She smiled. “Maybe.” She patted the bed beside her. “Come sit with me and tell me what you’ve been up to. I’m bored out of my mind here.”
I sat, and Markie leaned her head against my shoulder.
“It’s almost Christmas, isn’t it?” she asked.
I nodded. Christmastime in Vegas felt weird. The temperature had dropped, and there was holiday crap everywhere, but there was none of the snow we were so used to from back home. “It’s next week.”
She blew out a breath. “I missed your birthday.”
“You’ve been a bit busy.”
“We need to do something. Preferably something with cake and ice cream. Maybe we can even go out for dinner. Then on the way home, we can stop and get a Christmas tree to decorate. You don’t have any Christmas decorations, do you?”
My sister was a force to be reckoned with when she set her mind to something. The mischievous glint in her eye told me she was bound and determined to fill the world with Christmas spirit. I’d disliked the holiday ever since mom and dad died, and I wasn’t looking forward to her making a big deal out of it. “Are you sure you’re ready for all that?” I asked.
“Yes.” She threw back the covers and put her feet on the floor, gingerly standing as she held onto the bed. “I have been dying for a long time, Ari. I’m ready to live again.”
Her words made no sense, because Markie lived harder than anyone I knew. My thrill-seeking, daring, crazy big sister was the most courageous person I knew, and she’d be jumping from the Ozone again in no time.
“No, I don’t have any Christmas decorations. You know how much I hate the holidays.”
Last year I’d celebrated at a rager, and I couldn’t remember a damn thing about it. It was the best Christmas I’d had in a long time.
“Angel’s parents invited us to Christmas dinner. A huge family dinner. I can’t wait! You’ll come, right?”
Christmas dinner with a scary, dangerous mob family. Only Markie would be excited about that. “I’ll think about it.”
She beamed a smile at me.
It was good to see her healthy and happy, but I could feel the weight of secrets between us. I needed to get everything off my chest and clear the air. I’d never been good at beating around the bush or pulling my punches, so I just came right out and asked, “Did Matt come visit me at the hospital?”
Markie’s expression fell. “I take it you’ve spoken to him.”
“Yeah. He said you threatened to call the cops if he didn’t leave me alone.”
She spun around, losing her balance. I reached for her as she planted both hands on the bed and held herself upright, wincing in pain.
“You okay?” I asked.
She took a couple of deep breaths. “Will be. I think I moved a little too quickly. My head is spinning.”
“Want me to get you some pain pills?”
“No. They’ll knock me out.”
“You need your rest,” I replied.
“I have been doing nothingbutresting. I swear I’m going to lose my mind if I don’t get out of here soon. Christmas is coming, and I need to buy presents and do things. I’m sure the orphanage needs all kinds of help right now. I don’t even know if the kids have presents.”
“I get it.” She sounded so worried and frustrated it made me feel bad for even brining Matt up. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this now.”
“No, we need to.” She collapsed back down on the bed, seemingly worn out from standing for a couple of minutes. “I should have told you he stopped by. I’m sorry, Ari.”
Her apology caught me off guard. I’d been expecting her to list off all the reasons Matt was bad for me as she justified keeping me away from him. I expected her to treat me like a little kid she needed to protect and shelter, but instead, she’d come clean.
She rolled onto her side, facing me. “Forgive me?”
How could I say no to such an honest request? Still stunned, I nodded.
