Page 158 of Messy Strokes (Wrecked Roommates)

Freaking dimples.

Yup. She definitely looks familiar.

Or maybe I’m going crazy for thinking they’re so similar to a man who isn’t currently speaking to me.

Tilting my head to the side, I cross my arms, towering over them, and ask, “I’m sorry. Who are you?”

She glances up at me, her gaze hard and unyielding, then turns back to my baby girl. “Hey, cutie. My name’s Auntie Reese. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“You’reReese?”

I feel like I’m intruding on her little introduction with my baby, but I don’t know what else she expects me to say.

Lips pursed, she stands back up and faces me fully. “Yeah. I’m Reese. Milo’s little sister.”

Shit.

Wiping my hands against my jeans, I offer my hand for her to shake. “Nice to meet you.”

Or, it would be if she wasn’t giving me the stink eye.

She stares at my extended hand but doesn’t take it, her astute gaze snapping to mine as she props her palms on her hips. “Look. I need you to understand something. My brother doesn’t cry. My brother doesn’t even really hurt. Hell, feeling anything, in general, is kind of a miracle when it comes to him. I blame our shitty upbringing on his lack of emotional depth, but who knows? Maybe he was born this way. You, however”––she points her perfectly polished fingernail at me––“have managed to cripple him. And I need to know right now whether or not you’re going to do it again.”

Well, damn. Way to get right to the point, Reese.

I try to keep my head held high, but the familiar shame coursing through my veins makes it difficult. I want to curl into a ball. I want to run away and hide. I want to be anywhere but here.

No. It’s not entirely true.

I want to be with Milo.

Milo and Penny.

It’s all I want.

“Are you going to answer my question?” Reese prods.

“I didn’t want to hurt him.”

“But youdidhurt him.”

I sniff, hating the verbal punches she’s throwing my way while savoring them at the same time. Because I deserve them. Each and every one.

“I know,” I whisper, folding my arms and looking down at Penny on the blanket, her little legs kicking away.

Reese’s sneakers scuff against the floor as she inches closer to me, a bit of her animosity fizzling. “I’m not usually the mama bear, you know. It’s never been my job. Milo’s always been the one taking care of me. Looking after me. Making sure I landed on my feet after I made each and every mistake in my life. And trust me. I’ve made plenty. But it’s what he does. It’s some kind of weird hero complex he has. Again, probably from our shitty childhood. But what he doesn’t understand is some people aren’t worth saving. Some people will only drag him down. And right now, he’s lower than I’ve ever seen him.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, blocking out the truth in her words shining brighter than the damn sun. “I know.”

“And it isn’t fair to him.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I don’t know what else you expect me to say. I screwed up––”

“We’ve all screwed up.”

“Yeah, well. This time I screwed uphorribly,” I argue, lifting my chin and holding her gaze. “I hurt your brother. I hurt him in a possibly irreparable way. And even though I’d give anything to take it back, I can’t. Trust me. I’ve been thinking about it constantly. Trying to figure out how I could’ve saved him from being hurt. But no matter how many scenarios I play out… I dunno. I guess I’m too selfish to imagine a life without him in it. Too selfish to imagine Penny’s life without him in it. She loves him already. We even spent last night looking at pictures of them together. And yeah, I hate it. I lied. I hurt him. But I also love how he loved Penny. If only for a little while, she had a male figure she could rely on. I can’t make myself regret telling him he’s her father. If anything, my only regret is I don’t know if he really is.” I look down at Penny kicking away on her blankie. “She loves him. Already.”

“And you?” Reese asks, her cool exterior softening. “Do you love him?”

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