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“Did he touch you?”
“He didn’t do anything to me.”
“Then, how did he make you mad?”
I choke down the lump in my throat. “He made fun of Elijah,” I spit out. “Called him a wimp.”
My grandfather tilts his head, drawing my eyes toward his kind, patient gaze. “Is that all?” he asks.
“No,” I say, biting down. “He said Dante was a psycho.”
He sighs. “Those are just words. They’re not worth putting a kid in the hospital over.”
I look down into the water, avoiding his eyes again as a lone tear tumbles down my cheek. “I know. I just thought...”
He rests a steady hand on my knee. “What?”
“I thought that if I did what I did, then they’d all talk about me instead,” I say. “They’d leave Eli alone.”
To my surprise, he smiles. “That’s why you did it?” he asks. “To protect your brother?”
I nod, saying nothing more.
He exhales, looking relieved. “So, he didn’t do anything... inappropriate to you? Anything you weren’t ready for?”
“No.”
He relaxes a little more. “I gotta tell you, honey, I haven’t slept a full night since you started dating. That Sullivan kid made me nervous as all hell.”
I blink twice. “So, you’re not mad?” I ask.
“No,” he says. “I’m not mad.”
“Disappointed?”
“Don’t tell your grandmother, but I’m actually a little proud. You stood up for yourself and your family, but...” He squints. “Lilah, violence isn’t always the answer. In fact, it almost never is and should be avoided, especially by a little one like you. I don’t want to see you go down the same path as your big brother.”
“I’m sorry, Gramps,” I say weakly.
He kisses my forehead. “And Elijah needs to learn how to fight his own battles. He won’t always have you around to do that for him. Okay?”
I nod. “Okay.”
“He’s a Hart,” he adds. “Just like you and me. And what do Harts do?”
My lips twitch. “We always get back up.”
He nudges my chin. “That’s right, Lily. We always get back up.”
I smile and wipe my cheeks as he stands.
“Come on,” he says, grabbing the crutches. “Let’s get inside. It’s taco night! Don’t want to miss that.”
He extends his hand to me. I take it, using his strength to help me up and keep my balance. He gives me one crutch and props the second beneath his own arm to show me what to do.
“Keep your weight off it for a while,” he says, looking at my ankle.
I lean against the crutch. “I will.”
