In the Arms of the Older Brother
His gray eyes looked up at me, huge and glassy, filled with this raw, desperate fear that made my chest ache.
I hesitated. The words bunched up in my throat, sticky and hard to say. But I had to, didn’t I? I had to keep my end of the deal with his older brother. So, I did it: I brushed my thumb along his cheek, gently, and right away his tears spilled over.
“All right, I’m going to forgive you, but not now,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Give me time. Give me time to figure this whole thing out.”