Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 140896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
“Is that true, Mia?” Mom asks.
“Partially,” I sign. “I didn’t mean to start this relationship, and I certainly didn’t think it’d last this long. The facts are, Landon did hurt Nikolai and Kill, but they hurt him back, you know. It’s not like they sat there and played poor victims. Besides, I did break up with him when I thought he was going too far, but he made a promise not to hurt anyone and to offer a truce. He kept both and I couldn’t stay away anymore. He’s the only man I’ve ever felt comfortable and safe with. I know he’s different, but I’ve come to the realization that I’m different, too, and I’m finally fine with that.”
I stop before I blurt that I love him.
Then it hits me.
I actually do love Landon. The fact has become clear after the time we’ve spent together lately.
Is it love if I worry about him more than myself and feel a black hole forming in my chest the more I don’t see him?
I think it is.
Shit.
When the hell did this feeling start and why am I having the epiphany now?
“But he’s bad news!” Maya slams her hand on the table, causing the cups to shake and her coffee to spill over the side. “You can’t possibly be thinking about staying with a psycho like him.”
“His sister stayed with Kill just fine, so does that mean you think it’s okay since he’s our cousin but the other way around isn’t? What type of double standard is that?”
“She has a point,” Dad says as Maya’s face scrunches up.
“I still don’t like him and won’t approve of him,” she says.
“You know I love you and I would appreciate it if you’d accept my decision, but even if you don’t, that doesn’t mean I’ll break up with him due to your and Niko’s over-the-top protectiveness.”
“You’d choose him over us? Again?”
“Enough, Maya,” Mom says. “You’re being unreasonable and uncharacteristically agitated.”
“Oh, so I’m the problem? Okay, then, fine. Let me remove myself from the situation so it’s better for everyone.” She jerks up and leaves.
“Maya!” Mom calls, but my sister doesn’t show any signs of hearing her.
“It’s okay.” Dad stands up and fetches her plate of pudding. “I’ll talk to her.”
He kisses the top of my head and offers me a smile. “I’m proud of you and your pragmatic way of solving problems, baby girl.” This time, I do hug him and he strokes my hair. “I still won’t approve of this Landon guy until I see him for myself.”
I gulp as I sit back down. Mom stands and then sits in the chair beside me. A soft glow covers her face as she rubs my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” I feel a weight lift off my chest as I stop the knee-jerk need to lie. Mom and Dad have always offered me a safe space to tell the truth and I often resisted the urge because I had no confidence in what I might blurt out in moments of weakness.
What if I accidentally told them the identity of the monster and they get hurt because of it?
I would never forgive myself.
“Why don’t we talk about this Landon? Is he really Kill on steroids as Maya said? Because if that’s the case, we need to discuss it.”
“Yes and no. I won’t paint him as a saint, but that’s the thing, Mom. I’ve never liked saints. I was never attracted to the boys in school and felt so stupidly broken for that. I don’t feel broken when I’m with Lan.”
Her brows pull together in a soft frown and she takes my hands in hers. “Don’t hide anything from me, Mia. Is he taking advantage of you or threatening you in any way?”
“No. I’d cut off his balls before he did that.”
She releases a sigh and smiles a little. “That’s my girl.”
I smile back. “Whose daughter do you think I am?”
“Mine, of course. Now, tell me everything about Landon.”
“He learned sign language for me and helped me set up my own garden. He also plays chess with me and cooks my favorite pasta. He also drives me insane by being so socially and mentally different. But I’m taking my time getting to know him better and he’s letting me in.”
“That’s good.”
“You don’t think I’m being crazy for choosing someone so different?”
“Love is fundamentally crazy, Mia. If it doesn’t have that element of insanity, it’s not love, in my opinion. You have two solutions. Either you take it as it is or you let go. There’s no in-between.”
“You and Dad love each other, and it’s not crazy.”
She laughs, the sound carrying through the room before settling in the space between us. “Oh, we were more than crazy. Like you, I never liked normal either.”
“Really?”
“You think I would’ve ended up with your dad if that weren’t the case? We consume each other, but we also balance each other out. It might be unorthodox, but it works. We have the best three children anyone could ask for. So I’m the last person who’d judge your choices, honey.”