Page 70 of After We Fall

“I just know. How do you feel about him?”

“I don't know,” I burst out.

“Maybe you should come home so you can talk to him face-to-face. When will you be back?”

“I scheduled my return ticket in three days. I haven't been gone that long,” I replied defensively.

“I wasn’t implying you had,” she said gently. “Get back as soon as you can. Stay safe.”

“Okay.” Just as I was about to hang up, I prompted, “Daphne?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for calling me.”

“Of course. Miss you, girl. We'll see you when you get back.”

ChapterThirty-One

HARLEY

“How do you think you feel?” Terese, my oldest sister, asked.

I narrowed my eyes. “If I knew how I felt, I wouldn't be asking you.”

My sister pursed her lips, her brows hitching up. “Hmm. I think you know how you feel. You’re just avoiding it. Just like you avoided this thing with your heart.”

“I didnotavoid it,” I muttered.

She cocked her head to the side. “Really? How come you didn’t mention it to any of us when you knew while you were still living down here?”

“Because it’s not that big of a deal.”

She studied me quietly before leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table. “You know, sometimes I complain about being the oldest, but I’ve always thought it’s got to be the worst to be you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lord knows, we have many blessings in our family. Our parents loved each other. They loved us. We love each other. Oh, we’ve been through some shit, but so has every family. We’re all pretty outspoken. Being the youngest, I imagine it’s always felt like you had to fight to be heard.”

I laughed softly. “Sometimes I feel like nobody listens to me.”

“When we were little, you always tried to prove that you were as fast as us, as smart as us, as tough as Diego.”

My eyes stung with tears as I cast her a rueful smile. “I suppose so, but what’s so bad about that?”

“Well, it’s a hard thing. Nobody wants to deal with a health issue when they’re young. And youdefinitelydon’t like any of us worrying about you.”

“No, that drives me crazy.”

“We love you, so we get to worry.”

“I know, and I love you too.” My throat was tight, and my chest felt itchy with heat.

“Would you want me to hide something like that?” Terese asked gently.

“No,” I retorted, taken aback.

“Exactly.”

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