Page 48 of Nocturnal Sins
“Livid?” Sammie almost whispered.
“I know we should have come to you but there was never going to be a good time to do that, Pop. I didn’t know how to tell you I was falling head over heels for Samira. It all happened so fast and without warning.” I finally looked at him hoping not to see rage.
“How do you fall in love with your sister? How!” His voice exploded out of nowhere sending shockwaves through the kitchen. I drew in a deep breath and let it roll off me.
“She’s not my blood,” I responded calmly.
“Blood couldn’t make you any closer, Santana. This was not supposed to happen. This was not what Alina wanted.”
“You can’t speak on what my mother would have wanted because she’s not here. That’s not fair. You don’t know if she would have warmed up to the idea.” I bristled at the mention of my mother in any regard.
Pop let out a pained chuckle and took a long drink from his glass. “I’m not just some guy off the street trying to get with Sammie. I love her. I know how fucked up this seems but nothing will change the fact that we’re not blood siblings Pop.
I’m not going to stop loving her. I’m just sorry you found out instead of us getting a chance to come to you and tell you in another way.”
“Would you have told me, Santana? Would you have told me that you were fucking my daughter as if you were never my son?!” I cringed at the power behind his words and Sammie winced beside me.
“We never meant to hurt you, Papa. You can’t help who you love though. I understand if you have to take time to digest this but…” Sammie’s words were cut short.
“Time, Samira?” Pop chuckled and finished the rest of his drink. “I have to keep a cool head around my men now that I brought Santana in. I can’t let anyone know there’s discord under my fucking roof. If I did I’d have all kinds of goddamn fires popping up that I’d have to put out.
So now, I’m stuck having to pretend that things are fine when they are absolutely not fine. Right now, I don’t want to look at either one of you.”
Sammie was more hurt than I was because she’d always been his princess. She could do no wrong in Pop’s eyes. She wasn’t used to be on the troublemaker’s side of the fence.
“Okay,” I nodded. I couldn’t change how he felt and I didn’t expect him to feel any differently than he did. “Pop, I’m sorry that we didn’t tell you sooner but we really didn’t know how. I love you and respect you.” Pop laughed at that last bit. “I’m willing to talk whenever you are.” I finished before standing up. Sammie sat still as stone in her seat but I wanted to get away from Pop to give him time.
He needed lots of fucking time no matter what he thought.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going, Santana?” Pop grumbled, standing.
“To my room,” I said, slipping my hands in my pockets. He glared at me and shook his head vehemently.
“You don’t have a room in this house anymore. You think I’m going to let you two stay under the same roof when I know what’s going on between you? When I’ve seen you all over each other with my own fucking eyes? No. You’re not staying here so you can have free reign, Santana.
I didn’t go talk to Dom this evening like I planned. I went and set up an apartment for you. You can stay there but I refuse to have you living with Samira. She will graduate high school and go off to New Hampshire in the fall and you will not lay a finger on her.” His words trembled like they were full of anger and popping at the seams.
My brows crashed together and I took a step closer to him. I could take anything but him trying to pull me away from Sammie. She was everything to me.
“Samira, I forbid you to have any more contact with your brother,” he spat the word at my feet bitter and gnarled. “I can’t believe you would ever do something so fucking salacious. Do you know how this would have made your mother feel?”
“No, I don’t. But I do know that Mama was all about love. Even if she would have started off angry, she wouldn’t stay there and she damn sure wouldn’t make Santana move out of the house.” I hated the way Sammie cried. I hated seeing tears roll down her smooth cheeks and splash on her chest.
I wanted to wipe them away. I wanted to wipe every piece of pain away and make her smile again. My throat tightened at the sight of her scarlet tipped nose and cheeks.
“Well I’m handling things and I refuse to have you two around each other.”
“You can’t stop me,” Samira’s tears turned from sad and hurt to angry and defiant in a blink.
“Look, I’ll go. Fuck this. Sammie, I don’t want you getting into any more trouble because of me.” I leaned down and kissed her forehead in spite of the bullish way Pop exhaled through his nostrils.
“Santana, don’t leave without me,” she begged. Her voice was a tiny squeak that ripped me apart from the inside out. I was always respectful to my father but right then I stared him down like he was just another man on the street.
Sammie’s red eyes and trembling lips set fury loose inside of me and I needed to get away before I did something stupid. I was fine with being kicked out but I hated what it did to Sammie.
I hated the thought of not sleeping beside her like I’d grown accustomed to. My bones felt heavy as I moved toward the front door.
“Samira stay here. I’ll take Santana to his new apartment.”
