’d given herself over the last twenty minutes, she smiled before she could stop it.

She rounded the corner of the dining room and saw her mom, Fred and Madden all sitting at the island.

Her mom looked up from her newspaper, “Good morning Pops.”

“Hey ma. Hey dad. Madden,” she said, keeping her eyes down and focused on a bagel she saw.

“MJ was saying he wanted to see the city today and we thought maybe you could take him,” Fred said.

“I was actually planning on that today. MJ and I will have a full day of site seeing and good old sibling fun,” Poppi told the room.

She almost believed herself. She really wanted to try and make this work with Madden as her stepbrother. She was convinced that if she spent more time with him in that way that it would fall into place.

“Cool, I can’t wait sis,” Madden said, taking a bite of his bagel sandwich.

“I’m already dressed, so whenever you are ready we can head out,” Poppi said, sliding onto a stool near Fred.

Madden looked at her briefly. He nodded in agreement and grabbed his orange juice.

“Meet me outside in ten?” He asked.

Poppi agreed and focused on her bagel.

“Thank you for being so open to this Pops. I know you two don’t know one another and this is your summer to enjoy before school starts back up for the fall,” Valyn said, squeezing her arm lightly.

“It’s no worries. I’m sure my friends will absolutely love MJ and he will fit right in. I love that I am not an only child anymore!” Poppi exclaimed, with a fake vigor.

Having a brother would be beneficial to her and she had to keep that in mind. She already had a big family, but not someone she could be close to.

“Thanks for the breakfast guys,” Poppi said, kissing both of her parents on the cheek.

She went outside to wait for Madden on the large wooden swing under the oak tree.

Poppi let the porch swing sway beneath the sprawling oak, the chains creaking softly as she waited. She’d promised herself today would be simple; just showing her new stepbrother around town, nothing more.

The front door opened.

Madden stepped outside in a fitted gray T-shirt, worn jeans, and boots, sunlight catching the tousled strands of his dark hair. He looked effortlessly handsome, the kind of man who didn’t seem to realize the effect he had on people. His easy smile found her beneath the tree, and her stomach tightened before she could stop it.

Don’t.

The word echoed in her mind, but it came too late. He was her stepbrother. Those thoughts should have disappeared after she realized who he was.

Instead, as he walked toward her with that sexy grin and defined arms, all Poppi could think was how unfair it was that wanting someone could feel so natural when it was the one thing she shouldn’t want at all.