Page 27 of Puck My Stepbrother (Pucked and Possessed #2)

QUINN

T he wedding was going to be a disaster.

No, I didn’t think that the wedding itself was going to bomb.

We’d figured out everything that needed to be planned.

Neither my dad nor my stepmother would get cold feet and call the whole thing off.

I even felt reasonably sure nuclear war wouldn’t break out.

I worried about worse things, like what Levi might do.

He’d see me there with Jeff, and it would drive him crazy.

Part of me hoped it would, to show him I was serious, but I also understood what could happen with guys like him once they got going.

Levi could make a scene. He could ruin everything for our parents. At that point, I figured he might not care about anything anymore.

When I went downstairs, I found my dad stretched out on the couch instead of Levi. Thank God the room was safe. I shuffled over to the fridge, grabbed a can of Pepsi, and cracked it open before he stopped me.

“Come on over here, Quinn,” he said. “I want to talk to you.”

I knew better than to refuse Dad, so I sat in the chair across from him.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Oh, things in general.”

“Are you getting excited about the wedding?” I asked.

“Of course I am. I never thought I’d have the chance to be married again, but here we are. Are you excited?”

“Of course I am.”

Dad eyed me like he knew something was up.

“Are you sure about that?” he asked.

“Of course I am. I’m really happy for you.”

He lifted an eyebrow at me.

“Something’s wrong,” he said. “I know there is. I think you should tell me about it.”

Now it was my turn to avoid giving a direct answer. If I let on about my real feelings, far too much truth would spill out.

“It’s Levi, isn’t it?” he asked.

I froze. He had me on the ropes, and I couldn’t deny him.

“I could hear you two downstairs last night,” he said.

“You could?”

“Don’t worry, I couldn’t make out what you were talking about, but I could hear your tone all right. It didn’t sound happy. Not really.”

“It’s complicated.”

That seemed to me like the understatement of the year. Levi had told me he loved me. He’d insisted that I loved him back every bit as much. Worse, I couldn’t deny feeling something for the Neanderthal, but I hated to call it love. Besides, it seemed unhealthy enough without giving it a name.

But that wasn’t a topic for Dad. In fact, I didn’t want to think about it at all.

“Are you two getting along?” he asked.

“We’re getting along, but…like I told you, it’s complicated.”

“You’re worried about something. It’s heavy on your mind; I think that’s pretty obvious. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“I know I can, but…”

I’d always talked to Dad when I really needed to, but those conversations had limits. I certainly couldn’t tell him the full truth about my relationship with Levi. I didn’t care to lie to him either, but I didn’t see what choice I had.

“What if I told you there really were some differences between Levi and me?” I asked.

“Well, I wouldn’t be too surprised. I know you two have a history.”

“It’s more than just a history.”

“Okay, I know you were concerned about the way he was behaving when we all moved in here. Has that taken care of itself?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Okay, then. Have things gotten any better at all?”

I shrugged and said, “No, it’s gotten worse.”

“You’re kidding.”

“It’s more that we’re dealing with a different set of problems now.”

He lifted an eyebrow again. He must’ve been wondering what else could’ve gone wrong between us.

“Jeff’s going to be coming to the wedding as my date,” I said.

“Yes, you mentioned that.”

“And he’s going to be sitting at the head table with me.”

Dad nodded. “I’m not sure what that has to do with Levi.”

“Levi disapproves of him, I guess.”

That wasn’t the whole truth, but it was the best I could do. If I told him that Levi absolutely despised Jeff, there was no telling what he would think.

But that wouldn’t be the whole truth either, my inner voice said. He knows there’s someone better out there for you .

“Why would he disapprove of Jeff?” Dad asked. “I haven’t met him yet, but you’ve made him sound like a very nice young man.”

“He is a nice young man. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a guy. But Levi’s got some crazy ideas about how he’s totally wrong for me.”

Dad paused before asking, “Do you think maybe Levi is homophobic?”

Wouldn’t that be the perfect lie? I could make it sound like the whole thing was about him disagreeing with my sexuality. Dad would probably believe it. But I knew that wasn’t the truth. Plus, it wouldn’t make my problem go away. In fact, I swore nothing would make it go away.

“I don’t think it’s about that, Dad. I really don’t.”

“Well, what’s the problem then?”

“I think Levi can be very dogmatic.”

Dad paused again, as if unsure what I meant.

“What I mean is, if Levi tells you something, even if it’s just his opinion, it has to be true. You know, because he said it. So if he says that Jeff is bad for me, then he can’t possibly be wrong.”

“He actually said Jeff’s bad for you?”

“No, but he did say he was wrong for me. Either way, I think he made his point pretty clear.”

Now I realized I was losing this battle. The more I said, the more I exposed myself. If I kept talking like this, Dad would find out everything. Well, maybe not everything. He wouldn’t know that Levi and I had fucked twice, once while he’d had me bent over the kitchen table.

He’d learn enough to make him panic. I mean, what was a man supposed to say about his son sleeping with his future stepson?

“It’s not that he’s homophobic at all,” I said. “I think he just feels I can do better. And believe me, that’s not as honorable as it sounds.”

Dad sat up straighter now, like he knew he had to take this information seriously.

“I can see why you wouldn’t like hearing that,” he said. “Have you told him to mind his own business?”

“Only a hundred times.”

“And he still hasn’t gotten the message, huh?”

“No, and I don’t think he ever will. He won’t allow anyone to challenge what he thinks, remember?”

“Jeez, Quinn, it sounds like a lot more than him disapproving of the boy you’re dating.”

“Well, there’s always more to it with Levi.”

“Then what’s going on?”

I’d really sunk myself in deep, and I knew it. As it was, Dad now knew that something was up between Levi and me, which was totally bad news. I didn’t want to draw attention to it, but I also didn’t want my stepbrother-to-be causing trouble for Jeff and me at the wedding.

“Look, I know I wanted you to settle your problems by yourself before,” Dad said, “but it looks like maybe we’re beyond that. Why don’t I talk to him?”

“ No! ”

I’d never stopped someone dead in their tracks with my voice before, but Dad froze. His eyes widened like he couldn’t believe it, either.

“I mean, no, I don’t think that would be a good idea,” I said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am.”

Now Dad leaned the table.

“This is obviously bothering you,” he said. “I don’t think you should let this problem fester.”

“I know I shouldn’t, but I really think it’s best to let it go.”

“You know this could still have negative consequences for the wedding, right?”

“I know it might, but I’ll manage it.”

“If you really think you can,” Dad said.

“I’m going to have to.”

And then I stood up and left the room rather than extend the conversation further.

Sometimes that’s all you can do. Dad wasn’t wrong, though.

It definitely could have negative consequences for the wedding.

Worse, I doubted Levi cared. He’d grown so obsessed with me that nothing else seemed to matter.

If I couldn’t tell Dad what the real problem was, I’d fight this battle alone. I had no idea what Levi Dunn would do, but I knew he wasn’t done with me.