Page 93 of Unlikely

“Then why would you think that about yourself?” When she doesn’t answer, I choose to drop my hands from her face and resume our walk.

“You know what I learned today?”

“What?”

“I learned that there is no right way or wrong way to grieve,” I say. “We need to let ourselves feel the sadness when it comes, and we need to celebrate the life of our loved ones when the sadness goes. Sometimes the sad days will turn into weeks or even months, and other times, you’ll be able to lie down on a bed, close your eyes, and talk to your sister as if she’s sitting right next to you, without even thinking twice. They’re both right, Raine.”

“I just want you to be okay,” she says, this time looping her arm into mine. “That’s the only thing I care about right now.”

I rest my head against her shoulder. “I promise. I’m going to be fine.”

* * *

Raine and I step back inside the house, and I’m surprised to see Clementine lying on the couch, eyes closed and baby Reese sleeping along her chest. Julian is sitting on the floor right beside them.

“Umm, what’s going on?”

Julian glances up at me, smiling. “I think they’re attached to one another, and I wanted to make sure I caught Reese if Clementine happened to roll over or let go of her.”

“I told you neither of those things were going to happen,” she says, her eyes still closed.

“Are you planning on sharing?” Raine asks. “Because I’d like to be in the running for the title of ‘favorite person other than my parents.’”

“You’ll come back here and see her all the time,” Clementine whines. “Stop being so selfish.”

“Stop being so dramatic,” Raine says. “You’re dating my mom, you’ll be back.”

I’ve never seen this side of them, the way they interact, the comfort and banter, almost like they’re sisters. It makes me giddy for the way each of our relationships would evolve from here on out.

When Clementine finally opens her eyes, she finds me almost immediately. “Hi,” she says softly.

“Hi.”

Raine makes a gagging noise. “Okay, we’re going to need some ground rules if you two are going to stare at one another like that all the time.”

“Stare at each other, how?” I ask.

Hands land on my shoulders and I turn to see Jesse behind me. “I’m so glad she was young when I started dating Leo. The worst thing she did was convince him to always bring gifts for her when he came over.”

“Oh, I remember that,” he says with a laugh. “I fell for it every time.”

Leo and Jesse go back and forth, and I drown them out as I watch Clementine slowly maneuver Reese into a football hold before handing her back to Julian. She’s so tender and gentle, and I fall in love with her all over again. As soon as her hands are free, she strides toward me, all the love she has for me blatantly written on her face.

Her hands grip my waist, pulling me close to her. “I don’t know if I can kiss you or not, but I would really like to do that,” she says loud enough for Raine to hear. “And soon.”

“And that’s my cue,” Raine announces. “I’m going to meet up with Jamie. Julian, can I take Reese since my mother stole my friend?”

“I think she’s a little too young for parties,” he answers without missing a beat. “But maybe next time.”

I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. “Is this going to be a thing between you and her?”

“Can’t you tell it’s going to be so much fun?”

“Okay, I think we’re going to head off too,” Deacon says.

“And Jesse and I have to go pick something up from the store.”

Everyone is giving us some space, and if I wasn’t so desperate to be alone with her, I probably would be a little embarrassed. But the last few hours have been a lot, and after all the talking and crying, I just want to bury my head in her neck and let her hold me till I fall asleep.