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"I like him more and more every day," Kane mutters.
I roll my eyes. "Of course you do. He's bossy and annoying just like you."
"And you fell in love with him anyway."
"Yeah," I whisper. "I did."
"Are you happy, Kenna?"
"So happy." Despite everything, I don't think I've ever been happier. That's a testament to the way he makes me feel. I shouldn't feel this alive in the face of so much chaos, and yet I do. I shouldn't wake up with butterflies and go to sleep with a smile on my face. But I do. I shouldn't laugh this much or smile so hard or find new reasons to love every single freaking day. Still, I do.
"Then cling to that with both hands and let the rest work itself out," Kane suggests. "Trust that it will because it will. We won't stop until it does. Believe that, Kenna. We've got you. And if you think it's too late to fix it, you're crazy. That man would fight the armies of hell for you without hesitation. You not saying it back tonight didn't change the way he feels. Nothing will ever change that."
He's right. Gideon doesn't blow where the wind takes him. He plants his roots deep and refuses to bend. He's steadfast in his devotion, his love unwavering and bright. I know because I've felt it every single day since he claimed me as his own.
I climb to my feet, circling around my brother's desk to throw my arms around him in a fierce hug. "I'm glad you're my annoying big brother, Kane. I wouldn't trade you for anything."
"Yeah? Not even for a cat?"
"Well, I mean…"
He growls, nudging my shoulder. "You're still the biggest brat I know."
"Lucky you."
He chuckles, dropping a kiss to the top of my head. "Yeah, lucky me, baby sister. Lucky me."
I giggle, messing up his hair before I skip back to my chair, my heart lighter than it's been all evening.
"Are you okay, Sparrow?" Gideon asks, pulling me down onto the couch as soon as we get home. He tugs me into his arms, wrapping them around me. I melt into him, sinking into his embrace.
"Yeah," I whisper. "I'm okay."
"You've been quiet since I got back to your brother's."
"I've been thinking."
"If you're thinking about running, forget it, Kenna. You're not getting rid of me. I don't care how hard you try."
"What?" I turn around on his lap so I can meet his gaze. "You think I'm going to run, Gideon? Really?"
"I don't know where your head is at, Sparrow. But the thought crossed my mind," he admits. "You got scared today. When you get scared, you run."
"I didn't…I wasn't…" I huff out a breath, trying to find the right words. "I wasn't afraid for the reason you think, Gideon. That's not what that was about. I was worried for you."
"Why?" Something painful and bottomless goes through his eyes. He blinks it away as quickly as it appears, but I see enough of it, and it shakes me to my foundation. This crazy, amazing, beautiful man thinks I'm worried about him because I don't feel the same way.
No. God, no.
How could I have messed this up so badly that he doesn't already know?
"I love you, Gideon," I say without hesitation, unwilling and unable to keep the truth from him when he needs to hear it. He needs to know that he has every piece of me. There can be no doubt. I won't allow him to have any.
"Jesus," he breathes.
"I mean it," I whisper, cupping his face between my palms. "I love you. That was never a question. That isn't what today was about either. I panicked when you said it because for the first time, I realized that I could hurt you too. I never thought about that before today, Gideon. I never let myself consider what could happen to me. But I did today." I swallow hard. "I'll never forgive myself if something happens to me and you get hurt."
"Sparrow," he whispers, dropping his forehead to mine. "You think I'm going to let that happen?"
