It’s all I can do to get back to the apartment in one piece. The moment the door is locked behind me, I begin to sob into my hands. He said he loved me in Colorado and I didn’t accept it, but when he looked into my eyes this morning, I felt it.

Ford is a better man than anyone I’ve ever known. He may be flawed, but he is perfect for me in so many ways. Maybe not on paper, but he gets me. He sees me.

“What happened?” Tallie asks, rushing from her bedroom. “You’re freaking me out.”

I hiccup unable to stifle my cry, not even wanting to if I could. “He saved me, Tallie.”

I manage to get the whole horrible story out, and she covers her mouth in shock as I describe the attacker, the gun, the way Ford came to my rescue. The police and the arrest.

And how it could have ended so differently if Ford hadn’t been there.

“Oh, my God, Mia. When you came home last night, I thought you just wanted to sleep with him and didn’t want to tell me.”

I shake my head. “No. You guys were having such a good time and seeing Matty so happy was priceless. I knew my story would have totally ruined the night.”

“It wouldn’t have ruined anything. You’re my sister.” Tallie wipes away her eyes. “Oh, my God, if something more had happened...”

“I know.” I press my fingertips to my forehead. “And the worst part is, I think I ruined everything with Ford.”

“Not possible,” Tallie says.

“I walked away from him, twice. He would give me the world but...”

“But what?”

“I could never ask him to leave Colorado. His home there is magnificent. It’s his life’s work.”

“But he loves you.”

“I can’t ask someone to sacrifice their happiness for mine.”

Tallie walks into the kitchen to make coffee and I can’t believe my little sis is out of bed before six a.m. “You must really love me to get up so early.”

“Don’t be stupid. You were crying like a baby. It was scary. Thank God, Matty sleeps with a fan. It would have really freaked him out.”

I wipe the tears from my face, gathering my thoughts. Before I can say anything more, Tallie reaches in her bag and hands me a folder.

“What’s this?”

“It’s um. Well, remember that something I mentioned?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe the timing is off. But it might help you if you knew.”

“Knew what?”

“That I’m leaving.”

“Leaving what?”

“The country. Basically.”

“What are you talking about.”

“Just, look,” she says, shoving the folder at me.

I open a folder and see a brochure for a student abroad program for high school seniors. Located in Paris.

“I’ve been taking French for three years. And I qualified for a full scholarship, because of our, you know, financial situation.”

“How do they know about our financial situation?”

“I may have forged your signature and copied last year’s W-2s.”

“Tallie.” I press a hand to my chest, trying to process this all. Determined not to make it about me. “But you’re so young, you’ve never been abroad. Can’t this wait until college?”

Tallie bites her bottom lip, nodding. “It could. I could wait, but I don’t want to, Mia. Losing Mom changed all of us, you know, and for me, it showed me how precious life is.” She blinks, but the tears fall anyway. Mine fall too as I listen to my brave, beautiful sister lay it all out there. “I know I’m just seventeen, but there are no guarantees, Mia. And I don’t want to wait until it’s too late to live the life I’ve always dreamed of living.”

“And that life is in Paris?” My throat is dry as I try to process the thought of losing Tallie too.

She nods. “For now, yeah. I mean, look,” she says, opening up the brochure and showing me the gorgeous campus in the heart of the city.

“It looks incredible. And you still get credit to graduate?”

“Yeah, I mean, Karis and Jaimie are mad about me leaving for senior year,” she says smiling slightly. “But they know this where I belong. And we’re gonna launch our clothing line long distance.”

“You’ve got it all figured out.

“Not all of it. I can’t leave without knowing you are going to be okay. I know I’ve helped with Matty so much this year, and I obviously couldn’t if I...”

“Was on a different continent.”

“Right.”

I squeeze her hand. I am so fucking proud of the woman she is becoming. “You have to go, Tallie.”

“You think? You’re not mad?”

I shake my head. “Mom would be so proud of you. She always wanted to see the world and you... you’re making her dream come true, Tals.”

My heart beats hard for her possibilities. For the opportunity, she is choosing for herself. We’re both in tears by then and I pull her into a hug.

And I should feel scared, to be letting her go, but I’m not.

More than anything, I’m proud of seeing my little sister spread her wings, of taking off. Watching her fly.

Now if only I could figure out how to break free of my cocoon.