After breakfast, we’d depart for classes and resume our “lessons” in the evenings.

Avery and her friends weren’t ecstatic to find the enemy in home territory, but once I told Avery there was no new girl and explained the new Kevin, they slowly warmed up to the idea. Avery began coming around after the first night. The rest took a few more days and Claudia joined the next week, a few days before the big road trip. Except Shell. She wasn’t allowed because she began flirting with Kevin within five minutes of being around him. She was banned from any event that involved my stepbrother.

“Kevin, are you going this weekend?” one of the girls asked from the couch.

Kevin and I hadn’t discussed the road trip.

As I looked down at my lap, I could feel his gaze on me as he answered, “Uh, I’m not sure.”

Avery asked, “You’re back in the frat house, right?”

“Yeah.”

I could hear caution in his voice.

“Then you should go. Why wouldn’t you?”

“Is that your personal approval?” He sounded like he was joking. “You guys used to hate me. Now you’d be okay hanging out with me over an entire weekend?”

“Well…” Avery coughed, clearing her throat. “I mean, you’re trying to change. Who are we to judge that? You know?”

“Thank you for that, but I really don’t think it’s up to me whether I go or not.”

I felt all the attention on me then, and I looked up. Yep. Four pairs of eyes were looking right at me. Avery. Claudia. Two of their friends. The only one not looking was Kevin, and I knew he was trying to be nice. A twinge of guilt flared up.

“You should come,” I said.

He shifted, turning to look at me. “You sure?”

The girls didn’t know about my feelings for Caden, but Kevin did. My neck was stiff as I nodded. “Yeah. I think you should come.”

“Well, fuck. This weekend just got a lot more interesting,” Claudia said, shifting back in the desk chair. “Marcus, Caden, and now Matthews. Dude, if you smart off to either of the brothers, I’m not wading in for your defense. I’m clarifying that off the bat.”

Kevin’s dimples formed, but his lips didn’t move as he held back a grin. “Thanks for the warning.”

“The more you know, Kev. The more you know.”

Avery’s eyebrows furrowed together, and she kept glancing at me. Then the girl who’d brought up the weekend plans in the first place said, “He’s not with Maggie anymore, so why would it even be a problem?”

I winced. There was no reason. I had feelings for Caden. Kevin was my stepbrother. Yes, there were lingering issues between Marcus and Kevin, but—oh, hell. I was lying to myself. I’d been avoiding Caden for two weeks, and it was only partly because of my feelings for him. The other part of it was Kevin. I knew Caden wouldn’t have been happy about my spending time with him, even though it was about strengthening my family relationship with Kevin.

“Um…” Kevin’s voice was soft. “You’re right. It wouldn’t matter anymore, unless Maggie’s going too.”

Claudia snorted. “No way. She’s not invited. The only person who still talks to her in here is Avery.”

“Hey,” Avery said. “She’s friends with all my high school friends. There’s history there. It’s really hard for me to walk away from—”

“We know.” Claudia cut her off. “I’m not giving you shit. I hope you’ll be as forgiving with me if I ever mess up like that.”

Avery frowned. “Thanks, Claudia. I appreciate that.”

Claudia snapped her fingers and pointed at Avery. “That’s what friends are for.”

Kevin smirked. “Forgiveness.”

Claudia shrugged, sending him a sly smile. “Appreciation.”

“AH! No. Right there.”

Claudia’s head snapped around to the other girl on the couch. She’d been quiet almost the entire time, so I kept forgetting her name, but pointed at Claudia now. “You were flirting with him. Stop flirting.”

“I was not.”

Avery looked at everyone. “What? I missed it.”

“She was totally flirting. I saw that little smile you sent him. All seductive-like.”

“I wasn’t.” Claudia said to Kevin, “I wasn’t flirting. Tell her.”

Kevin didn’t say anything, looking to me instead.

Well, crappers. I knew where this was going. Claudia scared me.

He raised an eyebrow. “Were you watching?”

Claudia turned to me, waiting too.

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. “Don’t put me in the middle of this.”

“I wasn’t flirting!”

Kevin snorted. “Right.”

“I wasn’t.”

The quiet friend threw her hands in the air. “Even the guy is admitting to it. ’Fess up, Claudia. It’s okay if you admit it.”

“That’s all bullshit.” Claudia’s shoulders stiffened. “Kevin, you know I didn’t mean anything by that.”

He leaned back and spread his legs out. “Uh, pretty sure that same smile was why we hooked up in the first place.”

Everyone went still after that, and I heard Avery mutter under her breath, “Oh, no.”

“Wait.” Their first friend snapped to attention as she looked from Kevin to Claudia and back again. “You two hooked up?”