Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 152931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 765(@200wpm)___ 612(@250wpm)___ 510(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 765(@200wpm)___ 612(@250wpm)___ 510(@300wpm)
“It’s her,” Levi said, staring at his mother as she lifted her face toward him. His heart dropped to his stomach. He was so torn. He didn’t have any special memories of her—only that she was always drunk or strung out, always running off with strange men. Love… He’d never really felt that from her. She’d treated him more like a chore she hated than a son.
He continued sitting there, looking at her haggard appearance and her hollow face. Nothing like the mental image he remembered of her or the pictures his father had kept over the years. She took a drag, blew the smoke out slowly, and continued to sit there, staring at him. Big sunglasses covered her eyes, but nothing hid the attitude she’d come packing.
“She’s gonna ruin us.”
Thane’s hand came to his arm, gently squeezing before drawing Levi’s attention to him. “Let’s find out why she’s here. We can’t find a solution until we know more.”
Levi slid his worried gaze back toward his mother. “I’m sorry…”
“Don’t even start that.” Thane pushed open his door, and with more anxiety than confidence, Levi did the same. He hadn’t walked two steps before she shoved off the step, dropped the cigarette on the sidewalk, and put it out with her shoe.
“You’re bigger than I thought you’d be.” She stood there, swinging her hip out, putting a hand on her waist like she had all the right in the world to be standing right there.
“What’re you doing here?” Levi asked, coming to a stop about three feet in front of her. Thane’s hand reassuringly moved to the small of his back.
“I heard you like dick. I knew you would from the time you were three years old,” she said. Thane moved closer to him. His mom removed her glasses, giving Thane a thorough once-over before putting them back on her face. “He looks like he’s got some money. He your boyfriend?”
“What do you want?” Levi asked, forgoing all the other questions he wanted to ask.
“Aren’t you happy to see me?” she said in mock indignation.
“We thought you died…” Levi said, but Linda started in from the porch.
“You hadn’t showed your face around here in fifteen years and you think any of these children you abandoned wanna see the likes of you?”
Levi lifted a hand in Linda’s direction, hoping to stop her tirade. He needed a firm understanding of what she expected, and they wouldn’t get there if they all started fighting. “We thought you were dead. The social worker searched you and you came back deceased.”
“I’m alive, Levi,” she said condescendingly. She gestured dramatically up and down her body with her hands, showing that she was clearly really there. “You always were one to question everything,” she said tersely. “Someone stole my wallet. I just let everyone believe what they wanted. I heard about your father, so I came. I know Luke needs a real parent.”
“You thought you’d come sniffing around for the social security money,” Linda called out, still perched by the front door.
“I’ve always hated you, you old hag. Stay out of mine and my kids’ business before I come up there and whoop your meddling ass,” his mother threatened, going as far as the top step, but no farther.
“You can try.” Linda was unfazed. Right then, all the years of living in the wrong side of town came out in Linda. His sixty-year-old neighbor was ready to go toe to toe with his mother.
“Hang on. Hang on.” Levi inserted himself between the two and spoke directly to his mother. “I’ll ease your conscious. We’re fine. Everything’s fine. We don’t need you.”
His mother lost some of her attitude, deflating in what looked to be a pre-rehearsed act. His mother’s theatrical skills were clearly lacking. He didn’t buy a second of her remorse.
“I’m coming home, Levi,” she stated, trying for meek. He watched her hollow gaze stay devoid of expression. “I heard about your dad, and I know Luke needs a parent in his life. You all do.”
He ignored Linda who barked out a bitter laugh. “She just wants whatever money she can get out of this. She doesn’t care a lick about any of you boys.”
“Shut the fuck up, bitch.” His mother’s tone instantly filled with venom as she started toward Linda. Levi had to forcibly hold her back. “The first thing I’m gonna do is make sure you never see them again.” She weighed nothing, but her arms and legs were all over the place, trying to get out of Levi’s hold to go after Linda.
Thane came from behind as Levi struggled to keep hold of his flailing mother. Looking as if he’d done this before, Thane had no problem wrapping an arm around her waist, hauling her from behind back out into the yard until she turned her fight on Thane, scratching and kicking him.