Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
But that was then.
This was now.
I shifted on my seat, focusing on my sister. “It was Jim.”
Her lips parted, and Cannon’s brow furrowed as he took in her shock.
“Who is Jim?” Cannon asked when Sephie seemed too stunned to speak.
“Oh, Anne,” she said. “How was it seeing him again?”
“Hard,” I admitted, my heart sighing a little at being able to be open and honest with my sister after so many years of strain between us. Thanks to therapy, it was getting easier for me to separate my trauma from my sister who had no hand in it, and moreso, didn’t even know about it.
“I can’t imagine,” she said. “How did he look?” She raised her brows, practically starving for details.
“Really good.” I laughed. “Too good. He’s got this whole Jack Ryan thing going on now.”
A warm shiver raced down the center of my body with the thought of last night. Jim was all man now, the only pieces of the teenager I’d known flickering in his green eyes. Carved muscles filled out his police officer’s uniform, and the dark full beard over his strong jaw was a new kind of kryptonite I didn’t know I had.
“Who the hell is Jim?” Cannon asked, his features full of curiosity that only made me laugh harder. Sephie told me the Reapers were just as gossipy as we were.
“He’s an old friend of Anne’s,” Sephie explained.
“An old boyfriend?” Cannon asked.
Sephie looked to me, giving me the space to decide how much I let Cannon into my life. I loved her for it, especially since my family thrived on making decisions on my behalf without a single regard to my own desires.
“Yes,” I answered Cannon.
“So that’s why he let you go,” he said, and Sephie lightly smacked his tatted arm. “What?” he asked. “There’s no way any other cop would’ve let her just drive home when she was covered in alcohol.”
“Cannon Price,” Sephie chided.
“No, he’s right,” I said. “I was lucky.” I shook my head. “And stupid.”
“You weren’t stupid,” Sephie said, scooting closer to me. “You had a vulnerable moment. That’s to be expected. Change doesn’t happen overnight.”
I studied her blue eyes that were so like my own, and there wasn’t a hint of false support or judgment. She genuinely believed in me and wanted me to get better. God, I can’t believe I’d let my own trauma get in the way of loving my sister in a healthy way for so many years.
That’s in the past, which I can’t change. I can only change how I feel in the present.
“Next time,” she continued. “Call me. I don’t care what time it is. If you’re struggling, call me and I’ll be there.”
“Or me,” Cannon said. “If I’m not at practice or a game, I’ll be there too.”
Tears bit the backs of my eyes, my heart swelling in my chest. I didn’t deserve their kindness, especially after my behavior when I first met Cannon. I’d come on to him, for fuck’s sake. Sure, I’d done it as a test under the ridiculous notion that I’d be saving Persephone from a failed marriage like I’d experienced so many times, but I was wrong.
So very wrong.
“Thank you,” I managed to choke out before sucking in a breath. I didn’t need to turn into a puddle right now. “I don’t deserve you two—”
“Andromeda,” my father’s voice cut over my conversation, and I immediately sat up straighter. He had that tone, the one he so often used with me—a combination of disappointment and authority.
“Yes?” I asked as he came around the corner.
“A word.”
That’s all he said before turning on his heels and heading no doubt to his office. It was the source of his power after all, and I’d suffered many a lecture in there over the years.
“You don’t have to go in there,” Sephie said when I got up off the couch. “Or I can come with you.”
I smiled softly at her. “If I really want to reconnect with this family in a healthy way, I have to not only fight my own battles but also listen and do my best to make our parents proud. Ignoring him won’t do me any favors in that department, but thank you for offering.”
She hugged me quickly. “I’m so proud of you,” she said, and I tried not to squirm away from the gesture and the compliment. “We’re heading out,” Sephie said, her and Cannon following me out of the den. They interlocked hands, my sister almost melting into her new husband. It was super cute, if not a little disgusting. Who the hell was ever that happy? “Call me later?” she asked, and I nodded, waving goodbye as they left.
I stood outside of my father’s office door for far longer than necessary. Finally, after telling myself I’d disappointed him in much greater ways, I pushed open the door.