Covering his hand with my own, I gave him a squeeze. “We’re getting there.”
“You know what you need to do, Phillipa.” The sternness in his voice sounded like a dad.
When I glanced up sharply, he shot me a wink and headed over to sit a couple of tables away.
“At Charlie’s insistence I pledged Delta Chi even though I don’t like the girls there. I’m not a member, so I’m rescinding my pledge and rushing a couple of houses I like better next fall. Turns out being a mean girl isn’t very fun.” She blew her nose, wiped her eyes, and stared me straight in the face. “I hurt you because I was jealous and insecure. I had no right to take those emotions out on you, and I’m sorry. In the end, I did you a favor exposing Charlie for who he truly is, but I betrayed you in the process. You’ll never know how ashamed I am, how sorry.” She sniffed back her tears. “I’m going to stand on my own.”
She slid a side-eye Wyatt’s way. Though he appeared oblivious as he scrolled through his phone, I knew by the set of his shoulders he was tuned into every word of our conversation.
“It’s going to take time, but I hope you’ll give me a second chance to be the sister you deserve.”
For a long moment, we stared into each other’s eyes, so alike yet so different. Then I reached across the table and covered her hand with mine. “I can forgive you, Pippa.”
She relaxed and squeezed my hand back.
“But I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to trust you, if I ever fully do.”
Her face fell. “I was afraid of that.” Her eyes dropped to our joined hands. “I will never betray you again. The only way I can prove it is with actions.” She slid another glance in Wyatt’s direction. “I’ll start by giving you space and figuring out my own problems without demanding you come to my rescue. And I’ll tell our parents the truth.”
“Thanks, Pippa. I know this was super-hard for you, but I needed you to own how much your betrayal hurt. I need you to be strong enough to stand on your own. Because I’m with Wyatt now, and you’re never going to be the center of my world again. You need to accept that.”
A chuckle slipped out of her. “You two are going to be great parents someday.”
“Excuse me?”
“He told me something similar when he demanded I grow up and let you go.”
I turned my head and caught his eye since he’d dropped all pretense of not eavesdropping. We exchanged a grin, and I returned my attention to my sister.
“I guess I’ll see you again at dinner when our parents grace us with their presence on your birthday.”
Her expression turned glum. “If they come for my birthday. Since I plan to come clean with them before then, it’s anyone’s guess if they’ll have time to celebrate my big day.”
“They’ll be here.” I closed my hand over hers again. “If they’re not, Wyatt and I will be here. You’ll have your celebration.”
When I stood, Wyatt walked over and joined us. “You work some things out?”
Shaking my head, I grinned at him. “You’d make a lousy spy, you know that?”
“Ha! Little do you know, Piper Maxwell.” He twirled pretend mustachios. “The things I could tell you about my roommates that they don’t think I know.”
We smiled at each other like a pair of loons.
“You two are actually sickeningly adorable together,” Pippa said as she rose from her chair.
“Adorable covers it without the qualifier,” Wyatt said as he draped his arm over my shoulders, pulling me close to his side and brushing a kiss over my temple.
Pippa had perfected the little-sister eye roll, but for once I wasn’t the recipient. “Whatever.”
As I sat in the front seat of Wyatt’s behemoth of a truck, months of sadness, anger, and pain lifted from me, leaving me lighter than I’d been all year. Pippa and I still had a long way to go, but it was good to be back on speaking terms again. Turning my head on the seat, I stared at the man responsible.
“Thank you.”
Reaching across the console, he fingered my hair and rubbed the pad of his finger along my jaw. “It’s not good to be estranged from your family, babe.”
“No, it isn’t.” I covered his hand with mine. “But I doubt Pippa and I would have made it this far if you hadn’t stepped in.”
“Every time you talked about her I heard the pain in your voice. After the way you reacted to the stunt she pulled at Fitz’s party, I had no choice but to step in.” He leaned over and brushed a soft kiss over my mouth. “Your happiness is everything to me.”
