“You’re fucking Marty!” I accused, poking her with my finger.
“What? You’re fucking crazy, Dallas,” she said, rolling her eyes and avoiding my accusing stare.
“Yes, you are! You just fucked him in the bathroom! He looks just as guilty as you do!” My mouth was agape in an all-out smile.
“Did you see him? Did he say something?” she asked, confirming my suspicions.
“I knew it!” I said laughing. I pushed my way past her to find the toilet, leaving her to panic.
“Dallas, please don’t say anything. I mean, it’s nothing. I swear.” I looked up from my seated position into her blue eyes, which were blazing with fear.
“Of course I won’t say anything! What’s it matter anyway? Hell, y’all are grown.” I froze, and stopped midstream as I gaped at her. “He isn’t married, is he?” Marty had told me his story, and he had never mentioned a wife, but I knew that men were fully capable of lying.
“Hell no! It’s not that,” Maddie said, defeated. I watched as she jumped up to sit on the sink, picking at imaginary lint on her shirt. I resumed my duties as I let out a relieved breath, and watched as my sister struggled to find the right words to tell me about it.
My sister.
I liked that.
“Maddie, you can tell me anything. I won’t tell Luke, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Her head snapped up at my confession, and relief flooded her pretty face. I felt like I had been punched in the gut. Did she think I would share her secrets with Luke? Out of fear of my own thoughts, I elaborated, trying to convince my only sister that the things we shared were strictly between us. I had always told Luke everything, because I had had no one else to trust and rely on, but now that I had a sister, things were different. “I promise anything you tell me is for my ears only. I would never sell you out to Luke. But I don’t see why it matters anyway. You are both single adults who want to have a non-committal, sexual relationship. There is nothing wrong with that.” I had joined her at the sink and stood before her, drying my freshly washed hands on my jeans, as there were no paper towels. Marty had checked the bathrooms alright.
“But it does matter. Luke would never let me date Marty. A long time ago, he told me to never fall in love with one of his brothers. He said it should never happen.” I rolled my eyes at Luke’s pathetic demands.
“Believe it or not, babe, Luke can’t tell you what to do with your own life. If he loves you, which I know he does, he would want you to be happy, and if Marty makes you happy, then that’s who you need to be with.”
“It’s not that easy, Dallas. Luke may woo you in the bedroom, and he may be your knight in shining armor, but he’s a force to be reckoned with. Nobody crosses Luke. Nobody.”
“Leather.” I mouthed at her. Her brow wrinkled in confusion, and it was all I could do not to laugh. “He’s my knight in shining leather.”
“Well, whatever the hell he is, I tell you one thing he is not, and that is a man who goes back on his word. He gave his word that any man that puts his hands on me will have to face him.” I smiled at Maddie’s worried expression, and squeezed her hands in reassurance.
“Then it’s a good thing you have a man that isn’t a pussy. He knows what he wants and he won’t let anything stop him. Not even the big bad LLC.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Her defeated tone cut me deep, and I suddenly made it my life’s mission to ensure that if a relationship with Marty is what she wants, then that’s what she’s going to get.
“Do you want me to talk to Luke?” I offered, hoping she would trust me enough to let me help her out.
“What!? Fuck no, Dallas!” She shouted in disbelief. I took a step back at her show of hostility. “Let the man keep his fucking balls, will ya? How’s it gonna make Marty feel if you go barging off to Luke demanding he let us be together? I can handle this on my own.” I felt pride swell in my chest, as I watched my little sister take a life-altering event into her own hands. Although it didn’t quite eclipse the pang of hurt I felt at knowing that there really are things in life she doesn’t need my assistance with.
“You’re right,” I said, surrendering and deciding to let her work out her love-life problems on her own. “I’ll stay out of it, but let me ask you a question.”