“His sister stayed with Kill just fine, so does that mean you think it’s okay since he’s our cousin but the other way around isn’t? What type of double standard is that?”
“She has a point,” Dad says as Maya’s face scrunches up.
“I still don’t like him and won’t approve of him,” she says.
“You know I love you and I would appreciate it if you’d accept my decision, but even if you don’t, that doesn’t mean I’ll break up with him due to your and Niko’s over-the-top protectiveness.”
“You’d choose him over us? Again?”
“Enough, Maya,” Mom says. “You’re being unreasonable and uncharacteristically agitated.”
“Oh, so I’m the problem? Okay, then, fine. Let me remove myself from the situation so it’s better for everyone.” She jerks up and leaves.
“Maya!” Mom calls, but my sister doesn’t show any signs of hearing her.
“It’s okay.” Dad stands up and fetches her plate of pudding. “I’ll talk to her.”
He kisses the top of my head and offers me a smile. “I’m proud of you and your pragmatic way of solving problems, baby girl.” This time, I do hug him and he strokes my hair. “I still won’t approve of this Landon guy until I see him for myself.”
I gulp as I sit back down. Mom stands and then sits in the chair beside me. A soft glow covers her face as she rubs my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” I feel a weight lift off my chest as I stop the knee-jerk need to lie. Mom and Dad have always offered me a safe space to tell the truth and I often resisted the urge because I had no confidence in what I might blurt out in moments of weakness.
What if I accidentally told them the identity of the monster and they get hurt because of it?
I would never forgive myself.
“Why don’t we talk about this Landon? Is he really Kill on steroids as Maya said? Because if that’s the case, we need to discuss it.”
“Yes and no. I won’t paint him as a saint, but that’s the thing, Mom. I’ve never liked saints. I was never attracted to the boys in school and felt so stupidly broken for that. I don’t feel broken when I’m with Lan.”
Her brows pull together in a soft frown and she takes my hands in hers. “Don’t hide anything from me, Mia. Is he taking advantage of you or threatening you in any way?”
“No. I’d cut off his balls before he did that.”
She releases a sigh and smiles a little. “That’s my girl.”
I smile back. “Whose daughter do you think I am?”
“Mine, of course. Now, tell me everything about Landon.”
“He learned sign language for me and helped me set up my own garden. He also plays chess with me and cooks my favorite pasta. He also drives me insane by being so socially and mentally different. But I’m taking my time getting to know him better and he’s letting me in.”
“That’s good.”
“You don’t think I’m being crazy for choosing someone so different?”
“Love is fundamentally crazy, Mia. If it doesn’t have that element of insanity, it’s not love, in my opinion. You have two solutions. Either you take it as it is or you let go. There’s no in-between.”
“You and Dad love each other, and it’s not crazy.”
She laughs, the sound carrying through the room before settling in the space between us. “Oh, we were more than crazy. Like you, I never liked normal either.”
“Really?”
“You think I would’ve ended up with your dad if that weren’t the case? We consume each other, but we also balance each other out. It might be unorthodox, but it works. We have the best three children anyone could ask for. So I’m the last person who’d judge your choices, honey.”
I wrap my arms around her. If only Maya and Nikolai thought the same. But for now, Mom is enough.
“Now, tell me more,” Mom says as we pull apart.
I do, omitting the details that I believe are too much information.
Mom listens carefully, even though I talk for what feels like an hour. I finish the first pudding and get my second serving and I’m still not done. I needed someone to listen to me without judging me since Maya is out of the equation now.
Dad is the one who interrupts our catching-up session. “Your sister wants to talk to you, Mia.”
My shoulders hunch, but I still drag myself up.
“You don’t have to speak to her now,” Mom says. “You can let her cool off for a bit.”