Strong Enough
Page 89
She rolled her eyes. “Because I’m your sister and sisters know everything. But really, anyone with two eyes and half a brain could have guessed it.”
“Really?”
“Really. You weren’t fooling anyone. Not very well, anyway.”
“Huh.” I scratched my head.
“But I get why you tried to. This isn’t easy for you.”
“No.” I frowned. “It isn’t. And Mom and Dad—”
“Are not part of this. These are your feelings and you have to own them. I know what Mom and Dad think, but if they love you, and they do, they will want you to be happy.”
“They might never accept this, or him.”
She shrugged. “Then it will be their loss. Maxim is amazing.”
“He is.”
“So give them a chance to accept it. This is a big change, and it might take some getting used to. But it’s okay.” She leaned forward and ruffled my hair. “You’re okay.”
“Stop it.” Laughing, I pushed her hand away and tried to fix my hair.
She grinned and sat back, picking up her coffee cup again. “Have you talked to Maxim yet?”
“No. Is he working tonight?”
“He’s supposed to.”
“Maybe I can catch him before he goes in. I don’t really want to do it in public.”
“Isn’t that the point?”
I frowned. “Yes and no. He’s still Russian. Just because he wants to be open about the relationship doesn’t mean he’d be comfortable with a big scene at work.”
“True. But I still think you should talk to him as soon as possible. He’s been really sad about this.”
My heart squeezed. “He’s talked about it?”
“Not much. But I’m good at reading people. Don’t drag this out. You guys deserve to be happy, and life is short.”
“You’re right. I don’t want to live this way anymore. I suddenly feel like I’ve wasted so much time pretending to be someone else.”
“Does your real self still have the thing about paper napkins?”
I glared at her. “Yes.”
She laughed. “Good. You can’t totally take away my big brother. I kind of like him.”
“Thanks. Hey, can he have tomorrow off? I want to bring him to Gage’s son’s birthday party.”
She smiled back. “That’s a great idea. Absolutely.”
After breakfast, I went to the mall to pick out a gift for Will. I roamed the aisles of the toy store aimlessly, trying to think of what a six-year-old boy would like, but coming up empty. When I noticed a kid who looked about that age standing with his father in the Lego section, I decided to ask for advice.
“Excuse me. I have to buy a present for someone who’s turning six. Can you maybe point me in the right direction?”
“Oh, I bet Mason can. He’s six, too.” The guy ruffled his son’s hair. “Which one do you like best, Mase?”