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It made me doubt our relationship that she could reject my proposal so easily. But it wasn’t an easy decision. Her sisters came first, just like Kendall was my priority. Sophie couldn’t just walk away from them. Hell, her father had to force the issue when she was twenty-four.
I had the uncomfortable feeling that I’d been thinking about this all wrong for a while now. I wasn’t quite ready to focus on that, so I doubled down on evaluating Sophie’s safety and this burglar, who was still out there.
ChapterSeven
SOPHIE
Why had I invited Mark to family dinner? When I told my dad Mark was coming along with his daughter, he’d raised a brow. I couldn’t blame him for his disbelief.
My excuse that Mark wanted to reconnect with the community and that Kendall needed to make friends sounded weak, even to me.
Thankfully, he didn’t question it further. He’d been upset when Mark enlisted, but he’d understood. Mark needed to forge his own path. He couldn’t do that with his dad pressuring him to take over the business that Mark wasn’t even sure he wanted.
My baby sister, Nora, was home on break from college. My second youngest, Tori, had stayed in Texas to work an internship during her summer break. Thankfully, they both had the time and space to explore what they wanted to do. Their hands weren’t forced, and they had no responsibilities. That’s how I wanted it to be for them.
Ellie had gotten pregnant at sixteen with Drew. She was the real reason I’d stayed at home until I was twenty-four. We had Drew to care for. Our middle sister, Grace, was living in New York. I think she wanted to escape our town and explore the world. I was just glad she had that opportunity. I wanted my sisters to do anything they wanted to do, even if it meant leaving home.
When I arrived, my sisters, Nora and Ellie, were already there. Drew, at ten, was the center of attention, as usual. When he was born, my sisters spoiled him. He was the only boy. He’d loved it when he was little, but now he seemed a little uncomfortable with the attention.
“You meet any girls?” Nora asked.
“I’m ten,” Drew said, looking disgusted.
I exchanged an amused look with Ellie. I’m sure she was relieved he wasn’t into girls yet. She was worried about him following in her footsteps and getting someone pregnant. She loved him and had some help from his father, but she wanted him to have it easier than she did. She’d been able to attend college because we’d helped her.
I kissed my dad’s cheek as he shook his head at us. “Never a dull moment around here.”
There was a sparkle in my dad’s eyes. He loved us, no matter what we did. Whether it was getting pregnant at sixteen like Ellie or leaving home like Grace.
The doorbell rang.
“That Mark?” Dad asked.
“I didn’t invite anyone else.”
I moved toward the door, but Ellie beat me there. She was the second oldest, so I was closest to her. She remembered how devastated I’d been when Mark left. She probably wanted to protect me.
“It’s good to see you, Mark.” Ellie opened the door wider so he could come inside.
His eyes widened when he saw how many people were in the kitchen, watching him expectedly.
“Did you forget what it was like around here?” I asked, amused.
He shook his head. “It’s about the same.”
It was probably tamer. When he left, all of us girls were in our preteen or teen years. We fought over stolen clothes and makeup. There was a lot of screaming and yelling, but also a lot of love. There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for each other.
At first, those in the community pitied us—the five poor girls left without a mother—but we were self-sufficient. We took care of ourselves. I’d worked hard to get to that point.
Dad approached, and I held my breath, unsure how he’d react. “Mark, thank you for your service.”
“Thank you, sir,” Mark said.
Dad respected him. I’d always known he had, but seeing him treat Mark with so much reverence touched me.
“And who do we have here?” Dad asked.
“This is my daughter, Kendall.”
