“You put walls up so high around your heart that even when someone as patient and kindhearted as Gabriel has to clime them blindfolded.”
“I’m not trying to push him away,” I whisper. “But what if I already did?”
Kenna shakes her head. “Gabriel loves you. Anyone with eyes can see how down bad that man is for you. And you love him too, don’t you?”
I hesitate.
She stares me down. “Don’t lie. I know you.”
The silence between us is like a rope pulled too tight.
Kenna doesn’t let up. “You can’t let fear ruin this. You two are perfect together. You deserve this, Millie. You deserve him.”
“I do,” I finally whisper. “I love him.”
She exhales like she’s been holding her breath. “Then why are you sabotaging it?”
I sit up straighter, voice sharper than I intend. “I’m not the only one scared, Ken. Gabriel’s not exactly Mr. Emotionally Available. And while we’re on the subject, maybe you should stop giving advice you don’t take yourself.”
Kenna cocks her head to the side, confused. “Excuse me?”
My heart skips a beat as the words leave my mouth before I can stop them. “Oh, come on, Kenna. You’ve been pushing me to “let go and love’ when you’ve had the same problems for years. At least Gabriel is here, showing me that he cares. But you? You’ve been running from your feelings for years.”
I can see the immediate shift in her face, the defensiveness she always puts up, crumbling for just a second. “I’m not running from anything,” she says, but the words don’t sound as confident as they normally do.
I lean forward, pushing my point. “What about Cole?”
She freezes. And for a moment, I feel guilty for bringing it up. Cole—her high school sweetheart, the guy who has been in prison for years. The guy I know Kenna has been waiting for, holding on to the love they shared.
Her expression falters, and I can tell I’ve hit a nerve. “What about him?” she says quietly, but I know she’s not asking becauseshe wants to discuss him. She’s asking because she doesn’t want to admit what she already knows.
I swallow hard, trying to keep the compassion in my voice. “Cole’s getting out of prison in a year, right? Are you ready to face that? Face him? Or are you going to just keep pretending he doesn’t still live rent free in your head?”
Kenna looks away, her lips pressing into a thin line. "It’s complicated, Mills. You know it’s complicated.”
I nod, feeling that knot in my stomach. “I know it is. But sometimes we need to stop running from what’s right in front of us. You’ve been holding onto this idea of Cole for so long, but you deserve someone who’s willing to choose you, Kenna. Someone who can give you everything just like Gabriel can give me everything. And you—you deserve that.”
Her eyes soften—not teary, but raw. Exposed
Her eyes flicker with something raw, something I haven’t seen from her in a long time. Vulnerability. “I’ve been holding on to the fact that Cole is coming home.” She says quietly, almost to herself. “I don’t know what to do with it.”
I take her hand, squeezing it gently.
“You don’t have to figure it out all at once. Neither of us do.”
We sit like that for a long time, two sisters with tangled hearts and too many what-ifs between them.
Kenna stands ruffling my hair like I’m still ten. “Get some sleep, Mills. You need all the energy you can get for family photo day chaos.”
I smile and watch her go, but long after she closes the door behind her, that flicker of hesitation stays with me.
Kenna’s always been the strongest of us. The one who knew how to handle messy emotions and complicated truths.
Love, Laughter, and a Ring
MILLIE
Our family photoshoothas always been a tradition—something we do every few years to capture a snapshot of our ever-changing lives. It’s always a day I look forward to, a day to bask in the chaos and love of my family. I usually can’t wait to see everyone gathered together.
