Loving Cousin

"I want to come back and see you. I hate that I've made problems in your life, but I'm not ashamed of being selfish about this. I want to know what happens next."

I took a deep breath. "I was thinking earlier about how connected I feel to you right now. It's a little scary when I think about you leaving, but at the same time, I can't imagine not feeling this way about you, not anymore."

His guarded expression opened into a relieved smile. "Exactly."

"I'll be graduating from Pellissippi in the spring, and Mom can't afford to send me to the University of Tennessee for my bachelors. I have to decide whether to try to finish my degree with loans or just start working somewhere. I have to decide whether to stay at home with Mom or move somewhere else." I squeezed his hand and gave him a sly grin. "But one decision I've already made is that I'd like you to be a part of my life, whatever else happens."

He squeezed my hand this time, but just when he was going to say something in return, our