Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 140184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 701(@200wpm)___ 561(@250wpm)___ 467(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 701(@200wpm)___ 561(@250wpm)___ 467(@300wpm)
It’s reassuring that he’s even open to dealing with all that just to have me, but I’ve never prayed so hard for a period in my life.
Milo’s firm hand on my waist jolts me from my thoughts and weakens all the muscles in my legs. I don’t immediately know why he’s touching me, but he merely pulls me aside so he can reach into the drawer I’m blocking.
I feel a bit shaky, but in the good way.
God, I’m so wildly attracted to him.
His hand is still on my waist. He looks me in the eye and I feel a knot of emotion lodged in my chest.
He must feel me craving him because he leans in and gives me a tender little kiss on the corner of my mouth. “Thank you for making dinner with me tonight.”
Thank you for turning my insides to complete mush.
I smile, but definitely keep those words trapped firmly inside my head.
“Anytime,” I say lightly.
“Now that you’re living here, I imagine we’ll be making dinner together a lot.”
Living here.
That’s still crazy.
“Is Kennedy coming back to school tomorrow?” Jet asks. “We can carpool if she is.”
Milo nods, glancing over at me. “Think you’re up to it?”
I nod, tucking a chunk of hair behind my ear. “Yeah, of course. I meant to go back today, I just… couldn’t.”
“That’s all right.”
The way he says it makes me feel like it is. “It will be good to go back, though. I think the routine will help snap me out of… my funk or whatever.”
“You’ll need to go to the office and have your records updated to reflect this address. We don’t want anything being sent to your mother’s place.”
I shake my head wordlessly. Anything that gets mailed there for me may as well disappear into a black hole because I’ll never go back for it.
After a moment I don’t realize is heavily silent until he speaks, Milo asks, “Have you given any thought to reporting what happened, Kennedy?”
My insides shrivel at the thought. Avoiding his gaze, I walk over to the sink so I can wash my hands since I touched my hair. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
“I understand that, sweetheart, but I hate to think of them getting away with this.”
“And I hate to think of them at all, which is completely unavoidable if I go to the police. I didn’t go to the hospital that night, so I don’t even have evidence. It’s literally my word against theirs, and then my mom’s going to tell them I’ve gone after her boyfriends before,” I state, indicating him. “And they’ll take one look at me literally living with one of her exes and sleeping in his bed, and it will look like she’s telling the truth. I’m the troubled teenager lashing out at my mother, making ‘false’ accusations to get attention. I don’t want any part of that, Milo. No fucking thank you.”
“She’s right,” Jet says, surprising me. I didn’t even think he was still paying attention to this conversation, but I certainly didn’t expect him to join in. “The evidence isn’t on her side. If she reports it, she’ll have to go through more than he will.”
“So, the fucker should just get away with it?” Jonathan says, disbelief clear in his tone. “That’s your stance?”
“No.” Jet glances at me, then to his dad and brother. “But this is already a terrible experience for Kennedy. If she’ll suffer more than he will, is that really the best solution?”
“No,” Jonathan snaps, “but it’s superior to the one where I go back to the apartment and finish what I started, and then I have to go to prison.”
“I saved her clothes from that night and took pictures,” Milo states. “We may not have as much evidence as we would have if Kennedy had gone to the hospital, but we do have evidence. I understand that your entanglement with me could cause some doubt, but at the risk of sounding like an asshole, Kennedy, look at him and look at me. There’s a clear difference in appeal.”
Jonathan smirks. “Exactly. I don’t buy that we can’t win this fight.”
“I’m not saying we can’t win it,” Jet states. “But, in my opinion, the likelihood of an ideal result isn’t great enough to make putting Kennedy through it worthwhile. I know you two have your need to conquer, but Kennedy’s the one who will get beat up, not you guys. Some fights are better won with patience and finesse than brute force. They’ll get what’s coming to them, but I prefer a method that doesn’t put Kennedy through more hell than she has already been through. And, regardless of what either of you wants, this isn’t up to you. It’s up to Kennedy. If she says no, the conversation is over. No one is reporting anything.”