“I bet he did, and I’m sure you showed him how much you appreciated him over and over again.” She laughed.
“I most certainly did not. I already told you?—”
Before I could finish, a knock at the front door pulled my attention away from the conversation. I frowned and made my way inside.
The knock came again, more insistent this time.
Ocean had stepped out, so my first thought was maybe he left his key, but that thought left my mind the moment I heard my mother’s voice.
“Skye, open this door.”
I opened the door, and there she was, side by side with Leera.
My stomach twisted, but I squared my shoulders, determined not to give my emotions away too quickly.
“Mom,” I said cautiously. “What are you doing here? How did you know where?—”
“I knew your little butt was lying about staying with Nyx. I turned your location on when you weren’t looking.”
“Mom!”
“Anyway,” she said, waving me off. “I’m leaving tomorrow, and I’m not leaving without trying one last time to get you two to work this out.”
Leera looked uncomfortable, shifting from foot to foot. “I really don’t feel like this is necessary.”
Mom crossed her arms and leaned back against the doorframe. “You don’t get to decide that. Skye, Leera, this family doesn’t run on grudges. It runs on love, and y’all are wasting it.”
I exhaled slowly. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Start with the truth, and I’m not talking about your truth, Skye. We already know that.” She looked at Leera. “I’m talking about you. Just be honest for once. No games, no holding back.”
Leera shifted, and I could see the hesitation in her eyes. “Okay…” she began. “Look, I know I haven’t wanted to hear what you had to say, and yes it may be because I felt like there was some truth to it. But, you have to understand…I love Kory and deep down I know he loves me. He just...he made a mistake.”
“And you think that’s okay? That he tried to sleep with your sister?”
“No, it’s not okay. But it was before we got married. Men do stupid shit.”
My mouth opened a little, but I forced myself to close it.
I didn’t have the energy to tell her why that statement was such a problem. That mentality was the reason I’d allowed myself to be mistreated for so long. I didn’t want that for my sister. But just like no one could force me to see the truth, I can’t force her to either.
“I hear you,” I said carefully. “And I’m not here to force anything on you. I just…I want us to move forward. Kory and I won’t ever get along, but you’re my sister and I love you. I want to fix us.”
Leera looked at me, her eyes softening, and I could feel the walls between us start to crack. It wasn’t a lot, but it was something.
“I want that too,” she admitted quietly. “I don’t want to fight anymore.”
I nodded, feeling the weight in my chest lift slightly. “I don’t either,” I said. “We can start fresh. No more letting anger or old stuff get in the way.”
Mom clapped her hands together. “That’s my girls! Now, let’s celebrate with food. I’m starving.”
Leera and I exchanged a small, almost shy smile, a silent acknowledgment that something had shifted. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t magically fixed. But it was the beginning. The first step. And that mattered more than anything else right now.
“Food sounds great,” I said.
Mom threw her arm around me as we moved toward the front door. “That’s what I’m talking about. Progress. Finally.”
Leera fell in step beside me, a little closer than usual. The distance that had hung between us for so long felt smaller now. And as I walked, I realized that maybe leaving the past behind didn’t mean forgetting. It meant choosing something better, choosing each other, choosing family over grudges and resentment.
