Chapter 1 SURPRISE

CHAPTER ONE

RILEY MOORE

It was the first day of my senior year in high school, and I had one major goal. I wanted to get over Brian King, and no matter what happened, I would make sure no one found out about my feelings for him.

I took a deep breath to brace myself before walking down the stairs to join my mother, stepfather, and stepbrother. My gaze met his almost immediately, as if I were a metal piece and he were a magnet.

“Morning, Ri.” He smiled at me, throwing an apple my way.

I barely had time to catch it before he was right in front of me, staring down at me with a smirk plastered across his face.

“Happy resumption.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me to the table, where I threw the other members of my family a quick wave.

Henry, my stepfather, took the last sip of his coffee and walked out of the house to head to work. My heart was beating wildly, and I was convinced Brian could hear how fast it was pounding.

“Would you ride with me today?” He poured me some coffee, added milk and a small spoonful of sugar, just the way I liked it.

He knew me so well, and my heart warmed at the thought of it. Ever since the tragic death of my father and my mother's remarriage, Brian has been my rock. It was only because of his help and support that I was able to get through my father's death.

Somewhere along the line, I developed a crush on him. I thought it was something simple that would go away after a few weeks, but it had been eight years, and my feelings for him only grew stronger every time I was around him.

“No, you go ahead. I'll join you at school later. I don't want to sit through your boring hockey practice.” I scrunched up my nose, trying to sound convincing.

Deep down, I knew there was nothing I enjoyed more in this world than watching him play hockey. I was his biggest fan, but if I was going to succeed in getting over him, I needed to reduce how often we were together.

He frowned, chomping on the bacon he had thrown into his mouth a few seconds earlier. “I thought you loved watching the games?”

I was about to respond when he moved closer to me. The proximity knocked the breath out of me immediately. Sweat broke out across my body, and everywhere suddenly became unbearably hot.

His fingers traced the small bump on my forehead. “What happened to you?”

A shiver ran down my spine, my tongue fell numb, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop the smell of his cologne from invading my nostrils and filling every part of my body like it was the air I breathed.

I tried to remain calm. Tried not to let my attraction to him show. I repeatedly reminded myself that he was my brother and what I felt for him was forbidden, but when he gently cupped my cheeks, my knees buckled, and I almost fell. He was quick enough to hold me up.

“You don't look so good, Ri. Should I call Mom?” He looked towards the kitchen where my mother had gone earlier.

I shook off my feelings and replied snarkily, “Of course, I'm not fine. You're way too close and hoarding all the air with your big nose. Move back.”

I pushed him back, steadying myself and using my long blonde hair to hide my rosy cheeks.

Brian cracked up, clutching his stomach and hitting the table lightly. I smiled at the sight, proud of myself for handling the situation well.

This was how it had always been between us since my mother married his father when I was eight. I teased him, and he teased me too. We became best friends almost immediately, and he has been my confidant. At least, that was how it had been until I turned ten and developed a huge crush on him.

He picked up his bag from the floor and winked at me. “You look good today. The pink highlights suit you so well.”

He was out of the door before he could see my face change colors.

“Urrrggg!” I exclaimed, falling dramatically into the chair.

I wasn't sure I was ever going to get over Brian, but I knew I needed to. He was my stepbrother and my best friend's boyfriend. I had no business wishing he was mine.

I ate my food as quickly as I could, excited to head to school and see my friends again. I hadn't seen them in months.

“Bye, Mom!” I yelled as I walked out of the house, rushed into my car, and started the journey to school.

I was a few blocks away from school when the sudden arrival of a truck from a corner caused me to come to a screeching halt. I was distracted by thoughts of Brian and had forgotten to pay attention to the road.

I closed my eyes to calm my racing heart before stepping out to see the damage I had caused.

Someone wearing the same uniform as me stepped out of the car, his face filled with fury. I recognized him immediately. It was Jaxon Fisher, the hockey captain of my school's team.

“I am so sorry. I didn't see you coming,” I pleaded, rushing over to the side of his car that I had crashed into. “I'll fix whatever damage I caused.”

He hadn't even looked at me yet. He kept grumbling as he assessed the damage my car had done to his.

“Are you stupid or just fucking blind? You must be deaf too because I honked countless times to alert you.”

I flinched at the harshness of his words but didn't respond. My head was bowed in embarrassment.

“Are you dumb too?” He turned swiftly. “Or are you ignoring—”

He trailed off when he looked at me, a smirk replacing the grimace on his face.

“I'm sorry. I really am.”

He stared at me deeply, his gaze making me so uncomfortable that I shuffled on my feet.

“It's fine. Don't worry about it, Riley. I'll see you in school. There's a surprise waiting for you.”

I stood there, shocked by his sudden change in attitude, the fact that he knew my name, and, most of all, curious about the surprise he had mentioned.

I decided to let it go and head to school, not knowing that I was about to get the biggest shock of my life—one that could potentially destroy everything I'd worked so hard to keep hidden.