Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Before she could reply, I kissed her.
I engulfed her, beckoning her lips to open for me. She released a soft moan as my tongue slid into her mouth. Her tears fell between us, and I tasted all of them. I’d always been a man of few words. To me, actions spoke much louder and clearer than any sentence ever could. Yet there I was, laying it all out for her.
Word by word.
Sentence by sentence.
Making my thoughts and emotions known to her.
To only her.
I carried her up the stairs, never once breaking our connection, our mouths starving for one another. We kissed until we passed out on my bed, and I woke up to her sleeping in my arms. This was the first time we’d fallen asleep in my bed, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last. I’d wake up with her in my arms every morning if it were up to me.
The sun was rising, streaming through the curtain. I closed my eyes for a second, hugging her closer to my chest. I scratched her head, playing with her hair between my fingers. The scent of her coconut shampoo lingered in the air, and before I knew it, I had lulled myself back to sleep.
The second time I woke up, it was the smell of coffee and bacon in the air that made my eyes flutter open, and I found myself alone.
“Isla,” I called out, reaching for her.
She wasn’t there. Kicking off the sheets, I stretched, walking toward the bathroom to brush my teeth. My stomach rumbled, and I decided to take a shower after I ate some of Isla’s breakfast. We didn’t finish her dinner last night, and I didn’t want her food to get cold.
It was Saturday morning, or maybe it was Sunday. I’d lost track of the days. Rounding the corner, I stopped dead in my tracks.
For a second, I thought I was seeing a ghost.
Same posture.
Same smile.
Same eyes.
Our mother.
I was once again slapped in the face by another family member. Another lesson was learned, and I understood right then and there that ten minutes had always been our death sentence.
It was when she celebrated, “We’re all family now!”
That I roared…
* * *
“The fuck we are!”
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
Isla
When I found who I assumed to be their mother in the kitchen cooking breakfast, I almost lost my footing. I’d seen her in pictures, but she was prettier in person. The boys both had her smile, which was exactly what she showed me.
“Well,” she greeted. “Isn’t this the best surprise ever! You must be Isla.”
I was blown away that she knew my name.
“Take a seat,” she ordered, smiling widely. “Breakfast is just about ready.” She walked back over to the stove, preparing me a plate as if she’d been doing it since I started living there.
“Mrs. Knightly—”
“Honey, you can call me Melody.”
Melody?
The irony wasn’t lost on me.
So she is the one who taught them how to play their instruments? Is her name confirmation for that?
After everything Julius shared with me last night, I tried not to let it get the best of me and go off on her. I honestly didn’t know what to do in this situation, never bearing in mind I’d find myself in it. At least not like this.
There was so much I wanted to say.
So much I wanted to do.
Except I didn’t do any of those things.
She set a plate of eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and toast on the dining table, patting the chair beside her for me to sit. This was like an episode of Black Mirror where we stepped into an alternate timeline. I was officially in another dimension that included their mother and her breakfast. A meal that looked good, as if she’d been making breakfast every morning.
My stomach rumbled. With one foot in front of the other, I stepped into her space, taking the seat she was gesturing for me.
Slowly, I sat down until I uttered, “With all due respect, Melody, what are you doing here?”
She beamed, her eyes shining bright at me. “Protective of my boys, I see… I like that.” She smiled bigger. “To answer your question, though, I’m here for Kraven.”
My eyebrows pinched together. “How do you know? Who told you?”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “That doesn’t matter. All that matters is I’m here now.”
I spoke the truth. “It’s going to matter to them. I promise you that.”
She wavered, grabbing my hand. “You let me worry about them.”
“Are you—”
“Kraven has always been my quiet boy. Do you know that?”
“He’s mentioned something about it.”
She proudly professed, “My lone wolf. Even when he was just a little guy, he was a boy of few words. But when he did speak, his words carried strong meaning behind them. You know what I mean?”
I nodded. He was still like that.
“He’s so damn smart, too. He could have done anything with his life, and I hate that he’s chosen… well, you know… I can’t blame him.” She bowed her head. It was obvious the shame was eating her alive. “I don’t have to tell you how much he loves to argue. The boy thinks he’s never wrong.” She laughed to herself. “It’s one of my biggest regrets, you know? Julius had to drop out of school for him, but I’m better now…” She glanced up at me with a sincere expression. “I can be here for both of them. First, we need to go get my boy from the detention center, and then everything will be great again.”