Page 78 of The Write Stuff

Huxley opened his mouth to say something else — something I knew wouldn’t be kind — and I shook my head as I placed my hand on his knee. It wasn’t worth it. Lucy had ventured into meltdown mode, and there was nothing I could do about it.

“You need to figure things out for yourself, Lucy,” I said in a low voice. “It’s time. As for our relationship and you blabbing to Mom before we’re ready, I can’t stop you. I’m not going to let you blackmail me, though.”

“Definitely not,” Huxley agreed. “If you feel the need to be a tattletale, go nuts. We’re going to have to figure out a way to tell our mothers anyway, because this isn’t just some fling. It’s real, and they’re going to have to deal because we’re not shifting our lives to make them happy. Not this time.”

I went warm all over as I glanced at him. He was focused on Lucy, though.

“So, you do what you have to do, Lucy,” he continued. “Don’t you ever try to blackmail your sister again, though. That is gross and so, so wrong given everything she’s done for you.”

Lucy made a whining sound in her throat, but she didn’t say anything else. Instead, she turned on her heel and stormed into her bedroom. The sound of her slamming her door caused me to jolt.

Huxley wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on my shoulder as I forced myself to calm down. “Are you okay?” he asked after a full 30 seconds of silence.

I nodded. “She has to stand on her own two feet. She just … has to.” Briefly, I closed my eyes. “I thought she was getting better. I actually believed Hayley was a good influence on her.”

“She probably is getting better. Everybody relapses into bad habits every now and then, though.”

“Yeah.” I let myself lean against him. “Are you worried she’ll tell my mom? Even if your mom doesn’t find out directly, if the news slips to my mom, our privacy will be gone.”

He merely shrugged. “I would prefer coming up with a plan of our own to tell them. We might not get that option, though. We’ll just have to play it by ear.”

“Okay. As long as you’re not upset.”

“I’m not upset. I’m proud of you. It took a lot of bravery to take her on the way you did.”

“I don’t feel brave.”

His lips brushed my brow. “Would you feel better if we took the wallowing into the bedroom?”

A laugh escaped before I realized it was coming. “Are you being serious right now?”

“I am.”

It seemed like a good offer on the face of it. Still … “What about the dolphins?”

“They’re not going anywhere. We can try leaving the apartment tomorrow.”

I grinned as I let him pull me to my feet. “That sounds like a great idea.”

“I’m glad you approve. We’ll order in dinner and everything.”

“So much for not shutting ourselves away from the world,” I lamented.

“We’ll figure it out.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because I’m not going to let anything derail this.”

His answer was simple, and it made me happy. “How do you feel about Italian for dinner?”

“Too much garlic.”

“Not if we both eat it.”

He paused by my door and cocked his head. “Good point. Make sure you pick a place with good breadsticks. I love breadsticks.”

“Me, too.”