Black

“She was a brave girl. I wish I would’ve gotten the chance to know her.” Dante blinks, and a tear rolls down his cheek. “I was weak, Shae. Stupid, naïve, and weak, and I’m so sorry.”

“It wasn’t weakness; it was humanity. You were a kid, Dante, and you ultimately did the right thing. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m sorry for the hurtful things I said. I wish I would’ve given you the chance to explain what happened with Cami at Vault when you tried. It could’ve saved us a lot of pain. But most of all, I’m sorry I revealed your mom’s secret the way I did. That wasn’t fair to you.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m glad I found out the way I did. As for what happened with Cami, I’d say considering the circumstances, your reaction was fairly mild.”

“I wanted to kill you,” I say, grinning.

“Good thing you didn’t, because we have quite a few years to make up for.”

His eyes fall to my hands folded in my lap, and I wait for him to reach out and take one, but he doesn’t.

So I do.

Placing my hand over his, I squeeze gently. “I’m not sure where we’re supposed to go from here, but I’d really like to get to know you.”

“I’ve never had a sister before.”

“No? We’re great for all sorts of things. And I’ve never had a brother before.”

“We’re great for all sorts of things too. Which reminds me, I need to lay down some ground rules with Rex. I might have to kick my own brother’s ass for dating my sister.”

We stare at each other before bursting out in laughter.

The tears of sadness mix with the tears of joy, and before I know it, I’m a blubbering mess—splotchy face, snotty nose, and sobs I can’t seem to control. Dante pulls me into his arms. I know we have so far to go, and I’m sure he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his emotions—considering his entire life has been essentially ripped out from under him—but I’m happy knowing he’s going to be part of my life.

“It’s okay,” he soothes. “We’re going to get through this together, because we’re family.”

“Family.”

Something soft brushes my forehead, and I blink my eyes open. Rex is in bed next to me, gliding his fingers through my hair. I run my hand over the smooth skin of his chest, reminding myself that he’s here. That I’m here.

I was only in the hospital overnight; the doctors let me come home yesterday. JJ and Erin fought with Rex over whose home I was going back to, but Rex wasn’t losing that battle.

I don’t know how I got so lucky.

Two amazing friends.

One awesome brother.

And Rex. There aren’t enough words for Rex.

“Why aren’t you mad?” I ask softly, drawing circles over his chest with the tip of my finger.

“What?” He shakes his head. “Baby, why would I be mad?”

“Because I kept something from you. After all the bullshit promises we made to be honest with each other, and after you told me about your father, I still kept this from you. I kept two things from you.”

“You were protecting yourself, Shae, and that’s a language I speak. I would never fault you for that. I wish you would’ve trusted me enough to tell me who you were, but I can understand how scared you must’ve been after finding out I was connected to the Salamanca family.”

I nod, his words pulling all the emotion from my body, wringing it clean. My lower lip trembles. “It’s not that I didn’t trust you,” I begin, the tears starting. “I wanted to. I wanted to tell you, but I was scared. For the last fourteen years, I’ve wondered if my life was in danger. I’ve wondered if the other families would come after me, and when you told me about your father, I freaked. I wanted to keep you close, I wanted you to prove to me that you weren’t a part of that life and that I could trust you with my darkest secrets, but until I was one-hundred-percent sure, I couldn’t take that chance. It could’ve cost me my life.”

Rex’s eyes are suspiciously glossy when he curls a hand around the back of my neck. “You don’t have to explain yourself, Shae. I understand.”

I nod, and he wipes away my tears.

“Do you remember that morning after Erin’s wedding?”

“Yes.”