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“I’m not embarrassed. I think you are, but I’m not.”

“Yeah,” he said, turning to look at her. “I’m embarrassed, but it’s life. I’ll get over it.” He pulled into the mall and looked for a parking spot. “Anything else you need to tell me before we shop?”

“I got my period last week.”

He closed his eyes for a brief second.

How come he didn’t know that either?

He hadn’t really seen any signs of it in the house. But she had her own bathroom and she cleaned it. He never went in there.

“And everything was good with it? I mean, I don’t know what I mean.”

She laughed. “Yes. I talked to Tiff some and Sandy. It’s all good. But I need more pads to have on hand for next time.”

“We’ll get them at the grocery store after.”

If he survived the mall outing.

He found a parking spot. The mall was already busy and it was only eleven.

He shut his car off, reached over her and opened the glove box, pulled out his gun, his extra ankle holster and strapped it on.

“You don’t need your gun in the mall,” she said, laughing.

“Says who?” he asked. “I might need it just for my sanity.”

“Don’t be silly, Colson,” Bella said, getting out.

The fact that she was so free with her laughter now when she hadn’t been years ago reminded him how much they’d grown.

Even how mature the conversation the two of them had in the car was.

His sister was much more mature than he was at thirteen.

When he was that age, all he thought of was getting Marly Conway alone and doing to her what he had done last night.

Now, it wasn’t just thoughts of kissing her in his mind.

It was tasting every part of her body.

Which he could have done last night.

But again, he’d matured.

And he wasn’t the kind of guy to do that anymore.

There was too much on the line.

Not just him and Marly and a future he’d like to have a second chance at, but Bella and her stability.

They walked into the mall. “I’m just following you,” he said. “I have no idea the stores you want to go in. Do I need to give you a time limit in each one?”

“Noooooo,” she said, drawing it out. “I know how to shop fast. I promise.”

“Good. And I’m hungry. We’ll get some lunch here when we are done.”

She nodded and took off for her first store, went right for the sale and clearance racks, then started pushing through them.