I was beginning to get pissed-off.
Not about Hank having my back, I loved that. It felt great. He was an awesome brother and that was just one of the many ways he proved it.
I was pissed-off about Lee.
“I don’t actually have to have his blessing, Hank. This would be indicated by the fact I’m already taking cases.”
“He can teach you a lot,” Hank noted.
“So can Darius, who already has, Vance, who also already has, Hector, Bobby, Ike and Mace,” I returned.
“That’s correct,” he conceded.
“So you don’t have to convince him. You don’t have to do anything.” I reached out, grabbed his hand, gave it a squeeze and let it go. “And having your support is all I need from you.” My voice dropped quiet when I finished, “It means everything, honey.”
Suddenly, he reached out and caught me at the back of my neck. Pulling me forward, he leaned into me and rested our foreheads together. And his voice was quiet when he spoke too.
“My little sister, livin’ with a guy and bein’ a badass.”
Uh-oh.
My eyes were getting hot.
I lifted my hand to wrap my fingers around his forearm. “Hank—”
“You’ll never be a big brother, honey, so you’ll never understand how this feels. Lettin’ go. Givin’ care of the girl you love and looked after a long fuckin’ time to another guy. Seein’ her make her way in a world like that.”
Oh God.
He was killing me.
So.
Loved.
My big brother!
“Honey—”
“It sucks. I’m happy, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel like I’ve lost something.”
Oh God.
“Please—”
“Give him time,” he whispered.
He meant Lee.
And now I got it.
I was his little sister and Lee wasn’t ready to let that go.
I pressed my lips together before I nodded, our foreheads rolling. Hank lifted a bit away but didn’t let go of me, mostly because I squeezed his arm.
“I get you,” I said softly. “But I hope you never let go.”
“Good to have your permission, ‘cause I see in him that you’re it for him. He’s all about you. His world has become you. And he can have that.” His fingers tightened around my neck. “Still, in the way I can, I’m gonna keep hold.”
Hank saw in Ren that his world had become me.
I liked that.
I wondered if Ren’s sisters saw the same in me.
And my brother was going to keep hold.
Righteous.
“Good,” I replied.
“Now I’m gonna go before you go girl on me and burst out crying.”
I jerked back and declared, “That’s not gonna happen.”
That wasn’t a lie. It was true.
Still, I was close.
