Because the moment I did, the stakes would just get heavier.
And suddenly, I’d have something to lose.
I let out a slow breath and tipped my head back against the lounger. “I was supposed to just be having fun this weekend.” I turned toward Ky, narrowing my eyes at him. “You weren’t supposed to make me think about consequences and reality.”
“Sorry,” he said, scrunching his nose, guilt flashing in his blue eyes. “I’m just trying to look out for you. And Theo. And Charlotte.”
He licked his lips, hesitating like he was getting up the nerve to say something else.
“What is it?” I asked, bracing myself.
“It’s just that we both know what it’s like to have a mother figure disappear from our lives because she had kids before she was ready,” he said, his eyes showing the pain that came from broken promises and shattered realities. “And I just… I don’t want you jumping into something before you’ve really thought through what it would mean.”
My throat tightened.
It made sense that Ky would be thinking about that. Everything with Becca had been so much harder for him than it had been for me. He’d called her Mom and relied on her for eight years. When we’d been taken from her, he’d been old enough to understand the loss in a way I hadn’t.
I’d only been two when our parents had stepped in. I was barely conscious of what was going on.
And before that, I at least had him to rely on when Becca had been too drugged out to take care of us.
He hadn’t had anyone.
So logically, I knew he wasn’t saying any of this to make me upset. He was saying it because he loved me.
And because he could already see how much there was to lose if this went sideways.
I swallowed, nodding once. “I hear you.”
Ky stayed quiet, waiting.
So I met his gaze, forcing myself to be honest, even if I didn’t have a perfect answer yet.
“I appreciate you caring enough to bring up the hard stuff,” I said. “And while I don’t have this all figuredout since it’s just barely getting started, I promise I’ll do my best not to be careless with anyone’s heart.”
Especially not with Charlotte’s and Theo’s.
And if possible, hopefully not mine, either.
51
NORA
“Mind if I ask you something?”Theo asked me when we were walking on the beach after dinner.
We were barefoot in the sand, tracing the edge of the shoreline while the last of the sunset bled out across the horizon.
“Sure,” I said, glancing up at him. And while his body language looked calm, his eyes were focused in a way that made me think he’d been holding the question for a while. “What’s up?”
“I couldn’t help but notice that you and Ky seemed to have a pretty serious conversation before dinner.” He kicked at a small mound of sand as we walked. “Is everything okay?”
My stomach dipped.
How was I supposed to explain my conversation with my brother without making things seem more serious than they were supposed to be?
I mean, Theo and I hadn’t exactly named what was happening between us. Not since deciding we were fake boyfriend and girlfriend.
But yeah, the fake part of our dynamic was definitely long gone.