My eyes widen at that. I feel like there are so many things she could be alluding to.
“You’ve been protecting me all these years. And that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done.” Her voice takes on a choked tone, and her eyes start to water.
“Don’t you dare cry, Willa. You know it makes me cry every time.”
“Too bad. I can cry if I want to. But you’ve always let me, haven’t you? You’ve always made me feel safe with you, and I’ve never appreciated it.”
I shake my head. “You’ve always been kind to me.”
“But I haven’t always known the sacrifices you’ve made for me,” she shoots back.
Kingston surprises all of us when he walks over to me and tugs me out of the chair, pulling me into a big bear hug. He whispers into my ear, “Thanks for being what Willa needed.”
He stands there and holds me, his big arms around my shoulders, my eyes burning like mad while I try to fight the tears.
“And now it’s time for you to get to chase your own happiness,” he adds quietly as he releases me.
I glance at Willa, who’s nodding emphatically. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know how much you’ve been doing just so that I could live the life that I wanted.”
“You’re my baby sister. And I love you. I would do anything for you.”
Willa glances at Miles. “Well, you married him for me, didn’t you?”
Miles snorts. “Hey, now. No cheap shots.”
Willa smiles at him. “I should thank you for being more aware of what was going on than I was.”
Miles waves a hand through the air. “If you think I was doing Lucy a favor, it was all purely selfish reasons.”
I meet his warm gaze and realize I could easily stare at those green eyes for the rest of my life. “On that note, I think I need to go get some fresh air before I cry all of my makeup off. I’m going home to eat lunch.”
And before anyone can argue with me, I speed walk out of the office. I don’t even stop to say goodbye to Thea. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I should feel relieved.
Instead, I feel like I’m flying through the air, headed straight for a rock-hard landing.
FORTY
Miles
I sit in the office with Kingston and Willa.
Willa is stone-faced as she stares me down. No more Mrs. Nice Guy.
Now that Lucy’s gone, I feel like there’s nothing protecting me from Willa’s wrath.
“Are you mad at me?” I dare to ask.
Willa shakes her head. “You were there to help my sister. You saw that she needed help. You did what I should have.”
“I really like your sister.” Understatement of the year. “I’d do anything for her.”
She sighs heavily. “And now I’m going to do something I should have done a long time ago.”
Murder someone?
She reaches for something on the desk. Her phone. She makes a call, putting it on speakerphone.
“Do you want us to leave?” I ask, glancing at Kingston.
