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“Oh.” Her teeth clamped on her bottom lip. “I didn’t know he knew that.”
“Yeah.” I rolled my forehead along hers. Seeing her sad was akin to having my skin stripped from my bones. “I’m so sorry, Daisy.”
“I miss her a lot.”
“I think Reed does too.”
She exhaled. “Of course he does. We don’t talk about her enough. I have so many Quinny stories. He’s going to be sick of me talking about her by the time I run out.”
A stretch of silence lingered, the knowledge that eventually, no matter how many stories she had, she would run out sitting heavily between us.
“Thank you for listening to him.”
“You don’t have to thank me. That’s what family does, right?”
She tipped her head back, and the corners of her mouth curved. “Yeah, Miles. That’s what family does.”
Chapter Thirty-six
Daisy
Reed and I spent our last morning exploring an art museum and buying souvenirs for our parents and nieces. Miles had some work to do, so we’d left him. It was nice to do the tourist thing, just my brother and me, even if he was humoring me through most of it.
I brought up Quinn, and he didn’t immediately shut me down, so I told him about the time she’d crunched up white Tic-Tacs in her mouth, ran to our mom, and told her she’d broken her teeth. Mama had almost fainted when she saw all those white chips, but when my sister started laughing, it only took about twenty seconds for Mama to join in.
Our sweet Quinny had had that way about her. At least…until she’d gotten her personality squeezed out of her by purported friends who’d never given a damn about her.
We didn’t talk about that. We stuck to the good times. Where we should’ve been sticking all along. Instead, we’d let the end dim the memories of sixteen years of pranks, laughs, music, love, and just…our sister.
We had planned to meet Miles on the plane for our flight home, but Reed and I boarded an empty airplane. Now, we were twiddling our thumbs, wondering where the hell Miles was.
He finally texted he was on his way without explanation.
Ten minutes later, the explanation burst through the door ahead of him.
Reed tore off his buckle and leaped to his feet. “Solomon!”
I jumped up right behind him. “What’s Solomon doing here?”
Miles appeared in the aisle behind the gangly, bouncing dog, patting his backside. “That’s my son, Solomon Aldrich. Isn’t the resemblance uncanny?”
He panted with his tongue out, and I must’ve really loved him because I found it cute.
“You adopted him?” Reed asked. “He’s coming back to Denver?”
“Yeah, the big lug is mine,” Miles said proudly.
Reed took his phone out to snap pictures. I happened to know he now had a text group with the friends he’d met at Lily’s party and was willing to bet he was sending the pictures to them.
One trip, and my brother had a text group.
Sol returned to us and put his head right beneath Miles’ hand. My brother not only had a text group, but he smiled freely down at the dog then took a selfie with him. A selfie.
When things were too good to be true, I couldn’t help but question them. “Isn’t there a waiting period? Home inspection?”
Miles flashed me an enigmatic smile. “For some people. I’m sorry to tell you, Daisy, but having money means not all rules apply.”
“And that sucks the soul right out of me.” Solomon trotted over, butted his head against my leg, and looked up at me with soulful eyes. “But I can’t find it in me to be angry this time. I can’t believe he’s yours.”
