Sniffing, she licked her lips before she spoke again. “Can I ask you something? Will you be honest?”
Almost afraid of that question, he nodded. “You can ask anything. But I warn you that I’m terribly blunt. Shara gets onto me all the time for it.”
“I’m good with that. My dad refuses to answer most questions. It’s like interrogating a hostile war criminal. He just stares at me like an alien lifeform … and my stepmother is so polite it’s irritating. I swear she dances away from topics she doesn’t like even better than she dances onstage.”
“Well, no worries there. I definitely don’t fall into that latter category. No one has ever called me polite.”
Wiping at her eyes, she offered him a bashful smile. “I know some of the background with you and my grandmother. And Aunt Tylie and Grandpa Aros. But I wanted to know if you ever felt out of place while you lived with them?”
“Only every minute of every single day.”
Sniffing, she dabbed more at her eyes. “That’s why I wanted to come stay with you. You’re the only one who doesn’t tell me how lucky I am and how great my parents are. That I should show more gratitude toward them all. I mean, I know they love me, and they are great most of the time, but I’m tired of being treated like I’m some fragile object that they’re afraid is going to crack if they say or do the wrong thing. I just want to find someplace where I belong.”
“I can definitely relate to that. And I promise you, no one here will treat you like you’re fragile. Tavali pull their own weight.”
To his further shock, she walked herself into his arms. “Thank you for letting me come here. I hope I didn’t offend them.”
“Nah, trust me, precious, that wasn’t offensive. They tolerate my contentious ass and I’m hard to get along with on my best days.”
She laughed. “You really don’t mind training me?”
“We’re family, Thia. You’ll always be welcomed wherever I am. And once you’re Tavali, you’ll never be without a home.”