Love and Chaos: A Growing Pains Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

the fragrant air. “It’s beautiful here,” she breathed, eyes scanning constantly. “So picturesque.”
    “You’ve never been up this way?” Peter asked .
    Cassie shook her head, turning left where the navigation directed. “I lived in San Francisco for a while, but I never went north past Sausalito. Then I followed Sean to Krista in L.A. and here we are.”
    Peter heaved a huge sigh, something he was doing a lot lately, as they turned off the two-lane road onto a gravelly one-lane road hugged by weeds and bushes. They wound towards the top of a small hill before a lovely house with a wrap-around porch came into view. It nestled beautifully between exquisite gardening and lush green trees, the many large windows facing a valley below.
    “Wow. ” Cassie slowed so she could take in the manicured rows of grapes behind the house and the flame of fall colors crisping the vegetation. “This is…”
    “Yeah, it’s nice.” Peter stared at the cars parked in the grass and brush off to the sides of the driveway close to the house. His hand found his stomach and started rubbing slowly.
    “You okay?”
    He nodded, his eyes finding something near the house. “Jace is here. Good. Two black sheep and two perfect soldiers. He usually takes a bunch of the disappointment from my parents, leaving me without as much.”
    “Jace is the oldest one, right? Why are your parents disappointed with him?” Cassie followed his gaze. Her stomach heaved uncomfortably and then filled with butterflies as she recognized a shiny black Harley right next to the porch.
    Of course he was Peter’s unavailable brother. “I just can’t win.”
    “What?” Peter glanced her way, his finger in the air, about to tell her where to park.
    “Let me guess, I should park next to the outrageously loud motorcycle.”
    “Yeah. There’s a spot up there. Who owns the truck, I wonder…”
    As Cassie crept up the long driveway, past cars parked to the right and left, Peter said, “He’s engaged to this horrible woman. She’s just after him for his money. We all know it. And, last I heard, she cheated on him. My mother said they were trying to work it out.” Peter rolled his eyes. “Jace doesn’t like to give up on people. He tries to stick it out to make it work.”
    Cassie grimaced, because she’d been cheated on a time or two in her life, and it was no fun. Not at all. “That’s commendable.”
    “But he brought the Harley, which means he didn’t bring that wench of a fiancée. Good.”
    “Yikes!”
    “I’m sorry, sweetie, but that woman just brings out the bitch in me! The whole family hates her. And what’s more, she knows it. She doesn’t get along with anyone. Why he won’t just cut her loose is beyond me.”
    Cassie put the car in park and checked her hair. Peter smoothed his pants, a small smear of swe at from his palms darkening the fabric along his thigh. “Look at this. God, I hate this. I’m shaking.”
    He shook out his hands and gave her a baleful look. “Time to strap on the straight man.”
    “So, what’s your persona? What do they think of you?”
    Peter sighed hugely yet again, his eyebrows dipping with the emotion that welled up. “They think I’m a happy little hedro who needs to get a wife and pop out some babies, like my brothers. Demetri is being groomed to take over the family business—he’s the second oldest—and Nick is some regional manager over satellite stores that sell cell phones or something. Sounds dumb, but he makes a good income. Jace has a great job and stable life except for his fiancée, and still they badger him constantly. And I also have a great job—even though it’s in fashion—but they’ll rail on me for being single. Which is why I brought you. They are an anti-gay family. Civil rights are for women and people of a different race, only. And those only because they already happened, probably.”
    Cassie patted him on the arm. “It’s okay. I’m going to wow and delight them.