Page 135 of A Very Merry Enemy
Sammy shakes his head, and I can tell he’s actually shocked. “This is why you were both a mess. It wasn’t a crush.”
“No,” Holiday confirms. “It was honestly the best summer of my life.”
Sammy looks at his sister. “How could you leave and forget that happened?”
“I didn’t forget anything,” Holiday says, her voice breaking slightly. “I thought about Lucas every single day.”
“But you still stayed away for fifteen years. You still got engaged to someone else.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. “Rehashing old shit does no one any good. But now you know. Consider yourself the third person on the planet who’s aware.”
Sammy is quiet before he sighs deeply.
“Okay,” he says. “This explains everything.”
“Are you mad?” Holiday asks quietly.
“Mad?” Sammy considers. “No. I’m pissed at both of you for not choosing one another.”
“Sammy—” I start, but he interrupts me.
“Just don’t fuck it up this time,” he says.
“Don’t plan on it,” I tell him.
“Good.” Sammy heads for the door, then pauses with his hand on the handle. He turns back. “One more thing.”
We both look at him.
“This means we get back to how we used to be. The three musketeers?”
Holiday grins. “You want that?”
“You know I do. I miss hanging out with you two without all the weird tension and drama.” He shrugs. “You’re both my best friends. I want my family back.”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Holiday says.
“Me too.” I give him a smile.
“Good.” Sammy grins. “And Holiday? Maybe don’t ever tell Mom and Dad about the virginity thing. I don’t need that image in my head, and neither do they.”
He leaves and I hear his truck start up outside.
Holiday and I just stand there, staring at each other.
“Well,” she says finally. “That went better than expected.”
“Did you really just tell your brother about that?”
“I didn’t mean to blurt it out, but it felt good to get it off my chest.” She’s smirking. “Did you see his face?”
“I thought he was actually going to fuck me up.”
“He wouldn’t have.”
“You don’t know that.”
She walks over and wraps her arms around my waist. “Was hot that you didn’t flinch.”
