Becoming Family by Elysia Whisler

Author:Elysia Whisler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MIRA Books
Published: 2022-06-11T17:12:59+00:00

seventeen

Aw, damn it to hell.

Hobbs dropped his hand away and grabbed his shirt from where he’d tossed it on the couch. He slipped it over his head and willed his body to relax, blood to go back to all the places it belonged. He glanced at Tabitha, whose eyes were large and questioning, but the sight of her freshly kissed lips and hot cheeks wasn’t helping, so he cleared his throat and reminded himself his sister was approaching—that did the trick—just as the kitchen light snapped on.

“Hey.”

Hobbs hadn’t wanted Hannah to go, and now that she was back he wished she’d taken a little longer to drive around those back roads. He eyed her curious, lost expression, the same look she’d had on her face the time he’d brought Kitty Banes home after a date at the movies. They’d seen a Stephen King flick, so Kitty was already scared and in need of comforting, and it being Friday night meant Pops would’ve started drinking extra early and probably been passed out by then. Mom would be out, at book club or bridge club or one of the many clubs where she escaped from her family, and Victor had already moved out. Hobbs would have the place to himself and finally score some alone time with Kitty. Which was working great until Hannah padded into the living room, wearing her Snoopy jammies and carrying that ratty old quilt Gran Gran had made her when she was born. The colors were faded to pastels and the edges ratty, but Hannah carried it at night, sometimes during the day, too, and that night was no exception. Hobbs had looked up from kissing Kitty and saw Hannah there, peeking out from behind that quilt, her confusion ceding to fear, which wouldn’t make sense in a normal house. But they didn’t live in a normal house, and anything that stole Hobbs’s attention shook Hannah’s sense of stability, so he’d taken Kitty home and that’d been the last date they’d ever had.

“Tabitha, this is Hannah.” Hobbs gave his throat another big clear as he ran his hands through his hair, hoping to brush off the tension that hung thick in the air. Hannah stared and Tabitha’s jaw looked like it was working not to drop. “My baby sister,” he added.

Tabitha mouthed, Oh. Then she said it aloud. “Oh. Oh, hi.” She straightened her shirt, ironing over the front of it. “Nice to meet you, Hannah.”

“Hi.” Hannah waved.

“I didn’t even know you had a sister.” Tabitha tried a smile. “I can see the resemblance.” She touched her hair.

“Hannah came home with me.” Hobbs felt the rest of his arousal wash away. “She’s from Omaha. Never been outside the Midwest.”

“Until now,” Hannah said, irritation gritty in her voice. Brother of the Year Award was definitely in his future. Followed closely by Coach of the Year. In the span of a few weeks he’d gone from living alone in his bachelor pad to putting up his depressed sister and kissing the one woman from his gym he’d told himself was off-limits.

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