Page 8 of You're My Person - For Always

River pulled her over to the bed and gave her no chance to escape the conversation. Sitting beside her, her sister inhaled deeply. "What happened between you two?"

"I already told you I fell in love—"

"No, tell me what happened that made you hate him so much it's making you miserable."

"I don'thatehim, per se."

River swept Kenna's hair behind her ear, forcing her to look at her. "I get it, sis. Knowing Zane lied to me for years about killed me , but if I'm honest with myself and roles were reversed, I'm not sure I'd tell him the truth. We were young. They were trying to protect us from something the majority of people will never have to face."

"No, the difference between you and me is that I always believed Dad was alive. Always. Nobody wanted to listen to the truth. Kingsley—I trusted him, and despite him knowing I was right, he chose to make me feel like I was losing my mind. He was the one person who I had in my life. Theonlyperson."

River flinched, hearing the hurt behind her words. She couldn't make it any clearer. The state had separated them. Theywere juveniles and had no rights. It wasn't her sister's fault that they were split up.

But, Kingsley, he knew why they were put in foster care, why they were told their dad was dead. Everything was centered around her past. Every promise, every conversation, every moment they shared was built on a lie.

Including, sex.

"What made you so sure Dad was alive?" whispered River.

"Remember Ronald?"

River nodded. "He worked with Dad."

"When the social worker took us to the house and told us to fill the black bags she gave us with the things we wanted to take with us, Ronald was at the house," she said.

"I don't even remember much about that day. It all seemed like a bad dream. The social worker came to the school and took us into the office, and then we went in her car to the house." River frowned. "I don't remember Ronald being there."

Kenna grabbed River's hands, needing something tangible to hold onto. "I overheard him telling her, 'Tom wants you to keep the girls together,’ and then he handed her a stack of money, which she put in her purse."

"But that doesn't prove he was alive at that time."

She squeezed her sister's hands. "Think about it. How could he have made his wishes known unless he was alive?"

River's mouth opened and closed, and she slowly nodded. "He couldn't have. God, I can't believe this."

"Do you know what Dad did for a living?" she asked.

"He worked at the warehouse." River shrugged. "We were there many times. I remember the shipping crates and all the men working while we visited there with Mom."

"That's what I remember, too." Kenna lowered her voice. "He was the boss. I know that."

"We need to find out why Mom was killed and why Dad murdered those men." River stood from the bed and paced the room. "Dad wasn't Tom Pruitt but Burt Shay. Mom was Louanne Pruitt. Who are we?"

"We're the Pruitt sisters." Kenna stood. "They can't take that away from us. We have birth certificates."

"If they're real," muttered River.

For so many years, she was alone in her thinking. She was glad to see River thinking beyond what they'd been told over the years. The life she remembered was covered in secrets and lies.

A knock startled her. Kenna looked at River and shook her head, not wanting her to tell Zane what they talked about in private. She feared everything getting back to Kingsley, and she knew he hated it when she talked about her dad.

River walked across the room and opened the door. Zane stood in the hallway. Kenna turned her back on them, inhaling a deep breath. The more they uncovered about her parents, the more questions they needed answered.

"Kenna?" said Zane.

She turned around.

"We're running short at the bar. Have you ever served food?" Zane stayed in the doorway.

---