After a long silence, Nate said, “Sounds like you miss it, buddy.”

Billy grimaced. “With my whole heart.” Minutes later, he nodded off. He slept until we got home. Then he took a long, hot shower, ate two bowls of Honey Nut Cheerios, and crawled into bed.

Thankfully, he seems better today. His eyes are brighter, his cheeks have color, and his thick hair is clean. “It’s so great to be here,” he says. He throws off his blanket with a ferocious yawn and gets out of bed. When he pulls on sweats, I catch a glimpse of the black bracelet around his ankle.

Billy sees me looking. “Coveting my jewelry? It’s the latest in men’s biometric gadgetry.”

“We should ask Nate if he wants one,” I say, relieved he can joke about it. “Lawrence too; you guys can be a chain gang.”

He grins. “I’m glad you’re here, Cass. Good to see your face. Christ, it’s been rough.”

“Me too, Elmo.” My throat wobbles and burns. “I can’t imagine. Being arrested—”

“No, I mean the last seven months, with Diana. I feel like I’ve been living through a long, endless war. This weekend was the last battle, the bridge that blows up in the finale.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch. I’ve been a bad sister.”

“Forgiveness truce.” Billy holds out his hand and pulls me into a hug. Inhaling his soapy smell, I press my hands against his mighty back. Under my fingers, his bare skin feels smooth. “I’ve missed you,” he says. “A lot.”

“Me too, Elmo.” Then, unable to stop myself, I blurt out, “Why is she doing this? What does she want from you?”

“That’s the million-dollar question, Cassidy Cakes. Maybe if I knew, I wouldn’t have gotten myself in this position.”

“You didn’t do anything. She did.”

Booting up his computer, Billy scans the screen. “We both did a lot of things.”

It’s been forever since he and I have had a real conversation. We text and call each other but rarely say anything. We used to be so close I had X-ray vision into his brain; we shared similar thoughts, finished each other’s sentences. Then he met Diana Holly and grew distant. Or maybe I pulled away first. It’s easy to blame her, but both my brothers took a backseat when I hooked up with Marcus. My desire for Marcus was intense, urgent, and all-consuming. I had never felt anything like it before. Nothing mattered but him.

“Why the fuck am I so exhausted?” Billy asks, plopping back on the bed.

“Because you were in jail?”

Nate appears at the door. “Wasn’t jail, Princess. It was detention.” He grabs Billy and squeezes him around the middle. “Finally, you’re up.”

They wrestle on the mattress until Billy cries uncle. “I’m empty, Nate. Seriously, I’m done.”