“Uh-huh, right. You were genuinely concerned about your lips on her well-being.”
“Will you stop badgering me?” Kyle asked as they snaked through the halls.
“No, I won’t. Daddy is busy right now, so, it’s up to me to keep reminding you that you can’t put the moves on our stepmother.”
Julia puffed out her cheeks as the argument between them ensued.
“Never a dull moment, huh?” Alicia asked as they reached Kyle’s room.
“Not around here,” Julia admitted.
“I’m not putting the moves on her, Sierra.”
“Oh, right, sure. Well, you’re not going to on my watch. Now, get in that bed and stay there.” Sierra poked a manicured nail at his bed.
“You’re really terrifying sometimes, you know that?”
“Good,” she answered, crossing her arms. “Don’t worry, Julia. I have this under control.”
“Great, that’s wonderful. I really appreciate you keeping an eye on your brother.”
“I’m in bed,” Kyle said with a raise of his hands. “You can leave now.”
“Nope. I have family time planned with you. It’s my way of saying I’m sorry for calling you crazy. We are going to do sibling things.”
Kyle creased his forehead. “Sibling things?”
“Yep. Video games, movie marathons, board games. Take your pick. What do you want to do first?”
Julia arched an eyebrow at the list of planned events Sierra had.
“Wow,” Alicia whispered, “she’s really taking the whole sibling thing seriously. I thought she was kidding when she said that at the hospital.”
Julia wrapped her arm around her sister. “Sierra takes things very seriously.”
Across the room, Kyle shook his head. “None of those. I don’t want to do any of those.”
“Well,Kyle, you should have thought about that before you almost died. Fine, I’ll pick for us. Since it’s your first day back and you’re probably looped out on drugs, we’ll watch movies.”
“I’m looped out on drugs.”
“Whatever. Rom-com or thriller?”
“Thriller,” he answered without skipping a beat.
Sierra aimed the remote at the television before she flopped onto the bed next to him. “Oh, good. There’s one I’ve been wanting to see about a woman who kills her stepbrother.”
He snapped his gaze to her, his features pinching before he glanced at Julia. “Please don’t leave me with her.”
A chuckle escaped her lips. “You’ll be fine.”
“Should have picked the rom-com, doc,” Alicia said.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Harrington, but there is someone here to see you. I have asked them to wait in the living room,” Worthington said.
“Oh, okay, thank you.” She squeezed Alicia’s arm. “Want me to walk you back to your room on my way down?”
“Nah, I’m going to stay and watch the show.” She poked a finger toward Kyle and Sierra’s bickering over the volume.
