I just take another drink.
"Did she come home with you? And you might as well not even try to lie because your whole house smells like sex, Jasper," she says, wrinkling her nose. "If that's not because Sarah was here, I'm going to steal all of your shit and tell them to pull the plug way sooner than you think."
"What the fuck?" I scowl at her. "Why the fuck would I bring some other woman here? You know damn well that I don't do that." Other women don't even exist to me.
"So it was Sarah!" she cries.
Goddammit.
Now she knows that last night went great and that we slept together. I didn't even tell her a damn thing, and she knows… the same way she always knows shit. Like I told her yesterday, she could hound the devil out of hell and run the place herself. It'd be more chaotic, but far more efficient, that's for damn sure.
"My best friend and my idiot brother are getting married!" she cries, doing a little jig in my kitchen. "I'm so happy."
Jesus.
"I need you to rein it in, Ol," I mutter. "Sarah isn't ready for anyone to know about us yet."
"What? Why?" She narrows her eyes on me. "What did you do?"
Had her calling me Daddy like she meant it all the way to her soul.
I can't say that, though.
"Nothing," I lie. "She's just…shy. She doesn't like being the center of attention. So you aren't going to stress her out aboutthis. You aren't going to mention a damn thing to her. When she's ready to talk, she will."
"But—"
"No," I growl, my voice firm. "I know you mean well, but I need you to hear me on this, baby sister. Let it the fuck go. Don't get in the middle, not right now. I don't want her bolting, and that's exactly what will happen."
Olive stares at me, her eyes softening with something a lot like awe. "You really love her, don't you?"
I hesitate, then say fuck it and tell the truth. "I've spent the last three years convinced I didn't stand a chance. I was in hell, dreaming about a future I didn't think was even a remote possibility. I was blind, Ol. So fucking blind," I rasp. "Now, I need to do this right. I need to make sure she knows that she's safe with me, that I'm not going anywhere, and that I'm going to do right by her. I need to fix everything I did wrong and earn her—reallyearn her. She deserves for me to fight for her the way I didn't even fucking know I was allowed to fight until yesterday. So I need you to stay out of the way and let me do it. Can you do that for me?"
Olive stares at me for a long moment and then darts across the kitchen, flinging her arms around me hard enough to knock me back a step. "Fine," she whispers fiercely. "I'll behave just this once, but only because I think that might be the sweetest thing you've ever said."
I exhale a breath, relieved my wild ass sister isn't going to be a problem at least this once.
This time, if I fuck up, it'll be all on me.
"Hey. Jasper?"
"Yeah?"
"What do you think happened to her?" Olive whispers, her voice small.
I pause, glancing down at my sister. "What do you mean?"
"Don't do that," she says. "Don't pretend you don't see how scared she is of…well, life, honestly. I know you see it, too."
I swallow, jerking my head in a nod. Yeah, I see it. I've always seen it. There are entire worlds of grief in her eyes, just waiting to be healed. I intend to do that, even if it takes a lifetime. But I didn't realize Olive saw them, too.
"I don't know," I finally murmur, patting my sister on the back. "But whatever it was, I'm going to make sure she's good now, baby sister. I promise you, I will."
I'm equal parts proud and relieved when I get to the restaurant at five minutes 'til noon to find Sarah waiting on a bench inside, reading.
I stand to the side for just a moment, watching the way her eyes scan across the page. Her lips move periodically, parting on a gasp, flickering with the ghost of a smile. Goddamn, I could watch her all day. She's fascinating, my favorite kind of story.
"Hey, baby girl," I rumble when she turns the page, stepping up in front of her.
