She’s a fighter, a winner.
And she stood up for me like no one did before.
After the race, Isabella and I head to a restaurant to talk. I insisted on Monterey joining us, but she wouldn’t have it. She wanted Isabella and I to have our time alone together. She said something about reconnecting.
Once we’re seated in a private corner with our drinks and our order has been placed, Isabella starts in on her story.
“After that night, I was placed in a really good home. Dylan, I asked everyday to see you,” she reaches her hand across the table to touch mine. Relief running through my veins. She was in a good place.
“I was always told soon.” She stops to take a drink of her soda, and I marvel at how much she’s changed over the years.
Her hair is longer, more full and has a slight curl to the ends. Her eyes are the same as before, but they’ve aged in a good way. My little sister is now a beautiful woman, I’m so fucking proud of her. “I always asked the same thing.”
“Then, my parents, the people who adopted me, told me you fell out of the system. No one knew what happened to you. You ran away and no one even cared.” Her frown is evident and I squeeze her hand.
“I couldn’t stay in the house they wanted me to. They were awful people.”
Isabella purses her lips. “I’m sorry. When the Andersons adopted me, they changed my last name and we hid the fact my father was the Earl Wheeler.” She takes another drink. “They didn’t want my past to hurt me with colleges and high school.”
They took good care of her.
“Smart.”
“I have never forgotten about you,” she whispers, her eyes full of sadness.
I had a tough life, but I survived.
I lean closer, feeling the connection between my little sister and I, even though it’s been so many years. “I never forgot about you either.”
Our bond was always there, it doesn’t matter how far away we were from each other.
“Monterey told me you had been looking for me.”
I nod. “Yeah.” At the mention of Monterey’s name my chest tightens and a longing for her starts low in my core.
“You love her, don’t you?” Isabella asks.
I shrug. “It doesn’t matter.”
Suddenly my shirt collar tugs around my neck and I try to swallow a lump that has formed in my throat.
“Why?”
I crack a smile even though there’s no humor here. It’s like a defense mechanism. Because if I sit here long enough, I’ll have to eventually admit to myself—and my sister—that I’m completely in love with her. Like my whole life has been one big race, speeding toward the finish line, only to find the grand prize waiting for me is Monterey. “Because she doesn’t love me.”
Isabella opens her eyes and laughs. “Are you kidding me?”
The server interrupts us, setting down our burgers and making sure we have everything we need. I’m not paying attention to any of it. My heart pounds inside my eardrums, wondering if there’s something I’m missing.
Does Monterey love me?
Isabella laughs again. “You’re an idiot, big brother. I just met Monterey, but I am a woman, and I know what it’s like to love someone. And Monterey loves you. You have to be blind not to see it.”
My chest warms as I listen to my sister’s words. “I… I don’t know what to say.”
Something ignites inside me.
“Well, eat your burger so you can win her back.”
“I don’t know if I can do that.” Fucking fear making me hit the brakes again.
Isabella turns her head, studying me with her eyes. “Why not?”
“What if I’m…” my words fall away. I can’t even get these feelings out.
How can I say it out loud?
“What if you turn out like Dad?”
Even though we’ve been apart for years, it’s like she can read my thoughts like she could years ago. “Yeah.”
Isabella pushes her plate to the side. “Look at me.”
I laugh with a little eye roll, not wanting to face these raw emotions. “It’s fine.”
“No.” She shakes her head, pointing her finger at me. “Look at me, Dylan.”
I meet her eyes, but turn away quickly when the feelings hit deep in my chest.
She grabs my hand. “Look at me.”
Tears fill my eyes, and I never cry. “What?” I open my eyes, blinking back an errant tear.
“You’re nothing like him. Neither of us are. Mom’s the one who raised us, and it’s her love that manifests deep inside us.”
I stare into her eyes, hoping the answers are there, knowing I could never be like the man who I called father. “I’m a fuck up, Isabella. Monterey deserves so much better.”
“You can’t honestly believe that, do you?”
There’s a list of reasons for me to believe that.
“She’s a different breed.” Number one.
Isabella cracks up, and it’s the same laugh from when we were kids. When I would make her laugh when we’d hole up in my room while our parents fought. “Love doesn’t know any bounds. Love is selfless and it’s pure. It doesn’t care if you are from the same side of life. It only cares if your hearts are true. Dad was a psychopath. He couldn’t love even if it was staring him in the face. He’s never loved a soul, not even himself.” She grabs her plate, taking a bite out of her burger.