Page 161 of The Perfect Mistake

She kisses me, pressing soft lips against mine. It’s a very effective way to kill the argument. And when she lifts her lips, she keeps them an inch from mine. “Alec,” she whispers again. It’s a chiding tone.

I rest my forehead against her. I know. She keeps reminding me that it’s not my job to save her. To solve everything. To give and never take. It’s a hard habit to overcome.

I don’t know if I’ll ever crack it, or will ever stop wanting to give her everything. But I can learn to trust in her… and take her word for things.

“They’re going to love you,” she whispers against my lips. “And if they don’t, it’s still you and me. Isn’t it?”

“You and me,” I murmur. My hands tighten around her waist, over the thick padding of her winter coat.

“Mmm. And what does that mean?”

I drag my lips over her cheek, to the curve of her ear. “I want your parents to like your choice of man. But if they don’t… I won’t let you go. Not for anything, sweetheart.”

Her hands tighten on the lapels of my jacket. “Oh,” she whispers. “I like that.”

“Good.” I press a kiss on her cheek and raise my head. Resolve makes my spine harden. I’ve faced my share of tough negotiations before. I can face this one, too.

The cab drive to Brooklyn takes a while, but we’re not in a rush. We finally pull to a stop outside a small apartment building. The street looks charming. Ordinary. Homey.

A woman sits on the steps leading into the building. She’s got short hair, and she’s talking on the phone.

Isabel waves at her as soon as we exit the car.

It’s Elena. She grins at us and gets off the phone. “Hey!” she says. “You guys are early.”

I glance at my watch. We’re right on time.

Apparently Isabel is thinking the same because she laughs. “We’re on schedule, but maybe we shouldn’t be. Are Mom and Dad ready?”

“I have no idea. I’ve been out here for twenty minutes talking to Avery.”

“Things going well?”

“Going great,” she says. Her eyes land on mine, and she smiles. “Hey, rich guy.”

“Hey, stand-up,” I say.

“Evaded any taxes lately?”

“Bombed on stage lately?”

Her grin widens. “I knew you could take a joke. Okay, let’s get going. They’re really eager to meet you, you know.”

“I’d like to meet them, too.”

“Oh, you don’t have to be polite with me,” she says. She brushes off her jeans and looks between us. “They’ll love you. Maybe not right away, but of course they will.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And I’m not too old for your sister?”

Isabel nudges me, but she’s smiling, too. Looking at her sister.

Elena shrugs. “Of course you are. But why should that stop either of you? I’m too unfunny to be a stand-up, Isabel’s too injured to perform, and bumblebees are too heavy to fly, and all that. But here we are anyway, doing all of it. Now come on, let’s go upstairs.”

I keep my hand at the small of Isabel’s back as we follow her sister into the narrow hallway of the building where both of them grew up.

Maybe love is hard. Maybe it’s destined to chafe, to hurt, to break. Maybe love comes with risks… but that shouldn’t stop any of us.

And I won’t let it stop me any longer.

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