My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 570

Chapter 570

Mom let out the softest laugh, the sound quiet and breathy.

“…I was… wondering…” she paused to catch her breath. “…why… so much… foundation.”

I covered my face with both hands, “Please don’t.”

Another tiny laugh escaped her, “…I… didn’t… say… anything.”

I groaned into my hands, “Mama…”

I wrapped both of my hands around hers where they rested in her lap.

Her eyes crinkled with amusement, “…My… little girl…” She drew another careful breath. “…isn’t… so… little… anymore.”

I peeked at her through my fingers, “You are enjoying this far too much.”

Her smile softened as she looked at me for a long moment, “…You…” She paused, gathering enough breath to finish. “…haven’t smiled… like this… in… a long… time. Whoever… did… this… I hope… they spend… the rest… of… their life… protecting… that smile.”

I laughed softly, “He tries.”

As if the universe had been listening, footsteps echoed across the stone path..I smiled before I even turned my head. I already knew who it was. I always did. There was something about him I couldn’t explain. I could feel him before I saw him, as though my heart had learned the sound of his presence long before my ears ever could.

Raphael came into view carrying a small insulated medical case in one hand and a folder tucked beneath his arm.

He stopped beside us, “Good afternoon, Hazel.”

Mom smiled, “Raphael.”

He crouched beside her wheelchair before opening the case, “I spoke with your neurologist this morning. There was a delay with one of your prescriptions,” he removed a neatly labeled medication box, “It won’t be delayed anymore.”

He placed it carefully into the storage pouch attached to the back of her wheelchair as he continued checking the medication list.

He was all I could think about.

I watched the way his hands moved while he talked. The calm way he explained everything, the patience in his voice, the care not because anyone expected it because this was simply who he was.

Without thinking, my eyes drifted to his mouth.

I wanted to kiss him, right here, in the middle of the gardens, in front of my mother. The realization made my cheeks grow warm. I quickly looked away.

I looked at Mom. She looked peaceful and happy. There was color in her cheeks today. She was sitting beside the man who had gone out of his way to make her life a little easier, completely unaware that somewhere along the way…

I’d fallen in love with him.

I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted to tell her that Raphael was gentle in all the ways that mattered, that he noticed things nobody else noticed, that he remembered every tiny detail about me.

That he made me feel safe.

That every day, somehow, he found another quiet way to love me. I wanted to tell her that I was happy, truly happy, maybe happier than I’d ever been, because she was here and he was right beside us.