Page 24 of Promise Me

“Yeah, and you're a sucker for your daughter. She’ll be watching movies and scrolling Instagram by the time I get back. All she’d have to do is smile at you.”

Our dad chuckles and shakes his head at the same time.

“I both love my daughter and want her to get better. I’ll be strict.”

This time, it’s me who chuckles.

Even Linc smiles.

“Hey, I was strict last year when she asked to get a dog, and I put my foot down with a no.”

My laughter stops. “I wanted to get a dog?”

Two sets of golden-brown eyes fall on me, and silence fills the room.

A tear manages to escape. I don’t wipe it away fast enough.

“I’m rescheduling,” Lincs repeats and walks out of my bedroom.

“I’m sorry, munchkin,” Dad says softly. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s okay. At this point, sharing a memory about something I don’t remember is bound to happen.”

He nods.

“I’ll let you be. Call if you need anything.”

He leans down and kisses the top of my head, and then moves to the door. He pauses, looking back.

“Are you okay?” I ask him.

He nods once more and then leaves the room.

“Leave it open,” Linc whispers to him in the hallway as if I can’t hear.

This time, I do roll my eyes.

I flop on my back and stare at the ceiling.

What am I supposed to do now?

“Sadie,what the hell are you doing?”

I hold up my empty water glass and then stand in front of the fridge, pressing it to the built-in filter.

Linc jumps up from where he’d been sitting at the kitchen island with his laptop.

“Dad, turn the TV off while she’s down here.”

Dad and I both snort.

“I’m not even looking at it.”

“You might.” My brother reaches for my glass. “Now get back in bed and let me do this.”

“Linc, stop.”

“Sadie, go back to your room.”

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