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sidelong look. “Really? You have a funny way of showing it.”
    “Shut up and listen to me,” she said, crossing her arms.
    “Fine, say your piece.” I glanced at my Rolex. “My brother’s going to be here in a few though.”
    “Which one?” she asked, sitting up a little straighter.
    “Kane.”
    She bit her lip. “Really? How’s he been?”
    “Fine. You were saying something about—”
    “Right,” she said, shaking her head as though to clear it. “If you have a chance to make things right with your dad, maybe you should.”
    I glared at her. “You’re right. It’s none of your business.”
    “I don’t care,” she said, raising her chin. “You can get pissed at me if you want to, but I’m going to say what’s on my mind, whether you like it or not.”
    Since I was in her sister’s apartment, I couldn’t very well kick her out, nor could I leave with Kane already on his way. “Fine. What do you know about my issues with my old man?”
    “Just what you’ve told me.”
    Given all the years I’d been with her sister, Macy and I had discussed my parents several times—my mother more than my excuse for a father—so she knew the gist of the story. “And?”
    “I can’t help but wonder whether you’re having trouble committing to my sister because of your issues with your father?”
    “What do you mean?” Damn, she was hitting too close to home.
    “Maybe you think you’ll be the kind of husband and father he was, and it scares you.” Her voice softened when she said, “I get it. You had a lousy example growing up, but you’ve also had a good example. Look at Mac and Ryker. I know they hit a rough patch a while back, but Riley says they’re back together and happier than ever.”
    “Yeah, they are.” Thank God. My brother had been a mess living without his wife and boys.
    “So maybe you’ll be more like Ryker than your father. My point is, you won’t know until you try.”
    “Try?” My voice sounded strangled. “You don’t try at being a husband and father. You don’t get to practice, to make mistakes and—”
    “Sure, you do. I watched my father make plenty of mistakes while we were growing up. That didn’t make my mother or his kids love him any less.”
    “That’s different,” I argued. “You guys are still a family.”
    “We’re still a family because we learned how to forgive each other,” she said gently. “Maybe it’s time for you to learn to forgive your dad. I’m not saying you have to have a relationship with him. That’s your choice. But holding on to all this anger is eating you up inside. Anyone can see that.” She moved to sit on the table in front of me, so our faces were inches apart, and she grabbed my chin and looked me in the eye. “I wouldn’t be wasting my breath with you if I didn’t believe in my heart that you’re the man my sister was meant to spend her life with.”
    I was shocked when tears burned my eyes, forcing me to swallow. “You can still say that after everything I’ve put her through?”
    She shrugged as she let her hand fall. “Even the best relationships go through their ups and downs. Everyone knows that.”
    “I thought you came here to warn me to stay the hell away from Riley?”
    “Only if you have no intention of changing.” She looked at me quizzically, as though she was trying to figure me out. “But something tells me you really want things to be different this time. Am I right?”
    “I’d give anything to make up for the mess I’ve made with Ri, but I’m not even sure that’s possible. How could I expect her to trust me again?”
    “That’s a good question,” Macy said. “One I can’t answer.”
    The phone beside us rang in a series of short rings that let us know someone was in the lobby. “That must be Kane.”
    “I’ll let you get that while I use the restroom.” She jumped up and made a beeline for the main bathroom at the end of the hall.
    After buzzing Kane up, I rehearsed what I wanted