Love All Out - Part 2 (A Stepbrother Romance) by Alice Ward Page A

pinstriped shirt and left it open at the neck. A grey fedora with a pale blue hat band completed his look. I’d barely taken my eyes off of him since we left the hotel, and I caught him staring back at me more often than not.
    Renee had offered to take me shopping for an outfit, but I’d known what I wanted to wear that day for as long as I could remember. I was dressed in a nineteen twenties, drop-waist gown made of cream colored silk and lace. The bodice was embroidered with rhinestones and pearls, as was the satin cloche hat covering my long blonde curls. My mother had worn the vintage outfit to the Derby the year Aces High won the Triple Crown. Wearing it to watch my horses run made me feel closer to her, and I hoped some of her luck would rub off on me.
    Renee stumbled on a patch of loose dirt and instinctively reached for Daddy to balance herself. He tensed at her touch and jerked his arm away once she was steady on her feet.
    “Cole, please,” she pleaded. “I told you, we just ran into each other. We were talking, that’s all.”
    I couldn’t see Daddy’s face, but his tight shoulders told me all I needed to know. “Renee, we’re not talking about this today,” he said sternly. “Today is about Willow.”
    James and I were a few feet behind the others. He moved closer to me and whispered from the corner of his mouth as we walked. “Cole’s right about one thing… this is your day. And I’m going to make sure you enjoy every minute of it.”
    I nodded towards our parents and raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I’m not so sure that’s possible. God, I wish Matt were here.”
    James looked down at me with a sly grin. “I’ll try not to take offense to that.”
    I slowed my pace and we fell further behind the group. “I also wish that we could be here together ,” I confessed softly.
    James chuckled and I gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. “We are here together,” he reminded me.
    “You know what I mean,” I sighed.
    “I know, I know,” he nodded. “It’s all I can do to keep my hands off of you. You look amazing in that dress, Willow.”
    I blushed and tilted my head down in embarrassment. “Thank you… you look pretty amazing yourself. And here I was, worried you’d show up in Wranglers and your filthy Stetson.”
    James looped my arm through his as we neared our entrance. “Believe me, I’d be much more comfortable in a t-shirt and some dirty boots right now. But like I said, this is your big day. I wanted to dress for the occasion.”
    Bradley held open the door and we all filed through the entryway. I tried to pull away from James, but he put his hand over my arm and held me in place. Bradley’s eye’s narrowed as we walked past him, but James and I pretended not to notice. Daddy, Renee, and the Millers lined up in front of the elevators while James guided me towards the staircase.
    “Willow and I are going to walk,” James called out to the group. “She’s too restless to stand in line. We’ll meet you up there.”
    We turned away without giving anyone a chance to join us.
    “Did you see the look on his face?” I hissed as we made our way up the first flight of stairs. “Why didn’t you let go of me? Bradley’s not stupid and he’s a total ass. If he figures out what’s going on between us…”
    “Relax, Willow,” James interrupted in a calm, smooth voice. “I’m simply escorting my single, soon to be stepsister on an important day in her career. We’re in the South; this is considered good manners here. Believe me, if I hadn’t gotten to you first, you’d be stuck on Bradley’s arm and he’d be explaining all of this to you.”
    I shuddered at the thought. “Thanks for saving me from that.”
    “It was my pleasure,” James smirked. “We’re going to have fun today. And as long as we don’t make out in front of anyone, I think our secret’s safe.”
    We stepped out onto the second floor landing and I retrieved my nude high heels from my purse. I