"We kissed," I admit. "A couple times. And we've been...I don't know, dancing around each other. But nothing's happened. Not really."
"Yet," Reagan adds, her eyebrow arching knowingly.
I shrug, not denying it. "Maybe. I want it too."
Reagan closes her eyes for a moment, like she's gathering strength. When she opens them again, there's a resolve there I recognize all too well.
"Four years ago, I told Ramsey to stay away from you."
"You WHAT?" I nearly spill my wine, setting it down with a thud. "What the fuck, Reagan?"
"Calm down," she says, holding up a hand. "It was rightafter you moved in with us. I mean I told him jokingly the first time he saw you, when you called me after Penn’s little movie night package, when you were at the fuck ass boarding school."
"What the actual fuck?" I stand up, pacing the living room floor. "You can't just drop a bomb like that. What do you mean you told him to stay away from me?"
Reagan watches me with that infuriatingly calm expression she always gets when she thinks she's being the responsible one.
"I saw how he looked at you the first time he saw you on that FaceTime call," she explains, rubbing her belly absently. "Penn has just sent you the package. It was like...fuck, Reese. It was like someone had just shown a starving man a feast. Penn saw it too."
"So what, you just decided to police who I could besomethingwith?" My voice rises, anger bubbling up. "I was seventeen years old!"
"Yeah, exactly, and he was nineteen and already had a reputation that would make a fucking porn star blush." Reagan shifts again, wincing as the baby kicks. "Listen, I've known Ramsey a lot longer than you have. The way he watched you, even through a goddamn screen—it wasn't normal, Reese."
"Define normal," I snap, crossing my arms over my chest.
"He knew everything about you there was to find out. You know how fucking good he is at hacking. Kept finding excuses to be at our place whenever you might call again." Reagan's voice softens slightly. "And when youfinally moved in with us after our sperm donor kicked the fucking can? Shit, Reese. I practically had to threaten Penn that his cousin better keep his dick in his pants when it came to you."
I sink back onto the couch, trying to process this. Four fucking years. Has Ramsey wanted me for four years?
"Why didn't you ever tell me this before?" I ask, my anger deflating slightly.
"Because I knew you'd react exactly like this," Reagan sighs, her hand making small circles on her bump. "Look, I'm not saying he's a bad guy. He's family, and I love him. But Ramsey's...intense. He gets fixated on things. People."
"I'm not a thing," I mutter.
"No, you're not. You're my baby sister who's been through enough shit already." Reagan reaches for my hand, squeezing it tightly. "I just wanted to protect you."
"From Ramsey?" The idea seems absurd now, after everything we've been through together. "He's never been anything but good to me."
"Because he's been on his best behavior," Reagan counters. "You haven't seen what he's like when someone tries to take something he considers his."
I stare at her, my heart pounding in my chest. "What do you mean, 'something he considers his'? Has he done something I don't know about?"
Reagan shifts uncomfortably, avoiding my eyes. "Let's just say Justin wasn't the first guy who got warned off. He was too stupid though and stayed around."
"What the fuck?" I stand up again, unable to contain my nervous energy. "Are you seriously telling me Ramsey hasbeen scaring off guys who were interested in me? For four fucking years?"
"Not all of them," Reagan says carefully.
"And who the fuck made him the judge of that?" I snap, then immediately deflate, sinking back down onto the couch. "Jesus, Reagan. Why didn't you stop him?"
She gives me a look that's half-amused, half-exasperated. "Have you ever tried to stop Ramsey Blackwood from doing something he's set his mind to? It's like trying to stop a fucking freight train with your bare hands. Plus, I happen to trust his judgment on this."
"You both just…manipulated everything from behind the scenes?"
Reagan sighs heavily. "We were trying to protect you."
"From what? Getting fucked properly?" The words fly out before I can stop them.
