Stepping backward, I met his eyes. "Do you believe what I just told you?"
"Why wouldn't I? Everything you've told me supports what I thought before you said a word about what happened to you."
"And you still want to be with me?" My heart galloped as I waited for his answer.
"I ask you again. Why wouldn't I?" He pulled me close, squeezing me to his chest. "Come here, you crazy woman."
While he hugged me, I mumbled in his shirt. "I just thought that maybe you'd think less of me."
"Why would I? This wasn't your fault." Kofi tipped my chin up, but I wouldn't look above his lips. "It only makes me love you more."
My heart stopped for at least a couple of seconds. I was sure of it. Since I wasn't convinced Kofi's words weren't a mistake or him trying to comfort me, I let the moment pass.
"You know the worst part?" I said, sniffling.
"I can't know, so I'm asking you to share that with me."
I ran one finger over the bulging muscles in his arm. "The biggest problem my mother has with you is the color of your skin ... as if we aren't black, too."
Kofi's grin was filled with mischief. "I figured that out the minute she laid eyes on me."
"My biggest problem is that the person who took advantage of me looks more like us than like you.” Still smoothing my finger over his skin, I continued, “Yet, she's held him up as some model guy I let get away because I don't have a drop of sense in my head."
I sounded bitter. I knew that, but I didn't care.
He kissed my forehead again before meeting my gaze. "You won't get over it until you let go of it."
His words outraged me and I was about to tell him so when he laid a finger over my lips. "And you can't let go of it until you get it off your chest."
He kissed my forehead and cupped my cheeks. "I'm not telling you what to do, understand that, but I am suggesting that you do two things."
"I'm listening."
"Think about therapy, if you believe it will help."
When I opened my mouth to protest, he shook his head. "My turn."
Although I wanted to defend myself, I gave in to him. "Fine."
He released my face, but held my gaze. "You also need to tell your mother what happened. Get it out of your system. You resent her because she set you up with him and he raped you, but to be fair she can't know where some of your resentment is stemming from."
Staunchly, I held on to my point. "She's partly to blame."
"But you're the one who went out with him, Regina. You could have said no. You had that power."
"You don't know my mother and how she is when she gets an idea in her head."
"I agree, but you're either going to deal with it or not." His sober eyes searched mine. "The decision is yours."
"I don't want to." My cowardice surprised me. I’d grown comfortable avoiding my issues.
Kofi’s tone grew insistent. "I didn't ask you whether you do or don't. It's human to want to take the easiest way out, but you can't, not if you want to have a normal life."
"A normal life is overrated," I said under my breath.
Now, he chuckled. "Yeah, you and normal in the same sentence don't exactly fit together."
"Are you saying I'm weird?"
