Page 91 of Trouble Walked In

“That’s why I’m here.” She gestured at the inn. “This is me, first.”

“No it isn’t,” Della rolled her eyes. “It’sthemfirst. Don’t think I haven’t noticed why you did it. You saw Mark and Carter and their broken family, and you decided to fix it since you couldn’t fix your own.”

“That’snotwhat I did.” She glared at Della. “And I’m done being psychoanalyzed by my baby sister who is so messed up she torpedoed her own career.”

“Yes, it is,” Della pushed on. “You’ve been blaming Renic all this time for splitting up our family. But here’s the truth, Lizard Breath. He didn’t do it. I did.”

“You worry about your own life and butt out of mine.” Lizzie blinked as Della’s words finally sank in. “Wait, what?”

“I started to tell you this at least a dozen times, but I couldn’t do it.” Della hugged herself. “It was easy to just let it slide because you were here and I was off doing other things, and I didn’t have to see the look on your face every time his name was mentioned. That’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the unvarnished, too-little-too-late facts.”

Della laughed, and it was a soft, bitter sound that Lizzie didn’t like at all.

“What do you mean it was you?”

“Going solo was my idea, not his. After Renic started Self Evident, I begged him to take me on as a solo artist. It was me. All me.” Della patted her chest to emphasize her point. “He argued against it, actually.”

Lizzie looked at her sister, dumbfounded. Of all the things she’d expected to hear, this wasn’t even on the top ten list. “Youbegged him?”

Della stared at her with worried eyes. “I’m sorry, Lizzie. I should have told you years ago. I should have told you that day, before you cut Renic out of your life.”

“Why didn’t you?” The anger drained out of her like water down a bathtub, leaving her empty and numb.

“After you left, Mattie vanished. Piper refused to talk to me. I was alone. So very alone. I thought I would never see any of you, ever again. It felt awful.” Della swallowed. “But you came back, and you hugged me so tight. You were angry withhim, not me. I realized he’d covered for me so that you wouldn’t hate me, and I was so grateful that I just couldn’t tell you it was all my fault.”

Della’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I couldn’t lose my best friend. My big sister. You’re the rock. You’re the place I run to when everything goes wrong and if I didn’t have you…I’m so sorry, Lizzie. I was a selfish asshole, and I screwed up your chance at happiness because I was an idiot.”

“Oh, Della.” Lizzie gathered her baby sister into her arms and squeezed.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Della hiccuped a sob into Lizzie’s shoulder.

“Shh. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” Della cried while Lizzie soothed her hair and swayed back and forth. “You couldn’t lose me if you tried, Dell Bell. You’re my sister. We have each other, now and always. No matter what.”

A long time later, they sat back down on the stone stepand leaned into each other. The sun had inched below the horizon, and the warmth of the day had faded.

Della sniffed and wiped at her face. “I’m not saying you should abandon your life here, but this place will be okay without you for a few days, or weeks.”

“Not during wedding season it won’t.” Lizzie huffed out a laugh.

“Mark and Carter are both fantastic, and Carrie is a force of nature. They’ll be just fine for a little bit without you. It’s time to stop blaming Renic for my choices, and it’s time to stop pushing him away just because you’re scared of being hurt again.”

Lizzie felt the tears bubble back up in her eyes again and looked away.

“He’s a good man,” Della said in a soft voice. “The best I’ve ever met. He cares about us like we were his own family, despite every stupid thing I’ve done to screw us up. And he loves you. He’s loved you for a really long time.”

Della put her hands on Lizzie’s shoulders and turned her until they faced each other. “You love him. Whatever you said to him to push him away hasn’t changed that.”

A wave of regret tightened Lizzie’s throat. She put her face in her hands. “I was so horrible to him.”

“He’ll forgive you.”

“What if he doesn’t?” She could barely push the words out.

Della rubbed her back. “Then he wouldn’t deserve you. But you’ll never know, unless you talk to him.”

“Maybe you’re right.” She uncovered her face gave her sister a watery smile. “I’ll think about it.”

“Oh, I know I’m right. Just glad you recognize it.” Della glanced at her phone. “I said I’d help Carrie with dinner. Want to join us?”

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