Tears spill down her cheeks, and I can’t stop mine from breaking free either. She leans into me, sobbing, and I wrap my arms around her, holding her tight, both of us shaking.
“Promise me you’ll consider it?” she asks, voice muffled against my T-shirt.
I press my face into her hair, nodding even though my chest feels like it’s being ripped apart. “Okay,” I whisper. “Okay, Mads. I’ll look into re-enrollment.”
We stay like that until our breathing steadies, until the tears dry up into hiccups and sniffles. Finally, she pulls back, wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her sweatshirt. Then she narrows her gaze at me and punches my shoulder lightly.
And just like that, my bratty teenage sister is back.
“You’re an idiot, you know that?” she snaps. “I can’t believe you broke things off with Hunter. What the hell were you thinking?”
My mouth opens, then shuts again. The words feel clumsy on my tongue. “It was supposed to be temporary—a summer fling. We never meant for it to turn into anything more.”
She groans and rolls her eyes. “Mason, stop hiding behind excuses. You really like him. Anyone with half a brain can see it, so quit being a coward and fix it.”
I frown. “But he already left.”
“Then go after him, you moron.”
Something shifts in me, like gears finally sliding into place. Her words hit with the force of truth, simple and devastating. She’s right. God, she’s so right.
“I love you, Mads,” I say softly.
She hugs me, squeezing me tight. “I love you too.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Stephen leans against the brick wall of the repair shop, a grease-stained rag hanging from his back pocket. A cigarette smolders between his fingers, smoke curling in the chilly air. He takes a drag as he stares toward the parking lot of damaged cars. His black eye has faded to a sickly yellow, the edges melted away.
I hesitate before stepping closer and clearing my throat.
When he sees me, his hand jerks, nearly dropping the cigarette. Panic flashes through his eyes. He stiffens, like he’s preparing for another one of my fists to smash his face.
“I’m not here to fight,” I say, raising both hands.
His eyes dart over me cautiously. I stop a few feet away, careful not to crowd him.
“I just… want to talk,” I insist.
Stephen studies me for a moment, then exhales smoke through his nose and nods. “Alright.”
The silence stretches between us, broken only by the muffled mechanical whirling and grinding of metal from inside the shop. My throat feels tight.
“I shouldn’t have punched you,” I say finally. “That was out of line. I was pissed, and I—” I shake my head. “I lost it. I’m sorry.”
He flicks ash onto the ground, then lets out a humorless chuckle. “Like I said, I deserved it.” His hand brushes the fading bruise. “But… thanks.”
I shift my weight, the nerves restless in my chest. “I’ve talked to Maddie.”
That makes him straighten, eyebrows lifted in anticipation.
“She wants to live with you,” I continue. The words are heavy, but I push through them. “And I’m trying to get on board with that. I know you can give her the kind of life I can’t. A steady job. A nice house.” I rub the back of my neck. “I’ve been making this all about me—my pride, my grudge against you. That’s not fair to her.”
Stephen takes another drag, his hand shaking slightly. He doesn’t look at me right away, just stares at the ground littered with cigarette butts. Finally, he says, “I get why you were hesitant. I screwed up. I don’t blame you for not trusting me.”
I glance down at the concrete, kicking a loose pebble. “I think I’m just scared of losing her.”
He drops his cigarette and grinds it under his boot. “I don’t think that’s possible. She basically worships the ground you walk on. You should hear the way she talks about you.”
