Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Family.
I’m his family.
“I want to meet your mom,” I say, suddenly.
Romeo jerks a little. “What?”
“I want to meet her. I want you to take me there, right now. I want to hear it from her mouth. If you’re telling the truth, you’ll let me meet her and talk to her. If you’re not, then you’re not going to. What’s it going to be?”
“You want to meet my mother?”
He looks quite confused by this.
“Yes. I do.”
Romeo stands and extends his arm toward the door. “Very well then, let’s go.”
God.
I hope I’m making the right choice here.
I’m terrified, but if anyone has the answers I need, it’s his mother.
The only way I’ll get to the truth, is to go back to where it all began ...
To the woman who fell in love with a monster and had her life turned upside down.
Here goes nothing.
16
NOW – AVIANA
Cohen, Alarick, and I are the only ones to follow Romeo back to the house where his mother is living. The chances of being in the same town, at the same time, is insane. I’m sure that’s exactly how he planned this, though. He wants to make sure his story can be backed up. The fear for me is, what if it can be backed up? What if the things he’s saying are true and I have to face the reality that I have a brother, a brother who actually wants to be part of my life?
We arrive at a beautiful old home that has been well maintained. It’s dark out, but I can see the stunning gardens surrounding the small house. His mom clearly enjoys gardening. The porch light shines a dim glow over the patio, where I can see a beautiful restored swing chair and some nice timber furniture. This place, even before you walk into it, feels so much like a home should feel.
My heart aches.
Romeo walks up the front stairs and opens the front door, yelling out, “Momma?”
A voice echoes through the house. The sweetest voice I’ve ever heard. “Romeo? Honey, is that you?”
Honey.
I can hear it even before I see it—this woman adores her son.
A woman comes around the corner, her eyes lighting up when she sees her son. She stretches out her arms, throwing them up around his neck as she hugs him tightly. She’s only tiny, petite, and very beautiful for her age. Her dark hair is starting to grey, but it’s exceptionally beautiful, long and thick. Her skin is only slightly showing signs of aging, and she has the most incredible green eyes I’ve ever seen. She’s beautiful in a way very few are.
She looks to all of us, and slowly releases Romeo.
Her eyes fall on me and widen. She places a hand over her mouth and starts slowly moving toward me. “Well, as I live and breathe ... You look just like your momma.”
A lump forms in my throat. I don’t have a great deal of memories about my momma, she died before I could create enough of them. I do know she was beautiful, and from what I recall, a beautiful soul with so much love to give. She adored her children, and she would have done anything for us. I never would have guessed that Manny didn’t belong to her, because she loved him in a way that was unconditional.
I step forward as Romeo’s mom reaches me, and when her hands comes out and touches my cheek, the urge to cry and hug her is incredibly intense. She releases me and looks to Romeo. “You found her.”
“Yeah, Momma, I found her. I told her everything. She’s having a hard time with it all and wanted to come and talk to you.”
She looks back to me. “This must be very confusing for you. Come in, sit down. Let me get you a drink. Who are your friends?”
“This is Cohen and Alarick,” I say, my voice choking up.
“Strapping gentleman they are, come in.”
She’s beautiful.
So damned beautiful.
The presence of two large bikers does not bother her in the slightest. She invites them into her home as if she’s known them a lifetime.
“Romeo, show them to the living room, and I will fetch some tea.”
I glance at Cohen and his expression, which was hard as a rock the entire way here, has softened a little.
Maybe, just maybe, he’s seeing what I’m seeing.
This might be real after all.
I walk into the living area and over to the mantel where a heap of photos are set in frames. I let my eyes rake over them, feeling a smile pull at the corners of my mouth. Romeo, gosh, he’s identical to Manny. Looking at the pictures, I’d swear it was him. It makes my heart ache for my brother, who is gone. Not because we were close, but because I see now he could have had such a different life. A life not influenced by my father, a life that would have taught him the kind of love he simply didn’t know.