Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 128307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Now her dedication has moved mountains.
I catch Macy’s eye, and for a moment, the noise and bustle of the airport fade away. There’s no one but us and the unspoken unity of pride and accomplishment.
When I mouth, I love you, Macy smiles, her eyes shining with tears of triumph.
Incapable of keeping my feet rooted for a second longer, I join her by the departure gate. Kendall doesn’t follow my lead. She lingers back, avoiding eye contact as if afraid of intruding—like that’s even a possibility.
I issue Crew my thanks with a smile when he gently nudges Kendall forward. Her steps are tentative, each one a defiant act of courage. Halfway across the terminal, her gaze flicks up to meet Crew’s, and the tides shift. He moves closer to her. He doesn’t crowd her. He merely stands close enough for her to know she’s not alone.
The vulnerability in Kendall’s posture is matched only by the fierce protectiveness in Macy’s eyes. They tell Kendall she doesn’t need to rush. She can heal at her own pace. Macy will never push the narrative—not even when she should.
Macy’s tremors tickle the sleeve of my shirt when her sister slowly approaches our tight-knit gathering. Her shakes aren’t in fear. She’s relieved she can finally let go of that minute sliver of hope she’s been clasping for the past fourteen years.
Kendall will need therapy and constant reassurance to truly heal. Even someone not viewing her through the eyes of an agent would reach the same conclusion. She flinches at the faintest noises and shows hesitation even while eyeballed by those who love her most, but I’d be more concerned if she had no neuroses than a truckload.
Macy will teach her that healing isn’t linear. Time, patience, and support from someone who’s walked through a similar hell will guide her slow trek down the right path.
Then, once she’s done that, perhaps Macy won’t be so reluctant to accept the care she deserves, too. She has more than earned the right to be loved and cherished without worrying that guilt and obligations will come back to bite her in the ass. She can be happy and treasured without the weight of everyone else’s burdens on her shoulders. It is her time to heal as well, and I can’t wait to love her freely, fiercely, and without fear that I’m stealing her time from something worthier.
We can love and be loved without anything in our way.
Life won’t get better than this. It is impossible when everything is already perfect.
After tugging Macy in close, I kiss her forehead, then whisper, “You did it, freckles.” My lips linger, and I breathe in her scent like it isn’t tarnished with the unscrupulous despairs of the underworld. “And you did it with eight months to spare this time.”
Her elbow lands in my ribs, winding me, as Kendall and Crew double the circumference of our circle of trust. When my eyes meet Kendall’s, she smiles softly, like she can feel the love I have for her sister, before her fingers twist in her oversized shirt.
They barely cause a crinkle to the cotton when Crew eases her shakes by intertwining their fingers. It is such a simple gesture, yet highly impactful. Kendall’s shudders immediately dull, and the biggest, brightest grin stretches across Macy’s face.
She’s so caught up in her excitement that she blurts out the news we were planning to keep secret for a couple more months. “We’re pregnant.” She waves her hand through the air, her expression nothing like it was when the test I purchased showed a clear positive result. She wasn’t fretful about adding to our family. We’ve been striving to achieve that for the past twelve months. She was more concerned about us once again pushing against the barriers, as we have numerous times over the past fourteen years, and how painful it could make karma’s bite. “I know it’s crazy considering my age, but this feels right, like it is meant to be.”
Her confession hangs in the air, and for a second, no one moves. Then, from behind us, a holler ripples across the airport. Adeline leaps into the air like she manned up and got the job done for me, before she barges through the thickening crowd.
She hugs Macy while waggling her brows at me. Her jubilance is responsible for the first genuine smile I believe Kendall has given in over a decade, but it can’t nab the spotlight. Everyone stares at Kendall in awe, shocked at how different someone looks when they’re genuinely happy, but instead of their gawks weakening her confidence, they bolster it. The gleam in her eyes announces she’s ready to take charge of her destiny, and she begins that by asking Crew to take her home.
Home. Such a simple word for something wildly inviting.
As Macy and I shadow Kendall and Crew’s exit of the airport, Adeline wedges herself between us, as Mason usually does. He’d normally have something to say about anyone stealing the devotion of his parents, but he’s too busy being spoiled by my parents to worry about a fill-in sibling stealing his limelight.