“Yeah, I’ve been telling him to use his words and not his fist. He’ll get better results that way. He said his teachers have been telling him how well he’s been doing. That makes me feel good.” Faryn smiled.

“That makes two of us.” Landon smiled back.

“Are you ready to eat?” Faryn asked.

“Will I wake up in the morning?” Landon questioned with raised brows.

“It’s already morning, smart ass. I know how to cook. I live on Pinterest,” Faryn said as she grabbed two plates from her cabinet and washed them off.

“What’s Pinterest?” Landon asked.

“It’s a site that has recipes and anything else that you might want or need,” Faryn said as she fixed their food.

She smiled when Landon told her to bow his head while he said grace. That was a first for her too. Faryn often dug into her food without ever giving thanks to the one who made it possible. She was just taught a valuable lesson and she vowed to change that.

“Damn, you got some skills,” Landon complimented as he ate his first bite of food.

“I told you. You need to get on Pinterest and feed those babies,” Faryn joked.

“Nah, I’m good on that. My sister and grandma got us covered,” Landon replied.

“What about your mama? Is she still alive?” Faryn asked.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter much to me,” Landon replied.

Faryn listened as he told her a little about his childhood. She was surprised that he still managed to get a degree and a career. He told her about his anger issues as a child and his story sounded so much like Lance’s.

“Damn,” Faryn mumbled.

“What about you? What’s your story?” Landon asked.

“Nothing special. I’m the youngest of four, born to a crackhead who overdosed when I was sixteen. I haven’t seen my siblings in years and I don’t have any other family that I know of. I’ve been on my own since I was eighteen. I danced at JB’s Gentlemen’s Club to keep a roof over my head and put myself through college. I got my bachelor’s first before graduating with my master’s in learning and behavior analysis and here I am,” Faryn rambled.

“You used to strip?” Landon asked in shock.

“For four years, but is that all you heard?” Faryn laughed.

“No, but that’s shocking. I would have never guessed that about you. I’ve heard of that JB’s place before, but I’ve never been there,” Landon replied.

“You didn’t miss anything. It’s just a cover up for a whore house,” Faryn said as she took their dishes to the sink.

She was surprised when Landon got up and helped her clean up their mess.

“Damn, if I would have known you were working there, I would have come through. I would have been one of your regulars too.” Landon winked.

“I had one of those who’s now turned into a potential stalker,” Faryn replied.

“Why am I not surprised?” Landon smirked.

“I’m an open book Landon. I have nothing to hide. I’m not proud of some of the things I did, but it is what it is,” Faryn said as they retired to the living room.

She was happy that he didn’t have a look of judgment on his face. That made her relax and open up to him even more. Faryn grabbed her throw blanket and snuggled up on the sofa. Landon sat on the floor in front of her as they continued to talk about their past. Faryn was open and honest about everything and so was he. They both admitted to not being intimate with anyone for over a year and they were both shocked at the others revelation. Before long, they had finished off the rest of the food as they watched a few movies. A little while after that, they had both drifted off to sleep.

When Faryn got up hours later, Landon was still stretched out on her living room floor fully clothed with shoes and all. It was almost noon and she was sure that he had to get home to his kids. His phone had been ringing like crazy, but he didn’t even hear it.

“Landon,” Faryn said as she shook his arm.

“Yeah,” he replied as he sat up and looked around. He looked a little confused about where he was until he looked up into her smiling face.