Page 54 of Say It Isn't So

With one leg crossed over the other, Allie pulled her wrap tighter around her shoulders and regarded me seriously. “Let’s talk.”

I nodded, smiling. She just had this way of making me and everyone in her presence so comfortable around her. I would’ve been happy with any of my sisters popping in and joining me this week, but the fact that it was Allegra, my sweet Allie, made it even better.

She laughed and nudged me. “All right, what’s with the goofy smile?”

I shrugged. “Just thinking about how much I love you and how happy I am that you’re here with me.”

Pushing me to the side, she laughed. “Yeah, right.”

“It’s true,” I defended. We were all really close, but we didn’t get emotional and lovey often.

Rolling her eyes, she sat back against the iron bench and crossed her arms. “Talk to me about this whole Knox thing,” she said, then waited for me to dish.

Of course she wanted to talk about that. “And here I was going to ask about your roommate hunt,” I countered.

She waved a finger at me. “Uh-uh. I have no news on that front and we both know it. Now don’t change the subject. Talk to me about Knox. What exactly is going on?”

Sighing, I sat back, letting my shoulder hit hers. “There’s nothing to talk about. Not much is going on, to be honest. I told you guys the big stuff already, but basically we ran into each other at the airport and spent a decent amount of time together in London since we had a similar itinerary and were staying at the same hotel.”

“Serendipitous.”

I turned my gaze to the blossoms that were just beginning to take form in the garden around us. “That’s all you have to say about it?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know, Bibi. It’s wild, if you ask me. I think it’s fate and you know I’ll have your back. I mean, we all will, if this is what you want. Of course, he has to send his ex packing first.”

I sighed. I would’ve loved for Rina to be out of the picture. “I’m taking things one step at a time. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”

“Meaning what exactly?”

“Meaning, don’t worry about me because I’m treading carefully. I know what I’m doing.”

“I just don’t like that you could get hurt.” Then she looked around before eyeing me. “Meanwhile, Dad is pretty dead set against you and Knox having any relationship, which is going to make things harder I’d imagine.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to talk about Dad.”

She bit her lip and shook her head again. “You can’t be mad at him forever and he needs to get over himself,” Allie noted.

I swallowed hard and took her hand in mine. “I hope that’s true, Allie, because I really like this man. I did before and my feelings have only grown more intense since reconnecting. Knox is this incredible man. He gets me. I get him. We laugh, we get along better than any two people should and we have this incredible connection. We’ve both grown so much, but it’s like this is our destiny. I have to explore this. I don’t want to live with regrets. That makes sense, right?”

“Totally! While I’m here you should use this time to get close to him and see if there’s really anything there. I’ll cover for you at any shows you need me to, just say the word.”

Backing up, I leaned against the arm of the bench, the iron design digging into my back. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious,” she countered, an eyebrow raised as if ready to challenge me.

I stood up and looked at her. “If it’s at all possible, I love you now more than I did before. I’ll talk to him about his schedule, and we’ll figure things out. That is such a great idea, Allie.”

She came to stand next to me, her wrap slipping from her shoulders a little as she pulled me close for a hug. “Anytime.” When she dropped her arms, she walked toward the edge of the garden, then shook her head before turning around. “Figures, of all of us, you’d be the one to land yourself in a forbidden romanceanda love triangle.”

Laughing, I waved her off. “Shut up!”

She took another step. “I’ll be upstairs. I need a shower before dinner and this should give you some time to talk to your man,” she said over her shoulder.

Deciding to stay down here for a little while longer, I looked up at the sky and said a prayer to Mom, asking her to help me with the whole Dad situation.

Yes, I couldn’t let go of the fact that Dad was so against me seeing Knox. I couldn’t help it, it bothered me. Not that it meant I’d change my mind. I had a feeling we all knew I wouldn’t be doing that.

But still, I didn’t like disobeying him. I never had.

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