“And you didn’t want me to have to worry about college tuition.” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t put the pieces together until now. Will was never jazzed on game days or overly excited when his team won a game. But I’d always thought it was simply his way of staying centered and focused. Meanwhile, he’d been spending hours on end every week doing something he hated, just to take some pressure off me.

“I didn’t want you to have to worry about it.”

“That’s my job, Will. I’m the worrier here.”

His eyes blazed. “It’s not your job. It was Mom and Dad’s job, but they failed, and it got dumped on you. It’s not fair.”

Anger flared to life inside me. At our dad. At our mom. At the drugs that’d destroyed everything in their path. But I couldn’t rage against my parents or inanimate objects. So, my rage ate at me from the inside out. “It might not have been my job to take care of you from birth. But it’s the job I’ve loved more than anything I’ve ever done. I wouldn’t give it up if you paid me a million dollars. Sure, it’s hard sometimes, but that just makes it all the more worth it when we succeed.”

Will still looked skeptical. I pressed on. “We’re a team. You, me, Ava, and Mia. We figure things out together. That means we’ll figure college out, too. But I don’t want you to hide your dreams from me because you think following them is asking too much. If you want to go to school to study music, we’ll make it happen.”

Will’s gaze flicked briefly to Griffin. “I think I want to study architecture.”

My chest burned. Architecture. Because he’d loved bringing this old house back to life. And Griffin had given him that. “I think you’d be an amazing architect. And look at all the experience you’re already getting.”

“You don’t think it’s dumb?” he asked hesitantly.

“Not dumb at all. And I’ll do whatever I can to help you get there.”

I set the final dish from dinner in the dishwasher and pressed the door closed. The machine whirred to life once I pressed the buttons. Bracing myself against the kitchen sink, I stared out at the night sky. Will, Griffin, and I had talked for hours. Well, Will had talked. Griffin and I had mostly listened. And I witnessed a side to my brother I’d never seen before. The things he wanted weren’t extravagant. They were normal. But he’d been too afraid to reach for them.

There was heat at my back, and strong arms wrapped around me. “Are you okay?”

I leaned into Griffin’s warmth, soaking up the comfort of his presence. “Would you be?”