The Step Brother

Chapter Twenty Nine

Before dinner, I had to force myself to pull Anne aside to finally tell her the truth about why I moved here, and what happened to my mom. I felt like a coward for not telling her in the first place, but I had my reasons. I tried to convince myself that I was finally telling her the truth, so I shouldn't feel guilty anymore.

Anne's reaction was not what I was expecting. Well, I'm not entirely sure what I expected her to react like, but her tears and tight embrace left me speechless. I was thankful that she was not angry nor upset with me; Anne was merely sorry for me, that I had to go through what I did. She promised me that she understood why I asked my father to keep it a secret and why I did not want to tell her. It was nice to connect with someone who has been through a similar situation other than Harry. I know he will always be there for me, but knowing I have yet another supporter means the world to me.

"Chloe, sweetheart, I'd never try to replace your mother. Of course I'd love you to think of me as someone you can look up to; a step-mom or even just a friend, but I'd never try to replace her." Anne hugs me tightly as she tells me exactly what I needed to hear. I was so afraid she'd take over the place for my mom, but hearing her words make me sigh in relief.

"I really appreciate it, Anne." My voice is quiet. I really am relieved and grateful for this talk. Although it was long overdue, it's over with, and hopefully we can move on without any conflict.

Anne holds me at arms-length and gets a good look at me. "You're a beautiful young woman, Chloe. I'm here for you whether you need me or not, okay?"

She sounds so much like Harry, I think to myself. The thought brings a smile to my face. I'm grateful again for getting the chance to become close to this wonderful family.

"Thanks," I smile.

"Well, we should probably bring dinner out to the boys, they're probably wondering where we are," Anne says as she grabs the dish with the pasta.

I nod with a laugh and offer to grab the salad bowl. The dreaded conversation is now over, and I just get to enjoy a nice home-cooked meal with my new family. These people around me are now my life, and for once I finally feel okay with that.

"So how's school going, Chlo?" Dad asks me once we all have our plates full with food. Sometimes I hate the fact that he's always working because he doesn't know how I'm doing in school or what's going on in my life, but I can't complain because I know his insane work hours give Harry and I plenty of alone time here.

"It's fine," I shrug. "Just the same as always."

"Well that sounds fun," Dad says sarcastically and Anne laughs.

I look over to Harry to see him silently moving the food around on his plate. Once he finally looks up and catches my glance, he mouths "how was it?"

I immediately know he's talking about the talk I just had with Anne, so I smile and nod discretely. He returns a small smile before looking away from me.

Anne and my dad begin talking about something with their work, so I silently eat my dinner. Now that I've worked things out with Anne, I begin thinking what I can do about Harry. That sounds terrible. I love him, and I by no means want to break up with him, but the fact that he still overwhelms me with his love at times has not subsided. Maybe it's just a phase, and we need to let it play out... I don't know, but I'm not sure how much more I can take.

Once the conversation dies down between Anne and my dad, I decide to mention my run-in with his old friend when I was picking up lunch. "Hey dad, I ran into a woman who said she went to college with you and Mom."

"Oh yeah?" My dad says around a mouthful of pasta. "How did that happen?"

I shrug, "She said she knew me. She heard my name when I was getting lunch earlier and asked me if I was your daughter."