Page 105 of Redemption

“I’m not complaining,” I said.

“Maybe there’s something to your no-sex rule after all.”

I swept her hair away from her face. “Not sure I’ve been the best at following the rules, considering…” I gestured at my crotch and the mess I’d made of it.

“There was no penetration,” she said, adopting a serious tone. “Oral or vaginal.”

“I love it when you talk dirty to me,” I teased.

She laughed, pushing off my chest to stand. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get cleaned up so we can watch the eclipse.”

I pulled her in for a hug, and she buried her face in my chest. “I can’t believe we just did that.”

I chuckled and kissed the top of her head before releasing her. Sloan showered in our bathroom while I used the other. We were skirting too close to the rules, and I needed to stop putting myself in situations where I’d be tempted. The idea was laughable. When Sloan was around, I was always tempted.

I joined her on the patio a little later. I put on my solar eclipse glasses and peered up at the sky. The moon had started its trek over the sun.

I sank down on the lounge chair next to hers. “So…Greer?” I asked, returning to our earlier conversation.

Sloan shook her head. “I don’t know…”

“I know you’re nervous,” I said. “And so am I. But we’re all adults, and I hope she can be happy for us.”

“And if she’s not?” Sloan asked, voicing my biggest fear aloud.

My gut twisted. “I’d rather not consider that outcome.”

An outcome where my sister wasn’t talking to me and Sloan had lost her best friend. An outcome where Greer felt like we’d betrayed her or she was all alone.

“Neither do I. But we have to at least consider the possibility. I mean, how’s she going to feel that we kept this from her for years? Years, Jackson. We lied to her all that time.”

I said nothing. I didn’t know what to say.

Sloan’s expression was forlorn, and something inside me cracked. “I can’t lose her. She’s always been there for me. I can’t imagine my life without her in it.”

“I know,” I said. “But if we want a future together, that means we’re going to have to tell her at some point.”

She let out a heavy sigh.

“Tell me what’s going through that pretty head of yours.” I tucked her hair behind her ear. “Hm?”

“I just… I don’t think now is the right time. Something is going on with Greer, and she needs our support.”

“I don’t disagree, but there will always be a reason not to tell her. We will always worry about her reaction.” It felt as if I’d been waiting my whole life to be with Sloan. Not in secret, but in a truly meaningful way. “I don’t want to hurt my sister, but I’m done hiding my feelings for you.”

I thought Sloan would say no. I prepared myself for it, but then she said, “And what if she asks about our plans for after the trip?”

“What would you want to tell her?” I sensed we were using Greer as a guise for a conversation Sloan had been wanting to have. I was fucking thrilled—it meant she wanted a future with me.

But it was frustrating that I couldn’t tell her about my resignation. Not yet anyway. I hoped Vaughn would figure out how he wanted to handle it soon, because I hated keeping secrets from Sloan.

We kept putting on our glasses to check the progress of the moon and then taking them off. It was pretty wild.

“I think we need to be prepared to tell her something. Are we going to do the long-distance thing? Should I plan to stay in Los Angeles for a while? I can’t relocate permanently without the board’s approval.”

“I want to be wherever you are,” I said, and I meant it. “I don’t want to do long-distance.”

“Agreed. My life is busy as it is, and long-distance takes its toll on a relationship. Does that mean you’d consider moving to London?”