Page 113 of Vengeful Vows

“I love you, too.” She smiles at me, her hazel eyes as innocent as the rest of her body is wanton.

I roll to the side, panting, and just like always, Bree puts her head on my chest.

My heart thuds too hard against my chest plate, but she doesn’t seem to notice.

She’s dozing in minutes, and while she’s napping, I extract myself from her arms, padding into the hallway, planning to go downstairs for a snack.

All that activity last night and this morning has really taken it out of me, and there’s no way I can sleep with all the thoughts swirling in my mind.

I walk down the hallway, and the sound of sniffling makes me lift my head from where I’ve been looking down at my feet, dejected.

I look up to see my baby sister’s room with the door slightly ajar, and her sitting on the bed, tears streaming down her face.

“Paige? A’stor, what’s wrong?” I ask, instantly going to her.

She throws herself into my arms, pressing her face against my chest and sobbing as if her heart is breaking.

“Are you all right?” I stroke her hair, and she starts to calm down.

“I’m fine.” She pulls away and wipes tears from her face with the back of her hand. “It’s just...”

“You can talk to me.” I hate it when my sisters are upset.

Her eyes well with tears again as she looks up at me. “I’m just... alone. I’m so alone, Declan.”

“You’re not alone, a’stor,” I promise her. “You’ve got us?—”

“It’s not the same!” she bursts out. “You have Bree, and you’re so happy...”

Happy isn’t exactly the term I’d use, giving what’s going on lately, but Paige wouldn’t know much about that. We try to keep her out of the loop when it comes to business, because Paige is sensitive, probably the most innocent of all of us.

“Oh, honey,” I say, smiling a little. “You’re so young. You’ll find someone.”

“You think?” she sniffles.

“I know. Especially now that you are moving out like you wanted.” I smirk. “No more need to sneak out like you did back in high school.”

Her eyes widen, but she barks out a laugh in spite of her sadness, and I smile widely, giving her a quick hug.

“You’ll find the one, Paige. It just takes time.”

“What’s it like?” she almost whispers. “Being in love?”

“God,” I answer, laughing softly. “It’s crazy. It’s like being on a roller coaster—one minute you’re having a blast and the next you’re scared out of your mind.”

“That sounds scary.”

“It is a little scary.” I pat her shoulder. “But it’s worth it.”

“It is?”

“It is. Because when it’s good, Paige... it’s the best feeling in the world.”

She sniffles once more and then rubs her eyes. “I’m sorry. I really am happy for you, Declan. It’s just... it’s hard to watch someone get everything I want.”

“You’ll get there, a’stor.”

“You promise?”

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