Page 24 of Breathless With Her

“They’re in the other room with Steve. Everything’s fine.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said.

“But you need to get some dick.”

I snorted and looked at myself in the mirror again. “Stop it.” I sobered, remembering the last conversation we’d had, and why it had been a couple of days since we talked.

“We need to talk about Dad,” I said softly.

“No, we really don’t. I’m done with him. He walked away. Just because you got a stick up your butt where you actually feel like you need to figure out what our dear old dad’s doing right now, doesn’t mean I have to deal with it.”

“All I’m saying is that we know nothing about him. And I’d like to know.”

“I don’t know why you do. He was an asshole. Is an asshole. He left us high and dry. He left, and Mom broke. That’s partly why she is the way she is. That’s why she hasn’t seen my babies. The two of them can fuck right off. You and me? We’re the only family we need. I am done with him. You get me?”

There was such brittleness to my sister’s tone. Pain. I knew she had to be done. Just because I wanted to find and figure out the man who had helped to give us life, didn’t mean that Jenn needed to. Though I still wanted her to be a part of my plan.

I’d gotten the idea to find out where he was after I finished signing my divorce paperwork. It was as if casting off one part of my life while trying to look forward made me want to look at the pieces I’d hidden so long ago.

I didn’t even remember my dad’s face. Oh, I could look at photos, but I didn’t recall him smiling down at me. I didn’t remember him lifting me up and setting me on his shoulders. I didn’t even know if he had ever done that.

I didn’t know any of it.

I hated him for leaving.

And I hated myself for wanting more.

“Just be okay with what you have,” Jenn said, her voice soothing.

“You say that, but you said I needed to get dick,” I said, quickly changing the subject.

She barked out a laugh. “You do need to get dick.”

“Then how can I be fine with myself if I need dick.”

“Oh, stop it. I’m saying, don’t look behind you, just look forward. Okay?”

“Okay.”

The doorbell rang, and I cursed.

“Who is that?” she asked.

“My date.”

She started speaking a mile a minute, and I tried to stop her. “It’s fine. Just a date.”

“Well, it’s about time. You need penis. All the dick. Go, you!”

“I love you, ya dirty whore,” I said, laughing.

“I love you, too, filthy slut.”

I hung up, shaking my head as I went down to the front door.

Yes, my sister and I had issues, and we fought, but we loved each other. Even if we were weird.

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