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The edge of my mouth tipped a little. Like hell was I gonna relive the look of pity the cop gave me. I hadn’t seen it since. “You know Linny at school?”
“Yep.” He nodded.
Linny was biracial. On outings with her mother, people assumed their relationship was of a nanny/child capacity. I made a similar insinuation, though Lady was lighter, she was black like my parents.
I feigned annoyance. “Today, she’s my nanny.”
“Och, I get it.” Leith laughed.
He didn’t get it. He had a mom who loved him, and he probably wouldn’t trade her in no matter what shady shit his parents were up to. His family was loyal. They’d die for each other. Some kids at school whispered that they’dkillfor each other too. But at that moment, the mystery behind Leith’s vibrant blue eyes sent another sigh breezing through my lungs.
“Yeah, I love her, my . . . mom.” I cleared my throat, thanking my lucky stars that, in the next room, Lady was no longer getting her brains screwed loose.
A few minutes later, Leith had the controller, sitting back, his legs spread wide. His concentration granted me the reprieve of smiling and staring. The door burst open. I cringed at the sight of the john leaning against the doorframe.
Eyes dead on his, I growled, “Not today, John. You see my company.”
The john removed the cowboy hat from his head—a non-necessity in Southern California. Although, Ihadhoped he’d cover up john number two, nestled against his pale thigh. “All I see is a little boy.”
Leith was up in seconds. “Get those eyes checked. I’m nae wee boy!”
“You a leprechaun?” The john chuckled, and I presumed he was making fun of Leith’s accent since Leith was a cool 5’7 to his own 5’8 or ’9, and still growing.
“I’m nae fecking Irishpaddy. We Mackenzies have more respect for our women!”
“Mackenzie?” The john’s eyes requested verbal confirmation from me. When I offered a smug glower, he stuttered, “You’re not . . .”
“Aye! Next time, I’ll cut that wee tongue out yer mouth, yeclattybastard.” Leith’s accent grew so thick. The rest of his statement was undecipherable. His tan skin tinged red, driving the threat home. Leith slammed the bedroom door, then his ocean blue gaze pierced through me. “Wit’sJohn’s surname?”
“John? Oh, I— he’s one of Lady . . .” I gulped, not sure if it was because of Leith’s stance or my impending reference. “One of Mom’sJohns.”
“I see. I’ll know it soon.” Leith ran his index finger over his bottom lip, unaware of what it did to me, while deep in contemplation. “He seems to know ye, Chevelle. How much?”
My eyes narrowed. World’s biggest crush or not, Leith crossed the line.“Excuse me?”
“Och! I’m afeckingeejit,okay?”
“Yup. You’re the smartest kid in class.”So stop observing me like a botched science project. I’m good!Picking up the PlayStation controller, I tapped it in my hand then discarded it. Gaming enabled me to remain numb, but frayed emotions would wreck my score.
He insisted, “Still need an answer.”
I growled, “Notthatwell, Leith. Okay?”
As if in contemplation he smiled. My insides melted into putty. “Yermyhen,Chevelle.”
For the first time in forever, I wasn’t suffocating in our tiny apartment, though I tried not to let my girlish crush lead. I tried not to think too much into what I couldn’t comprehend. He called me a hen! Here I thought we were connected. That I could go on sniffing him for the rest of my life—or at the very least until we graduated from school.
“You called mehen?” I snapped each word through tensed lips. My momma raised me to be a civilized individual before she ultimately fell by the sword. Momentarily, I’d forgotten that he can sucker punch me way across to Timbuktu, no less. My gaze flicked over his attractive face, and I warned myself to hold tight to fury. Do not cave. Do not want him. “How dare you!”
Leith shook his head, laughed at me. It almost added insult to injury. Until I noticed the warmth in his eyes. He wasn’t laughingat me.The affection starved girl I had become thawed. My heart thumped excitedly as his smile turned my brain, my bones, my soul into putty. The truth clicked: his hen, hisgirl.Speechless, I savored his words the bite of claiming as he repeated, “My hen, my lass, mine.”
The air charged with electricity as his arms encircled my waist. Unable to recall my last hug, my heart raced, pounding in my ears on the verge of exploding as he again called mehis.
Lady had transformed me into a spirit in a half shell when she stole my family’s money and threatened a worse fate.For those few years prior to the wool falling from my eyes, she’d erased the horror that befell my parents. She’d replaced the loneliness with toys and shiny things for the two of us, and drugs and alcohol for her. Once the motivating factor drained from her bank account, I was introduced to the empty vessel. Since then I cared for nothing. Until Leith came along.
Think of your boy crush from back in the day. Not the one who just made you blush. The one you would remember until hell froze over.
That was Leith Mackenzie. All he ever had to be was the world’s biggest crush. But in that precise second, he became more.
