Page 75 of The Life We Wanted

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sebastian

“So, Greyson,do you like rollercoasters?” Melasked as we walked through the Hershey Park entrance.

Greysonshrugged, walking ahead of me alongside my nephews, Johnny and Travis. “I don’tknow. I’ve never been on one.”

“Oh,man!” Travis exclaimed excitedly. “You’re gonna love it.”

Dinahsidled up to Greyson. “Do you get motion sickness?”

Heshook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”

Sheclapped him on the shoulder. “Okay, you’ll be fine. Just be warned, these twowill be dragging you on everything, if your dad doesn’t.”

“Youlike rollercoasters?” Greyson asked me, looking over his shoulder, and I noddedenthusiastically.

“Hellyes.” I pounded my fist against Jen’s. She was always the other ride enthusiastin the family. “Everyone else is a bunch of wimps,” I teased, reaching out andtugging on Dinah’s ponytail.

“Sebastian,stop,” she whined, swatting me away like I was an annoying, buzzing gnat. “I’msorry I don’t like feeling my intestines in my throat.”

Melnodded sympathetically. “Girl, same.”

Whileall of the kids jumped on the carousel, I hung out with my sisters, watching thekids from the surrounding barricade. Dinah, Mel, and Jen whispered amongstthemselves while I listened in, trying to pick up on whatever the hell it wasthey were saying and failing miserably, with all the amusement park ruckushappening around us.

“Areyou guys talking about me?” I finally asked, ducking into their little pow-wow.

“Maybe,”Dinah confessed. “Mom told us. Well, she told me, and I told them.”

“Toldyou what?” I narrowed my eyes, turning my gaze onto each of them.

“Aboutyou and Tabby,” Jen scowled.

“Oh,cool. That was nice of her,” I grumbled with a roll of my eyes, making a mentalnote to strangle my mother.

Steppingforward to point a finger at my chin, Jen continued, “And by the way, I can’tbelieve you’re such a disgusting pig. I mean, I think we’re all aware of whatyou do on the road, but with your kid’saunt? That’s a whole new low.”

“Oh,come on, Jen,” I groused. “That’s not fair.”

“Howis it—”

Dinahcleared her throat, interrupting whatever snide remark Jen was about to make.“He’s kinda right. Tabby’s a big girl and she’s obviously okay with it, so …”She shrugged incredulously.

“Thankyou, D. I always knew you were my favorite,” I wrapped an arm around hershoulders, and just as quickly, she brushed me off.

“Thatdoesn’t mean I think it’s okay,” she tossed in, and I shrugged. “What I justcan’t understand is why.”

“Whywhat?”

“Whyyou’d want to. With her.” Dinah chewed on her upper lip, eyeing me expectantly.

Cockinga brow, I pulled in a deep breath and stuffed my hands into my pockets. “Uh,you really want me to get into this here,” my gaze flitted around the amusementpark, “at a family theme park?”

“Keepit vague,” Mel suggested, pursing her lips and waiting.

Itwas easier for me to talk to my sisters than it was my mother. I pulled my handfrom my pocket and reached for my neck, gripping and squeezing. “I don’t know.We just have … this chemistry, I guess. It just happened and turned into this …thing. I couldn’t stop it. And to be fair,shestarted it.”

“Couldn’tstop it or didn’t want to?” Dinah questioned.

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