Page 239 of Tell Me Something True

She dropped her gaze. Oof. That one went straight to her chest.

“Then Mom and Dad died and missing them wasn’t just a worry, wasn’t something I had to get through until I could see them again during break, but a way of life. Up until then it seemed as if growing up was a choice. And then it wasn’t. It happened whether I wanted it to or not. Whether I liked it or not.”

“Well, I don’t like it,” she grumbled, scooting around to dangle both legs over the side of the mattress again. “All I’m saying is that we aren’t in medieval times. There’s no hurry for me to grow up. My brain won’t even be fully developed for another eight years! Which is obvious by the way I keep screwing up. I don’t think I’m mature enough to go away to school. What if I mess up while I’m at OSU?”

And yes, she was hoping Miles would agree with her. That he’d offer to talk to Urban for her, to tell him that she needed to stick close to home for at least another year.

A girl could dream, right?

“Oh, you’ll mess up . And when you do, you’ll figure out a way to fix it. And if you need us, we’ll be there. One thing about this family, you never have to face the tough times alone.”

With a sigh she settled her head against his shoulder. “I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse.”

Chuckling, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You and me both.”

“I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you,” she said softly. “To lose Mom and Dad at that age.”

She didn’t know how she’d get through if something happened to one of her brothers or Ian or Kat or Willow.

“Sometimes I’m glad I don’t remember them,” she whispered, her stomach turning with shame. “That I don’t remember how sad I was when they died. That I don’t feel their loss the way you all do. Is that bad?”

He kissed the top of her head. “Nothing about you could ever be bad. Especially not your feelings.”

Shaking her head, she sat up straight. “I don’t know about that. My feelings haven’t exactly been steering me in the best direction lately.”

She’d trusted Reed. Had wanted to help him.

And she’d ended up disappointing her brothers, then spending two hours at the police station answering questions about everything that had happened with him last night.

She flashed back to waking up on top of him. How he’d felt beneath her, so solid and warm and safe. How he’d touched her, like she was delicate and fragile. Like he wanted to soak her in through his fingertips.

How he’d almost kissed her.

Okay, so she hadn’t told Officer O’Neil everything.

Sometimes you had to stick to just the facts.

A piercing whistle sounded, and Bella leapt to her feet and shot out of the room like a rocket.

Urban and his party trick of whistling through his fingers to get Verity’s attention from downstairs.

Just text her. God.

But she got to her feet, same as Miles.

She didn’t usually like to respond to the whistle, but she was hungry.

And she’d been enough of a problem teen for her brothers today.

“Is Titus going to be okay at the animal shelter?” she asked, as she and Miles headed toward the door.

“He’s not there anymore.”

“They let someone else adopt him? That can’t be legal.”

“One of Walsh’s coworkers at the bar picked him up. He’s fine.”

Wait. That meant his coworker liked Reed. That they might actually be friends.

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