neck. “Are we fucked up?”
“Maybe, but if we are, I don’t want to be normal.”
“Normal has never been my thing,” I tell her.
“Do you want kids?” she asks, getting into the nitty-gritty of what the future could look like.
“Do you?” I ask her, wanting to know her answer first.
“I do. Lots of kids.”
I swallow. Fuck. Lots? What’s her idea of lots of kids, because I don’t know if I could handle ten little versions of me or her running around the house? Having a daughter who’s half as beautiful as Arlo would be sheer and utter torture. I’d probably spend my golden years behind bars for beating the piss out of some handsy man wanting to get into her pants. “How many?”
“Three or four.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. I could handle three or four little people, max. But any more and life would be too busy, and I enjoy our time alone. My parents were insane with the three of us, but somehow, they still managed to make time for each other, never losing their connection.
“I’d be good with that.”
“But for now, I want to enjoy us,” she says softly into the breeze.
I lean back, taking her with me as the sun kisses the top of the water and the sky explodes into shades of red, orange, pink, and blue.
“It’s heavenly, isn’t it?” she asks.
“There’s only one thing more beautiful.”
She smacks my arm. “You don’t have to say those things. You already got me, Mello.”
I dip my head, bringing my lips near her ear. “Sugar, you’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever met, and I’m not just talking about your face or your banging body.”
“My banging body?” She laughs again.
“Yep. I said what I said.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Crazy for you,” I whisper.
She turns in my arms, sliding her legs underneath mine so our middles are practically touching. “I need to tell you something, but I need you to listen to me before you get mad.”
My stomach drops and knots, because there’s no smile on her face. Whatever she’s about to say is something I won’t like or I’m probably not ready to hear. I can tell by the look in her eyes.
“Okay,” I say, drawing out the word, bracing myself for maximum devastation.
A minute ago, we were talking about a future and kids, and now she wants to drop a bombshell on me to rock whatever calm we had going.
She reaches up and places her hands against my face. “Promise you’ll listen.”
I swallow, locking my eyes with hers. “I promise.” My entire body is frozen, and I’m barely breathing, too scared to allow myself to relax.
“I don’t know how to say this…”
“Just say it, Arlo. Don’t dance around whatever it is.”
She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes for a second as she slides her hands to my neck. When her eyes open again, they’re soft but filled with sadness. “I haven’t been completely truthful with you.”
I inhale sharply, feeling like someone just gave me an elbow to the gut. “What?”
She looks down, and I stare at her in complete shock. “I couldn’t tell you the truth before. Not because I didn’t trust you, but I thought you’d think differently about me.”
My hands, which have been at her sides, tighten on her waist. “You couldn’t tell me the truth about what?”
She shakes her head, lifting it just enough to look at me through her eyelashes. “I’ve never told anyone the truth.” Tears flood her green eyes, hanging on her lids, ready to fall as she stares up at me. “No one knows, Mello. No one. Not even Lily. You need to promise me what I’m about to say doesn’t go beyond us.”
“I promise, babe. Nothing you say will go beyond us and this place.”
When she gives me her eyes again, the tears are slowly streaming down her cheeks. “Do you know anything about foster homes?”
“I know very little and then what you’ve told me.”
“They’re not all rainbows and sunshine. It’s rare that one is a happy home where a kid is welcomed and made to feel like a member of the family.”
I grab her hand, comforting her, wishing I could wipe away her hurt.
“When I was fifteen, I was moved to a new home, and that’s about the time I started getting tits and an ass. And tits and ass get you attention even if you don’t want it.”
Bile rises in my throat, and my stomach twists. I know what she’s going to say before she says it, and the