Page 137 of The First Time
"Not like I can talk."
"Ethan can't, but he still does."
"Ethan is Ethan." His expression gets serious.
Ethan isn't going to take this well. "Maybe Violet will help my case."
Mal nods. "You're too young to remember this, but the five of us used to be a family. Mom and Dad used to care. You should have seen the way Ethan lit up when they showed the faintest interest in anything he did. They used to take us to the beach every weekend. They used to make a big pancake breakfast every Sunday. We were a family. When that stopped, when they left, that killed him. But it killed him for your sake too. He's always gonna want to protect you."
"You make it sound sweet."
"It is. I feel the same."
"I know."
"I didn't pull this shit to fuck with you. I want us to be a family, all five of us. That's not gonna happen." He looks away. "Shit, I guess you were right."
"It's not like you to admit that."
He chuckles. "It's not like you to keep secrets."
"I know."
Mal looks me in the eyes. "If he does slip, if anything goes wrong, or he hurts you— promise you'll tell me."
"He won't."
"Then it will be an easy promise to keep."
Fair point, but there's a part of me that isn't quite convinced Kit will never hurt me.
Even so, I look my brother in the eyes. "I promise."
