All Chapters of My Affair With My Stepbrother : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Poppi arrived home and could see Madden’s light on in his room. Her heart leapt for a moment, because that meant he didn’t hook up with Anchor. He came right home after they left. She walked inside and pulled off her white boots. Her feet were aching from all of the dancing. She found his hat sitting on the stair railing. She touched it briefly and looked upstairs. “Hey Popsicle is that you?” Valyn asked from the living room.“Yeah, it’s me mom. I’m going to head upstairs. I’m beat,” she said. She knew she was lying. She knew she was going upstairs to check on Madden. She hit the last glistening, wooden step before the landing and could hear Madden’s voice. Was he on the phone? He sounded giddy, as if he were talking to his crush. Poppi walked by his room and listened briefly. She walked away. This is stupid. She came back. Just knock.Her hand raised slowly and she felt her knuckles tap on the outer edge of the door. She pulled her hand away quickly as if she were trying to

Valyn never mentioned to Fred that she had walked in on Poppi and Madden about to kiss. She reminded them daily to stay away from one another and to not be alone. For the past two weeks, they had avoided each other completely. Madden filled his time elsewhere, longer hours at the law firm, late nights that no one questioned, and more often than not, those hours seemed to include Anchor.Poppi noticed.She noticed the way his name came up in passing conversations, always tied to Anchor’s. The way Anchor laughed a little louder when Madden was around. The way Madden, who once lingered in doorways and stables and spaces that felt too small for both of them, now seemed perfectly content being anywhere Poppi wasn’t.So Poppi made herself busy too.She spent more time at the stables, burying herself in routines that didn’t ask questions, such as feeding, brushing, cleaning, and repeating. The horses didn’t look at her differently. They didn’t remind her of almost-kisses or stolen moments t

The feed store sat just off the highway, old and familiar, with its faded red sign and the faint smell of hay that clung to everything inside.Poppi got out of the truck before Madden even fully stopped it.Not because she was eager.Because sitting next to him another second felt worse.She walked ahead, pushing through the heavy glass door without waiting. A bell chimed overhead.Madden followed a beat later.They didn’t speak as they moved through the aisles, Poppi grabbing the list she’d memorized, Madden heading toward the bulk bins like muscle memory was easier than conversation.It almost worked.Almost.Until she heard her name.“Poppi?”Her stomach dropped before she even turned.Anchor stood near the front counter, holding a receipt in one hand and a bag of supplies in the other. She looked surprised to see her.She walked over and hugged Poppi. And then her eyes flicked past Poppi.And landed on Madden.The shift was instant.“Oh,” Anchor said, a smile forming a second late

Now that they had almost kissed for a second time, things were even more awkward. Madden acted way too busy to even be in the same room as Poppi. He would make excuses to not be at dinner or to miss a family movie night. He also noticed how absent Poppi had been as well. The minute Madden entered a room, Poppi would leave. No glances exchanged. No small talk. Just absence.The absence was louder than the silence they used to sit in. One evening, Poppi heard laughter coming from the dining room. She had resolved to not eat with the family this day, but now her curiosity was peaked. She eased her way down the stairs so that no one would hear her. As she walked into the dining room, she saw Anchor sitting next to Madden. Her mom and dad were there as well.“Oh yay! Pops! Your mom said you weren’t feeling well. I’m so happy you can join us,” Anchor said. She had no idea the disdain Poppi felt for her in this moment as she loosely hung her arm on Madden’s shoulder. Madden followed Pop

She shook her head, frustration bubbling up. “No, I don’t think you do. Because every time you look at me like that…”He snapped his head up. “Like what?”“Like you’re about to forget everything that matters.”His expression hardened. “You think that’s what I’m doing?”“I think you’re close,” she fired back. “And that’s worse.”He took a step toward her.Then stopped. They both recalibrated. His instincts brought him close to her every time. But he paused as if he had been pulled back by something. Like there was an invisible line between them.“I’m not going to ruin our family,” he said, voice steady but low. “I’m not going to be the reason everything falls apart.”“Then stop making it feel like you might,” she whispered.That hit deeper than anything else she’d said.He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. He stepped towards her. “You think this is easy for me?” he asked. “Every time I look at you I see your beauty and your warmth. It burns into my brain and imprints o