Page 109 of Hold Me Today

“She loves you back,maláka.” Effie storms forward, her purse flying open as she digs around inside. With her features pulled tight, she yanks out her cell phone and shoves it into my hand. “I’m betraying my best friend’s confidence right now, I hope you know that. I told her . . . I told her that the two of you would never work out. I was wrong.”

I blink down at her, all mock-innocence because there’s not an older brother on the face of the planet who can hear those beautiful words and not give their little sister some grief. “I’m sorry,” I say, leaning in with my hand curled around my ear, “what was that? I couldn’t hear you.”

“I. Was. Wrong.” Her glare sings murder. “Happy now?” She waves a dismissive hand in the air. “Of course you are.”

Glancing down, I run my thumb along the blacked-out screen. “Effie, I don’t need to read your texts with Mina.” Nothing about that screams,good idea. Their friendship is as sacred as mine is with Mina or mine with Effie. “I’ve got no interest in breaking your girl code or whatever.”

I don’t think I’m imagining the relief in my sister’s eyes as she takes back her phone. “She loves you, Nick. Can’t you see that?”

“What I see is that she needs time to process that being with me doesn’t mean she needs to give up all that she’s worked toward. I’m not her dad, Ef.” Or her adoptive father, at any rate. “I’m not gonna be like thatmalákawho raised her to feelless thanfor following her own damn heart.”

Silence permeates the museum’s front entrance as Effie blinks up at me. Her mouth forms a littleOand her brows knit together as she clamps her jaw shut. Open, closed. Open, closed. Whatever she’s thinking about, she’s thinking hard on it. Finally, she says in a voice so soft I need to lean in to hear it, “You love her,adelphé.”

She whispers the Greek word for “brother,” and I dip my chin in a silentyes. “So much, Effie. And if she chooses to be with me, I want her to know thatshecame to that decision with a clear mind.” I shove my hands in the front pockets of my paint-splattered work jeans. “I told her to come find me when she’s ready. I’m gonna be patient. I’ve got all the patience in the world.”

Patience.

Just like the script she has inked on the bottom of her foot. Just like the way she’s lived her entire life, always taking measured steps to get where she needs to go, knowing all the while that when a dream is meant to come true it will. And never before she’s ready.

My heart pounds erratically in my chest and my damn palms grow clammy.

Exactly how they were supposed to when getting ready to propose to Savannah Rose.

The irony isn’t lost on me.

If Mina can spend thirty years practicing patience, then I’ve got more than enough in me to last a matter of weeks, months, or however long it takes for her to realize that she’s stuck with me. For today. For tomorrow. For the rest of our lives.

“Effie?”

Her familiar dark eyes zero in on my face. “Yeah?”

“I’m glad Mina’s had you by her side all these years.”

Color flushes to her cheeks and she blinks rapidly up at the ceiling. “Stop it,maláka. You’re gonna make me cry.”

I shrug. “Just telling you the truth.”

More blinking ensues. “My mascara is going to bleed—stop saying nice things.”

“I’m a nice guy, Ef.”

“Yeah, you are.” Her lips pull up in a grin. “I’m glad Mina has a nice guy like you to love her.”

She says it without heat, and I drag her into a hug, propping my chin on the top of her head. “Kai ego,Effie, me too.”

37

To:Mina Pappas

From:Nick Stamos

Subject:who you are

Disclaimer:Don’t respond to this email. I’m writing it because I wanted to get some thoughts off my chest. Thoughts about you. Thoughts about what I see when I look at you. This email is foryou, Ermione, and not for us. I hope that makes sense.

All my life, I’ve always known two things about you:

You’re a pain in my ass.

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