Their love floods me. For the first time in years, I feel whole. “You will,” I croak. “I promise.”
“Ahem.” Ginny clears her throat. “As lovely as this whole reunion is, shouldn’t we address the elephant in the room?”
“The elephant in the room?” I ask.
“Don’t worry, Sis, I didn’t mean you. You haven’t fattened up that much yet, though I’m surprised your ass isn’t bursting out of those shorts.” Yulian’s gaze narrows at Ginny’s jab, but she doesn’t seem to realize how close she’s courting danger. “I’m talking about the house.”
“The house?” I frown.
“Yes. Specifically, the one the bank just took from us.”
I freeze. “The bank…?”
“How dense can you be?” She rolls her eyes and fishes out an open envelope from her bag.Great—another letter.“Here. See for yourself.”
I’m about to take it, but Yulian beats me to it.
He doesn’t open it, however. Not yet. Instead, he keeps glaring at my sister.
“Well?” Ginny asks, swallowing her anxiety. “Is there something on my f?—”
“You are Mia’s family,” he cuts in. “That means you are all welcome here anytime.”
“Great. That’s good to?—”
“But as long as you’re under my roof, you will treat her with respect.” His voice drops dangerously low. “Are we clear?”
Ginny’s gaze darts to our parents for support. When it finds none, her jaw sets, lips pressed into a thin, trembling line.
“Crystal,” she bites out.
“Good. Then you can all take a seat.”
I’m stunned. No one has ever defended me like that—not since Yulian snatched Brad’s wrist out of the air the night of his wedding and made him regret every ugly word he shot my way.
He still has my back.The realization sinks in slowly, like honey into warm milk.Despite everything that’s happened, he still leaps to my defense.
And yet I’m still keeping things from him.
Torn by my guilt, I sit down with the rest of my family around the coffee table. The mere concept of us in the same space feels like the beginning of a joke:Four Collinses walk into a room…
Collins. I haven’t called myself that in ages.
Ginny clears her throat. “As I was saying, the bank took the house. It was all very sudden. Apparently, some mortgage payments haven’t gone through this year, but no one told us.”
“Some?” I ask.
“Er, all of them.”
Mother of—“How could that happen?” I burst. “Mom and Dad had the payments set to automatic withdrawal!”
“We think it was a blip from the bank’s system.” Dad sighs. “But they didn’t care to hear us out. The money’s gone, and wherever it went, it’s not in our pockets anymore. There are no statements, either, so we can’t prove we ever paid. We’re fighting it, of course, but in the meantime, no one will rent to us with this hanging over our heads.” He presses a hand to his temples, as if this whole conversation is giving him a major headache. “Ginny, dear, could you pass me the?—?”
“Yep.” She hands him a single-dose sachet of nimesulide.He’s taking migraine meds,I realize. “Want some water with that?”
“No, thank you, dear.” He pours the contents under his tongue and swallows with practiced ease. “Now, where were we?”
“Bank left us homeless.”
