Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 21429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 86(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 86(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
“Of course—”
“Think before you answer,” Kathleen interrupts. “You’re young, Skylar. My son is a very handsome man. He’s smart, confident, he has his own career. I can understand why you would be swept off your feet by him.”
“Kathleen—”
“Your hormones are raging at this age,” she continues. “You two met on vacation, and things moved quickly. He was your first, and no one would fault you for thinking you’d fallen in love when really you were just caught up in the moment.”
Why is she saying these things? Is she trying to hurt me?
My cheeks are burning. A knot is forming in the center of my stomach.
“No!” I reply, trying not to shout. “That’s not it at all!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure! Walker gets me!” If only there was some way of making Kathleen feel what I feel so she could fully understand me. “After all those years in private schools with girls who I couldn’t stand, with boys who I could never even dream of dating, Walker just waltzed into my life, and it was…it was like he saw straight into my soul. He knew me from the moment we met, you know? He was my missing piece, and every day since that day when we first met, I’ve been missing him—hating him too because I thought he abandoned me—but missing him and wishing he would come back to me. I love him, Kathleen. He’s my one.”
I realize as I finish that I’m crying. Not only that, Kathleen is too. She smiles and reaches out with both arms and pulls me in for a hug like she and I have never shared before.
“Okay,” she whispers. “I believe you, honey. I’ll talk to your father about it.”
And just like that, something shifts inside of me, and I allow myself to hope. Maybe there is a chance that Walker and I can make this crazy, completely unconventional thing we’ve got going work.
“Thank you, Kathleen. Thank you.”
9
Walker
“Are you sure you talked to her and you aren’t just messing with me?”
Skylar shoots me a look that would definitely reduce me to a pile of Walker-sized blood and guts if looks had the power to kill, then angrily punts a rolled-up pair of my socks across the room at me.
“Are you kidding me?” she asks. “It was the most nervous I’ve ever been for a conversation, and you’re questioning me?”
“Okay, okay,” I reply. “I’m just saying…it’s been two days and radio silence. She said she was going to talk to your dad about it?”
Skylar nods.
“Well, what the hell?” I stuff my socks into my suitcase and slam it shut.
Two days and no word from either parents, and I’m set to fly out for LA tomorrow morning. Skylar and I haven’t done anything else to rock the boat on our end. We’ve kept our relationship hidden, only spent time together when we’re sure we have the house to ourselves, and have made sure not to do anything in front of Roman that could tip him off, despite the fact that my mom was supposed to have spoken to him by now on our behalf.
“It just doesn’t make any sense,” I grumble. “Mom knows I’m flying out tomorrow. What’s she doing? Waiting for me to be gone before she talks to him?”
“That might make sense.” Skylar shrugs. “That way my dad doesn’t actually kill you if he ends up disapproving.”
Despite my increasingly terrible mood, I actually have to laugh at that.
“Maybe they’re talking about it now,” I suggest.
“During their sacred movie night?” she replies.
Tonight is Roman and Kathleen’s famous movie night they do at least once a week where they go into the theater room, put their phones on silent, watch a movie, and eat junk food together. That’s the only reason Skylar and I are talking so freely right now.
“Maybe my mom chickened out,” I say with a sigh, slumping down on the bed. “Maybe she doesn’t want to rock the family boat.”
Sky climbs onto the bed beside me and lays her head on my chest. Just knowing I have to fly out to Los Angeles tomorrow and won’t get to feel this again until who knows when has my stomach in knots.
“Fuck, maybe I shouldn’t go.”
“You have to,” she says. “I mean—what kind of excuse are you going to give him? ‘Sorry, Roman, I can’t go. I’m in love with your daughter, so I’m staying here’?”
“Nah, I’ll just kill him. That’ll solve everything.”
“Hey!” Skylar squeals, leaping on top of me. “Gonna kill my dad, eh? Maybe I’ll just kill your momma!”
Laughing, I grab both of her wrists and quickly flip her onto her back, easily pinning her beneath me.
“But if I kill your dad, then you’ll have daddy issues.” Skylar’s jaw drops. “And then you’ll turn into a little freak in the sack.”
“Oh my God! You did not just say that—!”