The cabin creaked under the weight of the storm. Wind howled through the trees, rain hammering the wooden roof like nature had a bone to pick. I wrapped my arms tighter around my sweatshirt, but it did nothing for the heat building under my skin.
Not from the weather. From them.
Jaxon, Ezra, and Caleb.
My stepbrothers.
We hadn’t grown up together—thank God—but we’d been “family” for just under six months since Mom married their dad. Six months of awkward holidays, stiff greetings, and stolen glances I pretended not to notice.
This weekend was supposed to be a bonding retreat. A family thing. Mom and their dad were supposed to come too, but their flight got canceled. And now, it was just the four of us. In one cabin. For three nights.
Great.
Jaxon tossed another log into the fireplac
