“He never said anything about not telling you guys,” I whisper, my throat bobbing as I swallow down the tears threatening to burst out.
“No, but he talks to you about struggling with it.” I hear Trista pull on her nose, and I realize how hard this must be for her, knowing Michael is battling those same demons that crushed her spirit last time they emerged.
“I never wanted to hurt him or you.” I look down at my lap, a tear tickling my nose as it rolls down to the tip and drops onto my lap.
“No, Lore, that’s not what I’m saying,” Trista hurries to clarify. “What I’m saying is that he opens up to you. He lets you in. He isn’t curling into himself and letting it eat at him until he loses himself, like last time.”
“And you?”
“What about me?” she asks in genuine wonder.
“I don’t want you to go back to being scared or feeling like the weight of Mikey’s problems is on your shoulders,” I explain, remembering how hard it was for her to break through the barriers she built the first time around.
“I have Brian, and I’m never giving him up again.” Then she giggles softly. “Not that I can, now that we’re married.”
“Shut up!” I squeal into the phone, jumping off the stool. “I’m so happy for you, Tris!”
“Thank you.”
“I bet you guys had one heck of a wedding night,” I grin into the phone.
“We made good use of the honeymoon suite Mikey upgraded us to.” I can hear the grin in her voice, and I laugh.
“You should write a book. How to elope with your dom bestie.” I punctuate every word with a gesture of my hand in the air above me. “It’ll be a bestseller.”
“I don’t think so,” Trista manages through her laughter. “Plus, he isn’t a dom. Just really bossy.”
“Doesn’t matter, as long as you’re happy,” I declare.
“I am. Are you?” she asks, and I smile as I resume my seat.
“Yeah. Starting to freak out a bit, with the move to Boston coming up, but yeah.”
“Well, if my idiot brother had to go and knock up a girl during a work trip fling, I’m at least glad it’s you.” Trista sighs.
“Will you be at the airport when I land?” I ask, hopefully.
“Yeah, me and Mikey and our mom, who we tried to talk out of it, but…” She trails off, and I can’t help but smile at the inherent stubbornness I keep encountering with the Edwards family, and I love it in every single one of them. “Anyway, B will be at the house with Emily and the girls, so you can meet the nucleoid before the clan.”
“Is Phoebe going to be there?” I wonder. “I want to thank her in person. Jason transferred my money a couple of days ago, most of the interest included.”
“I’m so glad that worked out.” Trista’s voice is full of satisfaction, probably at the thought of Jason caving. She never liked the guy. “You know I’ll be doing all the ops for S.A.S.S., right? If you take another photographer, I will never speak to you ever again in my life!”
“Never ever again in your life?” I laugh. “I guess you twisted my arm there.”
“I know this is a big, scary change, Lore, but a selfish part of me is happy you’re moving to Boston, that I’ll have you close.”
“Definite upside,” I agree. “And Hattie is coming as well.”
“I heard,” Trista says with excitement evident in her voice. “And Posey Highwater too.”
“You’ve met Posey?”
“I went with Mikey to one of Sandra’s mixers a couple of years back.” I can hear the fondness in her voice and smile.
“Did she call you something worse than his current flavor as well?” I ask with laughter, and Trista’s snort is all the answer I need.
“Let’s just say that she was slightly mortified when she learned I was his little sister.” Trista joins my laughter.