Page 200 of Kiss Me in the Dark
“When Kendra told us she was a lesbian, I was shocked,” she admits.“I won’t lie—I was disappointed.I thought she was straight, even though she’d never shown interest in boys.But her death…” She trails off, her voice thick with emotion.
Her eyes meet mine again.“I wasn’t supportive enough.I let her down, and I’ve carried that guilt every day since.So when Fox told me about you, yes, it was a shock.But I love my son, Cameron.I want him to be happy.If you make him happy, then who am I to stand in the way of that?”
Her words make my chest tighten.I swallow hard and nod.
“And I like you,” she adds with a smile.“You’re sweet, thoughtful, and exactly what Fox needs.You’ve changed him for the better, and I can’t thank you enough for that.”
“Thank you, Lila,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
She smiles warmly.“Don’t let my husband intimidate you.He’s been a homophobe as long as I’ve known him, but he’ll come around.I’ll make sure of it.”
I nod, feeling a little more at ease.Once I finish chopping the vegetables, I slide the platter toward her.
“So, you’re Chinese?”I ask, eager to lighten the mood.
Lila chuckles.“It’s not that obvious?”
“Sorry,” I say, embarrassed.
“It’s fine.My mother is Chinese, and my father is Canadian.They met in China—he was there for work, and she was delivering egg tarts her family sold.The rest is history.”Her face lights up as she reminisces.
“That’s beautiful,” I say, genuinely touched.
“It is.Now, tell me—what was your first encounter with Fox like?”
I groan, laughing softly.“Oh no, you don’t want to hear that.”
Her eyes sparkle with curiosity.“Come on, it couldn’t have been that bad.”
“It was,” I assure her, grinning.“We met at a café.I was openly checking him out, which wasn’t exactly polite.He panicked and called me the F-word.”
Her face falls.“Oh God.”
“Yeah,” I laugh.“He was kind of a jerk back then.”
“That sounds like Fox,” she says, shaking her head.
“He’s changed, though.A lot.”
“And that’s all thanks to you,” she says warmly.
Her words stick with me, and for the first time all day, I feel like maybe everything will be okay.
I watch Lila cook while we chat.She asks me about school, and I tell her everything she wants to know.She’s pretty great—kind, warm, and easy to talk to.Not at all what I expected.
As we talk, I can hear quiet but tense voices coming from the other room.Fox and his father.The occasional sharp word sneaks through, and I know they’re arguing, even though Fox is trying to keep his voice down.Lila, however, pretends not to hear a thing, her focus on finishing dinner.
“You can’t force me to be someone I’m not,” I hear Fox say, his voice rising slightly.“I’m in love with him, and you need to accept that fact.Stop trying to come between me and the happiness I’ve finally found.”
“And what’s going to happen in the future?”Mr.Wilder counters, his tone clipped.
“Let me worry about my future.What’s your deal?”
“You’re seriously not asking me that,” Mr.Wilder growls.
“I just want to know.”
There’s a heavy pause before I hear Mr.Wilder scoff.
