Page 45 of Marc

“Staci, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to pry or upset you. Please just ignore me and my stupid questions.”

She doesn’t look up at me when she whispers, “You didn’t upset me. To answer your question, no, my sister didn’t disown me. She died before I met Jared.”

Chapter Eleven

STACI

Shock,realization, and sympathy cross his face as he processes what I just said.

My sister died.

He looks at me with emotion swirling in his eyes. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you any more pain and suffering.”

I swipe my tears away as they fall. “These aren’t painful tears.”

His eyebrow raises like he doesn’t believe one word I’ve just spoken. “They’re not?”

The corner of my lips curls up into a small smile.

“Well, maybe just a little, but they are mainly happy tears when I think about her. My sister would have loved you. She was always full of life and always doing something crazy. She made it a point to make me get out of my comfort zone every now and then.”

He gently wipes tears from my jawline. His fingers linger on my face longer than necessary.

I lean my face further into his hand. The touch, while innocent and comforting, leaves me craving more of his touch.

I take a shaky breath and continue telling him about my sister.

“Teri was the prankster of the family, always having a laugh at our expenses, but we all secretly loved it. We encouraged her to top her previous pranks and even helped her pull them off on one another.”

Letting out a small chuckle, I remember the time she put baby powder in my hairdryer. As soon as I turned on the hairdryer, baby powder flew everywhere. It coated the walls, counter, and even me.

The two of us laughed about it for weeks afterwards, and I never used my hairdryer again without checking for fear that she would prank me again.

“She loved the beach. That’s partly why I love coming here. It makes me feel close to her again. She would stay in the water for hours. Just swimming, bodyboarding, and playing all day until I had to threaten to leave her at the beach alone.”

Marc quietly speaks. “She sounds like she really lived life to its fullest. If it’s not too hard to talk about, what happened to her?”

Even though I anticipated this question at some point, it still catches me by surprise.

“She passed away when we were teenagers. I was only seventeen, and she was fourteen when shegot sick. It came on so fast and before doctors could really treat her, it was already too late.”

Marc squeezes my hand supportively and I take a deep breath.

“She wanted her last days to be in the comfort of her own bedroom, but my parents refused to bring her home. They made her stay in that cold, sterile hospital with no one but the nurses and doctors to talk to.”

Anger builds in my chest when I think about how cruel our parents were to her.

“She was cold and alone, and I wasn’t allowed to see her whenever I wanted. It drove me insane. I snuck out of school and hitched a ride to the hospital. I was the only one there, holding her hand, when she passed away.”

Sobs build in my chest as I recount her final moments. “She looked so scared and tired. She wanted the family together one last time, and yet I was the only one there.”

He pulls me into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that so young and alone.”

I lean my head on his shoulder and sob as the pain feels fresh. No one should have to spend their last days alone.

No one.

Especially a child.

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