Page 182 of Faking the Goal

"I know."

That answer steals what little defense I have left.

Harumi lifts our joined hands and covers them with her other one. "I am not offering because I feel obligated. I am offering because I want you here."

My lips part, but nothing comes out.

"We barely know each other," I finally manage.

She tilts her head, studying me as though the objection makes no sense.

"Time is not the only thing that makes someone family." Her smile grows. "Sometimes you know someone for years and they never feel like home. Sometimes a person walks into your life, and something in your heart recognizes them before your mind has had time to understand why."

My vision blurs completely.

"I don't know what I did to deserve that."

Kentaro shifts in the armchair, and when I look at him, the usual guardedness is gone from his face.

"You don't have to earn it, trouble."

His voice is quiet, but it cuts straight through me.

I shake my head. "You don't understand."

"I do."

"No, you don't." I pull in an uneven breath. "People don't just give someone a place in their family because they feel sorry for her."

His expression changes instantly.

"This isn't pity."

The certainty in his voice makes me go still.

Kentaro leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees, his gaze fixed entirely on me.

"I know that's what you're thinking," he says. "That Mom heard your story and decided she needed to rescue you. That I'm agreeing because I feel bad for you."

My throat closes.

"But that isn't what this is." His eyes soften. "You were already becoming part of this family before either of us knew everything you'd been through."

A tear spills over before I can stop it.

"You became a part of our lives when you gave me the chance to make things right, even when you had every reason to want nothing to do with me after the way I treated you." A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "You could've shut me out completely. But you didn't. And I just hope that one day, I'll earn your forgiveness."

Another tear slides down my cheek.

Kentaro holds my gaze, refusing to let me hide from what he's saying.

"But whether you forgive me or not, you have a place in this family because we want you here, Trouble. Not because of what happened to you. Not because we feel sorry for you." His voice drops, gentler now. "Because you're you."

The tears fall faster, and I laugh helplessly as I swipe at them with the heel of my hand.

Harumi shifts closer and wraps an arm around my shoulders.

"Merry Christmas, Taylor," she whispers, pressing a kiss to my temple. "Welcome to our family."