Pushing the Limits (Secrets Kept 2)

Not long after Jayden left, Salvador did as well, not having gotten the response he’d tried for. He’d never really liked me—he’d fucked Jayden while knowing we were together—so maybe that was the reason; or maybe it wasn’t. I didn’t know and didn’t care.

“I told you Jayden wasn’t as bad as you thought,” I said to Isaac back at my apartment after he told me what Jayden had said.

“I guess you’re right every once in a while,” he teased.

“I want to go home…back to Atlanta. I don’t think I want to be in the city permanently. At least not right now.” Because while I didn’t care what random people thought, I did care about our parents, and I wasn’t ready to give up on them. They loved us. They would come around to accepting Isaac and me as a couple. I had to believe that.

“Whatever you want, but if you change your mind, say the word. I’m not tied to a place, Lane. Just a person.”

I nuzzled closer to him. “Who? No, wait, I’ll guess…”

“You’re a dork.”

“I know you are, but what am I?” I said playfully.

We left for Atlanta two days later. Weeks went by, and I lost myself to my painting. I had two pieces going on, one that Isaac saw and one he didn’t. I wasn’t sure exactly why I was painting it, or why I wasn’t ready to show him. It just didn’t feel right, not yet, even though it took over my thoughts nearly every second of the day.

He worked and complained about the messy apartment, and I worked harder to be better about it. Apparently, my habit of being naked helped him ignore my less than stellar qualities, he teased.

I talked to Mom on the phone a couple of times. It wasn’t as if either of them were the type of parents to never speak to us again, but for the first time in my life, she didn’t know how to talk to me about something…and she didn’t want to. It was too hard for her to wrap her head around, so we avoided the topic and only had quick, uncomfortable conversations.

Since Timothy had never been the best with words and talking about how he felt, he usually sent his love through Mom or texts with Isaac.

It had been almost three weeks now that we’d been home. I stood in front of my finished painting, pride filling me until it overflowed.

It was everything I’d hoped it would be, maybe some of my best work. I didn’t know what I thought it would accomplish, if anything, but I’d done it, leaving my heart in every brushstroke, and I knew exactly what to do with it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Isaac

“What are you doing this weekend?” Steven asked. It was a Saturday, and I was working a half day to get a few things taken care of. Except for the two of us, the office was empty.

“I don’t know. I need to talk to Lane. He mentioned a hike.”

“Your brother?”

I’d been waiting for a moment like this, and I planned to be truthful. After what felt like a lifetime of denial, something had just clicked in me when we told our parents. “Actually, he’s my stepbrother, but now he’s my partner.” I couldn’t pretend my pulse didn’t try to run away from me. But while I was still nervous about how people would react to Lane and me being together, it wouldn’t hold me back ever again.

“Wow. That’s…kinda hot,” Steven replied, making me roll my eyes.

“Oh my God.”

“Well, it is. Don’t tell me you never watched stepbrother porn.”

“No, I really haven’t. That was too close to what felt like an impossible dream most of my life.”

“Only you could make my porn fantasies come true.”

We chuckled. “Maybe the three of us can go out to dinner sometime.”

“I’d like that. I’m happy for you, Isaac.”

“Thank you.” I was happy for me too.

I’d just finished packing up my things to head home, when my cell rang. I looked at where it sat on my desk to see Dad on the screen. My stomach twisted into knots, worry bearing down on my chest. I’d never been such a worrier in my life, but a lot of things seemed to have changed in me lately.

“Hey, Dad. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I, um…I wondered if you could meet me…I’m with Mom…”

The dread in me grew. I tried to swallow around the growing lump in my throat but couldn’t. The way he said mom, I knew he didn’t mean Helena. “Right now?”

“If that’s okay. If not, I’d like to come see you. I just… We haven’t visited her in a long time.”

No, no we hadn’t. The first few days after her service, Dad had spent all day at the cemetery, but after that, the only time he went was on the anniversary of her death. That stopped a few years back, though. “Yeah, sure. It’ll take me about an hour, but I’ll be there.”