Madigan’s puppet wiped her eyes, and she sniffled, blinking away her own tears because Tobias’s agony was palpable, and as much as she knew he was expecting a harsh response from his sister, she didn’t have the heart to play one out. “I miss you, too. Do you want to sit down and talk?”

“More than you fucking know,” he said angrily, and tore the puppet off his hand, dropping it on the couch. “I can’t do this, Mads. I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to help, but puppets can’t fix this. Don’t you get it? She knows I’m out of prison and she hasn’t reached out. She doesn’t want to talk to me.”

It took everything she had to push past the pain in his eyes. “Maybe she’s scared, too.” She set down her puppet and went up on her knees, putting her arms around him. “I know puppets can’t fix it, but maybe you can by just knocking on a door and letting her know you’d like to talk.”

He shook his head. “I can’t do that to her.”

“I know you’re afraid trying will hurt her more, but what about you? You’re suffering, too, and you deserve to get closure one way or another.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll figure it out.” He met her gaze, his sadness hanging between them. “I’m sorry. We had such a great night, and I’m dragging you down.”

“No, you’re not. You’re letting me into the dark places where you keep your hurt, and I want to be in there with you. A girl who was kissed by the moon and sung to by the stars must possess a little ray of sunshine, doesn’t she? I’m going to be right by your side, making sure you can find your way out of that dark place, no matter how long it takes.”

His arms circled her, and he lifted her onto his lap. “God, Blue Eyes, you’re so full of hope. I used to be like that, and I miss it.”

“It’s never too late for a second chance. We found ours, didn’t we?”

Chapter Twenty-One

MADIGAN LOVED SEPTEMBER. She loved the slight dip in temperature, the crisper air and anticipation of fall colors, and the way days began bleeding into nights earlier than during the summer. Most of her friends hated losing that daylight, but she’d always loved it. Sundown was when so many of the good parts of life happened. When families and friends got together and the stress of the day fell away. In the three weeks since Blaine had begun accepting Tobias’s presence in their lives, he no longer avoided them when they were out. Madigan had noticed not only changes in Tobias because of it but also in herself and others.