Page 31 of Sapphire

“Don’t thank me yet. If shit goes south, I don’t wanna be sayin’ I told you so.”

She nods. “I know what a huge undertaking this is, bro. I don’t take it for granted. I know some people don’t deserve a second chance, and Mom may disappoint us again, but I’ve never had the chance to decide for myself.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” I tell her.

She smiles softly. “I know that, Sin, but I’m not a little girl anymore. I know the risks. I don’t have high expectations.” When I give her a look, she puffs out her cheeks. “Okay, maybe I do a little, but if she goes back on her word, trust me, I won’t be giving her another chance.”

I glance up at Sapphire. “How can I argue with that?”

She grins. “You can’t. I’m proud of you—both of you. This isn’t easy, and like Mika said, there are no guarantees she really has changed. If you’re willing to hear her out, then you know the risks. Some people can change if they really want to. Some don’t. That’s the risk you take.”

I lean over and peck her on the mouth. “This is why I love you. Your pep talks are foreplay for my⁠—”

Mika covers her ears. “Eww, stop. I don’t want to bleach my brain if you finish that sentence. You two are gross.”

“I’m in love with her, not my fault I can’t keep my hands off her.”

“Don’t make me throw up, I’m about to eat,” Mika complains.

Sapphire laughs. The tension she usually has hanging over her seems to have disappeared.

I know she’s independent; that’s one of the things I truly love about her, but ever since she told me about her dad, that weight seems to have lifted some.

My mind flicks back to the conversation we had with Reaper a week ago…

“What the fuck?” Reaper looks between me and his sister as we hold hands.

“I know it’s sudden,” Sapphire starts. “But… well… this is us. We’re together.”

“Sin, you know the fuckin’ rules…” Reaper starts.

“This is different.” Siblings and club sisters are off-limits, even I know that.

“Not that!” he barks. “Askin’ my fuckin’ permission first, asshole.”

Oh, that.

I wince, bracing for it. “You gonna hit me now?”

“As soon as my sister lets go of your hand, yeah, I fuckin’ am.” He gives Sapphire a chin lift.

“Thanks for the heads-up, sis.”

“Reap, this is new, even for us,” she pleads. “We didn’t mean for it to happen, it just did. In any case, you love Sin like a brother.”

“Not mad with you,” he says, then glares back at me. “I’m mad at him.”

I let go of Sapphire’s hand, and like clockwork, he swings. I let him hit me, and I’m not gonna lie, it hurts a little as my head flings to the side. I taste the copper in my mouth.

Reaper isn’t as big as me, but he’s a scrapper from way back, he knows how to hit hard.

It doesn’t matter that I could kill him with a few punches, I’m not gonna do that. Frankly, I deserve it. We have a brotherhood, and I get this could be awkward.

I turn back to face him. “You done?”

“You got one punch, quit fuckin’ whinin’.”

“Reaper,” Sapphire says, her fingers dusting over my cheek. “That’s not cool.”