However,we’ve done this dance too many times, and it always ends with me crashing and burning.
“I know…”
“Iz,” she whispers, “Nix needs you right now. She needs her big brother more than I need—“ Her voice trails off, and silence enshrouds the line before she ends the call. Once again, I’m left stranded in the land of longing and agony, silently cursing myself for pushing her again, but I couldn’t help it. I never can.
Every part of me wants every fucking part of her, and I just can’t be subtle with it.
My hands tangle in her wet hair as my inexperienced mouth finds hers. A moan escapes our lips, only to be drowned in each other’s mouths. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I want to feel every inch of her, kiss her as I’ve seen in the movies her mom watches. Ronnie finally told me the reason she’s been distant. And I’m pissed that Alexalied. Told her we hooked up when I hadn’t even had my first kiss. That has changed, though.
It doesn’t matter that we are both inexperienced.
We will be each other’s first… We will be each other’s everything...
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway pulls us away from our kiss. I jump to my feet and walk toward the window, watching our parents climb out of my father’s car, and what happens next makes my blood run cold. My body freezes in place as my father takes her mother in his arms and kisses her. The kiss is not a quick peck, but very much like the ones I would see in movies. The very same thing that I want to spend a lifetime recreating with Ronnie.
“What the fuck?” I snap my eyes, glued to our parents who walk hand in hand. Happy. My father’s walking towards the door, holding her like a precious gemstone. My heart sinks to my ass, causing something ugly to twist inside me.
It all feels suffocating, in slow motion, the moment they step inside and ask us to take a seat. My body moves mindlessly, plopping myself next to Ronnie, who looks just as sick as I feel.
“Guys, we have something to say.” My father is the one to break the heavy silence, looking over at Mariana, and continues, “We are dating.”
I could have died right there, the ground opening wide beneath us—swallowing us whole, I’m sure. My frowns turn into a deadly glare, anger flowing through me.
“What the fuck?” I ask as I kick over the coffee table. “Since when?” I grip my hair. “Why?” The question rushes past the lump forming in my throat, and along with it, a single tear when I look over at Ronnie, who’s already crying.
“Isaac,” my father snaps, only to be silenced by Mariana. “I thought you guys would be happy,” Ronnie’s mom chimes in. Do I look fucking happy? I turn to her, anger still seething through every cell in my body. From the corner of my eyes, I can still see Ronnie as she plays with her fingers, trying not to look up at her mother or at me. My heart lurches, my stomach flipping almost as if in a warning, and then the other shoe drops.
“We’re expecting,” she whispers. “We’re having a baby.”
The blood drains from Ronnie’s face as she stands from the couch and rushes toward her room. The ground opens wider, swallowing not only me but the world. My lungs seize inside my chest, making it difficult to breathe. No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop the stinging in my eyes or the blur in my vision as I glare at my father before storming out of the house and running down to mine.
Tears stream down my face, feeling the pieces of my heart crumble…
Chapter Nine
Isaac
The memory fades away when I pull into the driveway and see Nixie’s big smile, steel gray eyes, and long black waves greeting me as she runs to the passenger seat of my car.
“Hi, asshat,” she mocks.
“Respect your elders, kid,” I roll my eyes and snort at her comment. “You shouldn’t be cursing, booger.” The look on her face makes using her nickname worth the pout. “How are you?” She scrunches her nose much like her older sister and arches her right eyebrow like me, finally responding.
“Booger? I outgrew that nickname a long time ago. Iz, I’m twelve now,” she says, sliding into the leather seat with ease and closing the door.
“Where to, princess?” I ask.
“School, duh, but really I want to go see Ronnie.” I pause and look at my baby sister. “Ronnie… why?”
She shrugs, her slender shoulders bobbing up and down in her oversized varsity jacket.
“Max wants to propose to her, and she’s been distant. She hasn’t come around, and I miss her. Have you seen her?”
I shake my head in reply.
Nixie’s face lights up as she looks at me, stormy irises dancing with so much mischief, giving me a much-needed serotonin boost.
“Brother-sisters day?” she asks, and I smile, not missing the extra ‘s’ she added to the word sister. Which means I’ve fallen victim to a trap of hooky. One I wasalready expecting to fall for. There’s no way I can deny my baby sister anything. I would do anything for Nixie and Ronnie. Absolutely anything for my girls.
