Wrecked: A Stepbrother Romance Novel by Arabella Abbing Read Free Book Online Page A

honey! We’re going to be late!”
    “Just a minute!” I called to my mom, grumbling under my breath as I hastily finished swiping on my lipstick in the mirror of my childhood bedroom.
    Once I was satisfied with my appearance, I blew a kiss at my reflection before I rushed to the door and grabbed my winter coat.
    I made it down the stairs and my mom’s irritated glare softened when she took in my appearance. Harold opened the door and gestured for us to walk out first and I smiled at them both as I slipped past and strutted down the sidewalk towards the waiting limousine.
    “It was so nice of Brandon to send a limousine for us. Wasn’t it, dear?”
    I suppressed an eye roll as my mom fished for me to say something nice about Brandon, still refusing to acknowledge the fact that we no longer spoke. I was certain I had dropped enough hints to her about it during my breaks from college, but I think she had chosen to remain blissfully ignorant.
    After all, Brandon and I had gotten along well for years. It was probably sad for her to consider the fact that we were no longer friends.
    Whose fault is that?
    I slid onto the leather seat and tried my best not to think about the last time I was in a limo while also trying to forget where we were heading.
    It was easy enough to avoid Brandon after high school was over. He moved out and started his company and I left home to go to college. I was pretty sure he knew my schedule and purposely planned his visits home around mine, but unfortunately, neither of us could find a way out of this function.
    Our parents had insisted on having the family together this Christmas even though Brandon had begged off, insisting he had to work. But even he couldn’t argue his way out of the night that our parents wanted to gather up their closest friends and family to renew their vows.
    It’d been over three years since I’d seen his face in person. Even longer since we’d spoken.
    He really had kept his word on being done with me after prom night.
    I twisted my hands together nervously as I tried to ignore the sting that was still fresh after all these years.
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    T he ceremony was painful .
    It should have been a beautiful and happy event, but all I could do was keep glancing in Brandon’s direction and trying to catch his eye.
    In four years, he had evolved from a cute but nerdy teenager to an absolutely gorgeous hunk of a man.
    Fuck my life. Why couldn’t he have gotten fat or something?
    He’d stood next to his father as his best man and pointedly avoided my gaze. His handsome face had remained stoic during the entire ceremony, right up until the very end when his father had patted him on the shoulder. He gave our parents a genuine smile, then disappeared after they walked down the aisle together.
    Thankfully, their renewal ceremony was far more casual than an actual wedding, so I took the opportunity to follow Brandon’s lead and also disappeared. Since they had asked my aunt to host the party, I thankfully knew this house almost as well as my own.
    Within five minutes, I was popping open a bottle of red in the wine cellar and bringing the bottle straight to my lips.
    Sweet, sweet alcohol. Make me forget.
    After half an hour of wallowing in my misery in the chilly basement, I finally made my way back to the party, careful as to not wobble on my high heels. I wasn’t exactly drunk , but the wine had definitely made itself known in my otherwise empty stomach.
    I congratulated my mom and Harold and gave them both a hug before stepping back and allowing them to be surrounded by our friends and relatives once again. I scanned the room quickly, noting that Brandon was still hiding elsewhere for the time being, so I slowly made my way over to the bar while I still had a chance.
    Just the reminder that he was here made me want to drink until the night blurred into blackness.
    “What’ll you have?”
    “Gin and tonic.”
    The man my aunt hired to tend the bar started to make my drink and I