A Perfect Love Read Online Free PDF Page A

weren’t even theirs, as in my mum giving birth to Preston and me. They were a few random videos, as in VHS tapes. (They had refused to get rid of their ‘trusty’ VHS player, I think for the sole purpose of these videos.) They’d bought them from a charity shop close to eighteen or so years ago. Sick, right? It begged the question, who in their right mind bought homemade birthing movies from a charity shop, or indeed donated them? It was impossible not to shudder at the thought.
    I’d borne witness to the offending tapes, three in total, when I was in my teens, as had Preston. Somehow, Ella, despite our family home being her second home, had managed to evade them. Ella was my only shield, my only chance at protection. I just hoped it worked. If not, I think Liam may be pushed over the edge and into the realm of contacting the authorities to get my entire damn family sanctioned.
    We’d been together long enough for him to be used to their specialness, their uniqueness, but the sharing of the videos may blow the quirky into the deranged.
    “What are you shaking your head at?” Liam walked into the bedroom balancing two plates in one hand and grasping two cups of tea in the other. I sat up to remove the mugs from their precarious position.
    “Just thinking about our visit to Mum and Dad’s tomorrow.”
    “Nervous?” He set a plate on my lap. Picking up a slice of toast, I took a small bite, warming my stomach up to accepting sustenance. Not immediately gagging was a small success, so I leaned back against the headboard and took a larger bite.
    Settling next to me, Liam munched happily away on his toast, almost inhaling one slice in three bites. “Not really,” I answered. He looked at me with a raised brow, and I sighed. “Okay, sort of. I know they’re going to be happy. Crazy happy, in fact. It just makes everything even more real, you know?” He nodded. “Plus, you know how excited they get. I’m just worried they’re going to get too much and lay it on too thick.”
    I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. I loved my parents, wholly so, and I was damn grateful for their support and their love. They would do everything in their power to make me happy. At times, though, it was a bit too much. It would be nice for them to take a step back and think about themselves for once.
    Worrying about Preston after his accident a few years back and fussing over me after my shit had taken its toll. I was sure of it. They were looking tired. I hoped since I was ‘married off’, as my dad had so eloquently described it, and that Preston and Ella were crazy in love, they would finally stop worrying about us. They seemed to always be waiting for a relapse of some kind. I saw it at our wedding even. Through the smiles and happy tears, every now and then, I saw my folks share a look. I had no idea what the look meant. I couldn’t even begin to describe it or mimic it, but it was a look I’d been seeing for the last few years. All I knew for sure was that it meant there was an element of worry there, always for us, Preston and me.
    It hadn’t been that long since our wedding, but already my parents appeared to wear an easier smile. They didn’t seem to have moments when they’d be absorbed in thought, waiting to pounce and protect. I really needed to talk to them about getting away and having a break.
    “It’ll be fine. You know your mum will cluck, even though she says she’s in no rush for grandkids, and your dad will want to start building a fort or something outside in preparation. That’s okay. We can let them do that. And if they begin to get too much, you can go into hibernation, days at a time.”
    “It’s summer.” I was being facetious.
    Liam paused from taking a sip of his tea and quirked his right brow, tilting his head.
    “What? I was just pointing out that creatures don’t hibernate in summer is all.”
    Shaking his head in response, Liam continued. “My point is it will be fine. Don’t sweat