Stepbrother Revealed

No, that was crazy.

My head pounded, and I reached to turn off the water. A sickness rose in my gut, and I knew it wasn't just the vodka I was unaccustomed to. It was the whole idea of Chase and what he signified. I was coming unglued from the concept of who I was, and he'd accomplished that feat in a matter of hours.

I sighed heavily. I'd have to face life and meet Mom at the venue she'd picked for the wedding. It was some romantic little beachy place with rooms to get ready and a great bar with loads of tropical drinks. It would have sounded awesome if I wasn't so worried about the boy that I'd met on the plane. My stepbrother.

I stepped out of the shower and dried off, reaching for the hotel's lackluster hairdryer. It would be too much to hope that my hair would behave itself. Somehow, it arranged itself in soft curls that fell over my shoulders, and I felt a little bit more in charge of my day. I took some Advil and got dressed, clearing away most of the hangover. I could do this. I was ready. I walked out into the hall with my bags and headed down the elevator. When I reached the lobby, I was confronted by something I didn't want to see.

It was Chase. And his dad. Chase was talking to some blond girl who looked like she worked out a whole lot more than I ever had. This was not good. No good at all.

I took a deep breath and walked as far out of the way as I could. I didn't want Chase to see me, and I certainly didn't want to know anything about the girl who looked like she could be in the running for Miss America. I did not, indeed.

“Hey, Sienna!” Chase's voice carried over the din of the lobby. I walked on, hoping to catch a taxi before I had to answer. But of course, Chase had already caught my arm. I turned and looked at him.

“Chase, what are you doing? I thought we'd agreed not to pursue this.”

“I’m not pursuing anything,” he said, letting go of me, “I’m simply saying hello. And good morning.” He smiled that bright, captivating smile. I felt like I might melt into a puddle on the spot.

“Who's the blonde?” I knew I shouldn’t be asking, but the question had slipped out of my mouth before I knew what was happening.

“My date for the wedding.”

“That's just great,” I replied, turning on my heels and walking away.

“No, I mean, it's not like that! I'd rather you were with me, but hey ... Hey Sienna, wait!”

I was already out the door of the lobby, hailing a cab. Tears stung my eyes, and I cursed myself for feeling the way I did. Chase wasn't worth my time if he'd moved on that quickly. And hell, I probably already knew that I wasn't quite the girl he was looking for. I wasn't that type of girl ... the type for a good time.

I arrived at the wedding venue, bags in hand, not much worse for the wear than I had been last night or much of the morning. My mom wouldn't know what was happening, right? Right.

Wrong.

As soon as I walked in, my mother was all over me.

"Sweetie, what on earth is wrong?" While she cooed over me, she started brushing out my hair and dabbing on makeup while my aunt got my dress out of its bag. The woman was efficient, I'll give her that. It always amazed me how many girly things my mom could accomplish all at once. She was the type of woman men had fun with. She and I didn't interact with the world in quite the same way.

"Nothing, Mom," I grumbled, "I just ended up with a migraine last night."

"It doesn't have anything to do with a boy, does it?" She looked at me knowingly.

"Chase is awfully cute, isn't he?" My aunt chimed in as she patted me on the shoulder and gestured for me to lift my arms so that she could pull me out of my sundress and get me into the bridesmaid's dress for the wedding.

"Ugh," I responded.

"He'll be her stepbrother, Cassie," my mom said.

"I'm just saying he's cute. That's all. They're not related. And when Sienna's all dolled up, she looks pretty cute too."

"Yes, they're both lovely young people," my mom said. She was trying to make some kind of point, but it was lost on me. My aunt and mother were a strange duo, and it was often hard to read what they were saying. But they did love dressing me up. My aunt pulled the dress my mother had picked out for me over my head. It was made of raw silk and had a crinoline underskirt. It was all deep green, like the mountains around us.

I turned and looked in the mirror.

“Not bad,” I said. “Good choice, Mom.” My mother's face lit up, and we worked on getting her into her cascading white dress that no one should ever pick for a beach wedding. Somehow, for her it worked. And I knew she didn't really care if it got sandy and ruined. After all, she was the fun sort. I sighed and sat, watching her and steeling myself for the wedding. It was only a few minutes away now, and I hadn't had time to get any of the delicious drinks I'd heard so much about. I'd have to face Chase on my own.

“You ready?” My mother leaned in and kissed my cheek. Her face was so deliriously happy that I had to smile myself. She was cheeky and weird and a little bit obsessed with appearance and money, but I had to give it to her. This wedding was very charming. And it all worked. At least, it all would have worked well if it weren't for Chase. For now, I'd have to keep him out of my mind. I took my mom's arm and walked out onto the beach with her as the music started to play.

I couldn't help it. Even as I walked with my mom — the focus of the whole wedding, presumably — my eyes sought out Chase. He stood with the minister and his father at the end of the beach, and his pretty blond date sat in the front row. I stared at him numbly. Why could someone so different from me affect me so greatly? It was the mystery of the whole wedding vacation.

"You look beautiful, honey," my mom whispered as we approached the makeshift altar.

“You too, Mom. Really.” My mom did look pretty resplendent. I would happily stand next to her, and I'd concentrate on her happiness for the moment — not my own lack of happiness. Hers would suffice for the moment.

I stood beside her as the non-denominational minister they'd chosen began his quick speech. The wedding was mostly concentrated on food and booze since my mother had planned it, and I knew the wedding part would be short and sweet. The party would be the main focus. I stood there, looking ahead at the sun setting over the beach. It was a beautiful place to get married. A beautiful place for romance.

I spared a glance at Chase. He was looking at me, trying to get my attention. Of course. I looked back ahead, stoic, listening to my mom exchange her vows with Hugh. They kissed and walked back down the aisle between the chairs in the sand. I found myself standing next to Chase.

“Good wedding, huh?” He leaned into me and winked. I didn’t respond. It would only be a few more seconds, and I could depart, going on my way. Away from Chase. At the end of the aisle, I stepped aside and walked out along the beach. Chase was lost back in the crowd of people, and for that, I was grateful.

I sat down in one of the front-row chairs and waited for the signal to come up for dinner and drinks. The sun had set, and the stars were just starting to come out. The balmy day had given way to a sweet island breeze. I sighed heavily and told myself that I could have fun for a few hours, all while avoiding Chase. As the guests walked up the beach, I followed, staying behind so that I didn’t run into Chase again.

I got to the bar and stood there, watching the happy couples as they roamed about on the dance floor. My mom and Hugh joined them, quickly dancing before the real focus could begin — drinking and eating. I laughed and tried to join in on the fun wit

h my aunts and cousins, the wedding swimming by before me as my mom and Chase’s father shared cake. People stumbled by, dancing, progressively drunker off of the tropical drinks from the bar.