She pulls back so fast, I’m surprised she didn’t get whiplash. “What?!”
“The stigma. I also feared you wouldn’t believe me—and I know how stupid that sounds, Alysa, but it’s how he wired me. ‘No one would believe you.’ It may as well have been tattooed in my brain.”
“I would’ve believed you?—”
“I know?—”
“Keoni would’ve believed you?—”
“Alysa, I know…”
“Dad… Leilani. We would’ve… done anything to stop what he was doing…”
Tears well in my eyes, and I lean away, head tilting down. I can feel my heart beginning to rocket around in my chest, my skin beginning to tingle, when I hear his voice.
“He knows, Alysa.”
I look up, and he’s sheepishly standing at the cusp of the hall toward the bedrooms. He hadn’t fully left, it would seem, and that makes the onslaught of panic that was ready to consume me disappear almost entirely.
“We can say ‘he should’ve done something different’ or ‘I would’ve done this’… but we shouldn’t. No one knows what they’d do until they’re in that position. No one should tell someone else howtheyshould’ve reacted.” He shakes his head, eyes coming to hold mine. “You survived, Ayden, and that’s what matters.”
Survived.
“Y-You’re right. I’m… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”
“It’s alright,” I whisper and pull her back into a hug. “I know what you’re trying to say.”
“I just love you s-so much. I hate that motherfucker!”
“We can all agree on that,” Keo mutters under his breath.
A soft meow fills the space before Clover jumps into my lap, then into Alysa’s.
“And he’s still trying to get you back?—”
“Over my dead body,” Keoni damn near growls. “Michael will not win this bullshit case he’s trying to create, and Ayden will not be going back to him. No matter fucking what. I’ll kill that son of a bitch before that ever happens.”
Yeah, I really love when he gets all protective over me.
A snot-filled laugh comes from Alysa. “Best big brother ever.”
“Aly…” he groans.
That has me smiling for the first time this morning.
“Thank you for telling me,” she murmurs, causing me to look at her. She, too, has her lips curled into a gentle smile. “I hope that I can be as strong as you are, righty.”
My chest warms, and I suck in a deep breath through my nose. “You already are, sis. Thank you.”
43
Christmas Eve
“It’s your fault for getting the tallest fucking tree,” Alysa says, swatting the back of my head. “We may be making new traditions, but I will forever put the star on the top. It’s my calling.”
“It seems nothing has changed,” Ayden says, reaching up and handing a large golden star to his sister.
I adjust her on my shoulder, and she shrieks. “Drop me, and I swear to god, Keoni Pierce!”
