Saving Mona

Chapter 32 🕶️

I stared blankly at the piece of hard paper in my hand as my mind tried to process all the information I had received in the last hour.

Mother did have a twin.

Mother was supposedly dead.

The other twin was missing.

Ambrose Lanchester was my uncle.

Ambrose Lanchester was my f**king uncle. What?

The car lurched to a stop and I blinked up to access what was wrong.

"Why did we st-"

Dwayne's mouth was on mine, hot and moving, cutting short my words. I leaned into the kiss forgetting whatever must have been on my mind and stretched out my hand to curl a lock around my fingers.

Our lips disconnected with a smack and I stared at him dazed. He breathed deeply and smiled, the heat in his eyes slowly receding.

Oh, how beautiful he looked when he smiled like that at me! He could make a girl feel special with just one look.

"What was that for?" I asked, slightly touching my swollen lips.

He turned the car key and the truck hummed to life.

"Your mind seemed to be in too many places all at once. That's not good for your health so I distracted you." He swerved the truck and we were once more on the highway.

"I don't mind having my mind in more than one place if it means having you kiss me like that." I winked, openly licking my lips.

I heard him take a sharp intake of breath and I looked to see the heat of before swirling strongly in his eyes. I grinned.

"Tease!" he glared without heat.

"Are you okay, though?" he asked seriously after a while of silence.

I shrugged a shoulder, sighing deeply.

"I'm not actually sure. I think I still haven't processed everything fully yet. It's weird and unsettling that all these secrets just keep on revealing themselves and I'm scared to know what else I haven't found out." I confessed, my heart beating erratically.

A hand released my wrist from its tight ball confinement and slipped into it, rubbing warming circles on it. I cocked my head to find Dwayne's hand in mine, offering me comfort.

"Thank you." I squeezed his hand gratefully.

Throughout my uncertain days of secret revealing, he had been there. When I was going through hard times in school, he had been there. When I and mother had fought badly and me receiving the short end of the stick, he was there. When I had found out about Abel's true status in my life, he had also been there. And now, when my world was threatening to fall apart from the new information, he was still there.

He turned to smile at me before facing the road back.

"I think I should call." My statement sounded more like a question because of the uncertainty behind it. Was I ready for what would come next? Would whatever I find from now strengthen my shaky world or would it be the last straw to it breaking into pieces?

"Whatever you want." Dwayne softly assured.

I can do this. Deep breaths.

I heaved a heavy exhale and drew courage from the warmth of Dwayne's hand in mine.

Copying the number to my phone, I dialed it.

My heart thundered loudly in my chest and I feared it would be able to jump out at a point. With every ring, the intensity at which I was shaking with nervousness grew. Dwayne was forced to halt the truck on the side of the road to comfort me.