The Summer Deal (Wildstone #5)(69)

“Yes, I am.”

“No. I’m not budging on this, Brynn, not ever.”

Brynn drew a deep breath. “If you’re going to learn anything about me, even one thing, let it be this.” She stepped closer and looked right into Kinsey’s eyes. “I can’t handle any more secrets or lies. I can’t. I can’t handle people keeping things from me. We have to agree to be honest from this point going forward, no matter what. And with that comes my honesty, my truth. I’m going to get tested, whether you like it or not. I’m telling you this because I know you don’t like it, but for us to move forward, there can’t be secrets. I’m forgiving you for the past, but now that you know me, you know my biggest fear is people keeping things from me, which always works out badly for me in the end.”

Kinsey blinked. She was being forgiven . . . when she didn’t deserve it. But she was also making the purposeful decision not to tell Brynn about their dad, which might come back to bite her in the ass. That would be her own problem. She was protecting Brynn. “I’m not an open book like you. I’m a private person.”

“I respect your boundaries, but when it comes to things that impact our relationship, it’s only going to work if we’re honest.”

“I don’t want you to be tested,” Kinsey said. “How’s that for open book?”

Brynn gave her a tight smile. “And while I respect your feelings, it’s my body, my choice, and I’m choosing to get tested.”

Kinsey had to admit, Brynn playing loose and fancy-free with being an “open book” sure made it easier to hide their father from her.

“What you do with my info after we find out is a discussion for another day,” Brynn said.

Kinsey just stared at her. “Are you always this obnoxious?”

Brynn actually laughed and threw her arms around Kinsey. “I’m your sister, aren’t I? Deal with it.” She pulled back. “I’m going to tell you one more thing. I’m going to find our dad. For you.”

Oh, Jesus. Kinsey felt like she was on a Tilt-A-Whirl, going way too fast but unable to get off. When Brynn had smiled at her, her heart had squeezed. Then she’d hugged her too, and she’d felt a surge of emotion that was shockingly close to happiness. A cruel joke on her, because it wouldn’t last. “I need you to listen to me very carefully. I don’t want you to do that.”

“Once again,” Brynn said in her now-familiar stubborn voice, the one that matched the stubborn light in her eyes, “I’m your sister, but you don’t get to tell me what to do. I’m going to do this, and what you end up doing with the info is your choice. My choice will be to talk to him and get to know him.”

Kinsey’s stomach sunk to her toes, but Brynn shrugged. “Deal with it,” she said. “I’m going to shower.”

“Does that mean you’re staying?”

Brynn met her gaze. “That’s what family does.”

And then she was gone.

A minute later, Eli came into the kitchen and looked at her.

Kinsey was horrified to find her eyes filling with tears. Her pulse was thundering and her heart hurt. “If you’re here to yell at me, I don’t want to hear it. I thought you were in my corner.”

He gave a slow shake of his head. “Not even you can make me pick between someone I consider family and the woman I’m falling in love with.”

Kinsey lost the battle with her tears. “I know. And she’s . . .” She broke off, unable to find the words.

“Amazing?” he said. “Resilient? Strong? Yeah. All of the above.”

Kinsey nodded, her throat thick.

Eli gave her a one-armed hug as he poured himself coffee. “Stubborn too.”

Kinsey nodded again.

“And in that regard,” Eli said, “you two are like twins.”

She swiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry I keep messing everything up.”

He leaned back against the counter. “You don’t need to apologize to me. What I do need to hear is that you’re going to get it together and stop detonating your life. Because there are people in it who love you, people who stand close to you, at your back, so when you blow yourself up, you blow us up with you.”

She dropped her head onto his shoulder. “I know. If it helps, I’m done doing that.”

He nudged her so that she straightened and he could look into her eyes. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I want to fix it,” she said. “All of it. Starting with you.”

He shook his head. “We’re okay, Kins.”

“Are we?” she whispered past the huge lump in her throat.

“I know what you did, and I know why. I think you can’t get out of your own way half the time, but I love you anyway. Just as you are.”

Her eyes filled. “I don’t deserve that.”

“We all deserve that.”

She knew he’d never been loved or accepted just as he was by his parents. Knew that was a deep-seated issue of his. She’d let him down, but that wouldn’t happen again. She didn’t want to ever be the one who hurt him.

As if he could read her mind, he shook his head. “It’s not me you’ve hurt.”

“I’m working on Brynn.”