AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"That's what it says." She walks over and slaps it on the table.
But I'm gone. I'm not here. I'm with Henry the night I said goodbye to him.
Go get her.Watch out for Pleasure Mountain.People tend to fall in love up there.
He cared about me.
Henry wanted her for me.
And he set this up to push us back together.
I have to squeeze the bridge of my nose to hide the riot of emotion that assaults me. I was a stranger to Henry, and he loved me like his own blood. He didn't have to do it. He stopped and picked up a soaking-wet kid and took me in. For the first time, I had a home and a father I could trust. After knowing him, I had no argument anymore that the world was unkind and unjust. The man was true through andthrough. He wanted me to take his name and I did. I'm Foster Twist now because of him.
"I'm sorry you lost Henry," her soft voice pulls me back to the kitchen.
I run my hands through my hair and sigh. "Me too."
We sit quietly for a long time remembering Henry's presence in our lives. "Can I get a cup of coffee?"
"There." I tilt my head toward the pot I'd made earlier. "It's not the swanky kind you're used to. It's basically dirt from a can."
"I do not need swank in my morning joe. If it has caffeine, it works for me."
She opens the fridge and helps herself to my milk, which I'm not sure isn't expired. This also doesn't seem to bother her as she sits down at my messy table. The envelope waits between the chaotic mess of mail, cups, and tools.
She calmly takes a sip of coffee and it's all too much. Mila is sitting in the middle of my self-imposed isolation. She hurled herself into my torture chamber like it's nothing. She's crossing so many lines, I can't keep track.
"So you're here to fight over this property? You could have sent a lawyerto do that."
"Not here for the land, Foster."
"Why'd you come here, Mila?"
"I thought you might be here. And you are. My dad said he killed you."
"Your dad is a fucking liar. Clearly not dead." I motion from my head to my feet. I look like hell, but I'm not dead.
"Thank God."
She's happy I'm not dead. I wish that didn't give me hope, but it does.
"We broke up, Mila. You didn't want to leave your dad for me. Didn't trust me to keep you safe here. That change?"
"Everything's changed."
Holy shit. Everything's changed? Like she's going to walk back into my life?
"Nothing's changed. You chose him over me. Wrecked me."
She stands up and walks closer to me. "I didn't choose him over you. I didn't handle it right. If I could do it over, I would've grabbed a bag and ran down the fire escape with you. I've done it a million times in my mind, and I regret not doing it more than any other stupid thing I've done."
She's making it hard to stay mad at her. Looking beautiful, sweet voice, kind eyes that look at me like I light the moon even though I look like shit.
"Donnie was in the closet with a gun. He said he'd kill you," she whispers.
It takes me a minute to process what she said. "Donnie was threatening you?"
"He was threateningyou. He had a gun. Told me to get rid of you in a few minutes or he'd shoot you. I needed you to leave. I tried to tell you we could talk later, but you were too angry for that."
