Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
I thought I saw his brows smooth a bit, like I might have been getting through — so I kept on.
“Have you or your family ever asked her what she wants to do for a holiday, or how she wants to spend even one fucking night? It’s the Vince Tanev show, and to Grace’s credit, she’s been fine with that. In fact, I’d say she’s been your biggest fan since she was born. But you don’t get to sit here and tell me she’s your sister, like that gives you some fucking right over who she dates and what she does with her life. Frankly, you’re a fucking idiot if you can’t see that she is more than capable of handling herself. And she is allowed to make her own choices.”
Vince’s expression definitely sobered then, the line between his brows softening the more I spoke, as if he really never saw it until now.
“Grace has opened me up in a way no one else ever has,” I continued. “From the first fucking night we spent on that stupid bus. She made me laugh. She made me feel something other than numb. And when I saw her come to your house crying over that dumbass punk, yeah — I jumped at the chance to make her feel better. I asked her what she needed, and she said she wanted to drive. So, that’s what we did.
“And I know I should have told you then. I understand the risk I took and the way I broke your trust by going behind your back. But honestly, I had no fucking idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I felt a pull to her that I had never felt before in my life. Judging by the way you asked Maven to marry you after knowing her for less than nine months, my bet is you can understand that kind of crazy.”
Vince swallowed at that, his eyes falling to the floor.
“I see her, Vince,” I said, my voice softer now. “Not just the happy-go-lucky side of her, either. That girl has been looking for a safe place to break her entire life, and I gave her one. I could talk to you all day about it. I could make a fucking PowerPoint, but it wouldn’t change the fact that you will never understand what we have. No one will.
“What happened on that road,” I added, pointing toward the door. “It was something meant only for us. You think I don’t fucking hate that her phone got leaked? You think it doesn’t make my stomach turn that her privacy was violated, that the world is making assumptions about her based on jokes that were meant to stay between us? It fucking kills me. Alright? But we will handle it. Together. Me and her. Because I don’t care whether you forgive me or not. I don’t care if you hate me for the rest of your life. I am never, never letting that girl go.”
Vince lifted his gaze, looking at me for what felt like the first time since he’d stormed into my house. I felt like he was both sizing me up and seeing me in a new light. He narrowed his eyes a bit, like he was looking for some sort of sign that I might be lying. Then, he blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair, slumping into the nearest seat.
He was silent for a long time, and then he shook his head and said, “I hear you.”
My next breath deflated out of me, and I realized then that I was shaking. I made my way to the seat next to him and flopped down, too.
“I didn’t know she felt like that,” he said quietly. “Which tracks, since clearly I’ve been so caught up in my own life, I haven’t thought to ask about hers. I’ve always been so protective of her…” He shook his head, pain etching his brows. “And really, I didn’t know her at all. It’s like she’s always been the ten-year-old little sister to me. I didn’t realize…”
“That she’s grown up now?”
He sighed, nodding.
“You know, if you would have just fucking told me you were interested in her—”
“You would have told me to fuck off,” I finished for him.
He opened his mouth to argue, but shut it again just as quickly. “Well, you still should have told me.”
“You’re right. And I planned to. We planned to. But just like the rest of her life, you don’t get to dictate when or how things happen. It’s her decision, and mine. You think we didn’t see how this would all blow up? You think we didn’t realize all the reasons we couldn’t and shouldn’t be together?” I laughed at that. “Trust me — no one has run over that list more than me. She’s younger than I am. She’s my teammate’s sister. She wants a life of adventure when I’m bound to the team and what it wants for me. We don’t make sense, and we tried to walk away from each other. We let ourselves have the summer and were willing to sacrifice what we felt because we knew what we were up against.”