AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“My phone died, and then I forgot to call her last night.”
She cringed. “Is she mad?”
I nodded.
She leaned back in her chair and had a guilty look on her face. I immediately went into concerned parent mode when her eyes welled up into tears. “It’s all my fault,” she cried.
I jumped up from my seat and bent down in front of her. I put my hands around her face. “Skye, listen to me. You’re the most important thing in my life. You’re always going to come first. Gemma knows that. You needed me. It’s not your fault that I don’t know how to communicate.”
“Bu-but, I don’t want you to give up your life for me!” she wailed again, and the tears fell in fat drops. “It’s not your job to be my dad!”
“I know, kiddo, but I’m your big brother. I’m always gonna be there for you,” I told her and wiped the tears away. “This isn’t your fault.”
“It’s always my fault. You and Roger broke up because of me.”
I sighed. “Not because of you, okay?”
“Yes! When Dad went to jail, you dropped everything because you felt like you had to be the replacement dad. I want my big brother to be happy, and I don’t want to be the reason you’re not.”
I wiped more of her tears as they came again. I hated seeing Skye like this. I wanted my sister to be protected at all times. I didn’t want her to think she was a burden. It was hard raising her on my own, but I would do it all over again if I had to.
“You’re my sister. Family’s first, always. It’s not your fault. I left the cabin without telling Gemma where I was going. So she’s mad at me right now. None of that’s your fault, okay? That’s on me.”
“Okay…”
“It’s not half pint. I’ve been afraid of a relationship since Dad went to jail again, but I want to try with Gemma. I spent the week getting to know her and…I really like her, and I think you would too.”
“I never liked Roger,” she admitted.
“Really?”
She nodded and wiped away the rest of her tears. “He was too stuffy. Gemma looks fun!”
I laughed. That was one way to describe the woman who lit up any room she walked into. When Gemma smiled, it was like the sunshine was shining down on you. Like it was wrapping you in a warm hug.
“How are you gonna fix it?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I need to talk to her in person. I’m gonna go to the brewery when it opens. You’ll be okay without me for a bit, right?”
She rolled her eyes. “My leg’s just broken. I’m fine. Sophia’s gonna come over, anyway.”
I ruffled her hair. “Okay, half pint.”
We finished breakfast, and I unpacked my bags from the cabin. I smiled when a stray seashell poured out of my suitcase. It reminded me of that day on the lake with Gemma. How she had fit so perfectly in my arms, and how my heart wrenched in my chest when she looked so sad on the boat after telling me she didn’t want the week to end. I hadn’t wanted our week to end either. I just hadn’t planned on my colossal fuck up so soon.
I wanted to call her, but I thought it was better to talk to her in person. If I called, she might tell me to fuck off again. By the time I left, Sophia had come over, so I was okay with leaving Skye alone. Maybe I babied her a little, but I worried about her dropping her crutches or falling on her injured leg if no one was around.
I walked over to the brewery, but I didn’t see Gemma behind the bar when I walked inside. I went into the back to check the schedule pinned up outside of Declan’s office. Gemma wasn’t on it today. Or tomorrow. Or all next week.
What the fuck?
I was about to walk into the office where Declan sat staring intensely at his computer, but then Nolan stormed over to me, looking mad as hell.
“You!” Nolan pointed at me.
I pointed at my chest. “What about me?”
“You fucking know,” Nolan snarled at me.
