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“Kinley! Baby!” she called out when she saw me rushing toward her. “Come dance!”
“Where’s your clothes, Mom?”
“Is this your daughter?” some man I’d never seen before questioned, pissing me off further. This must have been his idea.
“Yes! Isn’t she stunning?! My beautiful baby!”
I grabbed her jeans and shirt off the ground—she was only wearing her bra and panties. “Mom, you’re going to get arrested again if you don’t—”
“You’re such a party pooper! We were just swimming! Come swimming with us!”
It was only then I noticed her guy for the night wasn’t wearing anything but his boxers. Shoving her clothes onto her chest, I demanded, “Mom, let’s go.”
“No! I’m having fun. You go. I’ll be home later.”
“No, you’ll be home now. You can’t—”
“I’m the adult, Kinley. You can’t boss me around.”
“Then act like one for once!”
“Your kid is a drag,” the random man chimed in. “I’m outta here.”
“Good! Fucking leave! You have no business with her! Did you know she’s on parole—”
She pushed me hard, and I stumbled back, losing my footing.
“Fuck you, Kinley! Get outta here! You’re the one who has no business being here!”
I wasn’t surprised by her harsh words. This wasn’t the first or last time she’d made me look for her. I hated when she got like this. It was hard enough to get through to her when she wasn’t drinking. Alcohol added to the endless problem that was my mother.
“Mom, are you taking your meds—”
Before I could finish my sentence, she backhanded me across the face so hard I instantly saw stars. I wish I could tell you this was the first time she’d laid her hands on me, but it wasn’t. Most of the time, she’d forget she’d hit me at all.
My hand immediately went to my face, feeling the sting of her ring against my cheek. I looked down at my hand, seeing blood, and it was only then she realized what she had just done.
Slowly, she backed away from me with wide eyes. “Kinley, I’m so sor—”
“You alright, sweetness?”
My stare shot up, locking eyes with the guy I least expected. Once again he’d saved me, except this time it was from my memories.
—Christian—
There was something about the way she was sitting against the tree with her eyes shut and her hair blowing in the wind that truly took my breath away. Which had never happened before, me taking an interest in someone outside of my family and friends, especially a girl I’d only had one conversation with. Yet there I was, completely mesmerized by the vision sitting in front of me as if she appeared out of thin air.
My attraction to her was as strong as it was the night I’d first kissed her.
Every day since I thought about her—what she was doing, how she was feeling, when I would see her again. The questions were never-ending, so was the desire to feel her mouth against mine again.
She was like this mythical creature luring me toward her. From the moment I saw her walk down here alone, there was no choice to be made. I followed her, gravitating toward her in the same way I did that night in the woods. Before I knew what was happening, I was watching a memory play out in her mind. Knowing whatever she was remembering wasn’t pleasant, I could tell by her face.
She was crying. Her expression showed nothing but pain, and I found myself hurting right along with her. It didn’t make any sense, the immediate connection I felt toward her. All I knew was I wanted to make her smile and laugh.
Over the years, I did exactly that.
Until one day, it was the opposite.
And all I did was make her cry.
Chapter 5
Christian
I wanted to make it better.
I wanted to make her better.
“You alright, sweetness?”
Her gaze went wide when she realized I’d caught her crying, and she immediately wiped away her tears, camouflaging her distress before reason settled in. Quickly standing, she was about to leave, but I grabbed her wrist, stopping her, and for some unknown reason, she let me.
“Don’t go,” was all I could say.
I didn’t know it then, but those two words changed the course of our lives and fused us together.
She didn’t reply. However, her cautious stare was still locked with mine. Neither one of us was able to look away from each other. It was evident my attraction to her was very much reciprocated. Our stares mirrored one another while more questions plagued our minds. I wanted to know everything about her.
The good.
The bad.
The ugly.
I knew there wasn’t a lot of good in her past. Maybe not even in her present. Her future, though, I could make that good, and I knew that when I was only sixteen-years-old.
“What’s wrong?” I finally asked with sincerity laced in my tone. I didn’t want to scare her away, but I had to know. I had to fix it.
