Page 63 of Stolen Kiss

She looked down. “Sometimes, I’m afraid I don’t know what I’m doing and I might mess up their lives, you know.”

I opened my mouth, to say what, I didn’t know. Honestly, I didn’t know what my sister was going through. I wasn’t a parent.

“I know you’re going to say that’s not true at all,” she said, “but the fear’s still there, no matter what. I guess every parent goes through the same turmoil, huh?”

“I guess so.”

“When did you and Jensen happen?” she finally asked. I had a feeling she’d been wanting to ask me that since the moment I stepped foot into the room.

“Not long,” I answered, and that was all I was capable of giving her now.

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Yes,” I answered sharply. I wished they would all stop treating me like a little kid incapable of making my own decision.

She winced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so intrusive.”

“Then don’t. All you have to know is this: I want this. I want him. For the first time in what feels like a really long time, I’m happy.”

She didn’t need to know about my doubts about Jensen. Not until I had it figured out, but I wasn’t lying when I said I was happy.

Jensen made me happy.

“I’m sorry if this sounds like I don’t trust you to make your own decision, because I do. I just… I guess you can say I’m protective of you.”

My shoulders sagged, and I felt my heart softening toward her. My sister lived her whole life trying to keep our family together. I knew it couldn’t have been easy.

“I know. You don’t have to worry. Jensen’s…” I didn’t know what Jensen was. He avoided me so much in the past, I never got to know the kind of man he was, and now everything was so new with us. “A good man,” I finally settled on, and fuck, I hoped this didn’t come back to bite me in the ass later on.

“I know,” Evelyn said, and I felt the small weight lifting from my chest. At this point, Evelyn probably knew Jensen better than I did. But I planned to change that. I realized then, I wanted this with Jensen. I wanted this, and damn all the consequences.

“Ten-year age gap is a lot by any standard.”

I scoffed at that. “And I’m twenty-seven, not seventeen. Trust me to make my own decision.”

She looked at me and smiled. “Yeah. I know. But if he hurts you, I’ll kill him.”

I laughed at the sight of her trying to look like a badass. Evelyn was the least intimidating person I knew.

A thought occurred to me then. “Don’t tell Ethan.” She looked like she wanted to say something, but I interrupted her. “Not now, okay? I’ll tell him eventually, but you know how he is. He’s going to worry, and he probably won’t leave New York if he knew.”

She laughed because she knew I was right. “Fine, but you can’t keep this a secret. He’ll have to know eventually.”

I let out a sigh. “I know. You think he’ll ever ease up?”

She answered me with another laugh.

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