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LANDON
“Cousin to cousin,” Misty said, leaning back in her chair and clicking her pen, “that’s some fucked up shit. I mean, I figured that your father would do some shit like that, but your mom being in on it too?”
I ran a hand across my face, leaned against her couch, and blew some blond hair out of my face. “I haven’t fucking seen them since they packed up and left after Dad shot me. And I swear that if they come back, I’ll kill him myself with my own two hands.”
Misty frowned and sighed. “You haven’t even gotten a call?”
“Nothing.”
“What are you going to do about your mom?” she asked.
My gaze dropped from her to my lap. What would I do about Mom if I ever saw her again? Truth was that I didn’t even know how I’d react when I saw her for the first time after she ran out with Dad.
She had never been this … disgusting toward me.
All I had ever wanted to do was protect her from Dad when he drank a bit too much and became violent. I had always done everything I could, and every fucking time, she never once appreciated it.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. “What can I do?”
Sucking in a breath, Misty readjusted herself. “I can’t give you much advice. It’s too muddled with my family. All I can say is that I would never allow her to control you like that again. You might not be able to see it, but your mom isn’t a good woman, Landon, and you keep protecting her. You deserve something more.”
“Imani,” I said, her name sounding like fucking heaven on my lips.
And I didn’t even believe in that shit.
“Don’t let your parents ruin what you have with Imani,” Misty said, actually smiling at me for once. She leaned forward and placed a hand on my knee. “I can tell how happy she makes you. She is the best thing to happen to you in a long time. Don’t lose that.”
“I don’t plan to.”
A deafening silence fell over us, and I felt those butterflies fluttering in my stomach at the thought of having Imani forever. Never once had I felt so strongly about someone. And I swore that I’d kill anyone else who got in the way of us.
I would never lose her.
I refused.
“She told me that she loves me,” I said, voice barely above a whisper. “She loves me.”
Still, even after almost a week, I couldn’t believe it. It seemed so surreal, like this was all some sort of joke or dream or something because shit like this didn’t happen to people like me. The dirty kids in the slums never found love. We only found people to survive together with.
Warmth spread around my chest, and I grinned like a fucking doofus. Imani loved me.
“She told you that?” Misty asked, smiling even wider.
“When I was in the hospital,” I said, knowing that it was a moment I would never forget. I had ingrained it in my memories for forever and refused to let it go. “Sometimes, I think back to it and still don’t believe that she could love someone like me.”
“We need to work on that confidence, Landon.” Misty shook her head and chuckled. “Looks like we’re at the end of our session today. Am I going to see you tomorrow, or do you want to push our sessions back to every couple days, once a week even?”
“Do you think I’m ready for that?” I asked, actually nervous.
Now that I had Imani, I didn’t want to fuck this up. I didn’t want to fall back into the same fucking self-destructive pattern that I had been in, always on high fucking alert around her and her phone. I couldn’t.
“You’ve improved quite a bit since we started.”
“You think so?” I asked.
“I asked you how the phone situation was going earlier, and it was a second thought, Landon,” she said. “I think we could push it back to every couple days, but only if you’re comfortable with that.”
“Okay, every few days then.” I stood, then headed to the front door. “And, Misty, thank you for everything. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you because I definitely wouldn’t be here today.”
