Worthy of Love Read Online Free PDF

Now Kevin wanted to get in on the act.
    Well, she was an adult, though no one in her life had ever acknowledged that fact. Over these past couple of months, she’d proven she could take care of herself. She’d even found someone who was looking for a roommate at a rental she could afford if she scraped by.
    She didn’t need Kevin looking out for her. Nor did she want his pity. The only thing she’d ever wanted from him was the one thing she’d never have. She desired what her parents had enjoyed, what Tony and Janine had shared. And she respected herself too much to settle for less.

THREE
    “N ikki.” A hand shook her shoulder. “Nikki, wake up.”
    “What?” She jerked into a sitting position to find Janine standing over her, a concerned and motherly expression on her face. “Don’t look at me like that,” Nikki muttered.
    “I can’t help it. You’re still in last night’s work clothes, and you never made it to your room last night. You have dark circles under your eyes, and I’m worried.” After folding the Afghan throw Nikki had used as a blanket the night before, Janine lowered herself onto the couch. Nikki glared at her.
    “You should have thought of that before you brought Kevin back into my life. Where was your concern then?”
    “I was thinking about you.”
    Nikki curled her legs beneath her. “Give me one good reason why you did it. Just one. Make me understand how my best friend could betray me.” Because she and Janine had seen each other through the aftermath of Tony’s death and Kevin’s abrupt disappearance, Janine knew how deeply Kevin had wounded her.
    She would have given him her heart, if only he’d stuck around to accept it. He hadn’t of course. She’d lost her brother and Kevin in rapid succession.
    Janine met Nikki’s gaze. No remorse showed in her green-eyed gaze. None shadowed her expression. Only the kindness and compassion she’d shown Nikki from the start. “Would you have preferred a gentle let-down the morning after?”
    “Whose side are you on anyway?”
    “Yours.” Janine laid a hand on her shoulder. “Always yours. What Kevin did was wrong, but did you ever think he was suffering, too?” she asked softly.
    “Yes.” And Nikki had wanted to help him heal.
    “You couldn’t have healed him. He had to come back on his own,” Janine said, reading her mind.
    “With a little nudging from you?” The only person she had left had switched sides, leaving her to fend for herself. Nikki didn’t understand. The world had shifted beneath her feet and she hated the unsteady sensation that left her wondering what jarring thing would come next.
    “He’d already come back, settled into a house he inherited,” Janine said.
    He’d admitted as much, Nikki thought. “And?”
    “And I asked him to meet me at the bar.”
    “Why?”
    “Because when I’m gone, you’re going to need someone to lean on.”
    Nikki bristled at the implication that she couldn’t take care of herself. Coming from the person who’d seen her at her worst then seen her pull her life together after, the lack of faith hurt And then the rest of Janine’s words sunk in. “What do you mean, when you’re gone?”
    “My baby needs more than me.” Janine placed her hand over her still-flat stomach, rubbing circles in a gesture that had become familiar to Nikki during the past few months. “Actually, I need more than me, and no insult to you because I’m going to miss you like crazy, but I need my family.”
    Nikki blinked at the sudden but not altogether unexpected admission. She’d seen the signs lately—the increased phone calls home, and Janine’s recollections of the farmhouse in Iowa where she’d grown up.
    “Okay.” What else could she say that wouldn’t be selfish and one-sided? She loved Janine like a sister. Losing her would be like losing Tony all over again. But she understood and would respect her decision. She had no choice. “There are always airplanes and holidays.