“I’m scared, Bear.”
“About what?”
“Everything. The future. Leaving him behind.”
“Can I be honest?”
“Yeah.”
“Me too. I’m scared too.”
“Why’re you scared?”
He sighs. “Because I don’t know if I’m doing right by you. I don’t know if I’m doing right by Otter. I’m worried about uprooting our lives and going clear across the country. I’m worried that I might never want what Otter wants. I’m scared that you’re going to grow up and I won’t be ready to let you go. I’m scared that you’re going to want to go live your life away from me and I don’t know if I can handle that. I don’t know if I can stand to not see you every day.”
I laugh a watery bark. “We’re just a codependent mess, aren’t we?”
He chuckles. “The worst. We should probably still be in therapy.”
“We’re stuck with each other, huh?”
“Yeah, Kid. Me and you.”
“Forever?”
He hesitates.
“Forever,” I insist.
“Yeah. Forever, Ty. We’ve made it this long, what’s the rest of our lives?”
“Bear?”
“Yeah?”
“I never wanted to go with her. With Mom. Never. Not once. I only wanted to be here with you.”
“I know. And I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
There is a pause. “Introducing Stacey to Dominic. I didn’t know it would hit you that hard. I didn’t know they’d even hit it off.”
My heart is sore, but it doesn’t matter. Not now. “It’s okay,” I whisper. “I don’t care what else happens, as long as he’s happy, you know?” And that is the truth. This is the decision, the choice I make. I’d rather have part of his heart than none of it.
Bear’s quiet, but I can tell he’s thinking hard. “Kid?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you… you and him… are you in l—” He stops himself.
“What?”
“Never mind,” my brother says. “It’s not important.”
“Bear?” A voice calls from the open doorway. A low sound that causes gooseflesh to ripple over my skin. “Can I speak with Tyson?”
Just breathe.
