“Better?” Eric asks.
I nod.
“Will you tell me now how you really are?” His eyes bore into mine, and the worry in them is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. I burst out crying. Ugly crying, with blubbering and everything.
“I’m so scared,” I manage to say between sobs.
Eric hugs me tightly, and I weep uncontrollably into his neck. “I’ve never been more afraid. I don’t want to be afraid.” I lose myself in his arms, drawing strength from his hug.
“Shh, calm down, baby. It’s okay to be afraid. It’s okay to show it too. You don’t have to bottle things up.”
Pulling myself out of his hug, I press the back of my palms on my lids, hoping to calm the tears.
“Are my eyes red?” I ask Eric after I take my hands away.
“Very. Your nose too.”
“Oh, no.” I groan. “Everyone will see I cried.”
“As they should.” He cups my face. “You don’t have to only show them your strong side, even though you’re the oldest sister.”
“Hey,” I admonish. “I’m the people reader. Stop psychoanalyzing me.”
“Why, because I’m right?” His mouth curves into my favorite grin. “From one people reader to another, let me tell you, reining everything in eventually wears you down. You have a big family. Let them comfort you too, Rudolph.” He kisses me straight on the tip of my nose.
“You know the names of all the reindeer?” I tease.
“The hazards of helping my daughter prepare for Christmas recital auditions. You have no idea about all the things I know. Now, let’s change the subject before my masculinity takes a hit.”
I laugh, something I never imagined I’d be doing, given the circumstances.
“Thank you for making me laugh,” I tell him. Now that I’ve put the ugly cry behind me, I can focus on Eric. He wears a dark blue suit with a white shirt underneath, oozing an amount of testosterone that should be illegal. But there are also signs of tiredness stretched all over his face, and yet, he still took the trouble to come here. “It means a lot to me that you stopped by.”
“Stopping by? Oh, no, honey. I’m stayin’ here.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“You don’t have to stay,” I say stubbornly.
“I want to. I’m here for you. Anything you need. You want to take care of everyone else, and I want to take care of you.”
I shake my head, pulling myself straighter. “I don’t need anyone. I can take care of myself.”
“I’m not asking for your permission. I want to be here for you, and I will be. No matter what you say, I’m not leaving.”
“What about Julie?”
“She’s asleep, and Ms. Blackwell is at the house with her.”
“Eric—”
“There’s no point arguing. I’m not leaving.”
“You’re bossy.”
“You have no idea.”