Petra
Holy shit. CONGRATULATIONS!
Esme
That’s incredible. I’m so happy for you.
Guilt spun in my chest.
Esmewashappy for me. She would be. My sister didn’t have an unkind bone in her body.
But being who I was made life difficult for her. I tried to do what I could to make it better, but there wasn’t anything I could do about the people who sought her out purely because they wanted someone likeme.
Her happiness for me would be mixed with her own longing and grief. I wanted a pack… no, Ihada pack now. Holy shit.
Esme wanted a pack more than she wanted to breathe. So it would hurt her, even if she didn’t want it to.
I flipped to our private conversation.
Eva
I’m so sorry.
Esme
Why?
Eva
I just… I am.
Esme
Don’t apologize for finding what we all want. There’s nothing to be sorry for. I really am happy for you. Please don’t think about me.
Eva
You’re my twin. Thinking about you kind of comes with the territory. And I know.
Esme
Yeah.
I’ll be okay.
Eva
You sure?
Esme
Promise.
Please have fun. And when you come up for air, you can tell me everything.
Eva
Sharp, tingling mint tickled my nose, followed by the dark richness of bourbon. Liam stood in front of me. “Ready.”
