Liz looked down, twisting a strand of her hair, her voice barely above a whisper.
"But he looked so scared, Artie. Like… like he thought we didn't love him anymore."
Arthur's heart twisted at the sound of that nickname.
It had been years since she'd called him that years filled with loss and longing since their parents passed away.
He got off the bed and knelt in front of her chair, gently placing his hands on her arms. "Hey. Look at me."
She met his gaze.
"I love Billy. Always have, always will," he reassured her. "But he needs to understand that love doesn't mean entitlement; it means sacrifice. Every one of us has given something for this family, even you."
"But I'm just a kid," she protested.
"No, Lizzie," he insisted softly but firmly. "You're not just anything. You gave up your trust fund when we were in trouble.
