It takes superhuman effort not to show any shock over Reese’s outburst. Her boyfriend slept with her half-sister, pretending to be Reese? That’s sick on both their parts. My poor baby, though. No wonder she ran away to Edison and has been hiding out. It’s nothing short of a miracle that she put herself on the dating market again. My brave, beautiful girl.
Angel throws a hand over her mouth and gasps. “And you believed him? That rat! I did no such thing. I can’t believe you took his word over mine.”
“Your words were ‘Please don’t tell Mommy.’ Look, let’s just forget it. I’ve gotten over it, and I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Reese looks over at me as if she’s embarrassed that she got caught in this situation. I squeeze her shoulder in a show of support. It’s not her fault that her boyfriend and her half-sister are in a race to the bottom of the barrel.
Angel turns to me. “Do I look like the kind of girl who would do that to her sister?”
I set my drink down on the table and lean forward so Angel doesn’t miss the message I’m about to deliver. “I don’t know what kind of boys you’ve been dealing with, Angel, but I’m Reese’s man, which means I back her one hundred percent. Full stop. If she wants to rob the bank, I buy the masks and hire the getaway car. If she wants to murder my uncle, I buy the bullets and the plastic to wrap his body in. If she says you hoodwinked some poor sap into your bed to make yourself feel superior over your sister, then that’s what happened, even if there’s video evidence that says otherwise. I’m her man.”
That stuns the younger woman into silence. Quietly, under her breath, Reese says, “Really? Your own uncle?”
“He died a couple of years ago,” I reply. “But I know where he’s buried, and we can dig him up for you.” I wink.
CHAPTER 18
REESE
A ngel gapes at Blake, not sure what to make of him. Then she bursts into a fit of giggles. “You’re sweet and funny.” I would laugh too, but I’m not so sure Blake was teasing.
I do think he’s the kind of man that would have that kind of loyalty to someone. I’m seeing Blake as an all in or out kind of man. It has me relaxing to a degree. I’d be lying if I said some of my first thoughts when I saw my sister standing on my doorstep weren’t geared toward what Blake might think of her. Angel is beautiful. Most men tend to pay her attention.
She looks a lot like our mom, where I tend to favor my dad. I’ve always loved that I looked like my dad because it made me feel connected to him. Which is often hard because I don’t remember him. Well, not until I stare into the mirror and always see his and my grandma's eyes staring back at me. Angel and I might as well be night and day when it comes to looks.
We never went anywhere without her stealing every man’s attention in the room. She didn’t even have to try. Blake is different, though. He hasn’t spared any more of his attention than he needs to in order to be polite. Even right now, he has his arm draped over my shoulders while he plays with the ends of my hair. I’m practically in his lap at this point with how close we are.
“See, it looks like I did you a favor. Bobby wasn’t the right fit for you. Besides, now you went and got yourself a real cowboy.” Angel smirks like I should be thanking her for sleeping with my ex. Maybe I should be. She really did give me the wake-up call I needed.
“Why are you here?” I ask instead.
She’s not getting a thank you because this isn’t about her hooking up with Bobby. I couldn’t care less about that. She can have him. No, I take that back. I want her to get her crap together and then find someone who isn’t okay with any kind of cheating. Someone that wants her for her. Too bad I don’t think my sister even knows who she is at this point in her life.
“We’re sisters.”
“And?” She’s never cared about that before now.
“You can’t just hate me and refuse to come back home.” She throws her hands up, being dramatic as always.
“I don’t hate you, and this is my home now. This is where my father is from.” Angel scrunches her nose before glancing around my little duplex. I don’t really care what anyone else thinks. I love this place. It’s mine and actually feels like me. Sure, it’s small, but it’s only for me. How much room does a person need?